Ask the Author: Serena B. Miller
Answered Questions (8)
Serena B. Miller
My recent book is "More than Happy; The Wisdom of Amish Parenting" (on shelves Feb.2015) and I got the idea from my editor at Simon & Schuster. She is a new mother of young children and was interested in learning more about the parenting styles of the Amish culture and would often ask me to interview them about that dynamic. She found some of their answers to be useful and applied them in her parenting style. I realized that the parenting in Amish culture is interesting and definitely worth learning more.
Serena B. Miller
I found a fun solution during a train ride. I was texting a group of friends and they suggested I write a story about the train. I began to write a silly story about an older woman from Kentucky who was on a train ride to solve a mystery.The words came together so easily because it was for fun and a silly request from friends. Writing for genres different from my usual is always a big help because it welcomes a different opportunity to be creative and something new always sticks out.
Serena B. Miller
For me, it's realizing that writing is what i'm called to do. I tried knitting,arts,sewing, and wasn't any good at either of the activities! I use to sit with a group of women and attempt to become good at these things and realized I was often the storyteller. I'm a storyteller and writing is what I was meant to do, not sew or knit. It's a great feeling.
Serena B. Miller
I am currently working on another Amish novel focusing on the life of an Amish midwife. I'm going into a deeper exploration of her life and character than I have in previous novels. Right now, i'm in the research stage and it is exciting.
Serena B. Miller
There was an Amish community that moved into my town in Ohio and I quickly became interested. As my interest grew, my agent had suggested I write my next novel on the Amish culture. I began to visit the Amish community and spent time with the families and learned so much. Their lives are interesting, full of family, and very peaceful.
Serena B. Miller
My advice is to write every day. So often, people talk about writing and attend conferences and classes but don't take the time to actually practice. You have to practice your craft daily. Be careful to not fall into perfectionism because it will keep you from moving forward. That is something I learned in my early stages of becoming a writer.
Serena B. Miller
A favorite quote of mine is from William Faulkner "I only write when I am inspired. Fortunately, I am only inspired at 9'o clock every morning" . When i'm not inspired I still write,because it's important. I'll write silly things and eventually something stands out and becomes interesting or inspiring and i'll build on that. I get inspired to write by...writing.
Serena B. Miller
My favorite scene was when Aunt Bertha (Kelly McGillis) says "That is scripture Rachel, and we will not compromise when it comes to doing God's will". The story behind that is I was on the set (in the basement of an Amish home) and it was that moment that i realized the book was going to be a movie. It was in that moment that it became real. The crew and cast were so fantastic and everyone did their job beautifully. I was able to to really sit and watch and enjoy.
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