Maddee Schrader, 16, RTF Staff writer and Suzie interview author Erynn Mangum, author of Miss Match!

Maddee: Congrats on your recent wedding! After writing so much about a single girl and her dating relationships, what is it like to be married?

Erynn: It is awesome! My husband, Jon, is my best friend – we have so much fun together. Thanks for the congrats!

Maddee: Are any of the characters in your books based on real people?

Erynn: A couple of characters are based on composites of different people I know – but there isn’t one that’s just based on one specific person.

Maddee: You say you love coffee, so what are your favorite three drinks at Starbucks?

Erynn: Oh gosh…Mocha, Caramel Frappuccino and um… oh! The Cinnamon Dolce Latte. That one is yummy.

Maddee: What advice do you have for teens about dating/staying pure until marriage?

Erynn: Boundaries are extremely important. With me and Jon, having boundaries allowed us to become friends while falling in love – and now, he’s my favorite person to talk to as well as the love of my life.

Maddee: What steps did you take to get published?

Erynn: I took classes through the Christian Writers Guild. It’s a great school that specializes in one-on-one mentoring from a published Christian author to a student. The improvement I saw in my writing was incredible. I’d highly recommend it!

This was a surprising discovery! Maddee is a former teen student of the Christian Writers’ Guild, and Suzie is a mentor through the program to teens. This program is for teens, children, and adults, pairing you with professional writers for a period of one to two years.

Suzie: Okay, it’s my turn! Erynn, your character, Lauren, is 24 and loves to be a matchmaker. Is this something you secretly love to do as well?

Erynn: Sigh. Yes. I do love playing the matchmaker. But I’m so awful at it, it’s not even funny. The moment I say two people would be great together is when they start dating other people. I guess I wrote Lauren’s talent mostly out of envy.

Suzie: What do you believe is most important in relationships?

Erynn: The obvious – a shared love of Christ and committed lives to Him. Besides that, can I have two things? I’d say 1) the ability to talk and talk and talk and never run out of things to say or interest in what the other person’s saying, and 2) the ability to make each other laugh. Jon makes me laugh faster than anyone else!

Suzie: You are a busy writer! Can you tell us about your typical writing day?

Erynn: Are there typical writing days? On the days I have to write, I’ll get started sometime in the morning with a cup of coffee in hand and write until I run out of ideas. Then I do something else for a little bit – read, talk to family and friends, watch TV – and that usually sparks enough imagination to write a little longer. On the days I’m not writing, I work as a high school girls intern at my church. I love it!

Suzie: What advice do you have for a teen writer?

Erynn: Keep at it no matter what! It’s so easy to give up, but keep praying through it and God will give you the perseverance to finish. Take it from a classic always-starts-never-finishes girl. Also, read as much as you can, learn as much as you can, and be very open to criticism.

Suzie: Anything else you want to share?

Erynn: This interview was so much fun! Thanks girls!