Virtual Fiction Workshop leader Janyre Tromp shares wisdom from both sides of the desk

The 2023 SCWC Virtual Fiction Workshop takes place on Saturday, Dec. 9, which inspiring and informational sessions being led by publishing experts and prolific authors. One of those speakers combines experience in both aspects of the writing and publishing world as both an acquisition editor and now a bestselling novelist.

Janyre Tromp will lead the workshop session on "Finding Your Voice," brining a unique perspective to the topic.

Tromp worked for 20 years as the Senior Acquisitions and Developmental Editor for Kregel Publications, and worked previously as Marketing Manager for Kregel Publications and an Author Coach and Editor for Editing Insiders. Her novels include Shadows in the Mind's Eye, Darkness Calls the Tiger, and Little Town: A Romance Christmas Collection. Learn more about Janyre at her website.

We recently talked with Janyre, and she's got us eager to hear and learn from her at the workshop. You can still sign up for the SCWC Virtual Fiction Workshop, which takes place live on Dec. 9 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; you can also choose to watch it on replay according to your schedule. Sign up using the REGISTRATION FORM link here.

I know that you have experience from both sides of the desk when it comes to publishing fiction. Tell me a little bit about your experience in publishing AND writing.

I have distinct memories of hiding beneath my covers, flashlight in hand, reading: myths, fantasy, historical, classics, whatever I could get my hands on. It's not really a surprise that I've dedicated my life to books.

The industry tells me I'm a little bit of a unicorn in that I'm both an award-winning editor and an award-winning and bestselling author. I guess it isn't normal to be able to help an author rework a book and be able to weave your own words and vision into a collective whole.

I simply view myself as a shepherd of a story--whether it's someone else's book or my own.

As an editor and market for a traditional publishers it's been my privilege to work with books for about twenty-five years (with time in both editorial and marketing). While my books are historical fiction I've edited everything from romance novels to leadership books, from action-adventure novels to parenting books, from middle grade fiction to memoir. I love the variety. And I'm exited to be out on my own so I can do more coaching and mentoring of authors at every stage.

My books are mid-century 20th century novels with healthy dose of deliciously creepy suspense. But, as a nod to my early love of all genres, I tend to drizzle other genres into my work and am heavily influenced by legends and myth and, oddly enough, poetry.

So, Shadows in the Mind's Eye, is influenced by Frankenstein's monster, by novella in O Little Town smacks of A Christmas Carol, and the heroine of Darkness Calls the Tiger devolves into the real legend of tiger-men from the mountains of World War II Burma.

While my writing tends to explore the difficult side of life, I'm also a firm believer that beauty exists even when life isn't pretty.

Your session for the workshop is on finding your voice. How would you describe "voice" as it pertains to writing?

Voice is that distinct bit that makes your writing you. Like your speaking voice, your writing should be distinctly you. It’s affected by your perspective, influenced by your tone, and shown in your style.

How does faith play a part in your writing voice?

Part of your voice is your distance perspective. Five people can experience the same exact event, but they’d describe it in completely different ways because of how they approach life. Since faith is a key element of how we see the world, faith flavors our perspective on story events and can even influence our tone. I happen to write books that deal with hard, hard things. But I always focus on truth and hope—two things critical to my faith.

If you could give one piece of advice for aspiring fiction writers if they're just getting started, what would it be?

If you're panicking, that says something you need to pay attention to. First, BREATHER. Writing isn't an easy calling. There are a LOT of no's and more than a little thankless work. And there's editing (and I say that as an editor) and negative reviews...and you get the idea. All the struggles can weigh heavily sometimes. Before you react to anything flying at you (even the good stuff), take a breath....and then another. Then as you breathe, realize that there are things you can control (like how many proposals you

send out, how many pages you edit) and things you can't (like whether you sign a contract or get 5K followers on Instagram). Release those things you can't control to God. Trust him to do the best for you even when it isn't what you want to have happen.

What fiction projects are you working on right now?

In the next week I have to turn in page proofs for Darkness Calls the Tiger. It’s a WWII novel that takes place in Burma and is about a missionary in the mountains who watches everything she loves be destroyed by the Japanese. She’s livid and devolves into a machine for revenge. It surrounds a lot of real history (including the group that is the genesis for the Green Berets) and a legend of a tiger. It releases in May 2024 and is available for preorder. I have endorsements from Tosca Lee and Jaime Jo Wright. I’m SO EXCITED that I have to share:

“Evocative and transportive, filled with nuance and spiked with the violence of war, Darkness Calls the Tiger is a story of redemption in the midst of hopelessness.” (NYT bestselling author Tosca Lee)

"Janyre Tromp stuns in this new release that highlight the long-forgotten region of Burma during the second World War. A chilling, heart-aching tale, readers will be well rewarded pushing this to the top of their 2024 TBR pile." (Jaime Jo Wright, author of Christy Award-winning novel The House on Foster Hill and best-selling novel The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater)

Then I just turned in a book to my agent. That one is mid-1960s and is basically about the deinstitutionalization of mental institutions. It’s about two sisters—one who’s accused of murder and one who’s been committed to a mental institution.

And because we always have to be working on multiple levels at once, I’m in the midst of writing another book that's from the early 1970s and takes place in the New Orleans Museum of Art. It deals with the peace treaty with Egypt and US domestic terrorists with ties to communism. It’s crazy how history ties all of that together!

What else might our members be interested in knowing about you?

Oh heavens. I don’t know. I’m a total nerd and while I might look like I have my stuff together, I work in my unfinished basement and use a fabric backdrop when I speak so no one has to look at my cats’ litter box.

That said, I love helping people. To do that I run a Facebook group (Editing Insiders) where another editor and I answer editing and publishing questions.

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Join Janyre and other leaders for the SCWC Virtual Fiction Workshop.

Sessions include:

"The Purpose of Christian Fiction"

"Plotting your Novel"

"Finding your Voice"

"Creating Compelling Characters"

"Writing Romance"

"Writing Fiction for Young Readers"

"Marketing for Authors"

The workshop runs from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. LIVE in a private Facebook group starting at 9 a.m. You can also choose to watch session videos later at your own schedule. Sign up today using the workshop's registration form. We hope to see you there!