Today, I have the honor of introducing you to one of my dearest friends: Kay Edwards. We met one another thirty years ago at Delaware Run Wesleyan Church in Watsontown, Pennsylvania and have remained in contact over the years. She has recently self-published two Christian fiction novels that face this gritty, imperfect world head-on and show God's grace among the turbulent times. Her novels are also flavored with sweet romances that grow as healing begins.
Welcome, Kay Edwards. We are glad to have you join us today.
To help my readers know you a little better, please start
off by telling us a little bit about you.
I live in Katy, Texas.
It is a suburb of Houston. I am a
full time mom and housewife. I
homeschool, so my life is way too busy for a job outside the home. I absolutely love to bake and cook. The family kitchen is present in all of my
books.
I know you are writing a trilogy entitled the Susquehanna Trilogy. Please tell us about the 1stbook in the story.
The first thing to note is that all of my books are
ebooks. The first book in the series is A Prelude To A Dance . It is
the story of Helen and Logan. Helen
becomes a local hero overnight. The
publicity is not something she embraces at all.
When she is asked to do a dance benefit, a dark secret from her past
comes back to haunt her. Logan is a
famous dancer that sees the private pain she carries. With God’s help, he gently helps Helen deal
with the horror of her past. He also helps her stand as the threat from that
past comes back to claim her.
This book can be found for free online at the following retailers:
This book can also be downloaded for free on nook and
ibooks.
It can be purchased as well for $.99 at the
following retailer:
Please tell us about the 2nd book in this series.
The second book in the series is The Storm’s Journey. It
tells the story of Toby and Tiffany.
Tiffany learns that the man who assaulted her has died at the hands of
the police while he was attacking her friend.
This attack reunites her with Toby.
Though the two have not seen each other in months, it soon becomes
apparent that the feelings they tried to ignore are still there. Both come from broken pasts and must find the
strength to turn and face their pasts before they can embrace their
future. Can Tiffany find it in her to
not just survive but live? Can she find
it in her to forgive a person who still seeks to harm her? Can she survive another encounter with that
person? Can Toby face and forgive those
that harmed him? Will they allow God to
show them that they are beloved by Him?
Will they allow Him to show them that love can grow even in the storm’s
journey?
This book can be purchased at the following retailers for $1.50:
It can be downloaded
on the following apps for $1.50 as well:
ibooks
nook
kindle
Would you please give us a sneak peek at the 3rd book?
In the first and second book we meet Jody. Jody's story of love is in the third and
final book. As a friendship blossoms
into love, Jody must risk losing her family to follow God's leading. Can Jody stand firm when she is forced to
choose between the man God has given her to love or her family? Will her family see God’s plan too late when
tragedy strikes? Join Helen, Logan,
Tiffany, Toby, and Jody in the last book of the trilogy, To Be Blessed to be published in January of 2016.
What are readers saying about your books?
You can't
help but fall in love with the main characters, Helen and Logan. True love and
devotion guide them through an unfortunate and heart-wrenching ordeal. Although
the story keeps you on edge, it is filled with wit and humor. I cannot wait for
the next book in the trilogy. ~ Gshamo
I read this
book and i have to say i feel like i know Helen. Logan is just so understanding
it makes sense he's the one for her. I nearly cried at some point. I'm glad you
penned this down to remind those abused that they are never alone. Thank you
for such a wonderful story. I'll be looking forward for more from you. God
bless you~ Aku Sedodo
Five
Stars from By AmyP on amazon
Endearing
characters; suspenseful plot; great read! On to the next book!
What has been the toughest part about the Christian writing
proces
The biggest bump is being asked to ignore the real pain in
the world. The main reason I self-published
is because I was asked to sugar coat too many things. There are Christian men and women that have
been abused sexually, physically, and mentally.
I can’t pretend what happened to them didn’t happen. The other thing that I was asked to exclude
was the fact that men and women are attracted to each other. In real life, a Christian couple better be
willing to talk about the fact that in certain situations very real physical
responses happen. One of my male
editors, Rodney, was thrilled that I wrote frankly about this. He encouraged me to self-publish based on
that alone. My series now, as well as
the series I’m working on, addresses the accountability of being aware of your
body.
What has God been showing/teaching you throughout this
journey?
The biggest thing God is teaching me is to be bold. It is okay to let myself be vulnerable. He has always been there. He always will be. In life, there are very sad things that
happen. From start to finish, God needs
to be the center of my books. I can’t lose
sight of Him or it doesn’t work.
What advice would you give aspiring authors?
The first thing I would say is write your story. Do not let others change it to meet
guidelines. It has to be yours to
work. Readers can tell if you are trying
to change things to please a publisher’s guidelines.
What has your experience with self-publishing been like?
It has exceeded my expectations. A
Prelude To A Dance has been downloaded almost 1,000 times. The biggest advantage was the fact I could
tell my story. I would have done this
sooner if I had realized how easy it was to do.
I also want to point out again that all of my books are only ebooks, so
they are only available online. I do not
pay to have them published, but I can charge for them. Smashwords.com is an excellent site to self-publish. You still have to do the work and get the
word out about your book though.
Where can people connect with you?
I am on Facebook.
Please feel free to like my page.
I will keep everyone updated on my books. Anyone can message me. I would love to hear from those that have
taken the time to read my books.
Thank you, Kay, for joining us today and sharing the passion God has placed on your heart to write stories that bring Him glory and don't shy away from the gritty realities of our world.