Giveaway! Where Rivers Part by Kellie Coates Gilbert

Welcome to Writing for Christ Kellie Coats Gilbert!, it is great to have you here! So you’re a writer? What made you decide to start creating characters and story world?

I spent a lot of time in courtrooms working on high profile cases, including the Jack-in-the-Box e-coli litigation in the mid-nineties and the largest cattle fraud case in the United States.  People are often at their most vulnerable in these tense situations where much is at stake, and I gained a unique perspective on the human psyche.  Early in my writing career, I recognized there could be value in telling stories about women facing relationship fractures, betrayal, and loss and what it looks like to exhibit strength and dignity in these journeys.

I am meant to write stories for women that focus on relationships, and the deep places in life. People have many layers, and never more than in family dynamics and hard times. I’m intrigued with the coping mechanisms we employ to fill our empty places—that space inside of us designed to be inhabited by God. These are the stories of my heart.

What is the one title that has significantly impacted your life?

In the seventh grade, I read two books that scared the wads out of me. One was Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo

Jones, about a high school aged couple who did not follow God’s precepts for sexual activity. The girl ended up pregnant and they wed, far too early and with dire consequences. The other book was called Go Ask Alice, a first person narrative of a girl who became a drug addict. Both of these books caused me to make wise choices for myself to avoid the consequences depicted in the books.

That’s the power of fiction, I believe—when a story nestles deep within your spirit and changes how you think.

If you could get a do-over when it came to learning this whole thing called writing, what would you go back and tell yourself?

I would tell myself not to get caught up in the thrill of getting a book published, but instead to educate myself and focus on what was necessary in order to build my publishing career.

5 preference questions:

Homemade or take-out?     Take-out

Email or snailmail?   Email

Online shopping or Black Friday deals?         Online shopping

Books or movies?    Duh….books!

Note-taker or memorization?            Note taker

         

Yes, I’m asking you to play favorites…which of your books is your favorite, published or unpublished? And if this is your debut novel, has your favorite been published yet?

My debut novel, published by Abingdon Press in 2012, will always be my heartsong. MOTHER OF PEARL features a mother who learned too late that her daughter was making bad choices that put her in danger. I still get weekly emails from readers telling me they cried buckets and could not put the story down, which were my exact emotions while writing the book.  

Places for readers to learn more about you?

My website is a great place to hang out. Readers can find out about my books, of course, but also take part in a new feature—my monthly contest for fabulous giveaways.  There are links to all my social media sites (I love PINTEREST!) and a sign-up for Kellie’s Readers Club! 

www.kelliecoatesgilbert.com

Thank you for being with us today! 

Readers, enter to win Kellie's book here! 

Please leave an email address! If I draw your name and there is no email, you will not win.

For extra entries:

~Be a follower

~Be a subscriber

Contest is only open in the U.S. and void where prohibited. Chances of winning are based on the number of entries and winner is draw from a non-biased third party- Random.org. I am not responsible for any lost or damaged items for said prize.

Thanks for coming by to enter! Contest ends on February 27th

Attn Readers! If you're struggling to leave a comment on my blog, please email your comment entries (in ONE email) and I will submit it for you. But PLEASE only do this after you've failed to leave a comment. My email is: caseym.writer(@)gmail.com