Summer is my favorite season, and it always takes its sweet time getting to my neck of the woods (and it never sticks around as long as I would like), so I’m always thrilled when it finally arrives. I was no less excited to work with the items I chose for the Summertime Blogging Fun promotion for Artbeads.com, featuring charms, pendants, and glass beads. Landlocked ocean lover that I am, I love paua shell and dolphins, so I combined two loves  in the Paua dolphin pendant I chose. The pendant comes plain with the paua shell on the front and black acrylic coated resin on the back, like this:

This dolphin pendant is pretty on it’s own, so I could have happily put a jump ring in the hole and threaded the pendant on a chain or ribbon, but of course I saw the pendant as part of a larger picture. So I finally came up with the idea to create a polymer clay and domed resin pendant piece with wire curls that simulate stylized ocean waves so that the paua shell dolphin would look like it was leaping out of the ocean. Combined with some seed beads, seafoam green ribbon,  shell beads, crystals, and blue pearls, the final design came out like this:

And would summer be complete without butterflies? Of course not. Lately I’ve been admiring the necklaces I’ve seen that feature decorative clasps somewhere in the front of the design, so when I saw this Sterling silver 3-strand butterfly hook and eye clasp, the design idea came pretty quickly. I’m primarily a wire wrapper, but in this case I thought a lot of wire work would just detract from the beauty of the butterfly clasp, so I kept the design simple and elegant, using some cyclamen colored Swarovski bicones and Czech glass maple leaf beads that I chose from Artbeads.com to go with the butterfly clasp.

When I ordered this clasp, I couldn’t really tell how it worked from the pictures on Artbeads.com, but when it arrived I figured out how simple it was. The clasp is well hidden. The middle ball of the butterfly’s body hides the eye, while one wing hides the hook, and when the clasp is closed you can barely see the seam. The butterfly has a slightly oxidized appearance, but parts are still shiny and reflective, as you can see in the pictures; the colors are a reflection of the aqua and purple fabric I used on the surface where I was photographing this piece. Though I chose to use the clasp in front, I could easily imagine how beautiful a necklace would look with this clasp in back, either with short hair or an up-do. Perfect for a summer wedding.

And anyone who knows me knows how much I love hummingbirds, so from the extensive selection of charms, I chose this sterling silver hummingbird charm to work with:

In my opinion, this is one of the prettiest sterling silver hummingbird charms I’ve ever seen. I’ve used other sterling hummingbird charms, but none had quite the detail and graceful appearance of this one. This one is very dimensional–so dimensional you do need to be careful how you use the charm in your jewelry, because the little guy’s beak sticks out and could be a bit uncomfortable. This would make a nice bracelet charm, and the attached hidden loop on the back is perfect for threading the charm on a chain or ribbon, but because of my penchant for complicated jewelry, this is what I ended up doing with it:

Though I sometimes receive free items because of Artbeads.com’s blogging program, I also order other items from them on a regular basis because of the quality of the items I’ve received. I’m thinking these items have been some of my favorites so far. Plus, you can’t bead free shipping in the United States.

Disclosure Notice: The sterling silver butterfly clasp, the paua shell dolphin pendant, the Czech glass leaf beads, and the sterling silver hummingbird charm used in these pieces were provided free of charge by Artbeads.com for my participation in the Artbeads.com blogging program. I have not received any payment from Artbeads.com, and this post represents only my personal opinion.

I’d really rather just make my jewelry and art and let the display and selling take care of itself! Of course I can’t do that, so I always seem to think about display and booth ideas just as I’m gearing up to be too busy to really do my ideas justice, and this year will probably be no exception. After three years, I’m ready to mix up my booth design. Here’s a photo of my booth from the 2009 Las Cruces Renaissance Artsfair:

Not bad. (That’s my husband in the booth). I like my sign, but I’m tired of looking at plain white tent walls, and I think my overall display is too dark. The standing earring displays need a lighter look so that potential customers can see more of the earrings from a distance and less of the display itself. And I’m thinking about giving my display pedestals (which also double as storage) an upgrade from the faux verdigris finish they have now to a faux slate or marble look, so I’ve been looking through my books on faux painting techniques.

My first show of the season, Mayfair, is Memorial Day weekend in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, and my booth will be inside the pavilion, so I’m trying to come up with wall ideas so that my booth will be clearly differentiated from those next to me. I found a great photo pool on Flickr, full of photos of displays at Arts and Crafts Fairs. Since Flickr doesn’t seem to want me to copy photos to re-post here, I’ll just provide links:

Paper Pastries has a fun and colorful booth, but the stars of this booth are the custom shelving units. Nice! I would want to shop in this booth; the shop’s name and color scheme are perfectly in sync. Photos of this booth really get me thinking about unique wall or shelving display ideas.

Blue Roof Designs is equally inviting in my opinion, but nothing like Paper Pastries. The colors are subtle and earthy, allowing the handmade books to be the focal point. But what I like best about this booth is the use of floor space. Unlike my booth, I don’t think customers would feel claustrophobic shopping here. I’m definitely going to have to brainstorm wall display ideas that will allow me to free up some floor space in my booth. Creating floor space in a 10′ X 10′ space is a challenge!

I think it’s interesting that out of all the photos I looked at, I didn’t find a jewelry display I liked very well. Hmmmm. I do know that there are usually so many jewelry artists at shows that people tend to overlook and dismiss jewelry booths, so I want to make sure my booth is as inviting as possible. I also know I don’t have a lot of money or time, so I’m going to have to find a way to refurbish things I have on hand. I have lots of unbleached linen scraps, so I’m thinking about re-covering some of my jewelry displays using linen. It’s a nice neutral gray color that will lighten the look of my booth display. But whatever I come up with will also have to complement my sign and my new business cards, which are predominantly periwinkle blue and feature one of my favorite jewelry pieces, Dragonfly Moon.

I’ll be sure to post pictures of my updated booth display after Mayfair.

Since I’ll be participating in the arts and crafts fair in Schoolhouse Park during Ruidoso’s AspenFest, October 3 and 4, October classes will start a little later in the month. Here’s the schedule:

Sunday, October 11, 1:30-3 pm: “Three Ring Circus” 4-5:30–“Art Nouveau Bracelet”

Friday, October 16, 5-6:30 pm: “Embellished Focal Bead Pendants”

Sunday, October 25, 1:30-3 pm: “Bonsai Tree/Tree of Life”

New class

Friday, October 30, 5-6:30 pm: “Lucky Charms: Celtic Knot Earrings and Pendants.” Celebrate the Celtic roots of Halloween this year by learning the tricks and treats of creating your own lucky charms—Celtic knot earrings and pendants using wire and beads. In this class you will learn how to create a variation of the decorative “Carrick bend” knot. This strong knot was used by sailors, but it can also be found as a design motif at Ormonde Castle in Ireland. First you will practice making your knot with dyed hemp cord, then you will translate what you learn to copper wire and beads in order to make a pair of earrings or a pendant. Cord, wire and beads will be provided.

Location: Beads to Beauty
2500 Sudderth #3 (4 Seasons Mall)
Ruidoso, NM 88345
Contact Heather Kingsmore
575-257-9903 or h.kingsmore@gmail.com

I just got word today that my polymer clay bead, which I’m calling “Cosmic Canyon,” was chosen as the second place winner in the Ancient Modern Polymer Clay Design Challenge sponsored by Beading Daily, a challenge used to promote Ancient Modern, a book by author/designer Ronna Sarvas Weltman. She and Jewelry Artist editor-in-chief Merle White chose the two winning pieces. “The two winners will be featured on Beading Daily (circulation: 90,000) in late June and each will receive a handcrafted set of polymer clay beads made by Ronna Sarvas Weltman herself.”

Here’s “Cosmic Canyon,” the bead I entered:

And here’s more info about the contest itself. Woohoo! I’m thrilled.

And now I’m preparing for another contest called “Use the Muse II. “ Just received my kit of goodies, plus a mystery item, the muse, which I can’t reveal. I think I have a really good idea. Time to break out the sketchbook! More teasers to come in future blog posts.

If you like Christian fiction featuring Amish characters, you just might want to look for first-time author Amy Clipston’s book, A Gift of Grace. I’ve read a few stories featuring Amish characters, which I’ve enjoyed, but what intrigued me about the premise of this book was the idea of two teenage girls from the “English” world who, after the death of their parents, come to live with their aunt and uncle in the Amish community. Instead of a budding romance that grows, this book is about a marriage tested to its limits. The cultural conflicts are just as strong, but this time they are coupled with the story of a family coming to terms with the death of someone they love, while at the same time two motherless teenage girls also struggle to come of age in a community that is steeped in tradition and completely foreign to their experiences in the modern world. 

For the girls’ Amish aunt, Rebecca, who wanted more than anything to have children of her own, the struggle to be a good mother to her nieces while being a good wife to her husband makes her feel “as if her world is being torn apart by two different cultures, leaving her to question her place in the Amish community, her marriage, and her faith in God.”

Interview with Amy:

How did you get involved in writing?
Writing is like breathing for me.  I was writing silly stories and sharing them with friends in elementary school.  In junior and high school, I turned to writing fan fiction.  After college, my fan fiction transformed into sweet romance novels.  Later, I felt the calling to turn to inspirational, and that was when I found my niche.

Where did you get the idea for A Gift of Grace?
I’m half-German, and my father immigrated to the United States with his parents and siblings in 1929.  He once told me the Amish speak the same dialect as our relatives, so I feel a connection to them.  I’ve always had a great respect and fascination with their faith and simple lives.  I began reading other Amish authors, and I was moved to create my own series.

What do you enjoy most about the writing process?
Brainstorming and plotting are the most fun.  I love getting to know my characters and playing around with storylines.

What is the most difficult aspect of the writing process?
I would say rewrites are the most difficult.  While the end result is always much better than the first draft, reworking the story forces the writer to sometimes start over and also reach deeper into his/her soul to find the story.

What do you hope readers will take away from your book?
I hope that readers will feel a sense of hope after reading the book.  Sometimes we may be convinced God has forgotten us or that what we’re experiencing isn’t part of His plan. However, things may not go the way we’d hoped, but God is always in control.

What do you say to someone who wants to become a published author?
Surround yourself with other writers.  Join a group, such as recommend American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America, attend local chapter meetings, and sign up for on-line discussion loops.  You’ll learn more than you can imagine from other writers, both published and unpublished.  Also, it may sound cliché, but don’t give up.  Rejection is heart breaking, but you’ll become a stronger writer every time you send out a query.

Amy’s Website
Amy’s Blog
Amy’s Facebook Page

Other Blog Tour Participants for A Gift of Grace

What an interesting day I’ve had! First, I got an email from Steve at Artbeads.com telling me they were looking for a few jewelry designers who also blog to feature reviews of some of their items. In exchange, Artbeads.com is offering these bloggers free supplies to review. So of course I was flattered, and I jumped at the chance! There were so many great choices, but I decided on a blue enameled copper pendant with the Chinese symbol for “faith” on it. Since faith has been such a struggle for me lately, I had to have it as a reminder that good things can come “out of the blue” if we just have faith. I’m really excited about this opportunity. I’ll post pictures when I’ve finished my design–I plan to make it reversible.

A few days ago I joined a new “street team” at Etsy called EART–Eclectic Artisans Team. So this morning I got an email from fellow EART member telling me that I was featured in a treasury! My item is the denim lapis lazuli heart pendant in the middle of the bottom row; be sure to check it out. There are some really talented people in this street team.

And last but not least, it looks like I’ll be participating in my first ever virtual “trunk show” with other EART team members on Etsy tomorrow 7 pm Eastern time (5:00 pm Land of Enchantment time). If you’d like to join the fun, click here. It’s a combination chat room/virtual conference room. Some people use their webcams, so you can see them and hear them talking! Very cool.

When I was a kid it was a common thing for my mom and dad to say “See you in the funny papers” instead of saying “goodbye,” especially when the goodbye might have been emotional. A dash of humor often makes the serious events of life a little easier to deal with, and that’s what I remember about Pam Kumpe when I met her at a writers’ conference at Glorieta, near Santa Fe, in October 2005. After commiserating about empty nest syndrome and our kids (her son, my daughter) who were then in their first semesters of college, Pam regaled us with stories about Macy, her miniature schnauzer. Pam’s endearing and personal humor is evident in her new book, See You in the Funny Papers, and it’s no wonder former Governor Mike Huckabee said the following: “…like Jesus, Pam shares lessons learned from everyday life.” I asked for Pam’s permission to share one of the stories from her book, and she graciously agreed, so here it is-perfect for the Christmas season. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  

“Stealing Baby Jesus”

Christmas is the season for giving, but once someone stole a baby Jesus from a church lawn’s Nativity scene. I don’t understand why anyone would steal baby Jesus. I mean, why not take a wise man? Or a shepherd? Or even Joseph for that matter? We could get more of them, but there’s only one Jesus.

This Jesus figurine was taken from a church in Foreman, Arkansas. Later two men called the pastor and said they’d found it on a gravel road in Oklahoma. The men wanted to return Jesus to the church, but since they had criminal records, they asked to set up a private meeting with the pastor. Now, these men did not take the baby Jesus, but they found him. Or could it be Jesus found them?

According to the Bible, Jesus was hung between two thieves at His crucifixion. One man mocked Jesus, while the other asked Jesus to remember him. Jesus replied to the one wanting to be remembered, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

The above narrative is one of the most touching scenes in the Bible to me. Jesus experienced physical and emotional agony on the cross, yet He listened to the plea of a man on a cross. He assured him he’d be with Him in paradise.

Jesus is the key figure in any Nativity scene, which is why the folks at the church in Arkansas think it’s a miracle that they got their baby Jesus back. They searched for Him, like shepherds hurrying off to find their Savior, and now He’s home again.

How the Jesus figurine ended up on a gravel road in Oklahoma is beyond me. Maybe he fell out of the back of a truck. I just don’t know.

I think that’s how we are. We think we’re taking Jesus along with us until we veer off course, hit a few bumps, and end up lost. Then we remember we haven’t even thought about Jesus for months, until He comes up missing. Actually, He’s stayed right on course; we’re the ones who get stuck out on gravel roads.

I’m glad the figurine was located, and it’s a great reminder for me to think about Jesus more often. I don’t have to search for Him, put His name on a sign, or look for Him on a church lawn, because He is as close to me as my next breath.

Let’s take Him with us, but do strap Him in, because if we get lost, that’s when we’ll need Him most. He will gladly show us the way home so we won’t end up on the wrong road.

Visit Pam’s website: http://www.pamkumpe.com
Read Pam’s blog: http://www.pamkumpe.blogspot.com
Look for Pam’s book at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0615243266
Visit other sites on Pam’s blog tour: http://www.blogtourspot.com/Kumpe-blog-tour/Kumpe-blog-tour-stops/

About Let Them Eat Fruitcake…

The Christmas season is a magical time of the year when there is peace on earth, winter wonderlands, and rockin’ parties . . . right? But Megan is struggling with a difficult boss and is forced to spend Christmas alone. Lelani can’t afford to fly home, and she isn’t sure she’d be welcomed. Anna’s old boyfriend has sailed back into her life, just when she’s met a for-real “nice guy” that she has been keeping away from her crazy Latino family. And Kendall has a crush on a famous actor who just might be the answer to her money woes . . . if only she could convince him she’s the love of his life.

Let’s face it, relationships are loaded with confusion, emotion, and secrets you can’t tell anyone but God. Thank goodness He’s always around to listen!

Melody, I know you’ve had over 150 books published, many of which have won awards, and your sales have totaled more than three million dollars. You are one prolific and successful author!  But what is the woman behind the successful stats like? Tell me a little bit about your background and your family.

I grew up in a non-church-going home with divorced parents and considered myself an atheist until my teens when I did a complete 180 turn and gave my heart to Christ. I’ve been married 30 years (to the same guy!) and I have two grown sons and a four year old granddaughter. Also a lovable chocolate Labrador named Bailey. We live in the Cascades mountains in Oregon. I’m a full time writer.

I love the title of your book. Of course the infamous quote attributed to Marie Antoinette came to mind when I first signed on for your blog tour. I doubt she was talking about fruitcake, something that has become an equally infamous Christmas tradition. So what is your favorite Christmas tradition?

We’re pretty low key about the holidays. Mostly we enjoy being with family members and try to keep things light and bright. My husband’s birthday happens to be Christmas day and years ago, he decided he prefers lasagna to turkey so we have “Christmas lasagna.”

Lasagna for Christmas. You know, we’ve actually done that as well. Sometimes it’s fun to break with tradition a bit.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I think it changed a lot. Everything from a lawyer (since I loved to argue) to a doctor (except I don’t like gore) to a teacher (probably because my mom was one). I never seriously considered being a writer (although I wrote all the time) because that seemed like the impossible dream to me.

I know many writers who never intended to write when they were thinking about future careers. So in your case, how did you get involved in writing?

In my mid-thirties, I got the strongest desire to get serious about writing. I’d been doing some op-ed pieces for the newspaper and suddenly I just wanted to write a book. Fiction, of course. So I simply began writing and it seems I’ve been writing ever since. I treat writing as a fulltime job, which it is for me. Aside from procrastinating, I usually write daily (Monday through Friday, office hours) until the book is finished and then I give myself “time off” until it’s time to start the next one.

What did you enjoy most about the writing process, and what do you find is your biggest struggle?

I love not knowing exactly what’s going to happen next. I don’t outline and I’m as surprised as the reader when a story takes a twist or turn. I would be bored if I knew where the story was going. I’m a by-the-seat-of-my-pants writer. That used to worry me…until I realized there are others out there just like me. Viva la difference!

But sometimes I’ll procrastinate. I’m not even sure why exactly, but it’s like I get distracted with any little thing that will keep me from sitting down to write. But then, once I sit down, I write pretty fast anyway, so maybe my procrastination is actually a way of stewing on a story before I begin putting it all down in writing.

Every writer has a unique story about how they came to be published. What’s yours?

I really wanted to write fiction, but back when I started writing there wasn’t a lot of fiction in the Christian market. To me that meant there should be more. To publishers it meant “it won’t sell.” Thankfully I was right-there needed to be more. But for my first few years, I was rejected time and again (for fiction). I just kept on writing until I had about five books completed (some adult, some teen). And finally an editor who believed in me asked if I’d consider writing nonfiction. So I did and it sold. About the same time I began to sell my fiction as well. Fortunately I have my little stockpile of books, all which sold. And, over the years, I’ve published with some of the very same publishers who originally rejected me. I guess, besides being impatient, I’m also persistent. In the publishing arena, persistence pays off.

Everyone loves to hear how and where writers get their ideas. So how did you get the idea for Let Them Eat Fruitcake?

Having written for teens for nearly a decade, I wondered about my readers who were in their twenties now. I think that’s a hard age these days and I wanted to create something that would speak to that young career woman who’s trying to sort out her life, her values, her friends, her faith…. I think fiction is a great way to teach truth and my hope was that these 86 Bloomberg Place characters living together under one roof would inspire readers to be better friends, share their faith, and live life more fully.

What are the major themes of the book, and is there any character in particular you most identify with?

I jokingly tell people that 86 Bloomberg Place is like that old TV sitcom “Friends” with faith mixed in. The main themes are relationships, life decisions, and where faith fits in. I’m probably most like Megan, but I’d like to be more like Lelani. Megan can be a bit of a bulldog sometimes, whereas Lelani is kinder and gentler and far more patient. However Megan’s faith is more substantial and she is having an influence in the house. It’s fun watching the characters mature, interact, become stronger friends, and figure out what’s important in life.

Have you had any difficult or confusing relationships like those in the book? How did you handle and what was the result?

Right out of college, I shared a house with three other (very diverse) women. It wasn’t easy and one of the women turned out to be the most difficult person I’d ever come across. Ironically it was on the “mission field” and the women were all Christians…and yet I felt more challenged to love my housemate than I did anyone else in that entire third world country.

What do you hope readers will take away from your book?

I hope they’ll enjoy a few laughs, a peek into the lives of some very human-like characters, and perhaps a spiritual challenge that they’ve found tucked between the lines.

Will we see any of these characters again?

Let Them Eat Fruitcake is the second book in a four book series (86 Bloomberg Place). The next installment is titled Spring Broke and the housemates end up going to Maui, where some mysteries about Lelani’s life are resolved. Also, there is romance and few other surprises. The final book is Three Weddings and a Bar Mitzvah.

Thanks so much, Melody. Readers, you can visit Melody’s website at http://www.melodycarlson.com

Win a prize!
If you leave a post in response to this interview by 5pm CST on November 21, you will be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift certificate to the Collin Street Bakery. The Collin Street Bakery is world-famous for its – you guessed it – fruitcake and will deliver your baked goods almost anywhere in the world.

Links:

Visit other stops on Melody’s blog tour…

Buy Let Them Eat Fruitcake at Amazon.com…

What kind of story do you get when you have a cover featuring red stiletto heels, a microphone, and the backside of a pig complete with curly tail? And equally interesting (at least in my opinion), is what kind of creative mind is behind it.

This is a “fish out of water” story if there ever was one, and it’s tailor made for humor. Just ask my mother-in-law (who moved from San Luis Obispo, CA to a cattle ranch in the middle of Nowhere, New Mexico) to share some stories from early in her marriage. But back to Act Two. Opera diva Sadie Maddox, a New Yorker through and through, is bordering on “has been” status, so for her second act she takes a professorship at a small liberal arts college in rural Iowa. When she arrives, she is horrified to discover that she will be living with a family on their pig farm!

That’s a great setup to a great story, Kimberly. Very unusual. So, since this book features such an interesting contrast in lifestyles, I have to ask–where did the idea come from?

I can’t possibly reveal that to the blogosphere, and I say that only partly because I’ve always wanted to use the word blogosphere. The other reason is that this one percolated for awhile. There was no lightning bolt moment. But I will say that I’m always interested in putting quirky characters in situations that make them woefully uncomfortable and allow the reader to laugh with gusto both at and with the character. A New York opera diva on a farm seemed like a situation that might work for that purpose.

You’re definitely right on that score! So what kind of research did you do?

It was intense. Lots of dangerous, Indiana Jones-type adventures, plenty of nights under the stars and without food or running water. Actually, I traveled to New York and was shuttled around by dear friends who love their city and were infectious in their excitement. I loved my time there and still wish I could drop off my laundry for someone else to do, begging out of the chore because my building just didn’t have a washer and dryer. The laundry, the insane number of fantastic restaurants, the ability to wallow in theater, dance, live jazz, high fashion—if I could only afford half of a studio apartment, I’d drag my family for an extended stay. As for research on Iowa…

The trip to New York must have been great fun. Having someone else do my laundry sounds like heaven right now! LOL So, if you don’t mind me asking, what kinds of struggles do you have with the writing process? Because every writer is different, we all seem to struggle with different parts of the process.

*Making myself sit down each day and crank out new material, especially on days when I’m feeling about as creative as a paint tarp.
*Pushing through the middle of a novel, when the characters have lost their initial intrigue and it’d be so much more fun to daydream about the NEXT story to write.
*Getting out of the way of the story. That is, allowing the story to flesh itself out without coercion on my part.
*Being able to, as Stephen King writes, “crucify my darlings,” to part with the elements, characters, plot movements that do not serve the story, no matter how fond I am of them.

Yeah, all those are definitely true for me, too. Love the paint tarp comment. I’ve certainly had a few of those days in my life! So what part do you enjoy the most? For me it’s the characters as they come to life.

Without question, hearing from readers who connect with, cry about, laugh because of the stories I write and then take the time and effort to let me know. Unbelievable and lovely.

What’s your schedule like? What do you do to make time to write?

For every writer asked this question, I’m sure you’d get as many answers. At this time in my life and the life of my family, I write in the afternoons when my daughter is at preschool and my son is napping. This is unfortunate for two reasons: One, my toilets become gross because the time I used to devote to being Martha Stewart is now devoted to being Kimberly Stuart, a woman with far fewer housekeeping ambition and far more dust bunnies. Two, afternoons are not my most creative time, mostly because I’d rather be napping. So I’ve had to force my mind and my body into thinking one o’clock is Do or Die and that by the time Mitchell’s awake and Ana is home from school, I’d better have a new scene or I don’t get any chocolate for dessert. (Okay, that last bit is a stretch of the truth. Self-denial is overrated.)

So, are you a “plotter” or a “pantser”? I generally know where I’m headed, but I still find that characters take detours and surprise me. How about you?

I begin a novel with barely more detail than that which I’ve pitched to the publishing house. I have a feel for the main character, the overall arc of the story, the central conflict. But the ancillary characters, the chapter-by-chapter breakdown, how my protagonist changes and what takes her there, those all flesh themselves out in the course of writing the book. My genre, comedic fiction, allows for this kind of approach but I’m sure a mystery wouldn’t be as forgiving. One can hardly decide whodunit as an afterthought. So, yes, I’m often surprised by what happens in my books, how some characters become unlikely heroes or heroines, how others reveal secrets I hadn’t anticipated. All in all, it’s quite the entertaining way to write.

As for characters, I always find that my characters contain interesting pieces of me. Sadie’s an opera singer. Do you sing?

I do. When I was a child, I wanted to be a “seener” (singer). Mostly, I wanted to be Amy Grant. That’s right, people: I was into STRAIGHT UP AMY GRANT. The hard stuff, the early years, like “My Father’s Eyes,” and “El Shaddai.” I rocked out (with choreography) in our basement, next to a record player roughly the size of an Escalade and was wholeheartedly convinced of my musical and entertaining genius. I studied voice through college, sang in the St. Olaf Choir (um ya ya), and continue to sing in church. My mom is a professional violinist, so we were cheerily forced into playing one stringed instrument and piano, for starters. Sadie, the protagonist in Act Two, took her love for music straight into a career, which was a step I did not take. But it was a riot entering her world and watching her both succeed and squirm.

Last, what’s your advice to someone who wants to become a published author?

Hone your craft. There are lots of fancy stories about getting one’s foot in the door to a publisher, how to get an agent, how to market oneself and one’s story. But the best way to ensure you’ll be ready to take on the publishing mayhem is to work your tail off at writing. Become your toughest critic (short of paralysis, of course), get up the guts to share your work with someone smarter and more well-read than you, spend the hours good writing requires. Most of a writer’s life is very quiet, unromantic, and isolating. Unless you’re ready to devote yourself to the less glamorous parts of writing a good story, you’ll be spinning your wheels for the time when a good break comes.

Great advice, Kimberly. Thanks!

Links:

Kimberly’s Website

Act Two: A Novel in Perfect Pitch on Amazon.com

Download a Sample at the Publisher’s Website

Here are the other blogs featuring Kimberly during our June 30-July 11 tour.
A Christain Romance Writer’s Journey
Behind the Mountain
Blog Tour Spot
Book Nook Club
Book Room Reviews
Canadian Prairie Writer
Chatter Matters
FictionaryFootprints in the Sand
Gatorskunz and Mudcats
His Reading List
I Don’t Wanna Blog
In the Dailies
Life with Missy
Lighthouse Academy
Musings on This, That, and the Other
Net’s Notes
Real Women Scrap
Refresh My Soul
See Ya On the Net
Sips ‘N Cups Cafe
So Many Books. . . So Little Time
Sumballo
The Friendly Book Nook
The Law, Books and Life
The Surrendered Scribe
Toni V. Lee
Write by Faith
Writing on the Edge