Pam Thorson is a nurse, author, speaker, and full-time caregiver. She is the owner/admin of a certified family home in Idaho, juggling her official duties with her love of research and writing. She is the author of four books - Song in the Night, Out from the Shadows, Arrow, and Blood Falls. You can find her books on Amazon, as well as Arrow and Blood Falls at bookstore ...And Books, Too! (andbookstooonline.com) - check it all out!
Author Pam Thorson dropped by my blog to do an interview with me today.
Welcome to my blog, Pamela!
Thanks for having me, Grace. I’m excited to be here!
You’re a caregiver and an author. How do you incorporate both into your writing, whether it’s for blogging, or for something else?
It's hard to balance the two, and this year has been especially hard. A lot of what I write is
forged in the fires of caring for others.
What inspired you to pursue writing?
As a young person I was an avid reader. I loved the power of words to “paint” images and moods across the canvas of our imaginations. In high school English class one year, the teacher challenged each of us to write a short story. I dove into the assignment and was shocked to receive an A+ on it with the notation it was good enough to publish. I didn’t pursue writing for decades, though, until a family crisis inspired me to write down God’s miracles and work in our lives. My first book, Song in the Night, documented our middle son’s devastating spinal cord injury and God’s miracles along that journey.
When you’re writing a book, how do you tackle the beginning stages of it?
It’s often said that there are three types of writers: Plotter, Pantser, or Plantster. Plotters plan out the book before writing, creating outlines and sometimes even detailing scenes. Pantsers, as their name implies, flies by the “seat of their pants.” This group gets to experience their books much like their readers will. The Plantsters incorporate both approaches on some level. All three have their advantages and drawbacks.1
I’m a Plantster with strong leanings toward the Pantser approach. All four of my previous books have fallen into separate genres, forcing me to tweak my style for the necessity of the moment. Each project begins with the germ of an idea and a couple of great scenes I can “see” in my head. I write them out and get a feel for the voice the book should have. I decide on a goal, or mission statement, early on and craft a working framework in my head. I’m a copious and messy notetaker.
Outlining gives me heartburn.
With nonfiction, the parameters are defined by the facts of the story. Song in the Night needed an accurate depiction of the events. I devoted thirty years of research on Arrow: The History and People of an Idaho Community, so it pretty much wrote itself and demanded to be born. Out from the Shadows (my only traditionally published book) emerged from a compilation of devotionals I wrote for our church bulletin. One year I attended a writer’s conference on a whim and presented a manuscript crafted from some of the devotionals to an editor. An editor at the conference liked it and published it.
With your latest book, Blood Falls, how did it come to life?
Blood Falls is my first foray into fiction. For a couple of years, a scene swirled around in my head, dying to get on paper. One day I read about a strange geologic oddity in Antarctica and knew what I had to write. It was my first real ride into the skies with my imagination set free. My only constraint was fitting the storyline into the Biblical prophetic framework. It took me three years to research and write the novel. I loved every moment of it!
How do you hope Blood Falls will reach people with its story?
My goal for the novel is two-fold:
1. To present the light of God’s grace against the dark canvas of fallen humanity.
2. To extricate the events of the Revelation and the last days from the caricatures of
modern media.
Blood Falls plugs a small slice of Revelation into an engaging storyline. I ditched stereotypes as much as possible, pitting commanding and sympathetic characters against a real-world setting. You won’t find aliens or purple skies here. The true events of the Bible are much more intense than any fantasy world. I used real places and events as much as possible. The Bell 212 helicopter on the cover is the type used in Antarctica.
What project are you working on now? And can you share anything with us?
I have at least three working projects in my folders. I would love to complete the second volume of Arrow soon.
There are many great Bible verses and quotes out there, but which of these apply to your journey in life?
My favorite verse is the one that inspired the title of my first book: I will remember my song in the night. -Psalm 77:6 My prayer is to “sing” the song of the redeemed through my writing and my life.
Pamela, have any closing thoughts, writing tips, or advice to share with us?
If you love to write, write for the pure joy of it. Writing is often a lonely journey. It’s a lot of hard work, and we often receive little acknowledgment or validation for our efforts. That’s a good thing, though, because it’s a great purifier of our motives as artists and believers. The Bible encourages us to do all things in service to Christ. We don’t need the applause of people. Never forget your first love.
Randomly Fun Questions:
If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
Israel! It would be amazing to walk in the footsteps of the Savior and His first disciples.
What are some of your favorite foods?
My favorite foods are Asian and Brazilian-inspired. I love Japanese and Chinese cuisine. Brazilian food reminds me a lot of the food from the Southern states of the U.S. Churrasco is the Portuguese name for meal grilled or barbecued over an open fire and is very popular there. They eat a lot of rice and even make a cornbread they call “salt cake.”
Do you have one season that you like more than the others? And why?
That’s hard because both spring and fall are my favorites. I love spring because it represents the miracle of new life. Death is vanquished again, and the world springs anew from the ground. Each spring, the Resurrection feels near enough to touch and breathe in its fragrance.
How can my readers best get in contact with you or follow you on social media?
Website: bloodfalls.net
Prisms Caregiving Blog: prismscaregiving.blogspot.com
Twitter: twitter.com/PamelaThorson
Facebook: facebook.com/officialpamthorson
Pinterest: pinterest.com/pamthorson/
Instagram: instagram.com/pamthorson53/
Thanks for stopping by! Enjoyed having you, Mom.
Thank you for having me. I loved it.
Many blessings,
- Grace Thorson
Many blessings,
- Grace Thorson
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