Mike Rimmer quizzed MARTIN AND ANNA SMITH about their new autobiographical books

Anna and Martin Smith

Along with Matt and Beth Redman, Martin and Anna Smith are the most famous couple on the UK Christian music scene. In February Kingsway published books by both of them. Martin's volume is called, to give it its full title and making note that a certain question mark has gone missing, Delirious: My Journeys With The Band, A Growing Family And An Army Of Historymakers while Anna's book is titled Meet Mrs Smith: My Adventures With Six Kids, One Rockstar Husband, And A Heart To Fight Poverty. I spoke recently to Mr and Mrs Smith.

Mike: I often wonder whether the two of you have trouble booking into hotels, when you try and persuade people you are Mr and Mrs Smith.

Anna: We get a few little grins and smiles.

Martin: The only problem is, though, that there haven't been many occasions because there are too many young children around; but hopefully that will happen more as we go along.

Mike: When writing these books, were you both writing them at the same time? Were you sitting in the lounge, both with laptops doing your thing?

Anna: That sounds beautiful. I don't even own a laptop so that wouldn't happen. I wrote mine over the course of about two years with a friend, Carolyn Johnson, who lived in Australia at the time. I had a wooden spoon in one hand and a child under the other. Very differently to Martin's. How was yours written, Martin.?

Martin: This is not easy for me. I wrote mine in the luxury of three days with my co-writer Craig Borlase. Anna definitely gets more points than me.

Mike: Martin, your book is a kind of autobiography and the story of Delirious? all rolled into one. Would that be a good way of describing it?

Martin: Yes, I think so. And then it kind of finishes off with my thoughts on future stuff and where we're going. Hopefully people will enjoy it. I think it's a good read.

Mike: Obviously the story is familiar to Delirious? fans, but you give a more intimate view of it.

Martin: Yes. I think there's more of a view of all the tension of living that life and being away so much and being married and having kids and just life. I think the story is more open and honest than probably what people would have known before.

Mike: And Anna, we get the view of course of what it's like being Mrs Rockstar.

Anna: Well maybe not Mrs Rockstar. My book is really about being the wife at home and my role as that, but also how hard that can be and how great that is. Also, it's intended to encourage other girls not to feel [that their husband's ministry isn't theirs because they are] at home. But rather, "we're together in this".

Mike: It did make me laugh though - when you actually get Martin home again after being on the road, trying to get him to help out around the house was always a bit of a challenge.