Theresa Sneed's debut novel, No Angel,, was one of our Whitney Finalist. No Angel, is a beautifully told story of good and evil, angels and demons, and heaven and earth.
What is your favorite line, scene, or character from one of your books and why?
I love this question, but I cannot answer it quite yet, because my favorite scene is in From Heaven to Earth and it hasn’t gone to press yet. I can tell you about a scene on pages 19-21 in that I love though. It’s where the main character, Jonathan Stewart arrives back on earth as Faith’s guardian angel. I love the part where Celeste, who is Faith’s premortal spirit, meets her earthly mother’s spirit as she departs back to heaven after dying in childbirth—I really love the part where Celeste enters her tiny body and begins her mortal probation as Faith.
Why do you write in the genre you do?
I love to write spiritual fantasy, because I spend inordinate amounts of time imagining what heaven must be like or will be like when we return—it naturally follows that I’d write about something that intrigues me so much.
What are you working on next?
I’ve already written three more angel books in the No Angel series, one of which is due to go to press soon! Currently, I have been busily engaged in marketing and have created www.theresasneed.com as a place to drive internet traffic to in hopes of getting my name and my books out to more of the world. My current WIP is a fantasy called Sons of Elderberry which is not part of the No Angel series, but a fantasy with wizards and fairies.
Do you map out your stories beforehand or do you let the characters direct the story?
I would have to say that I always “begin with the end in mind” and know exactly how the story is supposed to end, although all of the “in between stuff” is mostly driven by the characters.
In one word describe the best thing about being an author.
Validation
In one word describe the worst thing about being an author.
Marketing
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
I knew I wanted to write from third grade on, but didn’t imagine that I’d become an author of novels until much later, probably only five or six years ago.
How do your beliefs shape how/what you write?
My beliefs are carefully woven into everything I write, because I believe that the talent I have directly comes from God. Also, as a mother, grandmother and an educator, I take my words very seriously and hope to only inspire and uplift rather than any of the many destructive things you could do with words.
What's the last book you finished?
The last book that I have finished reading is John Hauserman’s, Retirement Quest: Make Better Decisions, a great resource for anyone wanting to ensure financial security in their retirement years. You can read my review at bestauthorsread.blogspot.com
What's on your nightstand now?
I’m currently reading Stealing Mercy by Kristy Tate.
Which author (dead or alive) would you most like to have lunch with?
Not counting religious authors, I’d say without a doubt J. R.R. Tolkien—and hopefully he’d have his good buddy C. S. Lewis with him!
Book you read that you wish you hadn't.
There are a few books that I’ve read that I wish I didn’t have to, but none I would mention here, as any book written comes from someone who put a great deal of effort into it no matter how poorly it turned out. I would not publicly defame any author.
Book that changed your life.
Notwithstanding scriptural works, believe it or not – Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, because of the beautiful insights embedded within his words, and also C. S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, which was an assignment in college or otherwise I’d never have picked it up—it was a surprise and a delight to me.
If they were to make a movie of your favorite book, who would play the leads and why?
I patterned the main character in No Angel, an angel with an attitude, after Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, so I’d have to say him—Jim Parsons.
Book you most want to read again for the first time.
I’m a very picky second-time reader book, and if I choose to read a book more than once, then it’s a book I’ll read more than twice even. My favorite rereads are Tolkien’s, Lord of the Rings, Charlotte Bronte’s, Jane Eyre, Emily Bronte’s, Wuthering Heights and though I haven’t done a reread yet on all seven of Rowlings’s, Harry Potter series, they are on my list!
What book would you give to a child?
That depends on the child and its age, but other than scriptural, I’d say all children should have Dr. Seuss’, Cat in the Hat—for the pure gift of imagination it so joyfully brings.
