The Ins & Out of Co-writing with the Dynamic Duo of Harris & Gentry

by Lynne Gentry

How did two different writers, living on two different continents, and writing two different genres, write a 4-book medical thriller series without killing each other?

We started as friends. 

Twenty years ago, Lisa Harris and I met at church. When we discovered our mutual love of writing, we formed a writing group. But then Lisa and her family moved to Africa to do mission work and she jumped into suspense writing. I went in a different direction and started writing small town southern fiction and worship sketches. Through the blessing of technology, we stayed in touch. Years later, I saw a newspaper article about how and why albinos were being murdered in Africa. My heart ached for these marginalized people. I wished I could do something. Imagine my surprise when the Lord dropped a high-level suspense story in my head. This kind of work was above my pay grade. To do this story justice, I needed an expert in suspense and Africa. I needed Lisa Harris. 

I called her and that’s how the partnership of Harris & Gentry was born. Together, we wrote the award-nominated GHOST HEART.

Our writing duo has since birthed three Agents of Mercy novels with a fourth to be released by early 2021. Lisa brings to our writing table the authenticity of Africa and an eye for suspense. I bring my connections to the medical world and theater training in character development.  

We’ve discovered that coauthoring has benefits. Half the workload. Twice the plotting/character power. Shared costs of production and marketing. Writing retreats. Facetime calls. Lots of laughter. And the joy of having another writer as invested in the story as you are.

We’ve also discovered coauthoring also has disadvantages. Splitting royalties. Plotting disagreements. And the angst of having to adjust to each other’s schedules.

While we are convinced the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages, coauthoring requires a lot of trust, which is why a good friendship is helpful. We trust each other to do our share. We trust each other to bring different strengths to the story. And, most importantly, we trust each other’s edit suggestions. 

If you’re considering writing with another author, here are a few things to consider:

1. Do you have similar expectations for the length, tenor, and target of the project?
2. Do you have similar work ethics?
3. Can you accept/defer to another’s adamant belief a change needs to be made to the story? 
4. Can you speak up and give your opinion without getting defensive? Conversely, can you listen and try to understand another’s opinion without getting defensive? 
5. Division of labor makes the project go smoother. Who will be in charge of managing the insertion of each other’s work into the final manuscript? Who will be do the technical parts of running a writing business? Who will keep up with the costs, expenses, etc.?
6. Which leads to an important tip: Put your partnership agreement in writing. No one expects a partnership to go south, but sometimes it is in everyone’s best interest to part company. A written agreement allows each of you to fully understand your commitment to the project, the division of labor, and how issues will be resolved. 

About Lisa and Lynne’s Agents of Mercy series:

Our medical thrillers explore real world problems such as: the illegal procurement of organs, the threat of weaponized viruses, and the medical exploitation of Africa’s children. While each book can be read as a stand-alone, the entire series is tied together by one man’s quest.

Readers can’t wait to get their hands on the third book in the series: LETHAL OUTBREAK. This terrifying tale of a virus unearthed in the Tibetan permafrost releases October 13, 2020 and is available for a limited time in a boxset with seven other Christian suspense authors. For only $0.99 you can own all 8 of these new, full-length romantic suspense novels. Hurry and pre-order your copy of LETHAL OUTBREAK today and receive the entire DANGEROUS DECEPTIONS collection for only $0.99. https://dangerous-deceptions.com/

Virus hunter Aiden Ballinger believes the source of the lethal outbreak that decimated a remote Tibetan village came from disturbing the permafrost. Desperate to rebury the virus before it buries the world, Aiden enlists Rachel Scott, a beautiful epidemiologist. But while Aiden and Rachel pursue the cure—and their feelings for each other—someone is hunting them. Whoever wants them dead will not stop until they are silenced.

Lynne Gentry has always been a storyteller.

Trained in theater arts at Oklahoma Christian University, Lynne’s written and produced three full-length musicals and a children’s theater curriculum. This former Director of the Dallas International Performing Arts Academy also teaches private acting lessons. Her students have successfully auditioned for Broadway, Disney, Nickelodeon, American Idol, various television series, local and national commercials, talent agencies, and major college theater programs. 

A professional writer for nearly twenty years, Lynne has written daily inspirational content for a large Christian Radio Broadcasting company based in Nashville, articles for Christian Woman magazine, and stories and novels for Guideposts, Tyndale, Worthy, HCI Books, and Howard Books/Simon & Schuster. She also co-authored devotionals for the 7 Minute Marriage Solution Devotional Bible (Worthy 2013). She indie-published multiple novels. Her books have been finalists in the American Christian Fiction Writer’s Genesis contest, the prestigious Westbow’s Fiction contest, and the Carol Awards.

Believing we can work together to change our world, Lynne joined with Lisa Harris to found The ECHO Project, a humanitarian organization dedicated to becoming the voice for the poorest of the poor in one of the darkest corners of the world…Africa.

Lynne loves laughing with her family or taking her medical therapy dog to the Baylor oncology wards to make people smile.