Interview with Kristin Billerbeck Author of A Billion Reasons Why
Kristin Billerbeck is a bestselling author in the Christian market, with over 35 novels written. She is a two-time winner of the Carol Award and a Christy finalist. She lives in California's Silicon Valley with her family and is currently working on her next novel.
Kristin has graciously given a copy of her book for a drawing and one of you will win it.
JO: Please tell us a little about yourself. KRISTIN: I am married to an engineer for 19 years and we have four children, one dog, one hamster and a bajillion fish. JO: What do you enjoying doing when you're not writing? KRISTIN: Reading, watching Masterpiece Classic and spending time with the family. Usually we're at the beach, the pool or soccer. JO: Can you tell us any fun thing about you that might surprise our readers? I don't know that my readers would be surprised about much, but I am interested in everything, so as my interests change, I do something new each time. JO: How did you get involved in writing?
KRISTIN: I was on a medicine that kept me up during the night. My children were young and not wanting to keep the family awake, I needed a quiet hobby that could carry me through the nights. JO: Where do you write? Do you have a dedicated office or a corner or nook in a room?
KRISTIN: My office is smackdab in the middle of the living room. There's always a lot of chaos with four kids, but that's how I've always written. I don't like being off alone, and the kids know to yell when they need my attention. JO: Do you always know the title of your books before you write them? KRISTIN: Very rarely. My titles are usually working titles and the publisher comes up with something with me. They're much better at it than I am, and the theme is always based on my working title, so it comes close, but their suggestions are always better. JO: Please tell us about A Billion Reasons Why. KRISTIN: A Billion Reasons Why is a book about regrets and how to reframe them so you understand that God's timing is absolutely perfect. The characters are Luc DeForges, a gentleman from the French Quarter of New Orleans and his first love Katie McKenna, an Irish special education teacher who has left New Orleans in search of freedom from her past. Until her past comes walking into her present. JO: What takeaway value do you hope readers receive after reading this novel? KRISTIN: I think books are meant to be special to those who read them. Every book tells a different story to a person based on their own life experiences. I hope this book tells the reader what they need to hear at the time. JO: Where did you get the idea for your book?
KRISTIN: My girlfriends from GirlsWriteOut.Blogspot.com and I brainstormed it together on a cold day in Indiana. JO: Did you need to do any research for this book? KRISTIN: There was a lot of research into this book because of the 1940s era tie-in. I am an avid fan of the 40s and then New Orleans seemed like the place to set the book, so there was a lot of research from that as well. I've been there, but didn't have time to get there before this book was due. I really wanted to set up that fantasy/romantic era from the 1940s movies. JO: How long have you been writing? When did you sell your first book? KRISTIN: I've been writing since 1996 and I sold my first book in 1997. I'm always interested in new things, so I haven't run out of ideas just yet. JO: What are you working on now? KRISTIN: I'm working on a book with a working title of Sacred Fragrance. It will be something different in the end, but it's about an expert perfumer or "nose" who discovers that her life has to be open to "notes" and a solid foundation, just like the scents she creates. JO: What advice would you give to writers just starting out? KRISTIN: Learn to take rejection as constructive criticism, but listen to your gut as well. Don't be rude. Define what concepts make you passionate and learn to channel them into a novel. Your passion will convince others. JO: Please tell our readers where they can get your book. KRISTIN: They can get my book at any Christian retailer or online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com JO: Where can our readers find you? KRISTIN: They can find me on my website: KristinBillerbeck.com Or at my daily blog: www.girlygirl.typepad.com Thanks for the great questions! Kristin
JO: Thank you, Kristin, for spending time with us in this interesting interview!
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