I met Deborah Edmisten a few years ago at a writers’ group, and while we didn’t become instant friends, I’m glad to say that our friendship has grown with my renewed attendance at the group. We were participants at an author event recently, where we had time to speak more personally, and I read three of her books, which I thoroughly enjoyed. That was when I knew I had to share this wonderful, talented woman of faith with my followers. Without further ado, I’d like to introduce Deborah Edmisten.

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

I’ve been married to my best friend for thirty-five years, I’m the mother of three sons and one daughter, a mother-in-law to three incredible individuals, and grandma to five unique and wonderful grandchildren. I was saved by the Lord in my early 20s; a miracle I’m grateful for every single day of my life.

I grew up in Akron for the first ten years of my life before my family moved to Canal Fulton when I was in fourth grade. I’ve lived in the Northeast Ohio area the entirety of my life except for a three-year-stint in Jacksonville, Florida, for my husband’s job with Goodyear.

We have an amazing church family which we cherish. We’ve been with them for twenty-two years, and we’ve experienced both tragedy and joy together.  It’s a gift to have that kind of a bond with a group of people, and we don’t take that for granted.

What has your experience been?

I had several different jobs before I became a stay-at-home mom after the birth of our first child. Camera sales, bank teller, office clerk at a wholesale seafood company, receptionist, and then administrative assistant at a financial services company.

Regarding training and my writing, this may make you laugh, but I’ve had absolutely no training in writing other than high-school creative writing classes and some mentoring in my early twenties from Sharon Mondragon, the author of The Unlikely Yarn of the Dragon Lady. I attended a Midwest Writers Workshop at Kent State Stark with Sharon in the late 80s. That is the extent of my training in the field of writing.

Did your work experience lead to the pursuit of writing? If not, please expound upon what led to your decision to write.

No, my work experience didn’t lead to the pursuit of writing. I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a writer. My fourth grade Christmas list (that I still have) verifies this; I asked for reams of paper so I could become a writer. Though I wrote poetry and short stories during and after high school, my dream of writing didn’t come to true fruition until I lost my mom in 2005. For some reason, her passing caused me to have a “now or never” moment, and I dove in and have been writing ever since.

How did you develop your passion for writing?

I guess I would say that I didn’t develop a passion for writing, rather, it developed in me through my passion for reading. From a very young age, I found books to be absolutely magical, and that view into other worlds between the pages of books gave me a profound desire to write.

What or who is your inspiration?

Wow, this is such a tough one to answer! There are so many authors I read growing up and in adulthood who shaped my worldview and birthed in me a desire to write.

To name a few of them: L.M. Montgomery, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Wilson Rawls, E.B. White, Fern Michaels (Mary Ruth Kuczir), Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, John Bunyan, C.S. Lewis, and John Newton, to name a few.

Do you put yourself into your writing?

Elements of myself are in some of the characters I’ve created, but I haven’t modeled any one character solely on me.

About which subjects do you enjoy writing?

I enjoy writing about subjects that are meaningful and cause people to reflect deeply on many of the challenges that we encounter in life. Some of the topics I’ve incorporated into my books are domestic abuse, alcoholism, slavery, the Underground Railroad, anxiety, suicide, marrying a person who doesn’t share your faith, human trafficking, immigration, etc.

I enjoy the challenge of creating a story that tackles tough topics but is also entertaining.

What does your writing process involve? What’s your routine?

I used to write early in the morning at our dining room table, but after going through an intense season of anxiety and severe sleep deprivation in late 2021 and into 2022, my routine has changed. I’m not sure why, but now I do better with writing in the evening in my husband’s home office where we relax in the evening. Life is strange like that, isn’t it? I don’t write every day, though; I write when an idea comes to me, so that makes my writing sporadic.

Have you been featured in a magazine or other publication?

My middle-grade and tween books have been featured in several different editions of Story Monsters Ink magazine; a prestigious magazine and valuable resource for teachers, librarians, and parents when looking for quality teen and children’s books.

I’ve also been featured on a few author blogs – which is always fun!

In which contests have you competed?  What awards have you won?

I’ve entered the Story Monsters Approved contest, The Purple Dragonfly Book Awards, and the Royal Dragonfly Book Awards. My tween time-travel series won the Story Monsters Approved seal of approval and my middle-grade books have won honorable mentions in both the Purple Dragonfly and Royal Dragonfly book awards. All three contests are prestigious and reputable, and I feel very blessed to have received recognition for my work from these contests.

Do you write for people (professionally or personally?) How does a client contact you?

My In Time series was written at the request of the children of a good friend of mine, but other than happily complying with that request, I haven’t written for anyone else professionally or personally. I’ve done some editing for fellow writers, but not professionally. Being a busy grandma, I’m not sure I’d have the time to write for others, so I doubt I would venture into something like that at this point in my life.

What’s your favorite story that you’ve written?

From a spiritual standpoint, my favorite book is Many Waters. I think it deals with profound issues of faith in an honest and real way, and that’s very satisfying as a writer.

The Red Dress is probably my next favorite. It deals with topics near and dear to my heart. In many ways, it’s a rough read, but the reality of history is often difficult to dissect, but that process is still necessary.

What’s your dream story to write/writing project?

I think it would be incredibly fun to write a play and see it performed on stage.

What’s one aspect about writing that you absolutely love?

I love seeing new worlds come to life and how connected I feel to my characters; the good and the bad. I love that my characters often tell me which direction they want to go, despite what I thought should or would happen to them. That aspect of writing is so rewarding.

What’s your biggest complaint with writing?

That I’m not as prolific as I wish I could be. In the writing world, I’m considered a Pantser – a writer who writes from “the seat of their pants” as they’re inspired opposed to a writer who outlines extensively before starting a writing project. I have to wait for ideas and storylines to form in my mind, and that isn’t necessarily always a quick process.

Would you like to work full-time as a writer?  If so, how do you envision this occurring?

All things considered, probably not. This wouldn’t be true of all writers, but I believe for me, writing full-time would deplete my creativity and make the writing process burdensome.

Do you write alone or in collaboration with another writer? Have you ever been part of an anthology?

I write alone. Being a Pantser, I’m not sure what a collaboration would look like, but never say never, right?

Yes, a short story of mine was included in the anthology, In Review: The Eclectic Works of The Write Stuff Authors Group and an essay in the anthology In Conclusion: The Eclectic Works of The Write Stuff Authors Group.

Where can someone find you online?  Do you have a website?

You can find my website at Nothing Hidden

I’m on Facebook at Deborah Edmisten, Author

You can also find me on Instagram @deborahedmistenauthor