This interview was done with Kregel editor and debut author, Janyre Tromp. Her book, Shadows in the Mind’s Eye, was a wonderful read. It kept me turning pages into the wee hours so that I had to scrounge up an intense amount of will power to put the book down and go to bed. That will power went out the window in the morning. A cold cup of coffee and a sink full of dirty dishes is a small price to pay for the enjoyment of reading to the end. And you can get yourself a copy of this wonderful book. Just read to the end of this post.
Janyre is a busy lady, as you’ll see in the following interview, and I’m so grateful she was willing to take time to answer my questions. I’m sure you’ll be as delighted as I was to get to know her a little better.
Janyre Tromp is a book editor by day and writer of historical novels with a healthy dose of lyrical intrigue at night. She’s the author of Shadows in the Mind’s Eye and co-author of both O Little Town and It’s a Wonderful Christmas. And that all happens from her unfinished basement when she’s not hanging out with her family, two troublesome cats, and slightly eccentric Shetland Sheepdog.
LBL: Let’s start with a round of non-writing trivia. Which do you prefer? For your physical location, a country or an urban setting?
JT: Country. I’m spoiled to have a woods and creek behind my house. We spend a lot of time out there. Crowds make me a little nervous. I absolutely adore people and their stories, but if it isn’t a controlled environment, it’s overwhelming to my senses.
LBL: I’m sure many people, like me, can relate. I’d take a country setting any day. Sweet or salty snacks?
JT: I was always a salty snacker until I was pregnant with my son. Even in utero, my dude wanted sweets—cake, candy, anything with sugar. Now I’ve developed a taste for cake when I always hated it before!
LBL: Sheesh! I’d love to hate cake. Lol.For your personal enjoyment, paper, digital, or audio books?
JT: A few years ago, I would have said strictly paper. Now, I usually have one of each going at all times. My friends wonder how I can keep it all straight, but as a book editor, it’s my job to remember details and keep stories straight. I don’t typically struggle at all.
LBL: Are you a morning person or a night owl?
JT: With kids in school and early morning practices, I’ve had to become a morning person. On breaks, I revert to my natural night owl tendencies.
LBL: I know the answer to this one, but for our readers, pets or no pets?
JT: We have a menagerie of pets—2 cats, a dog, and a bunch of fish. My cats especially are characters. You’ll have to pop onto Instagram to see their antics. We got Brave as a way to help our daughter through a particularly harrowing round of medical tests. Hope followed not long after for our son as he dealt with the fear of losing his sister and my often prolonged and surprising absences as I cared for our daughter in the hospital. Their names are very representative of that time and are a reminder of the beauty found in the ugliest of places.
LBL: And here are pictures of two of the Tromp family's lovely animals.
(Brave is apparently too active to capture in a photograph, but you can find some vidoes and candid shots of the little rascal on Janyre's Instagram.)
LBL: When you aren’t reading, writing or editing, what do you like to do?
JT: Since my day job is editing, I joke that if my eyes are open I’m reading, writing, or editing. But seriously I love to walk and play games with my kids.
LBL: Great activities to give the eyes a little rest from all the reading. :) Tell us a little about your family.
JT: Chris and I have known each other since we were teenagers, and we’ve been married for 25 years. He’s the Chief Digital Officer of a financial technology company. Mostly I have no understanding of what he and his compatriots do. Our oldest is an elite swimmer, honor student, and fine artist. She’s a senior this year and, while I’ll miss her next year, I’m super excited to see where God will take her. She’s a champion for truth and has survived more than most adults. Our son is an eighth grader. He’s a soccer mid-fielder, percussionist, and honor student. He’s hilarious, loyal, and gentle . . . unless you pick on his friends or someone in a position of weakness, then he is a force to be reckoned with.
LBL: Congratulations on reaching 25 years of marriage. A true achievement in today's society. And it sounds as if you've done a wonderful job raising your children. :) What inspired you to enter the publishing world, first as an editor then as a published author?
JT: I started college as a chemistry major. After one semester and the prospect of 7:30 am Calculus, I realized that if I hated labs, I was in trouble. I called my mom who told me to do what I loved. In all my 17-year-old wisdom, I responded, “No one gets paid to read, Mom!” But having no better ideas, I declared an English writing major. The rest, as they say, is history.
LBL: I sure don't blame you. Calculus at any time of the day would be a "no thank you" from me. I am glad you chose to make that course change. If you could be a character in any book—read, written or edited—who would that be and why?
JT: I think Lucy Pevensie from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is not only my favorite childhood character, but my favorite character period. I read this book for the first time in first grade and absolutely identified with Lucy. As a kid I always felt like I was on the outside and searching for something to believe in . . . something my adult self can identify with as well. She was smart, creative, gentle, and often underestimated by those around her and yet had a courageous faith and strength of character that I admire. I guess in Lucy I saw who I am and who I want to be.
LBL: What a great character. Lucy is one of my favorites, too. What is your writing process like? Are you more of a plotter or a pantser?
JT: I’m a bit of a mix. I have a general historical setting and/or question that I’m looking at. Then I do pretty in-depth character work, during which, the characters tell me all kinds of stories. Often those stories are pivotal points in the book. I end up basically writing connective tissue between the major scenes, but I often don’t know the exact ending until I’m further into the book…mostly that’s because my characters change whatever I have planned.
LBL: Care to share a picture of your writing space? Or if you prefer, just describe it for us.
JT: I work in my unfinished basement. It’s as glamorous (and cold) as it sounds!
LBL: Brr! Tell a little about your newest release, Shadows in the Mind’s Eye, and how you came up with the idea.
JT: Shadows in the Mind’s Eye takes place just post-WWII and is about a soldier returning from the Pacific and dealing with what we now know as PTSD. When he alone starts seeing things in the hills behind his farm, no one knows if there’s actually something happening or, if in a Hitchcockian twist, he’s the real danger to his family.
The story actually began while talking to my grandparents over a glass of lemonade. My U.S. History professor had given us an assignment to talk to family about the Depression and/or World War II. Until that point, I’d had no real concept of what the war was like, either for the soldiers or their families back home. I guess I’d thought that the greatest generation slid back into life and easily became the loving people I knew my grandparents were in their 70s. When I discovered that wasn’t the case, I wondered how they had survived the fear and drastic changes.
Even though the book idea started with wondering how my grandparents’ marriage survived the pressure of war, the book isn’t biographical. So, I needed a setting other than my grandparents’ hometown. For the characters that I was building, I needed a small town. When one of my good friends told me she had an entire book of stories from her family in Arkansas, I jumped at the chance to read first-hand history.
Amongst the Hughes family stories, I acquired the basis for Dovie May and Hot Springs, Arkansas—home to the largest illegal gambling racket in the country.
Well, I don’t have to tell you that mobsters and illegal activity are an excellent backdrop for a story with a bit of suspense. The book The Bookmaker’s Daughter by Shirley Abbott confirmed that Hot Springs mobsters operated with full permission of the authorities. In Shirley’s stories, I also discovered the foundation for Charlotte Anne’s father. All of which gave me a location and a cast of characters that could stoke Sam’s fears and make everyone (including the reader) wonder whether or not he was crazy.
LBL: Do you have a new project in the works? Can you give us a little sneak peek?
JT: I do! This one takes place during WWII in Burma and focuses on the battle to prevent the Japanese from taking over mainland Asia. It’s steeped in legend and myth as well as the real history of the mountain people and the American missionaries who cared for them. It's titled Darkness Calls the Tiger, and it will be available in spring of 2024.
LBL: Sounds intriguing. I look forward to reading it. As an editor and author, what advice would you give to a writer working on a first book?
JT: Finish the book. Seriously. Most authors don’t make it because they don’t complete a novel.
LBL: How can we pray for you?
JT: My daughter is graduating from high school in May. She has a lot of decisions to make in the next few months and it means releasing my kiddo…something not so easy to do. She and I are particularly close since she experienced particularly difficult medical issues in 8th grade.
And if I can indulge a second request, while I love writing, it isn’t an easy path. It’s full of rejections (even after a contract), uncertainty, and a lot of hurry up and wait. I would love your prayers as I finish edits on the next book and research for and pitch the book after that.
LBL: Thank you so much, Janyre, for your time and agreeing to do this interview with me. It was truly great to learn more about you.
For more information about Janyre and her books, look her up at any of the following:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/JanyreTromp
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JanyreTromp
Instagram: www.instagram/JanyreTromp
BookBub: Janyre Tromp Books - BookBub
Or you can go directly to her website at http://JanyreTromp.com where you can grab a copy of her FREE novella, Wide Open.
Book Giveaway
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