Karen Witemeyer Interview

Author of A Tailor-Made Bride
(June 2010, Bethany House)

Tell us a little bit about your debut novel, A Tailor-Made Bride.

A Tailor-Made Bride is a fun-filled romp in which a feisty seamstress tangles with a set-in-his-ways livery owner in 1880s Texas. Hannah sees beauty as a gift to be shared while Jericho judges her fancy goods as nothing but vanity. However, when his sister befriends Hannah and solicits her help in catching a beau, Jericho discovers that Coventry's new dressmaker is far from the shallow creature he expected. But gaining her favor would require exposing his wounded heart. Can two stubborn people learn to stop judging and instead choose love?

How did you develop the overall theme for this book?

It all started with a question: What happens when believers disagree about what the Christian life should look like? Hannah Richards believes she is imitating the Creator and being a good steward of the talents he has blessed her with by plying her needle in the making of fine dress goods. Jericho Tucker, on the other hand, believes that fancy dresses only encourage women to focus on vain, superficial beauty instead of the inner attributes of a gentle and quiet spirit that Scripture promotes as true loveliness. Both are right. Yet both see the other as wrong. When Jericho's sister, Cordelia, is caught in the middle, they must decide which is more important—being right or living right.

Your writing style tends to incorporate the use of humor. Is this something that comes naturally to you?

I love to laugh. Whether it's being silly with my kids, giggling at one of my husband's quips, or smiling over the fact that the pancake I just turned more closely resembles a deformed slug than the teddy bear I'd intended, I truly believe that finding joy in life lends us strength. As a reader, I'm drawn to stories that make me laugh. I want action and drama, too, but if a witty turn of phrase can make me smile or a character's reaction can elicit a chuckle loud enough for the people around me to stare, that's even better. This is the type of experience I hope to create for my readers.

I did incorporate some of my own personality traits into my characters. Hannah is independent, task-oriented, and likes to get the upper hand when dealing with Jericho. I am much the same. I love my husband, yet there is no one I enjoy defeating more when playing a game that requires skill and mental acuity. Those wins come rarely, but when they do, I feel like crowing in victory, much like Hannah felt when facing the challenge of making Jericho smile or beating him in a war of words. Also, when I wrote the scene where Hannah struggled to leave her shop with a customer's hem unfinished, I nearly laughed at how well that described me. I hate leaving a task undone. Having three kids has mellowed me out over the years and taught me to be more flexible, but I would still rather finish something than leave it for later.

What message would you like readers to take away from A Tailor-Made Bride?

Being right is less important than living right. In John 17, Jesus prayed that his followers would all be one, so that the world might believe that he was indeed sent by the Father. Many times, we as Christians are quick to condemn other believers because they do not adhere to a doctrine identical to our own. However, if we wish to foster the spirit of unity that Christ desires, we must be less concerned with proving our arguments and more focused on loving our neighbor and extending grace in times of disagreement. Only then will we be a light to the world.

Tell us what new projects you’re working on.

My second release, Head in the Clouds, will be hitting the shelves in October. Since I enjoy Regency romances as well as those set in the American West, I thought it would be fun to blend the two by bringing an English nobleman to Texas. In Head in the Clouds, a recovering romantic takes a job as governess for the mute daughter of a sheep rancher and soon learns her heart is not the only thing in danger.

My current work in progress is a story set in the late 1880s that asks the question – what happens after the prodigal son returns? So many times, we focus on the wonderful homecoming the lost son received from his father, but have you ever asked what life was like for him after the celebration was over? How did he relate to his bitter older brother or the servants and townspeople who were only too aware of his past arrogance and wild living?

In my third book, I play on those very questions. My hero is a man recently released from prison who has returned to his faith roots and rededicated his life to the Lord. The heroine is a woman who has been disappointed by men in the past and has little tolerance of those who don't meet her high standards. In an effort to make a clean start, Levi hides his past and Eden believes she has finally found a man of honor and integrity. But when his secret is revealed will both their futures be shattered?

Everyone’s journey to publication is different. Now that you’ve walked that road, what tips can you give to authors still hoping for that first contract?

The key to enjoying your journey to publication, as with most things, is a positive attitude. This is especially important for a road that is fraught with so much rejection and disappointment. Learn from the past, but don't dwell there. Constantly look forward. Give yourself the tools to be successful – hone your craft, go to conferences, network with other writers and industry professionals – but above all, reminder to smile. The Lord set us on this path, and we are to glorify him just as much when mired in mud pits or sucking wind on steep grades as when we dance in meadows and savor mountaintop views.

Was there something about the experience of getting published that was a surprise to you?

I'm constantly surprised by how much there still is to learn. There is always more technique and craft to master. There are relationships to foster with your publishing team. There are marketing strategies to embrace and somehow find the courage to put into action. But I think the thing that amazes me most is how much joy I derive from working with a team of people who believe in me. I have editors who are becoming dear friends and marketing liaisons who go out of their way to make things easy for a newbie who doesn't know the first thing about selling books. I had a chance to visit my publishing house in person at the first of the year, and I was overwhelmed with warmth and enthusiasm from people who were eager to welcome me into their family.

Karen Witemeyer is a deacon's wife who believes the world needs more happily-ever-afters. To that end, she combines her love of bygone eras with her passion for helping women mature in Christ to craft historical romance novels that lift the spirit and nurture the soul.

Karen holds a master's degree in Psychology from Abilene Christian University and is a member of ACFW, RWA, and her local writers' guild. She's an avid cross-stitcher, shower singer, and bakes a mean apple cobbler. Karen makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children.

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