Author Interview: Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen

Ronda's website

Ronda's blog

Who are you as a person, versus an author?

Ronda: I’m a musician (soprano soloist and beginning piano teacher), a wife, mother, and whatever my LDS church calling is at the time. I’m also my husband’s sidekick, which means that since he’s an extreme “do-it-yourselfer,” I participate in those activities as well. Here’s a short list: we’re building our dream house almost completely on our own with the “pay as you go” method, we maintain a small farm, and we travel whenever we can. Skymiles are our friends.

Do you seek to educate or entertain?

Ronda: Both. I really try to help my readers feel as if they’re right there with my protagonists, but I also believe the best novels are those I learn life lessons from, the ones that make me think about something I never have before in just that particular way, the ones I grow from. Those two things are what I try to emulate.

Where do you write your best stuff, and when?

Ronda: I write almost every morning as well as throughout several evenings when the house is quiet. I do my best work in the quiet, but since solitude isn’t always possible, I also write whenever I get the chance—waiting at the doctor’s office, etc. About ten years ago, I used to have a set schedule, and that worked well for me at that time, but now. . . let’s just say I now adapt writing time to my changing schedule.

Why do you write?

Ronda: I first knew I wanted to be a writer when I was in the 6th grade. My English teacher had been reading S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders to the class, and when she reached the section where Johnny urged Ponyboy to stay “gold,” I realized I wanted to write "golden” words just as Hinton had. More than that, I wanted those words to encourage the "golden" in others. That remains one of my goals.

What do you read? Why?

Ronda: I read a lot of different kinds of books, but my favorite genre is romantic suspense, as long as it’s “clean.” I like the combination of thrills, chills, and love. If the book has other genre’s mixed in, like fantasy or mystery, that’s fine, too.

Vanilla or chocolate?

Ronda: If those are my only choices, I’ll choose chocolate, but if you had something else, like Blueberry cheesecake chocolate chunk, I’d have to choose that.

Laptop, PC, Mac, longhand, other?

Ronda: Laptop, PC, longhand. That’s what I have, so that’s what I use. I write final versions on the PC, but if I’m sitting in the car waiting for someone, I write longhand in a notebook. If I’m on a business trip, I use the laptop. The point is, I write with whatever I have available to me.

What is your current book?

Ronda: My first LDS mystery, MISSING, was released in October 2009. It’s a fast-paced novel about a BYU-Idaho student who first sees then tries to save a missing child while she’s on a choir tour in British Columbia.

What's coming up?

Ronda: I’m finishing another romantic suspense/mystery, but this one has a hint of fantasy in it, too. It’s different than anything I’ve ever written before, but I’m really excited about it. I’m also gathering ideas and organizing my third novel.

One piece of advice/wisdom for the world?

Ronda: Hold on to the goodness that’s inside you. I believe if everyone in the world would let that goodness overpower lesser feelings, evil would soon disappear. Yikes! I think I’m starting to sound like Sandra Bullock wishing for “world peace.”

Dogs or cats?

Ronda: We have a dog, cows, and goats, but the truth is, I’m not really an animal person. My husband is.

What do you want to be remembered for, or as?

Ronda: A good person who helped others.