I have not yet met award-winning author Nancy Moser in person, but have enjoyed getting to know her through her books – and hope to meet face to face someday. She is a remarkable writer who makes the reader live her stories. Her newest release Just Jane is amazing. I loved it! The first book in this series Mozart’s Sister made me a big fan of Nancy’s work. Excellent read!

Nancy Moser is the best-selling author of sixteen novels and three books of inspirational humor including The Good Nearby, Mozart’s Sister, the Christy-award winning, Time Lottery, as well as the Sister Circle series coauthored with Campus Crusade co-founder, Vonette Bright. Nancy gives Said So Sister Seminars around the country, encouraging women to tap into their personal gifts as well as the gift of sisterhood. Nancy has been married 32 years—to the same man. She and her husband have three grown children and two grandchildren. She’s been blessed with a varied life. She’s earned a degree in architecture; run a business with her husband; traveled extensively in Europe; and performed in various theaters, symphonies, and choirs. She needlepoints voraciously, kills all her houseplants, and can wire an electrical fixture without getting shocked. She is a fan of anything antique—humans included.

Nancy’s recent books include:

Mozart’s Sister: In 1763, 11-year-old Nannerl Mozart, one of music’s finest prodigies, found herself playing second fiddle to her 6-year-old brother, Wolfie. Follow the life of this remarkable girl and peek into her heart filled with dreams, faith, and romance. A stunning historical novel, rich in detail about 18th-century European life.

The Good Nearby: Meet the staff and patrons of Neighbor’s Drugstore, from the clerk who’s desperate to turn her life around and the lonely empty-nester to the high-powered lawyer hiding a dark secret. Soon their lives will intersect in remarkable ways—thanks to an abandoned child named Gigi who clings to memories of her grandmother’s love and faith.

Here is the blurb on her current release Just Jane:

Unable to find her own Mr. Darcy, she created him. Jane Austen lives simply in the English countryside with her beloved family, entertaining them with her stories and seeking romance. She never ventures far from her own corner of the world and struggles to find her place in it. Growing up in a clergyman’s home gives Jane opportunities to observe human nature at its best–and worst. Vivid and delightful characters pour from her pen–Elizabeth Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy, Emma Woodhouse, Fanny Price, John Willoughby. . .Jane dreams of publishing her stories and sharing them with the world, but she’s just Jane from Steventon, isn’t she? Will anyone ever read her novels? In this moving and authentic portrayal, Christy Award-winning author Nancy Moser transports readers back to the life and times of the literary world’s possibly most beloved heroines.

You can find Just Jane at these three online bookstores:

CBD, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon.

I asked Nancy to give us some insight into how God is using her and her writing.

Jill: When and how did you know that you wanted to be a writer?

Nancy: My degree is in architecture and I’ve never had a writing course, yet I’ve always liked to write stories. I wrote my first novel as a child—about a British maid in Victorian England—though I got stuck rewriting chapter one over and over.

Jill: Can you share with me some of the highlights of your writing journey – something particularly memorable or humorous?

Nancy: I once had to cut 74,000 words from a novel—40% of the book! It was when I wrote the sequel to my first novel, The Invitation. The book was The Quest, and I’d written it while I was waiting to get a yes on Invitation. I knew nothing of word count limits (most novels are around 95,000 words in length.) Quest was 184,000 words long! When I sold Invitation I told my new editor about Quest and she said, “Better get cutting! I don’t want to read it until it’s manageable.” And so I cut 74,000 words from it, taking out entire characters. It was the best thing I ever did because it taught me how to write tight—or tight-er. I’m always long-winded.

Jill: Tell me a bit about what you write now and what you hope/plan to write in the future. Do you have a favorite genre?

Nancy: I write in two genres now. I’ve written fourteen contemporary novels, and my newest one will be out in January 2008: Solemnly Swear. It’s about the jury on a murder trial. I started out writing big-cast novels, where 5-6 characters have their individual story lines going on, with some big incident gluing their stories together. I didn’t know this was unusual at the time, I just did it and was told it was rather rare later. I really enjoy getting into lots of characters’ heads and making the stories weave.

But now, in addition to the contemporaries, I am writing in a new genre: the bio-novel. These books are biographies about real women-in-history scened-out to read like a novel. I’ve written Mozart’s Sister, Just Jane (about Jane Austen) and coming out on the 4th of July, 2008, Washington’s Lady about Martha Washington. I have another one contracted—yet unnamed. I really enjoy writing about these women. I take great pains to make their stories accurate (as far as I can). I even use their own words taken from letters.

During my research for Just Jane, I discovered a Jane Austen I would have liked to call friend. She was witty, wise, discerning, creative, and loyal. She was also stubborn, judgmental, insecure, and needy. She was . . . a lot like us.

They all are. For no matter when these women-in-history lived, or where, the core of who they were and what they desired from life parallels our own issues and quests to find purpose and meaning. Their life-long search to find a place to belong, to feel secure and confident in their self, is our search.

Jill: I totally agree. I find the same to be true of the people of the Bible, as I have researched my Biblical fiction. And I just finished reading Just Jane. I would have enjoyed knowing Jane as well. You did a great job recreating her story!

Do you consider your writing the work God has given you to do for a lifetime or for a season of your life? Can you see yourself pursuing something outside of writing for His glory?

Nancy: As my Dad says of World War II, I’m in “for the duration”. As long as God allows me to write, I’m here, at my computer, plugging away. I love it. Other than playing the lead in a musical on Broadway (which is not going to happen) this is my passion.

Jill: Are there people in your life who encouraged you, who are responsible for you becoming a published author?

Nancy: Not directly. No one ever said, “You should be a writer.” It was a path I chose, but one I was allowed to pursue. My husband still doesn’t understand my desire or need to do it, but he has been gracious enough to give me the freedom—and financial backing—to pursue it. And my parents. . .they brought me up believing I could do anything I set my mind to. No one told me I couldn’t do it, so I did it.

Jill: Can you share one struggle that entered your life as a result of writing and how God helped you to overcome it, to make you more like Christ? After so many books published, do you still have days where you question what you are doing or feel like you’ll never write another book?

Nancy: When I first started writing, I was not a practicing Christian. I knew the tenants of faith, but only contacted God when I needed something. I first wrote secular novels with the goal to be rich and famous. I got rejected. And rejected. The “no’s” were God trying to get my attention. Finally, one day in 1995, I got a scathing rejection from a New York agent that finally got me thinking beyond the norm. I went on errands, ended up in a Christian book store (I’d never been in one before) and asked, “Is there such a thing as Christian fiction?” Of course there was! I bought a few books, raced home to read them, and decided to dedicate all my writing to God. The motive was all wrong of course, but I think God was so relieved to finally have my attention, He said We’ll deal with that later. (which He did.) But at this time what He did was rekindle in me a desire to know Him. And after some large missteps where I tried to paste God into my old novels, I set them aside and started fresh with The Invitation. I wrote it in two months—haven’t done that since. It was published in 1998 and since then I’ve had sixteen novels published, including one that won a Christy Award for best Christian fiction. It all proves that once God gets you on the right road. . .things can happen. Now I thank Him for all those rejections.

As for ever wondering if I can keep doing this? Or should keep doing it? No. I don’t have those feelings. Not yet anyway.

Jill: Likewise, is there a particular joy in this writing business/ministry that God has used to remind you that He is, in fact, using your words to His glory?

Nancy: When The Invitation first came out, there were 30 typos in the book. No one knew where they came from because they weren’t in the galleys (the final-final version of the book.) It was spiritual warfare. Satan didn’t want that book out there and was doing his best to mess things up. Eventually the books were reprinted and got to the bookstores. But what of the typo-books? The publisher donated them to prisons. Since then I have received many letters from convicts saying the book has touched them, including three that have specifically said, “Because of The Invitation I now believe.” God turned Satan’s mischief into glory. And who knows, maybe I was supposed to write that book for those three convicts? The rest who read it are frosting.

Jill: Wow! That’s awesome!

Though this question seems redundant in light of your last answer (because you have witnessed for Christ through The Invitation, has writing opened opportunities for you to give your testimony and witness for Christ or minister to fellow believers? If so, can you give one example?

Nancy:: I have a speaking ministry. I give Said So Sister Seminars with Brenda Josee around the country, encouraging women to use their God-given gifts to live out their purpose—and develop Sister Circles to help them on the journey. I give my testimony during that seminar. You can get information on Sister Circles here or at my website.

Some of Nancy’s upcoming releases are:

Solemnly Swear (January 2008): Patti McCoy is on trial for killing her boyfriend, Brett Lerner, a maître d’ at the restaurant where Patti worked. But was she simply in the wrong place at the wrong time? During the trial, Patti McCoy isn’t the only one who has to deal with innocence and guilt. Or judgment.

Washington’s Lady (July 2008): (no cover yet) It is said that without George Washington there would be no United States, but without Martha, there would be no George Washington. In his eyes, she was truly his “other self.”

You can visit author Nancy Moser and get to know her better by checking out her website.

Thanks Nancy, for joining us this month on Spotlight!