Author Q&A: Gloria Repp

Today we're interviewing author Gloria Repp.

Adventure, mystery, and wild creatures often play a large part in Repp's books. While she was growing up in the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific Northwest, she learned a love for wilderness that pervades her stories.

Over the years, her experiences in raising three children, teaching school, and editing have made useful contributions to her work. 

Repp writes Christian fiction for readers who like mystery with a slow-burning romance, as well as children’s fiction, frequently with an animal character, for young readers and teens.

SADYE: What period of history would you most like to travel back to, and why?

GLORIA: I would like to visit America in the 1700s.

For my next series, I am researching the American Revolution, and as I study, I read fascinating accounts of the women during that time.

I am challenged by their selfless work, their ingenuity during impossibly hard circumstances, and their sacrificial love for their families and the cause.

SADYE: What has been the most touching or memorable piece of reader feedback you’ve received?

GLORIA: Christian fiction: “The depth of each character drew me in, and the secrets and discoveries kept me riveted. I learned a great deal through this story, as it took me through grief, hope, puzzlement, anger, joy and understanding. I will carry these characters in my heart for a long time.”

Children’s fiction: “This well-crafted, beautifully illustrated story is suited for children 7 and up. While a children's story, there are powerful lessons about the importance of friendships and loyalty in the face of danger.”

SADYE: What message or theme would you like readers to take away from your work?

GLORIA: As a child, I lived with fears that towered over me like dragons, and today we face dragons even larger and more frightening.

But courage and honor and love still conquer dragons, and my goal is to reflect this truth.

SADYE: What advice, as relates to your writing career, would you give your younger self?

GLORIA: Study your craft, whether from writing courses or from books and blogs. Try to use what you are learning to analyze the books you read.

Have a plan for your writing time and stick to it. Don’t ever give up! Follow your dream and work to make it come true.

SADYE: What experience in your past or general aspect of your life has most affected your writing?

GLORIA: In one of my earliest memories, I am sitting on my father’s lap listening to a bedtime story.

His stories were always original and exciting; they took me out of my small space into larger worlds of adventure, intrigue, and wild creatures.

He gave me a love for books and for nature — gifts that stood me in good stead during the lonely teen years that followed.

My mother died, our family disintegrated, and I was sent away to school.

There, I began to write stories for myself, and soon I found companionship and an energizing challenge.

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Learn more about Gloria Repp on her website, where her books can also be purchased; like her on Facebook; and follow her on Twitter and Instagram. 

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