Interview with Paula Peckham and a Giveaway!

Welcome to Readers Write to Know! I asked you, my readers, what questions they would ask their favorite authors if given the chance, and the authors visiting my blog answered them!

This week, I’m excited to have Paula Peckham as my guest. My path crosses with Paula’s a couple of times a year as we attend some of the same writers conference, and I always enjoy talking with her. Read on to learn more about her and her latest release (is that not like the best cover??). Paula’s giving away a copy to one commenter! Read on to see how you can enter to win!

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Though PAULA PECKHAM’s family missed Santa Ana’s attack on the Alamo by a few years, this fifth-generation Texan has deep roots. She writes Christian fiction stories steeped in Texas lore. She has four published novels. The San Antonio series includes historical romances—Protected, A Father’s Gift, and Accepted. Books two and three finaled in the Selah Awards competition. Her fourth is a contemporary romance titled Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. She also has work published in four anthologies. Paula and her husband divide their time between Texas, Georgia, and Rio Bravo, Mexico. Follow Paula on Facebook: PaulaPeckhamAuthor Visit her website at paulapeckham.com

Tell us about your current release.

Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For is a labor of love. Music is a huge part of my life, and I was interested in seeing if I could create with words how music made me feel. Not sure if I replicated that emotion, but I had fun trying. The idea started in 2024 when I attended the Willie Nelson Fourth of July celebration in Austin, Texas. I heard a singer that was new to me — Jason Isbell — and was intrigued by the words to one of his songs. The tiny bit of research I did when I got back home led to a documentary about Jason that popped up on my “for you” page on Netflix, the idea was planted, and I was off. Musical references abound in the story, and that was fun for me. This may be my favorite story yet.

If you knew ahead of time your book would benefit only one person on their spiritual journey, would you still write it?

Yes. I enjoy writing for writing’s sake, so I’m still going to get my enjoyment from the project. And just like Jesus shared in the lost sheep parable, the “one” is just as important as the “ninety-nine.” God uses us how he sees fit, and if I was needed to reach one person, I’d count that as an honor.

Do you feel pressured to compromise your standards in order to reach a larger audience or be more successful?

Sometimes. I see the success other authors share about with their vampire romances, or steamy stories, and I know I’m never going to be able to compete with that in my genre. But when the temptation whispers, I think of the story of Moses when God told him he was leading a stiff-necked group of people, and he was going to let them go on to the Promised Land without him. Moses refused. If God’s not with me, what’s the point?

How do you push past the fear of your writing being average and be bold enough to sell it to a publisher (or agent, or audience if you self publish)?

That fear is always waiting quietly in the background, the imposter syndrome. But I tell myself God brought me here and he’ll equip me. If I don’t produce the best novel in the world, at least I’m learning something new each time and can continue to improve.

What’s the first major news headline that you can remember, and what do you remember about it? (ie. Moon Walk, Watergate, Pope being shot)

Jim Jones and his followers in Guyana in 1978. I was fourteen. I’d never seen real dead people before, and seeing them all spread out across that compound, and the senselessness of it all, really shook me.

Who was your first screen or musical crush?

David Cassidy for musical, Robert Redford for movies. Sundance Kid caught my attention.

How did you determine whether to self-publish or seek a traditional publisher?

I’ve done both. The traditional route was exciting because it told me someone not in my family thought enough about my writing to publish it. That first contract was a great validation moment. But after the first three books, I’d learned enough about the industry to feel confident trying it on my own, and I was eager to learn what could change if I had 100% control over what happened with the book. After doing both, I don’t think I’ll go back to traditional. I like being large and in charge.

Do you have a pre-determined length in mind when you first begin a book?

I think the sweet spot between what it costs to print a book (what the author pays) and what you can ask as a selling price for a book comes down to somewhere around 30-35 chapters. I went over that some on my first independently published book which was a relief because I didn’t have to keep going back and finding words to cut to meet my publisher’s word count.

Find Paula Peckham online:

Website: paulapeckham.com
Amazon author page: Paula Peckham on Amazon
BookBub: BookBub
Goodreads: Goodreads
Facebook: @PaulaPeckhamAuthor
Instagram: @paulajopeckham
Pinterest: Pinterest
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