Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself. 

A. Mike Yorkey: I’m taking the lead because my co-author, Tricia Goyer, was quite busy helping Chasing Mona Lisa become the No. 1 free download in the Kindle Store last week. Tricia has 53,771 followers on Twitter, and they set the social media world on fire telling each other to download our book.

A. Tricia Goyer: I can chime in here a bit. I am a wife, mom, speaker, and author of 27 novels. I love reading and researching. I love writing. I love traveling, and I mentor teen moms, too. I’ve been married to John for 21 years. We have four children and our oldest is married with a new baby! Our youngest child is under 2-years-old, which means that we have a lot of excitement around our house.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A. Mike Yorkey: Growing up in San Diego, I always wanted to be a sportswriter growing up. After graduating from the University of Oregon, I did start my journalism career in newspaper but got a big break when I joined Focus on the Family in 1986 as the Focus on the Family magazine editor. I started writing books on the side, and in 1998, I became a freelance author and collaborator and now have done over 75 books. Chasing Mona Lisa is my third fiction effort. I’ve been married to Nicole for 31 years, and she is from Switzerland. We lived in Geneva and Zurich early in our marriage, so I have a great interest in Switzerland and in Europe.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?

A. Mike Yorkey: I was editor of a small-town newspaper in the ski resort town of Mammoth Lakes, California. Weekly circulation: 12,000. I interviewed Dr. James Dobson, the best-selling author and founder of Focus on the Family, because he was a Mammoth second-home owner who loved to ski at Mammoth with his family. That led to a friendship and me eventually being hired at Focus on the Family as the magazine editor. Suddenly, I jumped to a publication with a circulation of 1 million monthly. That was a huge break.

Q: What can you tell us about your current book release?

A. Mike Yorkey: Chasing Mona Lisa is a fun book to read. It’s a World War II-era thriller that involves the heist of da Vinci’s famous painting as the Allies are liberating Paris in August 1944. There are twists and unexpected turns. The reviews have been very good, but it’s not a romance book. You can watch a video book trailer here or visit www.chasingmonalisa.com to learn more.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for Chasing Mona Lisa?

A. Tricia Goyer: After writing The Swiss Courier I knew I wanted to write something to do with a curator in Paris. I was fascinated by what happened to priceless art during World War II. Mike took the nugget of the idea and ran with it. Mike and his wife, Nicole, even visited Paris for research! I love when those little inklings of ideas grow into something much more.

A. Mike: It’s hard to complain about going to Paris to do some research. Tricia and I began kicking around an idea: what would happen if the Nazis wanted to steal the Mona Lisa during the chaotic times of August 1944, when Allied forces were advancing on Paris? That’s when the fun started.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

A. Tricia Goyer: In addition to being swept away with the plot, I hope readers walk away with an understanding that each of us as a unique place in history. Sometimes we fell lost in all that’s happening around us, but sometimes the ordinary is just what God can use to impact what—and who—is priceless!

A. Mike Yorkey: Tricia said it well.

Q: What is your favorite scene/chapter from the book?

A. Tricia Goyer: Well, first that the Mona Lisa was really stolen in 1911. An Italian took her out of the Louvre. I had no idea . . . and she wasn’t found right away!

Second, I was fascinated by the political factions at the time. The French worked together to fight the Nazis, but when it was clear that they’d soon have control of their country again the fighting turned against each other. It was a scramble to control.

Third, I was horrified to find out the Nazis not only stole priceless art, but purchased it, too. I had no idea!

A. Mike Yorkey: A lot of people think the Nazi generals and bigwigs just marched into Paris museums and took paintings off the wall. Didn’t happen that way. They had the money to buy up all the art they wanted. Sure, they stole art from Jewish families, but with legitimate museums and dealers, it was by purchase order.

Another thing I learned was that the Louvre museum started packing up all their treasures just days before Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Within weeks, priceless paintings like the Mona Lisa were dispersed to southern France for safekeeping.

Q: Do you have a favorite character in Chasing Mona Lisa? Why?

A. Tricia Goyer: I have to say that I’m partial to Colette, who worked in the Louvre during the Nazi occupation. While I still love Gabi and Eric, the Swiss OSS agents working for the Americans, I was fascinated by a character who worked behind-the-scenes in the art world during WWII.

A. Mike Yorkey: I’ve always liked Gabi, who’s in her early twenties. She is the daughter of an American father and Swiss mother and has lived in Switzerland all her life, so she’s quite talented with languages and quite clever in the way she thinks on her feet.

Q: What inspires you to write? 

A. Mike Yorkey: It’s the opportunity to impact others, and I know Tricia feels the same way.

Q: What advice or tips do you have for writers who are just getting started?

A. Tricia: One of the challenges Mike and I face is working on the same book. Only one person works on the manuscript at a time and we send the file back and forth. We want to make sure we’re working on the newest file so we don’t lose anything.

Personally, my biggest challenge is balancing my baby and my books! Having a toddler at home is a lot of work. She requires a ton of attention. I can’t just sit and write anytime. Instead, I have to plan my writing time into certain slots. I’m thankful for my family. We all take turns with her. She brings us so much joy. It’s worth it!

A. Mike: It’s amazing how these books get done. They sure are a lot of work. Sometimes I spent half a day researching a certain fact or how a rail yard looked for a pivotal scene. But I think readers will notice the effort.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now? 

A. Tricia Goyer: I wrote a novel to commemorate the 100^th Anniversary of the Titanic sinking. It’s called By the Light of a Silvery Moon, and it comes out in March. And my third novel in my Amish series Beyond Hope’s Valley will be out in April.

A. Mike Yorkey: I just finished writing a biography about Jeremy Lin, the new sensation with the New York Knicks basketball team. Linspired, published by Zondervan, releases May 1.

Q: What is something your readers might be surprised to learn about you? 

A. Tricia Goyer: Our family loves to travel. Family road trips are something we venture out on a few times a year. Whether it’s a long weekend or a week-away we love finding a new location to explore and heading out!

A. Mike Yorkey: My wife, Nicole, is Swiss, and we are fortunate to be able to go to Switzerland twice a year—once in winter for skiing and once in the summer for hiking in the Swiss Alps. Not only does Nicole get to be Swiss again and speak Swiss-German, French, and Italian, but I get to tag along and soak up the beauty and the culture. I’m very blessed.

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us? 

A. Tricia Goyer: You can learn a lot more about what I’m up to at http://www.triciagoyer.com.

A. Mike Yorkey: And my website is http://www.mikeyorkey.com.