Interview --- Gina Conroy

Describe yourself and/or tell us about your family.

I'm an ordinary mom to four, wife of sixteen years, serving an extraordinary, patient, and forgiving God. I'm also a writer with a dream that sometimes gets out of balance at the expense of my family. But I'm learning to balance it all. Just like my writing, I'm a work in progress.

I'm learning and growing in my faith, parenting, and writing (among other things) while I homeschool my four high-spirited children.



You are a wife, mother, homeschooler, writer, writing coach, so how do you find time to connect with God?

Good question. Actually a hard question for me because whatever I do I always think it's not enough. Though recently after reading The Vow by Ed Gungor, I realized that as long as I find what works for me, it's enough. So back to your question. I don't have long quiet times in the morning. Occasionally I grab 30 minutes of Bible reading before the kids get up, but that's rare at this stage in my life. I like to read a devotion book while on the elliptical machine, or most recently I've discovered journaling my devotions again. It's something I'd like to make more time for and I've devoted an entire website for what I've been learning. http://faith.ginaconroy.com/ I just finished a Beth Moore Bible study which God really spoke to me through. It really affirmed what He'd been saying in other ways. Aside from that, I connect as needed. During homeschooling I connected a lot. Now that life is going smoother I don't call out in anguish too often! :)



What is your favorite bible verse and why?

Philippians is my favorite book of the bible. But I really love Phil. 3:12-14 because it speaks about pressing on toward the goal...and realizing I'm not perfect and it's okay. I don't have to be. I just have to press on and forget the past and look to the future. This scripture applies to so many areas in life.

*12. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

*13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

*14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.



Who are your favorite authors? Favorite books?

My favorite books are the ones that stir my emotions. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is one. Most recently it's Bad Idea (a YA novel) by Todd and Jedd Hafer, and Watching the Tree Limbs by Mary DeMuth. I'm sure there are more. I'm just drawing a blank. You might want to go to my website in my "Between the Covers of a Book" for the latest reviews.



You have several places on-line where you can be found. Please list them and tell a little bit about each site.

Portrait of a Writer...Interrupted is my personal site that began as a way to deal with God telling me to give up working on my novel. I had become obsessed with publication and neglectful toward my family. It was a very difficult and healing nine months of not writing, but I learned and grew, though it seems of recent I probably need to revisit the lessons learned. The content is eclectic ranging from Mondays interviews with other writing moms, and some dads, to gain insight on how they balance it all to book reviews and giveaways, devotions, writing updates, and family highlights. I devote specific categories to specific days so readers know what they're going to get on a particular day.

Writer...Interrupted is a blog I started after I searched the internet for other writing moms who homeschooled. At the time I was homeschooling and needed to connect with others like me who knew how to balance writing, family, and faith. I invited others to blog with me and now there's a dozen writers, not only moms, but dads, singles, etc. all interrupted in their writing, who write for the blog. I started a webring and now an online community. Each has over 200 members.



You host giveaways on your Portrait of a Writer Interrupted tell us about those.

I started getting offers to blog about books and products from a publicist, publishing houses, and Mom Central. I only accept books and products I'm interested in. It's been a great way to share things I loved with my readers and offer them a chance to receive books and products as well. I've have had several people win multiple times!



Tell us about your work in progress?

My WIP, Digging Up Death, is a mystery with a humorous feel. I'm very close to sending it out to two agents that requested it.

Here's the back cover copy.

Archaeology professor Mari Duggins has the perfect life. As television hostess of "Archaeology Today," she's in line for her dream job as morning show hostess at KTXL. Happily married with three kids, she has everything money can buy.

But looks can be deceiving. Underneath her confident façade, Mari harbors insecurities and secrets from her past that threaten to destroy all she's worked for.

Then Mari's colleague is murdered and her husband is accused of stealing an Egyptian artifact. Compelled to clear his name, Mari digs up dirt on those close to her. Soon she is buried deep in possible suspects. Her ex-fiancé, her student and tenant, the office secretary. No one is who they appear to be.

Can Mari uncover the truth before her world caves in? Or will the truth bury her alive?



What is a little-known or odd fact about yourself?

I spent 6 months in Nigeria on Missions and got to preach to little bush churches. It was an incredible time ( and incredibly difficult time) in my life where I heard God's voice clearly at times and allowed him to use me, by emptying myself and relying solely on him.



What are 8 goals for 2008?

I have all my goals listed on my blog. Here's a sampling in all areas of my life.

Send off my WIP
Get an agent
Get caught up in various photo albums
Have a consistent devotion time
Eat more fruits and veggies (Doing that!)
Exercise 5 or more times a week (Doing that!)
Declutter my home like I was moving
Learn to parent my kids without yelling (work in progress!)


Thank you to Gina for doing the interview. It was fun. Not only did I learn more about Gina, I learned a little bit about myself as well. Be sure to check out her blogs and online community.