Household Chat with Tricia Goyer

Today I'm interviewing Tricia Goyer who is the author of seven novels, six non-fiction books, and one children's book. Tricia was named Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference "Writer of the Year" in 2003. In 2005, her book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion. Also in 2005, her novel Night Song won ACFW's Book of the Year for Long Historical Romance. In 2006, her novel Dawn of a Thousand Nights also won Book of the Year for Long Historical. She's written over 300 articles for national publications and hundreds of Bible Study notes for the Women of Faith Study Bible. Tricia lives in Montana with her husband and three kids where she homeschools, leads children's church, and mentors teenage mothers.

Q - Tricia, why do you think people like household hints?
A - We don't have time to spend HOURS on our home. Tips help us work faster and smarter.

Q - Do you have a favorite and/or interesting household hint you'd like to share?
A - Sharpie markers work GREAT for covering up scratches in wood. Just find a shade (brown) similar to your piece of furniture.

Q - What's your biggest housekeeping challenge?
A - I am always behind in 1) putting clean laundry away, 2) mail, and 3) sweeping my floors. They always seem dirty!

Q - If you could pass along one bit of cleaning/organizational advice to someone just starting out with their first home, what would it be?
A - Houseclean in short bursts ... don't wait for it to pile up. Dishes only take five minutes after a meal. It takes five minutes to wipe down a bathroom if you do it every other day. Also, if you're going to watch TV, then do something little besides, such as fold laundry or dust the living room.

Q - Fill in the blank: I am to cleaning as _____ is to ______.
A - The basketball is to the net. As much as I love days when I get a 3-pointer and everything is clean ... I settle for a layup down and then in small, fast spurts. (Can you tell high school basketball season just finished at our house?)

Q - How does your housekeeping style compare to that of your parents when they were your age?
A - My mom was EXTREMELY neat. Everything was perfect. I'm messier, but mostly because I homeschool and write. We have people around here 24/7.

Thanks so much, Tricia! Readers, be sure to check back soon for another exciting interview. And if, like Tricia, your floors always seem dirty, make sure you've got mats inside and outside every exterior door, as that really helps to cut the dirt. Also, think about getting a rechargeable vacuum cleaner that's light and easy to use, or at least a portable central vacuuming unit (like my SweepEze from Westinghouse that I profiled in a previous post.) I'm a big fan of whatever makes the job of floor-cleaning that much easier. Until next time…keep it clean!

Order door mats here

Order rechargeable vacuums here