Interview with Penny Culliford, Author, Theodora's Diary

Like a lot of writers, I can remember writing for pleasure (and to inflict my thoughts and ideas on other people) as a child. I wrote poems, plays, stories and helped edit the school magazine. None of it was very good! I didn’t start writing properly until I was three quarters of the way through a teaching degree in my mid thirties. I wrote a sketch as part of a presentation and everyone laughed in all the right places. I was hooked. I found what I really loved doing and I haven’t stopped writing since.

 

I suppose from observing some of the strange and wonderful things that happen in churches, at work and in family relationships. I thought, am I the only one who finds this funny/touching/seriously weird?

There are little evidences of God’s fingerprints all over life. That’s what I try to write. People tell me they can relate to Theodora and the things that happen to her and the way she reacts. I hope she is a kind of “everywoman”. I look at her and try not to take myself too seriously.

 

I consider myself very fortunate in this respect. I tried a few agencies, who didn’t want to know. Then, as Adrian Plass had been a big inspiration for Theodora’s Diary, I decided to approach his publisher (at the time, HarperCollins). My manuscript landed on the desk of a chocolate-loving curate’s wife, who was also the commissioning editor! The rest, they say, is history.

 

The Christian imprint of HarperCollins was acquired by US based publisher Zondervan. The British authors, including Adrian, Veronica Heley and I were part of the package.

 

The publisher. I now have a wonderful agent. I love working with Zondervan, but this seemed the right stage in my career to get professional representation.

 

The Christian publishing industry in the States is on a scale we can only imagine. I can only speak for Zondervan who are extremely professional and a privilege to work with, and they allow me to keep my Britishness, even over the pond.

 

There are differences in what is acceptable to US audiences, that would probably not cause British readers to bat an eyelid. Besides the general no-nos like profanity, gratuitous violence, sex and drugs, some publishers prefer to have no gambling (not even a raffle) and the consumption of no alcohol is permitted. Different publishers have different criteria and I understand this is in response to feedback from readers.

 

I try to keep the language as British as possible, but I have had to explain things like Swarfega, dog-collar and I should cocoa!

 

Difficult. For me, I’m very grateful for my US book sales. They certainly form the larger part of the readership. It’s also great to know that some things are universal, and getting an e-mail from Kansas, or California, telling me how much they related to Theodora, or how the books cheered them up is extremely humbling and gratifying.

 

I’m currently a Writer Co-ordinator and Vice Chair for the Association of Christian Writers www.christianwriters.org.uk. The organisation exists to support Christians who write, mainly in the UK. We offer advice, support, training and fellowship. It’s a privilege to meet so many other Christian writers, and I love it, although I am rather “administratively challenged”. 

 

I wrote a couple of articles for Benchmark magazine now defunct.

 

I’m concentrating on novel writing at the moment. My fourth book - The Art of Standing Still - comes out here next February and I’m working on another novel. I’ve written a few children’s poems and I’m trying my hand at screenwriting. I write and present a regular Thought For the Day on BBC local radio. I’m happy to turn my hand to any writing project!

 

Perhaps commercial publication shouldn’t be our only goal. There are many audiences for our writing in church magazines, community productions, or a poem as a birthday gift to a friend. There are many ways of sharing God’s blessings.

 

For those of us with our hearts set on publication, you probably don’t want to hear this, but my advice would be; don’t give up. Stick at it. If your first project goes nowhere, try something new. The difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is often tenacity. I know of one writer who sent twenty-four scripts to a show he wanted to write for. All of them were turned down. He sent the twenty-fifth and it was accepted.

 

Research the market carefully and choose the right place to send what you have written. Read a lot and write a lot, and listen to advice.