I have been so blessed to be a part of an amazing group of women writers. I’d like to introduce you to two of them:

Nicole O’Dell writes woman’s devotionals and challenging tween and teen books for girls. She’s a mother of six including toddler-aged triplets and she accomplishes so much in a day that it makes me tired thinking about all she does.

Kimberly Cash Tate is the newest addition to Women of Faith. She will travel across the country lifting up other women and reminding them of how precious we are. Here is a wonderful interview with Kim that Nicole posted and I’m just going to paste it here. Please click on their websites or any of the links for more info…

Writer’s Corner (from Nicole O’Dell’s Blog): Kimberly Cash Tate/Women of Faith

Nicole: Today, I’m proud to welcome Kimberly Cash Tate, new member of the Women of Faith speaking tour–and new personal friend/prayer partner.

Kim, will you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Kim: I’m a wife of almost seventeen years, mom to two, and we’ve been homeschooling eight years in the Midwest–which makes me chuckle because in my twenties, I had my sights set on being a high-powered lawyer in Washington, D.C. You never know what God has in store! Though I often wonder how I actually get it done, I manage to find time to write as well.

That’s so true. I think God often chuckles while we’re making our plans.So, tell us about your writing…

My first published book was a memoir called, “More Christian than African-American,” about how God turned my life upside down once I became a believer at twenty-seven. That’s where that career change comes in. In 2008, “Heavenly Places” was released, which was my first novel, about a woman who always felt “less than” because of the way she was raised. Her life changes dramatically after she’s kind of coaxed into a home Bible study with five other women, and they study the book of Ephesians. Though she clashes with the other women for a while and even quits a couple of times, she ultimately learns who she is in God’s eyes. My next novel, “Faithful,” releases in September.

Nicole: Congratulations on your writing success! And, a HUGE congratulations for your recent appointment to the Women of Faith speaking team! How did you get involved with Women of Faith?

Kim: God story! I was signed to Thomas Nelson Fiction last spring, and the fiction team got the crazy notion that they should pitch me as a Women of Faith speaker. Terrible, but I didn’t even know Thomas Nelson was the ministry home for Women of Faith. They didn’t tell me what they were thinking at first, but when I found out, I thought, “No way!” But as the process unfolded, I knew that it was really all about my relationship with God. He’d been dealing with me about increasing my faith and believing that He truly is able to accomplish His plans for us. Years ago, He’d put the desire in my heart for ministry through writing and speaking, but I couldn’t “see” the speaking part from where I sat in my sweats and tennis shoes, homeschooling my kids. They flew me to a Women of Faith conference in October, and I met the whole team. Had a fabulous time “behind-the-scenes.” Yet, the whole thing seemed far out that they might actually consider me as a speaker. Still, God kept one word resounding in my heart–believe.

That had to be a rough wait–something I don’t do well. When did you find out you’d been selected as a speaker?

Weeks passed after that October conference, and I had no idea what they thought of me. Talk about a test of faith! In December, I got the call of my life. They were adding me as a speaker for four events in 2010.

Nicole: Amazing! Congratulations, again! How did you feel? How did you celebrate?

Kim: I can’t even describe how I felt. It was such a faith journey, such an exceeding abundant moment that I spent time just talking to God about it, telling Him how in awe I am of Him. Of course, I also called my mother and the other women who’d been praying for me and screamed! What was awesome as well was the reaction of the Thomas Nelson Fiction team. They’d been praying too, and I was able to be the first to tell them that I’d gotten the call. They were so excited, and the following day, they sent a beautiful bouquet of congratulatory flowers. My birthday was a few days later, so it was a “Happy Birthday” and “Merry Christmas!”

Nicole: How do they decide who speaks about what?

Kim: The leadership team of Women of Faith is very in tune to what ministers to the women who attend the conferences. Just as in writing, story is key. They work with the speakers to develop their own personal stories that illustrate God’s love and grace.

Nicole: What is your area of focus for your events?

Kim: Still working on it, but I’m on the Imagine tour, so my focus will be on the fact that we often imagine one thing for our lives, but God enters in and far surpasses what we’ve dreamed. I think I have a few stories I can tell in that area!

Nicole: You’re entering a whole new arena (no pun intended). Are you nervous?

Kim: More excited than nervous, but I’m sure the nerves are waiting to pounce. Very aware that I’ll be clinging to God every step of the way. The lessons in faith and believing that God’s been teaching me will be ever more in play. And I’ve got that same prayer team in place, because I need it!

Nicole: When and where are your upcoming events?

Kim: I’ll be in the following cities: Las Vegas–April 23-24; Denver–September 24-25; Kansas City–November 5-6; and Sacramento–November 12-13. http://www.womenoffaith.com/lasvegas/

I’ll be posting updates on my blog and Facebook page, so I’d love for people to come hang with me!

http://kimberlycashtate.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/kimcashtate

Thanks to both Kim and Nicole for their friendships and their ministries!

Tags: Kimberly Cash Tate, Nicole O'Dell, Women of Faith
Posted in Interviews | 1 Comment »

Author Lyn Cote was kind enough to post this little bit of mine last week. Enjoy.

My guest today is Love Inspired Author, Kit Wilkinson. Here’s Kit:

“Protector’s Honor released last month with Love Inspired Suspense. It’s my first novel and really is perfect for Lyn’s blog since we’re talking Strong Women.

Did you know that in the first chapter of Joshua God told Aaron three times in three different verses to, “Be strong and courageous.”? God does want us to be might warriors for Him. But sometimes we women are just too strong for our own good. You know what I mean? We try to do everything. Control everything. Our schedule. Our children. Our husbands. J We actually try to help God out with our life. We lead instead of follow. I don’t know about you, but I catch myself doing this all the time.

And my heroine from Protector’s Honor is just like that.

Tabitha Beaumont has her life all under control. She’s a successful lawyer with great family and friends. She leads a teen Bible study and runs triathlons in her spare time. Everything is picture perfect. Until—she’s attacked, followed, and hunted by two strange men and has no idea why. NCIS agent, Rory Farrell, wants to help, but Tabitha’s not sure she can trust him. A dark moment from her past leaves her thinking she can’t trust any man. In fact, Tabitha realizes she has some serious issues to deal with—that maybe she didn’t have things in such great control after all. This crisis has her turning to her faith and letting go of it all.

Ever had a moment like that? I have. I feel God is continually reminding me to let Him lead. And really, what am I thinking when I try to take control? That I’ll do a better job than the God that created the universe? Ridiculous.

So, I try to fix on His words from Matthew 6:33, a familiar but very powerful promise… “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given unto you…”

Being a strong woman is great when the strength comes from the Lord.

Tags: Lyn cote, strong women
Posted in Interviews | No Comments »

To celebrate the release of my first novel I did a video interview for the award winning blog Novel Journey.  It’s now posted on YouTube (and here). And the rest of the interview can be read below.

Kit Wilkinson is a former Ph.D. student who once wrote discussions on the medieval feminine voice. Now, she prefers weaving stories of romance and redemption. Her first inspirational story won the prestigious RWA Golden Heart and sold to Steeple Hill Books.

Welcome to Novel Journey, how long did it take you to get published?

From when I finished writing my first “salable” manuscript to when I received “the call,” it took exactly 14 months.

Do you think an author is born or made?

I haven’t been at this for very long, but my take is that very few authors could get along without the help of a savvy editor and/or without the help of critique partners. Writing is like playing the piano. You can have all the God-given talent in the world but without tons of supervised practice where techniques are developed and refined, your playing won’t be very interesting.

Any advice on maintaining a good editor/author relationship?

Kit answers this question (and many others) in a video interview here.

What is the first book you remember reading?

The first books I read were Winnie the Pooh and Paddington books. I suppose I had a thing for bears. The first book I fell in love with was The Call of Wild by Jack London. I read it in seventh grade English. I can vividly remember sitting in that classroom, devouring the story of Buck (which I, of course, named my dog), not wanting the bell to ring, and not wanting the book to end.

What common qualities do you find in the personalities of published authors?

All authors, even the extroverts like myself, enjoy spending time alone. Authors also tend to be driven, self-motivated people who don’t like “group” projects.

How do you know if you have a seemingly “stupid” book premise that is doomed to fail versus one that will fly high?

All stories must have certain elements or they are doomed to fail… For a story idea to fly high, I think it must have global appeal combined with superb writing and story telling.

What is the theme of your latest book?

I’m currently working on a story set in the Savannah area “low country,” which touches on the issues of Human Trafficking and self-forgiveness.

At what point did you stop juggling suggestions and critiques and trust yourself (as a writer)?

I don’t know because I’m not there yet. I greatly value the opinions of my critique partners—depend on them to make my story better, my characters deeper, and my writing smoother.

Are takeaway messages (in your book) important to you?

Absolutely. Although it’s hard in category to handle an issue with any serious amount of depth, there still must be a moment when characters are changed, touched, enlightened. If I’ve done my job as a writer and taken my reader into the fictional story world then that character moment should also mean something to the reader. That’s my hope…anyway.

When do you know you’ve got the finished product and it’s your best effort?

It’s finished when my editor says it’s finished. Until then I always feel like I can improve a story.
Kit did a great video interview for your pleasure. Be sure to watch as she answers the following questions: 1)How man drafts do you edit before submitting to an editor? 2) What mistakes did you make while seeking publication? 3) What projects do you have coming out? 4) Tell us about “the call”. 5) Any advice for aspiring writers?

Tags: Interviews, Novel Journey, Writing
Posted in Interviews, Writing | 2 Comments »