"Stories that proclaim His marvelous work"
Meet the Author
Being a fiction writer at heart, I have written many character sketches. So I thought, hey, why not write one on myself, in place of the typical “All About Me” page. So here goes!
CHARACTER SKETCH FOR:
Jeanette Hanscome
FULL NAME: Jeanette Renee Hanscome (maiden name, La Chapell)
AGE: Prefers to keep people guessing
BIRTHDATE: May 1, 19??
Let’s just skip all the height, weight, hair color, eye color nonsense. She’s a writer, after all, not a model.
OCCUPATION: Author. Jeanette has written three books for Focus on the Family (Book Corner ) and numerous articles, devotions and stories for magazines and anthologies, including Brio, Discipleship Journal, Focus on the Family’s Focus on Your Child, and both of Kelly Carr’s Encounters with God collections. She writes regularly for Standard Publishing’s Encounter—the Magazine, Walk Thru the Bible’s Tapestry, and the Girls, God and the Good Life Blog (www.girlsgodgoodlife.blogspot.com ). In addition to writing, Jeanette enjoys teaching writing workshops in her community and at writer’s conferences. Her workshops have included:
“Writing for Teens”
“Writing Your Memories” (seniors especially enjoy this one)
“Writing for Publication”
"Writing Dynamic Devotions that Sell”
Talks on the craft of writing, for upper elementary students and up
If you are interested in a workshop or school visit, please contact Jeanette (Contact Jeanette).
She leads a critique group, is a member of ACFW (www.americanchristianfictionwriters.com) and Christian Author’s Network (CAN), a network for freelance editors and proofreaders. Jeanette truly enjoys guiding new writers as they try to perfect their work.
Jeanette supports her writing habit with her “day job” as a freelance grant writer for Faith-Based Solutions and writing promotional material for WinePress Publishing Group.
MARRIED? Yes, to Norman, who is extremely supportive of everything she does, even when the pressures of deadlines, rejection, and writer’s block make her difficult to live with. She feels that spouses of authors should be sainted.
DOES SHE HAVE KIDS? Yes, two boys, Christian, who is 17, and Nathan, age 5. Christian maintains this site.
PETS: Lucia, otherwise known as “the queen”—a tortuous shell calico cat who spends much of her day sleeping behind Jeanette’s computer monitor. Princess, whose name speaks for itself, is a cute-and-knows-it tabby. Belle, the needy but irresistible orphaned mutt joined the family right after New Year 2007. Christian is her owner but Jeanette is her “mommy.”
WHERE DOES SHE LIVE? Jeanette and her family live in Northern Nevada, in a cute little house that is constantly in need of repairs.
CHURCH AFFILIATION: The Hanscome family attends Sierra Bible Church, where Jeanette sings, Norm is an Awana director, Christian runs sound and Power Point for the youth group, and Nathan provides a lot of entertainment for the Sunday school teachers.
HOBBIES: Singing, reading, cooking (she loves to bake), and watching good movies.
AS A CHILD, WHAT DID SHE WANT TO BE WHEN SHE GREW UP? From the time she was about fourteen, Jeanette dreamed of becoming an actress. She even started college as a Theater major (later changed to Early Childhood Studies so she could pursue a major that might actually land her job). But she couldn’t stand the rejection, so she decided to become a writer instead.
WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT THIS CHARACTER? Gee, where should we start?
One trait that people often discover when they meet Jeanette is that she has low vision but is a master at hiding it. She was born with a rare disorder called Achromatopsia, which means that she has no color vision, is extremely light sensitive, and has visual acuity in the legally blind range. So if you wave to her at a writer’s conference and she doesn’t wave back, she isn’t ignoring you. Don’t worry, she can see, just not very well, especially in sunlight brightly lit areas.
HOW DID SHE GET STARTED AS A WRITER? Jeanette became a closet wannabe writer after reading Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl, in fifth grade. She was one of those nerdy imaginative types who could only grow up to be a teacher, a librarian, a mental patient, or a writer. It wasn’t until she was married and had a preschooler that she finally decided to go for it and start submitting stories to magazines. Her first published article was in a small Christian magazine for visually impaired young Adults, called Young and Alive (write what you know, right?). Somehow she got talked into attending the 1995 Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference and has been hooked ever since. Though her first love is fiction writing, she has also developed a passion for writing devotions.
WHAT DOES SHE LOVE AND HATE ABOUT HER WORK: Let’s get the hate part out of the way. The rejection kind of takes the fun out of writing. She has also found that some pressures come along with being a published author. But the good so outweighs the bad. For Jeanette, the best thing about writing is passing on what God has taught her and brought her through, whether it is in an article, a devotional, or through the experience of a fiction character. Praise God that He never wastes anything—especially on a writer.