A friend of mine had a booth a craft fair recently, and messaged me about Rebecca Carey Lyles and suggested I track her down for this series (she also scouted out someone else to come in the next few weeks). I gave it a shot, and have had a great interaction with her so far—I’ll hopefully continue that when I try to get to one of her books in February (or later, we’ll see how I do). Her material isn’t quite what I typically feature here, but the cliché about the spice of life has to be based on something, right? Anyway, that’s for another day—for now, enjoy this Q&A.
Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
Thanks so much for asking, HC. I’m a wife, mom and grandma as well as an author and an editor. Although I’ve written for a variety of publications, fiction became my passion when I moved to Idaho and joined a wonderful Treasure Valley writing group. Since then, I’ve compiled a short-story collection with local authors and written two fiction series plus the first book in a third series.
My tagline for my novels is Contemporary Christian Romance Set in the West and Salted with Suspense. But some have suggested the books are suspense salted with romance due to the subject matter and action/adventure aspect. Although I tackle difficult subjects like human trafficking, coercive cults, and contemporary polygamy, I always promise happy endings—because I like happy endings. 😊
I know some think of me as shallow, and I’m okay with that, but while I understand the need for dark or ambiguous endings (and love several books with them)…give me a happy ending almost any day over those.
Here are some links for you to peruse:
Website: http://www.beckylyles.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rebecca-Carey-Lyles/author/B005EJ8LP8
Facebook Author Page: Rebecca Carey Lyles
Twitter: @BeckyLyles
What brought you to Idaho in the first place? What is it about Idaho that keeps you here?
My husband’s job with the phone company brought us to Boise 16 years ago, and we are forever grateful. We raised our kids in Wyoming and then Steve was transferred to Phoenix. After three long hot summers, we jumped at an opportunity to move north to God’s country again. We love this area and the creativity we’ve found here along with opportunities to connect with other musicians (Steve) and writers (me).
Now I’m curious—are you a native or a transplant, HC?
I’m a native (3rd generation on both sides, I believe)—born in the panhandle, spent a couple of years in Eastern Idaho—but have spent 4+ decades bouncing around the Treasure Valley (well, the University of Idaho was in there, too, but my home address stayed in Caldwell)
This is going afield from the “literary locals” idea, but oh well…you mentioned musicians and your husband—is there a project/band that you could plug here, or is this more of a personal pursuit on his part?
Steve loves to jam with Boise Ukulele Group. (https://boiseukulelegroup.com/) BUG is an open group and from what Steve says, a lot of fun. Everyone is invited, no matter their level of ukulele ability. He also sings and plays his uke with a four or five-person group called the Daydreamers. (https://boiseukulelegroup.com/the-daydreamers/)
I should also mention Steve and I host a podcast we call “Let Me Tell You a Story” that features authors and their books as well as people with interesting personal stories to tell. (http://beckylyles.com/podcast.html)
Are you tied into some sort of local author/bookish group/culture? If so, tell us about it and how it helps you as an author. If you’re not, is there a reason for it?
A year after we moved here, a young author named Angela Ruth Strong established an American Christian Fiction Writers group in Boise and christened it Idahope Christian Writers. We hosted monthly meetings, yearly writers’ conferences, brainstorming sessions, trainings and webinars. Through the group, I gained the information and confidence needed to begin publishing fiction.
Was there something specific that the group did to get you that confidence, or was it just repeated exposure to and interaction with other writers?
I’d been in fiction-writing groups in Wyoming and Arizona and had started my first fiction book, but no one in those groups seemed interested in writing for publication. From the beginning, ICW members pursued publication, which meant honing their craft, learning the ins and outs of publication, meeting agents and publishers at conferences, and studying marketing techniques for authors. My guess is at least a dozen ICW writers have published a minimum of one book since then, and some of us have written multiple books.
What kind of events in the area do you attend—either to sell/promote your books or to network with authors? Are there any outside of this area that you hit regularly and wish we had something like it here?
Attendees loved our conferences, but the pandemic put a halt to monthly meetings as well as to yearly conferences and other get-togethers. We still have a Facebook page, and fun plans are in the works to revive the group in the fall. I’m happy to report critique groups were spawned from the mother group. We continue to support each other’s writing, sometimes online and sometimes in person.
What’s the breakdown of your audience—do you have a strong local base, or are your readers from other parts of the world?
Hmm…my audience. My books mostly sell in eBook format in the US, with an occasional eBook purchase in another English-speaking country. I attend local book-signing events once or twice a year and some people purchase print copies online, but eBooks are by far the bestsellers. And, as might be expected, women are the primary buyers. However, men occasionally write to say they enjoy my stories. A local guy who loves my books likes to say, “How does a nice lady like you write such terrible stories?” Makes my day when he says that!(That is such a twisted compliment—based on what I’m learning about your work, a fitting one, too!)
Because we’ve lived in California (Steve), Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona and Idaho, we have friends, relatives and former classmates all across the West who read and promote my books for me. I also advertise online and love to read comments and reviews by far-flung readers I’ve never met.
I haven’t thought too much about online advertising for books—what kinds of places do you advertise online (at least effectively)—are we talking Facebook/other social media platforms, online magazines/journals, or other places?
As far as I know, Facebook Ads, Amazon Ads and BookBub are the main sites where authors market. Many other advertising options are available, but those three are key. I tend to focus on one at a time, partly due to cost and partly so I can judge the effectiveness of specific ads.
Do you think there are particular challenges or advantages to being a writer in the Treasure Valley? (possibly both)
The Northwest is an amazing creative corner of our great country where artistic endeavors are encouraged and appreciated. I feel blessed to be enveloped in such a welcoming, supportive environment.
Have you run into a lot of creative people in the Treasure Valley, HC?
Thanks to things like the Boise Library’s Comic Arts Festival, I’ve met some—but I need to find more of you. I know you creative types are out there, I just need to encounter some. That’s half the reason I’m doing this series, to meet more! (far easier for this introvert to do it this way than in-person, too).
Haha, I understand the introvert thing. 😊
Do you bring Idaho (or some sort of Idaho-sensibility, assuming one exists) to your work? Whether or not anyone else sees it, can you look at some aspect of your writing and think “That’s Idaho” or “I would do ____ differently if I was a Kentuckian or from Illinois?”
I grew up in a small Wyoming farming town with mountains visible from our backdoor, so I feel right at home in Idaho. And then I attended college in Denver where I got a taste of city life (and more mountains!). As a result, I feel at home in Boise. To answer your question, my books are set throughout the West, but no doubt Idaho has informed the way I describe not only settings but characters. The stalwart grit and independent spirit found in our beautiful state inform themes of hope and freedom in my series.
One final question, is there a book (or two…or 18, if you get really carried away), that embodies Idaho/the Idaho spirit to you to recommend to my readers?
Educated is an Idaho story, though a challenging one to read. The author’s fight to escape her family’s abuse and insanity is remarkable and commendable. However, this is not necessarily a recommendation because the book is disturbing and not for the faint of heart. Also, the author, Tara Westover, was only 32 or 33 when her book was published. It has an incomplete feel about it, I think, possibly because she has more life to live and more healing to pursue. All that said, Ms. Westover is a good writer, and I enjoyed the book.
Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it!
Great questions, HC! Thank you for letting me talk with you about my lifelong obsession, reading (and writing) good books. 😊
Grab a book, any book.