Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I write for those whose lives haven’t gone exactly as planned, whether in romance, career, or family. Writing is the way I navigate the tension between how the world is and how it ought to be. As an award-winning reporter and editor of an international skating newspaper, my greatest fulfillment was capturing ordinary people’s stories of pride and pain. I’ve published seven books under the names Trish Hermanson and P.J. Hermanson in the genres of novel, nonfiction narrative, memoir, business, and children.
My novel, “The Wooden Indian Resurrection,” captured awards from Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers and Pikes Peak Writers prior to publication. My children’s book “Hooty McTooty Discovers True Beauty” has been a hilarious favorite for both adults and children because of its combination of silliness and sophistication.
My heart is divided between my home at the edge of the Colorado Rocky Mountains and the Midwest prairies where I was raised.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My novel “The Wooden Indian Resurrection” grew out of a reunion with high school girlfriends who I hadn’t seen for decades. As we delicately shared our lives, I saw how painful it can be in our middle years to face who we have or have not become, and to face the question of whether it is too late to become who we are meant to be. I was emboldened in that reunion and wanted to convey in fiction both the comfort and pain that girlfriends can impart to each other.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Much of my writing occurs in my mind before I sit down at the computer. My husband says I zone out, working on something. Or I’ll wake during the night with the resolution to a writing problem. Still in the dark, I’ll turn to the notepad that I keep by the side of the bed and write it down in big letters so I don’t lose the thought.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Kristin Hannah’s “The Nightingale”; Jamie Ford’s “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet”; William Kent Krueger’s “Ordinary Grace”; Sue Monk Kidd’s “The Secret Life of Bees.”
What are you working on now?
At TrishHermanson.com I write bits about life, hoping to lighten our backpacks on our journey through life.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
One-to-one contact with readers.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Always be bettering yourself in your writing craft.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
A poem from Sean Thomas Dougherty: “Why Bother? Because right now, there is someone out there with a wound in the exact shape of your words.”
What are you reading now?
Some classic authors to experience the beauty of their words.
What’s next for you as a writer?
To keep my eyes and ears open every day for the next insight for a blog “Because right now, there is someone out there with a wound in the exact shape of your words.”
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
“To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Gone with the Wind,” “The Nightingale,” “All the Light We Cannot See.”
Author Websites and Profiles
Trish Hermanson Website
Trish Hermanson Amazon Profile
Trish Hermanson’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
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