Featuring Carolyn Miller – Author of The Elusive Miss Ellison

Shout Out to Aussie Christian Authors Blog Series
Featuring Carolyn Miller – Author of The Elusive Miss Ellison

Welcome, Carolyn!

It’s such a joy to feature you here as part of our blog series celebrating Australian Christian authors. As an admirer of your work, this really is an honour. Thank you for taking the time to share a bit about your writing life and faith journey with us.

Carolyn Miller is an award-winning, bestselling author who lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia. A longtime lover of romance, especially Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer and LM Montgomery, Carolyn loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Find out more at www.carolynmillerauthor.com

 

Author Interview

1.     Can you tell us a little about your latest book—who it’s for, what inspired it, and what you hope readers will take away?

Plays by the Book is a contemporary romance that’s perfect for fans of books about books. It’s about a single and secure librarian who has long been considered as plain and ordinary, and what happens when she meets her total opposite who needs advice on books, and how a love of books can lead to love. I hope readers will be encouraged to know that even when life’s circumstances suggest otherwise, God has good plans for us and we can trust Him.

2.     How does your Christian faith shape your writing?

I write the kinds of books I want to read, where Christian characters wrestle with some of the challenges of life, which means my books have been called unapologetically Christian. My books have touched on everything from health issues to burnout to miscarriage, sometimes based on what God has taught me through my own experiences. I pray that God will lead me to write the books people need to read, that leave them with a sense of hope and builds their trust in God. And I pray that my books will find their way to the right people and that God will touch people’s hearts.

3.     What’s been one of your biggest challenges as an author—and one joy that’s kept you going?

It’s a challenge sometimes as an Aussie writer with a mostly US-based audience to do the things that get traction, simply due to time zones or the costs of travelling to US conferences / reader get-togethers, etc. A joy that keeps me going is receiving the kind messages from readers, such as one I recently received from a reader in Algeria! She told me she’s read each of my Regency books fifteen times (!) and that she loves the fact the books contain family values and morals. Then she told me that she’s a Muslim! I LOVE the fact that my books which contain Bible verses and some contain salvation scenes are being read by people who may not know Jesus but can find Him using my books. That’s part of why I write – to encourage people to draw closer to God. So it’s wonderful to get feedback that says readers have been challenged to read their Bible or to forgive or to love others or that God has touched them in some way. That’s so encouraging. 

4.     Do you have a favourite Bible verse or spiritual theme that finds its way into your stories?

I firmly believe that God loves the world (that’s why He sent Jesus! John 3.16) and that He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8.28). I love to share elements of these themes in my books, and encourage readers that whatever happens in life, we can trust God with it all. 

5.     What was your favourite book as a child—and has it shaped how or what you write today?

Anne of Green Gables was a favourite book for this fellow redhead! In fact, it led to a trip to Prince Edward Island back in 2010, which then led to a visit to Muskoka, Ontario, which is where LM Montgomery set her book The Blue Castle. My trip to Muskoka and cities such as Boston, Toronto, Montreal and Chicago led me to write several series based on that those places, including the Original Six series, and the Muskoka Romance series.

6.     What’s one fun or surprising thing readers might not know about you?

I’m a musician, and have led praise and worship in church for over 30 years. I’ve also written a bunch of worship songs and have helped organise a couple of music albums. 

7.     What encouragement would you offer to aspiring Christian writers here in Australia?

Aussie Christian writers have so many options to connect with readers here and around the world. My best advice is to write what you love, to finish the first book then write the second, then the next, as I think we learn a lot by actually writing. Some people spend so much time learning (& second-guessing themselves) that they don’t have time to write. I had written in a variety of genres (contemporary, hockey romance, Regency, romantic suspense) before I finally won an online contest and scored an agent (with my romantic suspense). I was asked to change the Australian setting / characters and didn’t want to, so I asked her to shop one of my other stories, a historical romance, which ‘just so happened’ to be the genre that Kregel, a US Christian publisher, was looking to expand into. 

If I’d only stuck with one book, or only tried one genre, then I wouldn’t have had another book to offer, which ultimately scored me four trilogy contracts with a US publisher. I still haven’t released my romantic suspense, but I’ve now built up my readership to know I’m Australian and that I’ll have Australia-based books. In fact, I have a new contemporary series being published by Barbour (another US publisher) that’s based on Jane Austen novels, that is actually set (mostly) in Australia and uses Aussie spelling! Not Exactly Mr. Darcy (book 1 in The Silver Teapot series) releases this December, and I’m so excited to see US readers coming to appreciate Australia as a setting – and it means I’ll be closer to releasing my NSW-based romantic suspense series one day!

All this to say we don’t know what  the next trend will be, so write what you love. Eg I started writing hockey romance back in 2010, yet publishers didn’t want to touch them, and now it’s been a hot genre for the past couple of years. I feel like God set me up to take advantage of this, and it’s helped me see that we don’t have to necessarily trust the ‘gatekeepers’ of the publishing industry. Readers want they want, and there are readers in parts of the world that want what you write. And you don’t need to be traditionally published to reach them. I’m grateful for getting my start by traditional publishing (especially as all I wanted was for my books to be in Koorong!), but I’m SO glad I didn’t wait for a traditional publisher to say yes to my hockey books, as I might still be waiting for them to be released. Instead, thanks to Aussie writing friends I met as part of the Omega Christian Writers group, I stepped into independent publishing. I love the fact that I can write what I want, set my release dates for when I want, and now have a readership who enjoy a range of books in several genres.

8.     Where can readers find your books and connect with you online?

You can find my books at Amazon, Apple, GooglePlay, Koorong, and request your local bookstores (and library!) to order them in.

I have a lot of behind-the-scenes pics and story inspiration on my website at www.carolynmillerauthor.com where you can also sign up for my newsletter (& score a free Regency or contemporary novella).

I love to connect with readers and I’m active on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. And you can always stay up to date with my books when you follow me on Amazon and Bookbub. 

Thank you so much, Carolyn!
It’s been a delight hearing more of your heart and process. Readers—if you haven’t yet discovered Carolyn’s books, you’re in for a treat. (My personal favourite is The Elusive Miss Ellison! Also, I can't wait to read your new book - Not Exactly Mr. Darcy later this year!)

 

 

Disclaimer: The thoughts shared in this interview belong to the author and may not reflect the full views of Grace Bell Publishing. We love supporting a wide range of Christian voices and stories, and we trust readers to engage with grace, wisdom, and a heart grounded in Scripture.