Interview with Rachel Hauck

Today's guest is Rachel Hauck, author and President of the ACFW.

Rachel Hauck is a multi-published author living in sunny and sometimes hurricane-plagued central Florida with her husband and ornery pets. She is a graduate of Ohio State University with a BA in Journalism. Visit her blog and web site at www.rachelhauck.com.

Her latest book, Lost in NashVegas, comes out in November from Westbow.

(Enter stage right--a ruggedly handsome gentleman puffing a pipe and waving to his adoring fans. He sits, crosses his legs and thumbs through a copy of The Iliad in its original Greek, glances at his watch, and waits patiently for his guest.

Enter stage left--a harried woman in scarlet and gray, cell-phone to her ear. She trips over the roses that litter the stage, tossed by the host's afformentioned adoring fans. She scowls at the adoring fans and slips into the guest chair.

The host pencils in a correction in The Iliad and turns to his guest, flashing a brilliant smile though cleverly hiding his distaste at his guest's fashion sense. Really, scarlet against a blue backdrop? Oh, well, he could only hope that his own brilliance would draw attention away from the garish "O" emblazoned on her sweatshirt. He sets the pipe in its holder and clears his throat, pulling gasps of anticipation from the audience.)


Host: Welcome to my blog, Rachel. Sorry about the mess. I get a lot of strange visitors.

RH: No problem. I think I’ll be right at home.

Host: So you graduated from Ohio State? Despite that handicap, you’ve done quite well. How important do you think your education has been to your fiction writing?

RH: LOL. What handicap! Certainly education at such a GREAT university helped my writing journey. I studied journalism and received encouraging feedback from a professor who loved a short story I wrote for his class.

But life itself is the best writing teacher.

Host: Has the CBA always been your only option, or did you consider the secular market?

RH: When I started writing. I was reading CBA fiction which was just starting to get a foot hold in the publishing world. I didn’t consider the secular market at the time because it just wasn’t something before me.

I think if a Christian author can write in the ABA market, he/she should. They need the fragrance of our message.

Host: What influenced your decision the most?

RH: My decision to write in CBA? Because I was reading CBA fiction like Broke and Bode Thoene, Gilbert Morris, Lori Wick.

Host: Here’s your chance to stump for re-election, even though Robin will threaten to strap me to a black ant hill only because red ants would get the job done too quickly. Where do you see the ACFW going in the next few years?

RH: More power to Robin and the new board. It’s been an honor to be a part of ACFW’s growth and vision. What a fabulous organization. I see ACFW doing more and more to encourage writers and I hope grow to influence the ABA and CBA publishing world.

Host: It must be tough to juggle the responsibility of being President of ACFW, a writer, and a pastor’s wife. How goes an average day in the life of Rachel?

RH: I consider writing my career and job. So, it comes first. Though I must confess I’m easily distracted. My goal is to organize my day so I can get my word count done, as well as meet other demands – ACFW, ministry.

My husband and I have a unique approach to ministry. He may be on staff at church, but I’m not. I only do the things I’m called to do. I work with him in our prayer and worship ministry, Fire Dweller, and I lead Sunday morning worship. So, I schedule time for those activities. Ministry wise, we are in flux since Tony recently handed over the youth ministry to a younger man and had taken over other pastoral duties.

Host: Do you feel your dogs and cat have suffered social or psychological consequences as a result of your Buckeye background?

RH: My dogs and cat are huge Buckeye fans and feel most fortunate to belong to such a wonderful football winning family.

Host: You talk a bit on your website about your college years. Sounds like your faith got tested a bit. How’d you get drawn back into the fold? Was there any one person who stood with you?

RH: The years after college when I knew it was God-now or God-never, I walked the walk alone for over a year and a half. Just me and Jesus. I knew I would never be happy or feel satisfied in life without Him. I think all believers go through a wilderness time where the have no one but Jesus. He’s an amazing God-Man. Even when I found a church family, I traveled so much I still felt alone many times. But a good kind of alone. I know how faithful God is.

Host: The bible says that salvation is for all who believe, even a Buckeye (though I’m sure there’s a prohibition period). You’ve been to a lot of places and seen a lot of things. Is there anyone you just knew would never come to believe in our Lord, but surprised you?

RH: I’ve witnessed to a lot of people around the world. But, there was an engineer I worked with. I can remember being on the road, working against an installation deadline, and calling this man for support in the wee hours of the morning. I witnessed to him a lot during those times while waiting for the system to reboot and software to compile.

He visited church once. Over time, he left the company and moved away. Years later I ran into a mutual co-worker and he said, “You ruined that guy?”

I said, “What are you talking about?”

He said. “He got all church and saved, and stuff.”

I was thrilled. And so surprised!

Host: You talk a lot about the power behind the faith. Have you seen or done anything that would be a good example of that power?

RH: Lots of things. Small power encounters, but the biggest example is how I learned to pray the Word to overcome attacks of fear and anxiety. I’m living proof prayer and the Word work to overcome anxiety even if part of it is physical as well as emotional.

Host: As you may have surmised, I don’t ask normal interview questions. Do you have a favorite Food Network chef?

RH: I love your questions. Yeah, I love what’s her name… Paul Deen. J

Host: Pluto. Planet or a really big rock?

RH: Isn’t he the Disney Dog?

Host: Did you tell your husband you went to OSU before you got married?

RH: Of course, he’s a big OSU fan. As you can tell, he’s very smart.

Host: Before you go, any “Top 10” requests?

RH: You become a Buckeye fan. (snicker)

Host: Thanks for visiting, Rachel. And Rachel—Go Blue.

RH: Thanks for having me! Go Buckeyes!

(As the credits roll, the host hands his guest a an autographed photo of himself. She glances at the audience, clearly fearing for her safety as she tucks the photo into her Buckeye bag, then hurries off the stage. Security restrains the crowd while she escapes. Your host picks up his copy of The Iliad and, with a final wave, exits stage right.)