Interview with Cara Putman
Cara Putman is a writer of historical fiction and contemporary suspense. She has won several alwards for her writing, and her historical novel, Canteen Dreams won the 2008 ACFW Book of the Year — Short Historical; Sandhill Dreams was a 2009 ACFW Book of the Year Finalist. She resides in Lafayette, Indiana.
When did you first start writing?
My first short stories were written as part of third grade – I still have that journal filled with stories about a frog and toad and their adventures. Since then I’ve kept a journal and now have a bookshelf filled with journals. Then in high school I started two novels: one exploring what happened to the Lost colony of Roanoke and the other set in Boston during the Revolutionary War. Then college started and writing went on the back shelf though the dream wouldn’t die. But that all changed in April 2005 when I told my husband told that I wanted to be a writer.
Who are your major influences?
I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by so many wonderful writers. And each day I discover more. I read voraciously and try to pay attention to what works in their books. ACFW (www.acfw.com) has made a tremendous difference in learning how to write and encouragement on the journey. But some of my favorite writers are: , Brandilyn Collins, Randy Singer, James Scott Bell, and Stephen James. There are so many amazing authors out there. Christian fiction is so broad and it’s awesome!
What draws you to the World War II era?
There is something heroic and romantic about that time period. A clear good v. evil battle. A time when the country pulled together behind a larger goal.
What do you enjoy most about writing historical fiction? How is this different than the other genres you write?
Historical fiction is fun though a lot of work. I picked a time period that I love and that makes the research more enjoyable. I love the twists and turns of suspense. That’s my greatest challenge right now – I love both genres!
What resources helped you the most in your research?
Using the internet to find the local resources/museums that have the information I need on various topics. For example, when writing Sandhill Dreams I made the trip to Fort Robinson and spent a day with the museum curator. That was incredible!
Why do you think accuracy so important in historical fiction?
One mistake can take a reader out of the dream. And once they’ve uncovered a mistake their looking – even if subconsciously – for other mistakes.
How did the idea for your historical series come about?
It started with Canteen Dreams which is set in my hometown of North Platte, Nebraska. That story was incredible: a town started a canteen that ran from December 17, 1941 through April 1946. Every troop train was met by volunteers from 125 towns who brought in food, coffee, books, magazines, birthday cakes, etc., for the troops. It was an amazing story I had to tell. And then I needed two more Nebraska based stories to round out the series. All three titles are being released in Cornhusker Dreams in November.
Any more plans for a World War Two series?
The first book in the Ohio series released in June. A Promise Kept focuses on a newly married couple and the challenges they face while opening their home to an evacuated British child. A Promise Born highlights a top secret project in Dayton as well as a great romance. While A Promise Forged focuses on the kid sister and her adventures in the All American Girls Professional Softball League, with a romance.
Can you tell me a about your road to publication?
The visible road to publication was short. Met Colleen in April 2005, attended ACFW in September 2005 where I met the Heartsong Presents and Love Inspired Suspense acquisitions editors, received my first contract at ACFW in September 2006, and now I have 7 books out with two more and the repackage releasing in the next six months. It has been an amazing journey.
What was your biggest struggle?
Making the time to consistently write. That time at the keyboard is critical. Without it, there are no books. And balancing the marketing with the writing is a challenge too.
What advice do you have for newbie authors?
Read MoreJoin ACFW (www.acfw.com). I am published in large part because of this organization and the teaching it offers as well as the relationships and conference.
Stumbling upon the ACFW
After I graduated college, I had a sudden pang of regret. I really enjoy learning more and pushing myself. I even loved homework.
So I enrolled in an online class about how to get published. The class was interesting enough, but in my own research into proposals and my experience being published in magazines and newspapers, it was all very elementary for me.
However, there was one lesson I took to heart. And it would change the course of my writing career.
The instructor encouraged us to find contests and submit our work. In researching different writing contests, I found the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and their contest for unpublished writers, Genesis.
At that point, my writing was raw and my story lacked a lot of meat. In fact, my whole manuscript was written more like a journalism piece than a novel, because I’d spent the last four years getting my journalism degree. So when I entered the Genesis contest and received embarrassingly low scores, I realized it was time to relearn everything I thought about writing.
ACFW turned into a resource I couldnt explore fast enough. I studied past course archives and drank in all I could. I joined a critique group and my writing has taken a total turn for the better. Even my story is richer, far more developed than I had ever imagined.
I’d been involved with other professional organizations such as the American Horse Publications and the Society of Professional Journalists. I’d experienced first-hand the value of networking and continuing education. Now, I’d discovered the gold mine for my fiction writing.
Interactions with the ACFW and local chapter, Portland Christian Writers, led me to discover the Oregon Christian Writers…And so the story goes.
For those not a member of an organization in their chosen field, I strongly recommend you look into it. Branch out. Join the group. Go to an organization’s meeting. Go to a regional or national conference. You’ll find more knowlege and resources than any book or website.
Another perk of the ACFW and OCW is connecting with successful authors and learning from their journey. For Monday’s post, I will have author Cara Putnam here to share her story and advice. She is the award-winning author of both contemporary suspense and historical fiction, including Canteen Dreams, Sandhill Dreams and Captive Dreams (Heartsong Presents). Please stop by!
Read MoreBad habits
So, time for a confession.
I am the most inefficient writer on the planet. At least, I think so. I love to write. I love to hand write my stories.
That means, I must type everything up later and my rough draft takes twice as long to finish. Likewise, I love to edit with paper in hand, rather than reading from a computer screen. Thus, it takes twice as long to revise a chapter. I know that a full-time writer probably wouldn’t have the time to do things this way, but its a habit I’m trying to break.
With my critique partners, we do all our correspondence and editing via email and Word TrackChanges. This has pushed me and helped me grow within the new realms of technology, but I still love the feel of a freshly printed page and the red ink covering the snow white paper. I think finding a balance is key. Finding errors in writing on a screen is different than on paper, and I admire those who do everything by computer screen.
So, while I struggle to find that balance, I will simply adapt in ways I can. For instance, I have “hired” my younger sister to type up my handwritten draft of probably 30,000 words or so. It saves me the time and she is happy to help, since she loves my novels. So, when in doubt, look for sibling labor.
Keep your eyes out: I’ll be posting an interview with author Cara Putnam soon, who might have some good advice to help cure me of my bad writing habits! 
The journey of revision
I was planning on writing a blog about another Arabian horse legend, but I thought I would let you all know where I am with my novel, In Dawn’s Shadows.
This week, I am currently suffering the worst case of writers block. I hate it.
Thanks to my fabulous critique partners (you know you are!) the novel has undergone many changes and improvements. Most writers will tell you no story is ever finished; there could always be one more edit, revision or tweak. Well, with In Dawn’s Shadows, it desperately needed the closer look and adjustment.
Because I started this story as a freshman in high school, the manuscript has gone through two complete rewrites, three or four liposuctions and another half dozen surgeries. The main idea is still there, but plot has changed, characters grown and research deepened.
Now, I am so close to “completion,” I can smell it. Smells better than fresh-baked cookies. On another note, the manuscript is under review by an agent I met at the Oregon Christian Writers Conference and also submitted to a publisher. I say a prayer every day for an answer and know that whether it is a yes or no, God has a plan for this particular set of 73,000 words.
But back to this writer’s block. I thank God for deadlines and keeping accountable to my critique group, because the inspiration for these two chapter revisions is simply not there. Any other time, I would have set it aside and waited for the muse to strike. Now, I need a chapter to submit so I’d better get cracken!
So I have toiled at the computer, picked at my nails, checked my email three dozen times, surfed Facebook for a bit (curse you, Facebook.) I finally switched off the wireless internet—thank God for that switch. Now I’m writing this. Hmm…not necessarily progress on the manuscript…but at least I’m writing.
Leave a comment and share how you overcome writer’s block! (And if reading blogs is one of the things keeping you from your writing—get back to work!)
What I’m Reading – Water for Elephants
There are certain books, where once you start reading, it consumes your mind and it’s hard to get anything else done (like housework, writing, work…all that sort of stuff.) “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen (Algonquin Paperbacks) is one of those books.
This novel follows ninety-three-(or ninety-one)-year-old Jacob Jankowski in an assisted-living community as he remembers his life at age twenty three. He was a veterinary student when tragedy strikes and turns his world on its head. He ends up on the rails with a travelling circus in 1931 and his story takes the reader through the dark, troubling secrets of the times.
“Water for Elephants” is not inspirational fiction, but inspiring all the same. I found this a gripping and poignant story of love and hope. In the worst of times and in the worst of company, the hero of the story overcomes and fights for what he believes in.
Gruen is a masterful writer whose research is something historical writers must strive for. The dialogue, descriptions and details transport you the very railroad cars, sitting beside a cripple, dwarf and Jacob. There are exotic animals, murder, intrigue, sideshows and men mad as hatters. Each page draws you deeper into this character and the point of view alternates from Jacob as the old man in the home to the young man in the midst of the depression.
The animals themselves become characters you root for and care for. An elephant named Rosie, who the author claims is a hybrid of two actual circus elephants she researched, becomes the true heroine. There is even a little yappy dog you eventually love.
Be warned, there are intimate scenes and language, but the message and thread of this story is well worth the darker moments. The book has layers of Jacob’s story from Genesis and with the story of the elder Jacob Jankowski, we see a whole other side to the character, one aged and wiser over time. Gruen has wonderful, flawed characters whose missteps will make you wince and cry alongside them.
I cannot rave enough about this book. For readers of all interests, this is true gold.
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