An Interview with Author Trish Berg

That's me, author Trish Berg and author Jane Jarrell. We were speakers at the annual MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Convention last September. I'm looking forward to seeing Trish again in March when we both are speaking at the Hearts at Home Convention.

Trish has written The Great American Supper Swap and Rattled, which was released this month by Waterbrook.

I had fun asking Trish about her journey along the writing road.

What got you started along The Writing Road?

I was born to write. As a child, I wrote poems and stories. In high school, I loved writing papers. In college, I wrote for college paper--as the sports writer, if you can believe that!

But then I got married. I worked as a marketing manager and put writing away for many years. I saw it as an unneccessary luxury I didn't have time for.

Soon after my first daughter was born in 1995, I joined a MOPS group. Soon I was writing for their local newsletter and then I was submitting articles to MOPS International. I still remember my first published article, "Fighting Over Pretend Apples." It played on MomSense Radio in 2001. That was it. I was hooked.

What is your greatest obstacle to progressing along The Writing Road?

Right now, my greatest obstacle is time. It's the challenge of finding the time to write--at least during the daylight hours. I have one preschooler still at home with me, Riley, who is 5. So I am needed as a mom during the day. I end up writing late at night when the kids are all in bed. It is exhausting. I have been balancing motherhood and 2 part-time jobs for many years now. I've been a part-time college professor, teaching one or two business classes a term, on top of writing.

What keeps you motivated to move along The Writing Road?

The simple joy of writing. My soul needs to write. It's how God made me. I tucked it away for so long that I forgot how much joy writing brings me.

At times when I am into writing a column or a manuscript, I can feel God providing the words as I type. When that happens, it's as if I am home. I feel his presence--and wow! That's my motivation. Being where God wants me to be. Doing what he created me to do.

What's coming up for you next along The Writing Road?

2008 is quite a year for me. I also set big goals. My friends call it moxie. I see it as knocking on big doors and seeing which ones God opens. But again, I do see a lot of rejection along the way and I am learning to grow through that.

I write a weekly newspaper column for The Daily Record in Ohio, and would love to syndicate that. It's one of my big career goals.

The Great American Supper Swap is doing well, but I'll continue working on additional publicity to spread the idea of supper swapping as a simple way to get families back to the dinner table.

Rattled: Surviving Your Baby's First Year without Losing Your Cool is out this month. I can't wait to get this book into the hands of moms everywhere.

I'm working on book two in that mom series--Frazzled: Surviving the Preschool Years without Blowing Your Top, which will be out April 2009.

For more information about Trish, as well as her recipe of the week, free stuff for moms, and a link to her blog, go to http://www.trishberg.com/.

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