Meet Paula Peckham | Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paula Peckham and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paula, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I don’t think of myself as a huge risk taker, but looking back on my life, I haven’t hesitated. I wanted to be a teacher when I was in high school, but life took over and I went a different route with my job choices. Twenty years down the road, the opportunity presented itself. I called the high school in my town and spoke to the principal. He had been my band director when I was in school, so I knew he would have a good impression of me. Even then, finding teachers was a challenge, so he agreed to emergency certify me so he could hire me. I walked into my first classroom with zero preparation. No student teaching. No education classes at college. No alternative certification program training. What made me think I could do that?

Fast forward twelve years. The athletic director at my school asked if I would be the swim coach. Had I ever coached a team before? No. Had I ever been on a swim team before? No. Did I know the slightest thing about what he asked me to do? No. It didn’t stop me.

I retired from teaching and decided to write a book. Once again, I leaped into a field where I knew none of the rules, had zero contacts, all I knew was I loved to read and I enjoyed telling a story.

My mother raised me to believe I could do or be whatever I wanted, and I believed her. And each time, it worked out in a positive way for me.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I write Christian fiction, specifically, historical romance. I chose to write in the Christian genre because I want my stories to show lives where God plays a significant role, but also shows characters who do not try to present a perfect face to the world. Christianity has taken a black eye recently. There is so much hypocrisy, and it puts people off. Why would an agnostic or atheist want to have anything to do with a greedy, selfish, lying group of people who pretend to be better than others and pass judgements? My Christianity doesn’t look like that, and the characters in my stories are real people with real-life faith struggles.

As in any field where your art is new, you have to be noticed. It can be perfect, but if no one knows you exist, there is no one with whom to share what you create. Getting started, making friends, meeting contacts—it all takes time. Publishers expect authors to have a social platform from which to promote their books. Starting from ground zero, it takes a while to develop that. But you take it one step at a time. You network. You find other authors and get yourself invited onto their blogs or podcasts. You volunteer. You write for magazines, churches, anywhere you can find that needs a story. And slowly but surely, it builds. Eventually, there will be a tipping point. Word of mouth advertising, book clubs who want you to come speak, repeat readers who become fans, libraries who invite you to their author events.

An author must develop a thick skin. Rejections can’t put you off. Perseverance is the name of the game.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live near the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area. In Fort Worth, we could go to the stock yards and eat barbecue, get drinks at one of the saloons, go dancing at Billy Bob’s. It’s a fun place to hang out on the weekend. In Arlington (in between Dallas and Fort Worth) we could go to Six Flags Over Texas or the Wet N Wild water park. We could take in a Texas Rangers baseball game at the Globe Life Field, or a Dallas Cowboy football game at the AT&T Stadium. The Dallas Zoo is really good, but the Fort Worth Zoo gives it a run for its money. The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is gorgeous, and the museum district is right down the road. There is a lot to do in Fort Worth, and a plethora of restaurants to choose from.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) got me started on my writing career. Through ACFW, I connected with a critique group and a network of fellow authors who support me, train me, and guide me through this career. Specifically, Lena Nelson Dooley for inviting me to her Thursday night crit group. Also Joy Massenburge and Cathy Rueter who took me under their wings and pushed me to continue growing and excelling.

Website: www.paulapeckham.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulajopeckham/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-peckham-927478234/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaulaPeckham

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulaPeckhamAuthor

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@paulapeckham Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B09FP2JPR6 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21803544.Paula_Peckham Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ppeckham/books/ Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/4140515461