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Welcome Nancy! What a
thrill to have you as an honored guest. I first met Nancy Kimball when she and
I were finalists in the 2012 Genesis contest for unpublished writers. She is an
amazing writer and a terrific person.
Thank you for having me! I remember that well because the other
historical finalist was my crit partner. Secretly I think we both needed you to
win so we wouldn’t have the awkwardness if she or I had one, LOL, so we cheered
you long and loud for your well-deserved win that year. And by the way, my
debut novel was that same story. He looks good all grown up, doesn’t he? =)
We are so happy to
have you here this week, and that you have agreed to share a bit about
yourself. I know we’re all going to enjoy getting to know you and your work
better.
Q: First of all,
granola with chocolate chips, celery sticks with organic peanut butter, or a decadent
mocha frappe with New York style cheesecake?
;)
How is pizza not among my choices? Where is the pizza, Kathleen?
#highmaintenanceguest
Q: What causes are you
passionate about, and how do they find their way into your writing?
Watch me keep being difficult, LOL, but for me it’s an attitude
rather than a cause. I believe, and have personally experienced over and over,
that no life is too messed up and broken to be used by
God, and that no person
is too far gone for the Lord to redeem. I think
Christians have no trouble
believing this, until we’re required to translate that belief into practical
application, especially for ourselves. I already knew this in my own life,
which I’d wrecked fairly well prior to writing this novel. However, I hadn’t
realized how fully that truth for me had translated into my hero’s journey
until we reached the end together. It was at that point we renamed the series
“The Sword of Redemption” (from Forges of Faith). The same way our hero’s sword
brought redemption to many throughout the story, it was the same way God
through the sword of His word and the Spirit (Eph. 6:17, Heb. 4:12 ) brought
redemption to my hero, and to me in my own life.
Q: If you could sit
down and interview any person, fictitious or real from any time, who would that
be and what is the first question you would ask?
Prince Jonathan, from the Bible, and my first question would be
how did he remain faithful to God and loyal to two men he loved that were
enemies for most of his life.
Q: Which parts of your
heroine or hero are you, or do you aspire to be?
I am all the characters in Chasing
the Lion. From the bravest of heroes like Jonathan and the deepest of faith
Christ-followers like Nessa to the vilest of villains. (Caius Pullus &
Valentina Florus anyone?) It was a great question, Kathleen, but I’ve found for
me I have to continue to be as honest with myself as I am with my readers and
it means owning I’m the villains just as much as the heroes and heroines. Like
when a prism is held to the light, the refraction allows you to see all the
colors individually that make the light. I’m the prism and the characters in
this novel are my colors. Every last one of them.
Q: Tell us about your
writing journey and how you came to the indie decision.
Chasing the Lion was my first NaNoWriMo project. The next two
years were spent learning the craft of fiction and making it a publication
ready novel instead of a beginner manuscript. After countless revisions and
rewrites, I sold Chasing the Lion to
a small press in 2013. Later that year the publisher and I chose to part ways
because of contract issues and differing expectations of each other. For the
first time I began to seriously consider self-publishing. I met Indie author
Nicole Deese (a God thing) and after a lot of prayer and reflection, made the
decision to self-publish in January of this year. For more on the how and the
why I went Indie, see this post at Writers
on the Storm.
Q: What message do
you hope your readers will take away from your debut? And can you hint at any
works to come?
You have a choice with what to do with your suffering. This is
driven home in a letter in the final chapter that is very special to me, and
explained in the acknowledgements. As for my work in progress, it is the sequel
of course!
In their quest to defend Rome and protect all they hold dear,
our heroes will again be tested. Old enemies return, alliances are tested and a
new threat greater than any they’ve faced is coming. Charging the Darkness (Spring 2015).
Q: Do you have a question
you would like our blog readers to answer?
Yes! For the authors, I want to know if you write or edit to
music like I do. And for readers, have you tried audiobooks yet? Why or why
not? And I would LOVE to giveaway a copy of the recently released audiobook of Chasing the Lion. Trust me. I have one
of the most amazing narrators the world has ever heard! (That was a God-thing
too.)
Author, avid reader, and shameless hero addict, Nancy Kimball
loves books, Ancient Rome, and all things gladiator. She makes her home in
Houston, Texas with one very spoiled pitbull mix named Eric T. and still
doesn’t understand the point of white crayons. Learn more and read the
incredible story “Finding Jonathan” at her official website and connect with her
on Facebook.
