Today, we’re visiting with award-winning author Lena Nelson Dooley.  She is the co-founder of the DFW Ready Writers and a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers.  Perhaps more impressive, she has more than 650,000 books in print.

JRC:  You started writing in 1984. How did that come about? Was it something you had planned for a long time, or you just decided you’d like to write?

Lena:  I’ve written all my life. I came from a family where writing was a part of life. I didn’t know that everyone didn’t write things until I left home. Actually, in 1984, God told me to become a professional writer. Your readers can find the story of how that happened on my website, www.lenanelsondooley.com , by clicking on the About Me tab.

JRC:   I tried to count all of your books on Amazon, but there were too many. How many books have you written, or collaborated on in that time?

Lena:  I’ve had about 32 book releases.

JRC:  Tell us a little about collaborating. For instance, in Christmas Love at Lake Tahoe, there are four authors and four main characters.  Or how was it handled?

Lena:  In the novella collections with multiple authors where the stories tie together, each author wrote a different story in the collection. The authors had to make sure all our intersecting details matched. That took a lot of emails back and forth.

JRC:  It looks like you have written in various genres. Do you have a favorite genre?

Lena:  Although I write contemporaries and love writing them, I have written more historicals. That’s because they are the ones that the publishers were interested enough in to offer a contract. I do love historicals, and I’ve become somewhat of an expert on the 19th century, because of the research I’ve done in that time period.

JRC:   Can you tell us a little about your latest published novel?

Lena:  Mary’s Blessing is book two of my McKenna’s Daughters series. Book one, Maggie’s Journey, released in October of 2011. This series is about identical triplets born on one of the last wagon trains on the Oregon Trail. Their mother died giving them birth, and they were separated. Each story is one sister’s story. None of them knew they had sisters until near their 18th birthday. The third story in the series will release in January 2013. It’s Catherine’s Pursuit.

JRC:   Of all the books you’ve published, which is your favorite and why?

Lena:  That’s like asking which of your children is your favorite. I’ve loved writing my pirate story, Pirate’s Prize, and my cruise novel, Never Say Never. And I have a couple of cowboy stories. One set in Texas and one in Arizona. I loved writing them. The last three books, the two McKenna’s Daughters stories and Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, have been interesting books to write.

JRC:  You’ve won a number of awards. Which one are you proudest of and why?

Lena:  I treasure each award. I feel that each one is a gift from God to me, affirming I’m doing what He wants me to at this time in my life. The three Carol Awards silver pins I’ve received were special. When Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, won the Will Rogers Award for excellence in western media, I was blown away. It was the first time a Christian book had received the award. And then Maggie’s Journey recently won the 2012 Selah Award for historical novels. Seeing the other authors I was included with as a winner really blessed me.

JRC:   Do you do rewriting or polishing as you go, or do you come back after you reach “The End” and then polish?

Lena:  I edit each chapter as I go, but I also go back at the end and do a final edit of the whole book together.

JRC:  With all these books, do you have a writing schedule, or just write when your muse comes calling?

Lena:  Writing is my full-time job, and I have an office in my home. I spend between 6 and 8 hours in my office 5, 6, and occasionally 7 days a week. I try not to write on Sunday, but if I’m at the end of a deadline, I’ve been known to put in a few hours if necessary.

JRC:   What advice would you like to give to writers who are just beginning to be published?

Lena:  Your editor is your friend. The editor’s job is to help you make your book better. Be teachable. But also remember that it is your book. If the editor is taking it a direction you really can’t agree with, let the editor know (in a nice way) and have a discussion until you both can agree on what should happen. And be sure to pick your battles carefully. Pray about what the editor is telling you.

JRC:  Great advice.  Too often, writers view the editor as the enemy.  You can find out more about Lena Nelson Dooley and her books at her website:  www.lenanelsondooley.com.  Don’t forget to leave Lena a comment or a “like.”  And thanks for stopping by.