My Interview with Writer PeggySue Wells

My Interview with PeggySue Wells
1) Tell us a little about what you do.
I make stuff up. When writing fiction, anyway. The key is the made up stuff has to be believable and must grab the reader’s attention. Writing non-fiction is compiling true stuff in a way that is fresh, insightful, and provides excellent take-home value for the reader.
"I make stuff up. When writing fiction, anyway. The key is the made up stuff has to be believable and must grab the reader’s attention. Writing non-fiction is compiling true stuff in a way that is fresh, insightful, and provides excellent take-home value for the reader." - PeggySue Wells
 
2) How long have you been writing? Was there a specific moment when you decided to become a writer?
I began as a modern dance major in college. When I blew out my knees, the other option that made my eyes light up was writing which is probably a better fit. My favorite aisle at the store has always been the stationary row with all those splendid pens and reams of paper waiting to be filled. Bookstores and libraries are on the same level as Disney. The foundation of Disney is books and story.
3. What is your favorite part about being a writer? What do you enjoy most about writing fiction?
Writing is a way of connecting with others. It is a gift I give of myself to the world. I fashion story and truth, questions and wonderings, into writing that will outlive me. When I write I am unconscious of time and immersed in the process. My style is tight and connected, weaving in little-known history and real places. My favorite compliment has been from some military guys who said, “You sure don’t write like a girl.”
"With each of my novels, I want readers to close the book having learned something they didn’t know prior to reading my story. Everyone longs to connect and belong. Libraries and bookstores are places where creativity, ideas, and questions are communicated between writers and readers. " - PeggySue Wells
With each of my novels, I want readers to close the book having learned something they didn’t know prior to reading my story. Everyone longs to connect and belong. Libraries and bookstores are places where creativity, ideas, and questions are communicated between writers and readers.
4. How do you approach writing a new book? How do you decide what to write about? Do you write an outline & make plans, or do you just start writing?
I’m always working on four projects simultaneously. It’s how my brain works. Some stories are my idea, like Chasing Sunrise. Some are stories I believe should be shared like The Slave Across the Street, and some stories I tell for others like Voice of Your Childhood that I am finishing now.
5. What is the best investment you’ve made in yourself/your writing career?
"I am continually learning the craft of writing. Writing is like fashion, trends and style are constantly changing and it’s vital in this industry to stay up-to-date. Like playing a musical instrument, writing is a craft that is never mastered yet I work to constantly become better. Writing is a team sport. Investing in key writing conferences is necessary to network. Being an author cannot happen in a vacuum, I need community, connections, and voices other than my own." - PeggySue Wells
The greatest challenge to success are the belief systems that exist between our ears, and I accumulated a boatload early on. The best investments I’ve made have been in myself, joining a personal growth mastermind, an author mastermind, taking personal growth seminars, and having mentors. This year, Benjamin Hardy is one of my mentors.
Additionally, I am continually learning the craft of writing. Writing is like fashion, trends and style are constantly changing and it’s vital in this industry to stay up-to-date. Like playing a musical instrument, writing is a craft that is never mastered yet I work to constantly become better. Writing is a team sport. Investing in key writing conferences is necessary to network. Being an author cannot happen in a vacuum, I need community, connections, and voices other than my own.
6. Who are some of your favorite authors or books & why? What is your favorite underrated book or author?
I read several books at a time – is there any other way to read? – and a big part of my reading is audio. I replaced my car when the CD player couldn’t be fixed because listening to audio books is not optional. All that great drive time for books! I read all genres except horror and erotica. Favorite authors include Saundra Boynton, John Erickson (listen to Hank the Cowdog on audio with all the voices and sound effects!), Richard Paul Evans is an excellent writer and a very kind man, I’ve learned from Jerry Jenkins. I resonate with Clive Cussler and Vince Flynn. Karen Hancock’s Legends of the Guardian King series, and Richard Peck’s Grandma Dowdle series (A Year Down Yonder, A Long Way From Chicago, and A Season of Gifts) are the few I’ve reread. Of course, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson is a holiday must read and reread. The whole gospel is in that hilarious little book.
7. What advice would you give your younger writer self? What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
To my younger self I would say, Dream big, follow the dream relentlessly, and stick to the facts about situations. Creating stories in my head about facts, the story becomes my reality and I live from that false reality. For instance, when a publisher loved two of my books but turned down my next two ideas, I assumed they didn’t want to work with me anymore. That’s the story I made up in my head around the simple fact that my next two ideas were not a fit for them.
8. What things outside of other books & authors influence & inspire your work? (Films, music, people, your past, your hopes, the world around you, etc?)
I’m inspired by people, what they do, and why they do it. Chasing Sunrise was born as I sat in classical concerts my daughters played while my son went into special forces. I projected what life might look like for special forces men and for the arts, put the two together on the gorgeous island of St. Croix and added an atmospheric theater like we have an hour from my home. I have a western that has been living in my head for 30 years – probably time to put that story on paper. Listening to particular music genres is inspiring as I’m working on a project. And I take my laptop everywhere – I write at my daughter’s soccer practice, between rodeo events with another daughter, and at any new destination I can travel to from Israel, St. Croix, Hilton Head Island, Hawaii, London, in the mountains, in the car, and on airplanes.
9. What is the best way to market your books?
"Writing and marketing are two completely different skill sets. Today, authors are required to have both. The best marketing is word of mouth. The kindest thing readers can do for authors and books they like is post reviews on Amazon and other sites, and tell others. Ask the library to carry the book, and ask your bookstore to carry it. In today’s loud world, getting noticed is vital." - PeggySue Wells
Writing and marketing are two completely different skill sets. Today, authors are required to have both. The best marketing is word of mouth. The kindest thing readers can do for authors and books they like is post reviews on Amazon and other sites, and tell others. Ask the library to carry the book, and ask your bookstore to carry it. In today’s loud world, getting noticed is vital.
10. What’s a common bad writing habit you’ve noticed with your own work or other writers & how do you fix it? What is one of your favorite GOOD writing habits, tricks, or devices that you love when you see other authors use it?
"All writing must have take home value for the reader. No one cares about your life story unless it benefits the reader." - PeggySue Wells
1) Writers need editors. Get a second pair of eyes to spot and correct bad writing. What I meant may be completely different than what I wrote. When a pre-readers or editor doesn’t understand, or translates my words differently than I meant them, I change the wording so we both read the same meaning. Professional writers do not argue their point. We rewrite for clarity.
2) When I coach writers at conferences and professionally I remind them not to hold back. We can tell when someone is holding back in a relationship. Readers can tell when authors hold back. Give your everything to the project.
3) All writing must have take home value for the reader. No one cares about your life story unless it benefits the reader.
For myself, I write tight and concise, and rarely, rarely use dialog tags (said, explained, asked). Dialog happens in the midst of action. Banned words in my final manuscript include said, very, some, just, really, all, also, literally, has, as, it.
The best writers are brave enough to dig deep and feel the best and the worst feelings, regret, remorse, joy, love, loss. If I am not courageous to go there and truly feel these hard emotions, I cannot write them.
11. Have you published books with a traditional publisher or self-published? What are some of the pros & cons of each?
"Whether you publish traditionally or independently, marketing spells the difference between success and staying invisible." - PeggySue Wells
Most of my 28 books are traditionally published. Traditional publishing is a team effort. We need others to come alongside with their unique skills in design, editing, brainstorming, and marketing. Traditional publishing requires a large platform in addition to excellent writing.
If you have a large platform, indie publishing means you get all the income. Indie publishing gives everyone the opportunity to publish. Indie publishing is preferred for projects for small and niche markets.
If you do indie publishing, get your work edited first. If your project is poorly written, badly formatted, and has spelling and grammar issues you can kiss your reputation as a writer good-bye. Whether you publish traditionally or independently, marketing spells the difference between success and staying invisible.
12. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Does any aspect of it relate to what you do now? What was your favorite book as a kid?
As a kid I wanted to be an astronaut, oceanographer, and author. I began college as a modern dance major. When I blew out my knees, the other option that made my eyes light up was writing which is probably a better fit. Even as a kid, my favorite aisle at the store has always been the stationary row with all those splendid pens and reams of paper waiting to be filled. Sitting in the mulberry tree, I used to write when I was in grade school. And I read like crazy. Books I remember were Amelia Bedelia, Ramona, Green Dolphin Street,and Zane Grey westerns.
13. What has been your biggest challenge or setback, & how did you handle it? How did it help your writing?
Growing up unanchored to family and relationships, learning how to do life without guidance has been a disadvantage. I adored being a mom to my seven now grown children, and I see huge holes in their hearts and mine because their dad chose out of the marriage and parenting. You can imagine the stories I told myself about those facts. My dream has been to share life with a soul mate. I’m a team player so doing life on my own is not what I would put on my life script. The paradox of having a voice and sharing with the world when simultaneously I feel invisible can be incentive to play small rather than full blast and full out. I feel I would have done better with loving guidance and a life’s partner who recognized my talents and supported my success. And I am certainly not alone in this setting. One in four homes are single parent led.
14. Why do you do what you do? What drives you to be successful/keeps you interested in what you do?
"With writing there is an unlimited scope for projects, research, learning, producing, creativity, art, and wonder. Everything I do and experience is material. I can write anywhere and anytime." - PeggySue Wells
I do three things well: write, talk, connect people. Math is a four-letter word in my vocabulary. Truly there is nothing I want to do more than write and teach the skill of writing to others. I adore teaching at conferences, events, retreats, schools, and universities.
With writing there is an unlimited scope for projects, research, learning, producing, creativity, art, and wonder. Everything I do and experience is material. I can write anywhere and anytime.
15. What’s your favorite quote, & how does it relate to or inspire you & your approach to your writing?
Ephesians 3:16-19 according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
16. If you could be the author of any book ever written, what book would it be & why?
Imagine being one of the 40 authors who wrote the Bible under the inspiration of God. Being that connected to the Creator of the Universe, being in the center of a great work that has survived all of time, persecution, and has changed hearts.
In a contemporary setting, I wish I had thought of something as brilliant as Hank the Cowdog. John Erickson’s books are hilarious, appeal to all ages, have had healing impact on children, and we learn without effort. Writing for the longest running radio drama, Adventures in Odyssey, would be a dream come true. Heard by 1.2 million people around the globe each week, AIO has impacted three generations. How fun to be part of that team. I would love to write for Disney, and hope that one day one of my stories is turned into a blockbuster film.
17. What are some of your biggest goals for the year ahead?
My goal is to be self-supporting as an author. I want to publish books that will outlive me by 500 years. And to coach others how to write their own message.
18. What are some of your longer-term goals?
To write the books and articles, and teach the classes I was created to do. To connect people to others who can help them achieve their full potential.
19. You have a new book out October 8, “Homeless for the Holidays”. Can you tell us more about that? I understand it’s a novelization of a film. What drew you to the story & what did you enjoy most about writing it?
Homeless for the Holidays, is the hope-filled novelization of a film with the same name, based on the real life experiences of producer George Johnson. Unemployed, Johnson penned the screenplay in three weeks. Though the usual budget for a film like this is $1.5 million, George kept costs to $30 thousand. Expecting fifty people might show, open auditions were announced in the Auburn, Indiana newspaper. Eight hundred actor-hopefuls auditioned. All together, there were five hundred people in the cast, including the woman who played Sheryl Baker – who was homeless herself when she acted the role.
The film featured local residents including media personalities who played themselves in the scene where main character, Jack Baker, opened his front door to find his cul-de-sac filled with television and radio crews. In the media crowd was Marsha Wright, Johnson’s friend who loaned her house—decorated for Christmas—as the setting for the Baker family home. Marsha agreed to novelize the story, invited me into the writing process.
"A screenplay tells a story in 120 minutes. A book allows the author to tell a far longer, embellished tale. Writing from a screenplay is akin to receiving a newly constructed home on a bare lot and having the freedom of an unlimited budget to decorate and landscape." - PeggySue Wells
A screenplay tells a story in 120 minutes. A book allows the author to tell a far longer, embellished tale. Writing from a screenplay is akin to receiving a newly constructed home on a bare lot and having the freedom of an unlimited budget to decorate and landscape. I enjoy novelizing screenplays.
Drawing from seasons I experienced growing up, and as an adult, when employment and finances were less than adequate, I added the between-the-scenes details of what life could look like as a family faced an extensive period of unemployment. Then I shared the completed manuscript with folks who had been unemployed and homeless, adding what I learned from them to the manuscript.
My  favorite character in Homeless for the Holidays is the Baker’s son, Adam. The mother of seven, I mined Adam’s sense of humor and quick wit from quips made by my own young adults. The generous review provided by The King of Christmas, Richard Paul Evans, made my heart happy.
The world needs hope more than advice. Throughout Homeless for the Holidays hope shines bright.
You can find out more about PeggySue & her work at the following links:
Homeless for the Holidays: Available in ebook and paperback, order Homeless for the Holidays through your local bookstore and on Amazon at https://amzn.to/2yoVVN9.

My Interview With Julia Shuttleworth of Shuttleworth Weaving

Julia Shuttleworth Interview

Julia Shuttleworth & her husband, Rob, own a South African-based company called Shuttleworth Weaving that makes beautiful rugs out of natural fibers! Her rugs look so beautiful, she runs her business off the grid, & her business philosophy is so good, so I knew I had to find out more about what she does.

1. Tell us a little bit about what you do.

Julia Shuttleworth Interview

Photo by Karen E Photography

My husband, Rob and I have a small handweaving business that we took over from his parents five years ago. We live and work off the grid, his parents started weaving and spinning in the evenings by candlelight about 40 years ago and it slowly grew into a business, first supplying our local tourist trade but now exporting worldwide. We employ 12 rural Zulu women who do all the spinning and weaving by hand. We mostly work with mohair and wool. I have the best job as I get to dye all the yarns into beautiful colours.
2. How did you end up starting your rug business? Was there a specific moment that you decided to do this?

Julia Shuttleworth Interview

Photo by Karen E Photography

My husband had been helping his parents with the business his whole life. When we had had some other work experience and were married, we chose to join and take over the business from his parents. I chose to do it as I could see the potential of the business to do well and I thought it looked easier and more fun than the teaching job I was doing at the time!

3. What’s your philosophy behind the way you run your business?

We live consciously and authentically and look after the people and environment around us as best we can, in order to provide unique and beautiful rugs.

We live consciously and authentically and look after the people and environment around us as best we can, in order to provide unique and beautiful rugs.

4. What is your favorite part about having your business?

Julia Shuttleworth Interview

Photo by Karen E Photography

My favorite parts about our business are that I get to be with my husband all day, and I can pop home to see my baby at any time. I love that we spend most of our time out of doors and make beautiful products from (mostly) natural materials.

5. Can you give us a list of the steps involved in weaving a rug & explain that process a little more? Do you raise the goats the mohair comes from?

Julia Shuttleworth Interview

Photo by Karen E Photography

We buy the mohair (which comes from Angora goats). It is too wet here for the goats to do well (we live in a mistbelt forest) – they are mostly farmed in the Eastern Cape part of South Africa. The ladies who work here take handfuls of the raw yarn and spin it by hand on old wooden kick wheels. They then wind the spun yarn into hanks where I take it to the dye house and dye it in large pots into a myriad of different colours. We heat the water in a donkey boiler, using wood off-cuts from a nearby sawmill and then get it to the correct temperature using gas. We make sure that all of the dye is absorbed into the yarn so there is no dye that is left in the water. The hanks are then sun-dried and ready to be woven when the loom is set up. Getting the loom ready is often the longest part of the process, especially on our 9 meter (29 foot) wide loom! 1 – 8 people will then sit at the loom, winding the yarn onto the shuttles and changing the sheds using foot peddles. When the rug is woven, it is taken off the loom and left to settle into its final size. Each warp thread is then tied off by hand and stitched back into the rug. The rug is then measured, weighed and parcelled up to go to its final destination. The heaviest rug we made weighed 160kgs (350 lbs)!

6. What have you found to be the best way to market your business?

Julia Shuttleworth Interview

Photo by Karen E Photography

We don’t do much marketing for our business other than our local tourism branch – The Midlands Meander and our, rather outdated, website!

7. What is your favorite type of rug to make & why?

Julia Shuttleworth Interview

Photo by Karen E Photography

My favorite type of rugs to make are the mohair rugs as the mohair is lustrous and takes the dye colours beautifully. I enjoy making one-off rugs for our shop as that is usually more fun and creative than sticking to a single colour or design that has been ordered.

8. What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?

Julia Shuttleworth Interview

Photo by Karen E Photography

There is so much that we have learnt about our business and ourselves that its hard to choose one specific thing. Generally I think I wish that I’d had the confidence to grow our client base sooner than we have done, but all the same the timing seems to be right.

9. What’s the best investment you’ve made in yourself or your business?

Julia Shuttleworth Interview

Photo by Karen E Photography

The best investments I have made in myself are joining the 52WM course [writer Benjamin Hardy’s 52 Weeks of Momentum course] and getting myself a horse to ride. The best business investments are our wonderful staff and also a small commercial property that we managed to buy so that we are paying off a building rather than paying rent for our retail shop.

10. On your website, it says your company is located in the forests of the KwaZulu-Natal midlands in South Africa. It sounds like a beautiful place. What is it like, & what are some of your favorite things about it? Does the place influence your approach to making your products?

We live in a very beautiful place. Autumn and winter are the best as the days are clear and sunny. We occasionally even get snow, but it’s always sunny again after a day or two. We are surrounded by forest, grasslands, birds and wildlife as well as our horses who wander around grazing. We spend most of our time out of doors. The colours of the environment certainly influence our rugs - the sunrises and sunsets, the lichen on the trees, the grasses and leaves and the surrounding, ever-changing farmlands.

Oh yes! We live in a very beautiful place. Autumn and winter are the best as the days are clear and sunny. We occasionally even get snow, but it’s always sunny again after a day or two. We are surrounded by forest, grasslands, birds and wildlife as well as our horses who wander around grazing. We spend most of our time out of doors. The colours of the environment certainly influence our rugs – the sunrises and sunsets, the lichen on the trees, the grasses and leaves and the surrounding, ever-changing farmlands.

11. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

The best advice I ever received is to take regular cold showers!!

The best advice I ever received is to take regular cold showers!!

12. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Does any aspect of it relate to what you do now?

Julia Shuttleworth Interview

Photo by Karen E Photography

When I was a child I knew that I wanted to live in or near a forest and be outdoors, so in a way it does relate to what I do now. I didn’t ever think I’d have a business though!

13. Where do you get inspiration & ideas for new rug designs?

Julia Shuttleworth Interview

Photo by Karen E Photography

Inspiration for new rugs usually springs from necessity! When we need to come up with a new weave or design it requires many hours of sitting at a loom experimenting and changing things, combining various colours.

14. What has been your biggest challenge or setback, & how did you handle it? How did it help your business more better?

Overcoming our set ideas and beliefs is challenging and difficult at times, but ultimately rewarding, as we become more confident in our decisions and take bigger risks.

Ultimately the biggest challenge is with ourselves and our mindset around everything we do. We are lucky in that we work well together and can usually find a way to proceed when we disagree. Overcoming our set ideas and beliefs is challenging and difficult at times, but ultimately rewarding, as we become more confident in our decisions and take bigger risks. Handling a staff member who developed a psychiatric disorder was an incredibly challenging ordeal. Living in a third world country country certainly comes with its own set of challenges as well as living and running a business off the grid.

15. What’s something about carpet-making that you wish they knew?

I just would like people to know how much love and process goes into making each of our (and any handmade) rugs, from collecting firewood to the beautiful singing as the ladies spin and weave. The repetitive motion of the actual weaving and spinning can be quite therapeutic.

Well… I guess I just would like people to know how much love and process goes into making each of our (and any handmade) rugs, from collecting firewood to the beautiful singing as the ladies spin and weave. The repetitive motion of the actual weaving and spinning can be quite therapeutic.

I also love the way the word ‘woven/weave’ is used so often in literature and becomes metaphor for the way life works!

I also love the way the word ‘woven/weave’ is used so often in literature and becomes metaphor for the way life works!
16. Why do you do what you do? What drives you to be successful/keeps you interested in what you do?

Julia Shuttleworth Interview

Photo by Karen E Photography

I really enjoy what I do as there are always interesting challenges to overcome which makes it rewarding and never boring. I love working with my Rob (my husband) and feel grateful for that we are able to why we do together. My dye ‘office’ is basically in a forest so I feel very lucky!

17. What’s your favorite quote, & how does it relate to or inspire you & your approach to your business?

I enjoy most quotes as they usually all hold some truth. I can’t think of any particular one at the moment except perhaps ‘you don’t have to believe everything you think’. I have certainly learnt that since I joined the weaving as we have achieved some things that I thought were beyond possible!

I enjoy most quotes as they usually all hold some truth. I can’t think of any particular one at the moment except perhaps ‘you don’t have to believe everything you think’. I have certainly learnt that since I joined the weaving as we have achieved some things that I thought were beyond possible!

Julia Shuttleworth Interview

Photo by Karen E Photography

18. What are some of your biggest goals for the year ahead?

Julia Shuttleworth Interview

Photo by Karen E Photography

Our biggest goal for the rest of this year is to complete a big rug order (on time) to be sent to the States and to try and get in a few days of holiday before December! Also to complete paying off a loan.

19. What are some of your longer-term goals?

Julia Shuttleworth Interview

Photo by Karen E Photography

Our longer-term goals are to get the weaving running more independently from us so that we can build ourselves a much needed house. We will build it ourselves, by hand, so will need time to do it. Once we have done that we hope to travel and see more of this wonderful continent.

You can find out more about Julia & Shuttleworth Weaving here:

Website :: http://www.shuttleworthweaving.com/
Facebook :: https://www.facebook.com/shuttleworthweaving/