I want to extend a warm welcome to Carol Kinsey. She's here to talk about her writing journey. Carol is giving away a hard copy of her book, Greater Love. You can enter by using the Rafflecopter link at the end of the post. (Giveaway ends July 20, 2017. If you are the randomly chosen winner, I'll contact you and pass on your information.) Now, here's Carol...
Teenagers
can be life changers. Never underestimate the power of sixteen year olds.
I was
leading a high school girl’s Bible study. Every week, eight girls gathered
together to learn more about their relationship with Jesus. It was a wonderful
time of fellowship and learning. One afternoon, a couple of the girls started
discussing an exciting new novel they’d read. As I listened, I grew weary. This
“exciting new novel” went against everything I’d been teaching them from the
Word of God. In their quest for entertainment, these young ladies were filling their
minds with smut, worldly thinking, and trash talk.
We looked
at Philippians 4:8: “Finally,
brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever
is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any
excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things” (NASB). I
asked them, “How does this ‘exciting new novel’ hold up to Philippians 4:8?”
They were
smart enough to know the answer. “It doesn’t. But what else can we read?”
I explained
that there was a whole world of Christian literature out there, but I could see
I’d hit a brick wall. This book was cool. It was fascinating. Everyone was
reading it…
It really
started there. I remember it clearly. I’d always had stories in my head. I
loved writing. I’d studied journalism in college and had a far greater love for
words than numbers. So, I sat down at my archaic laptop and wrote a novel for
those girls.
My husband
encouraged me through the all-nighters I pulled in order to crank out that
first book. I printed it out—typos and all, and put it in a three ring binder.
It was a
Christ-centered, teen, suspense novel that held to Philippians 4:8. I’m not
sure who was more surprised that they loved it. Them or me. They devoured it.
After that, they wanted more. So I wrote more. And for the next two years with
that group of girls, I realized I loved writing novels. I loved creating
stories that showed God at work in the lives of people—stories that showed
struggles, faith, purity, the power of prayer, godly relationships, and pointed
to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
From there,
my writing continued. When my husband took a job as a youth pastor a few of the
teens found out that I wrote and once again, I was given the opportunity to
point people to Christ through writing. But these teens wanted more. They
wanted to be able to share my books with their friends. They wanted my books
out there in the world. They encouraged me to take my books one step further
and get published.
Every one
of my novels has been touched in some way by one of the teens in the youth
group. Whether it’s through cover design, proofreading, social media, or
encouragement, God has used those teens in my life just as I pray He is using
me in theirs.
Each step
of the journey has been exciting. It’s still continuing. Through my writing
curriculum and homeschool conferences, I’ve been able to encourage other young
writers to use their pen to the glory of God with Philippians 4:8 as their
filter.
I’m excited
about the release of my newest novel, Witness
Protection, which is scheduled to come out this summer. It’s an action
suspense with a powerful Christ-centered message. There’s nothing in it that I
wouldn’t feel comfortable with one of my high school youth group teens reading.
I love
writing and I’m thankful that God has given me the opportunity to use writing
to honor Him.
- Carol Kinsey
Blurb for Greater Love...
Trey
Netherland is an FBI agent on a mission. Working undercover at a Christian university,
Trey tries to win the heart of Rainey Meadows, the woman who can help him solve
this case. What Trey didn’t expect was for her to steal his heart. Deceived by
the man she thought she loved, Rainey wants answers. Trey wants the bad guy.
Together, Rainey and Trey find themselves in the heart of Columbia searching
for different things. As Rainey struggles to learn who she is, Trey is torn
between the lies he’s told her and the Truth that is fighting to reach his
heart. Tangled in a dangerous plot, can Rainey trust the man whose lies put her
heart in turmoil? Will Trey finally cry out to the only One who can truly set
him free? There is only one Truth and it’s in Him they find Greater Love.
About Carol...
Carol Kinsey lives with her husband and their
two daughters on a farm in rural Ohio. She and her husband have been involved
in youth ministry for over twenty years and currently serve at a small country
church, which inspired her first published novel, Under the Shadow of a Steeple. She has also published Greater Love, Until Proven Innocent, and a writing curriculum, Creative Writing Through Literature,
which launched in 2016. Her next novel, Witness Protection, will be out in
2017. It is an action, suspense novel with a strong Christian message. Carol is
a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and co-founded The
Writing Family with
authors, Amy C. Blake and Colleen Scott. Together with Amy
and Colleen, Carol speaks
on developing the writer in yourself and your child at various homeschool
conventions, libraries, and author events. Along with her fiction, Carol is
also published in several nonfiction venues. She has a passion for writing
exciting, Christ-centered fiction that uplifts, encourages, and gives glory to
God.
Where to find Carol online...
·
www.creativewritingthroughliterature.com curriculum website which is tied
into my personal website.
·
Amazon
Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Carol-Kinsey/e/B00O537WFO/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1477494871&sr=8-2
Sounds like something I'd love to read, plus I love the story of how Carol started writing these.
ReplyDeleteI love the story behind it, too. You just never know how God will use the people in our lives.
DeleteGood luck!
This is a new author to me, and I would love to win this book. I love how she got started writing novels! ❤️
ReplyDeleteGlad to introduce you to a new author. Good luck, and thanks for stopping by my blog!
Delete