Thursday, November 6, 2014

An Interview with Canadian Author Kimberly Rae Jordan

Today I'd like to welcome my friend and fellow Canadian, Kimberly Rae Jordan. She grew up a missionary kid in the Philippines but has made her home in Winnipeg, Manitoba, since graduating from high school. If you look at her photo, you'll think that must have been last week, but no. Kim is the mom of four, one of them in university!

Valerie: Welcome to International Christian Fiction Writers, Kimberly! It's been fun getting to know you in the past few months. How did you become interested in writing fiction?

Kimberly: I have always been an avid reader and as characters and their stories would linger in my mind, I would begin to think about how the story might have gone if this or that had happened. Pretty soon I was creating stories in my head each night before I would fall asleep. Sometimes a story would span a week or so of nights, but then it would be gone. Realizing that I didn’t want to lose touch with those characters, I started to jot down parts of stories when I had the time. I was around nineteen or twenty when I first wrote out a whole story… and I have never looked back!

Valerie: What drives you to write?

Kimberly: It seems to be the burning need to give my characters life. It is through the words I write that those characters become real to me and — hopefully — the reader. As I get to know each character that I write about, their story just begs to be shared. Whichever story I’m working on is present in my thoughts night and day. Somehow it just needs to be told, and I’m happy to oblige! I find that if I go more than a day or so without writing on a current work-in-progress, I start to get antsy.

Valerie: How many books do you have out now?

Kimberly: I currently have ten full-length contemporary Christian romance novels, one book of Christian romance short stories and a sweet Christmas romance novella.

Valerie: What are some common themes?

Kimberly: Family is probably my most common theme. My two series are both based around siblings. Another common theme is trying to show a realistic Christian walk. Whether that is a character who is currently struggling a lot with their faith or someone who is confident in their faith but still dealing with the daily struggles we face as Christians.

Valerie: Which story is your favorite?

Kimberly: My favorite so far is probably The Long Road Home, which is Book 4 in my HOME TO COLLINGSWORTH series. Cami, the heroine, was one that wasn’t very popular with readers in previous books of the series. I knew that in writing her story, I would have to really work to gain the readers’ sympathies for her. It’s a romance after all! If a reader doesn’t like the hero or heroine, the story is basically a flop. It was a challenging story to write, and I worried a lot about how readers would react to it. I prayed each night that God would use the book to encourage and uplift people even as it entertained.

The day that book was published until the first review came in were torture for me. A few weeks after it was published, I received a review from a reader who said that they only bought the book because they’d read the other three but weren’t thrilled to read Cami’s story. However, when they finally did read it, her story became their favorite in the series! I am glad that even though it was a rough book to write at times, I pushed through with God’s help. It is one that will always be with me.

Valerie: Readers, you'll get introduced to Cami in Home is Where the Heart Is if you pick up the Love Brings Us Home box set for only 99 cents. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to place my novel Raspberries and Vinegar in the same limited- time collection. But there's more!

Love Brings Us Home contains SEVEN sweet stories celebrating love and home in one amazing collection!


Greater Than Rubies by Hallee Bridgeman: Antonio Viscolli asked and Robin Bartlett said "yes!" Soon, she will say "I do." Or will Boston's "Royal Wedding" leave someone standing at the altar?

Raspberries and Vinegar by Valerie Comer: Josephine Shaw, a feisty environmentalist and local-food advocate, falls for Zachary Nemesek, the junk-food-loving reluctant farmer next door.

Awakening by JoAnn Durgin: When Lexa Clarke tumbles from the top beam of a house and straight into the arms of TeamWork Missions Director Sam Lewis, Sam suspects his life will never be the same.

Home is Where the Heart Is by Kimberly Rae Jordan: Free spirit Violet Collingsworth never expected to return home to live. But when she goes back to attend her grandmother’s funeral, she meets the sheriff and begins to reconsider.

Wildfire Wedding by Lynette Sowell: During the height of Texas wildfire season, Krista and Luke prepare for their wedding while battling past guilt and future fears, when a fire breaks out, threatening the town.

Cowboy by Staci Stallings: To all the world, Ashton Raines has it all: fame, money, and the adoration of millions of fans. Then one night he walks away from it all. Can down-on-her-luck waitress, Beth, let God work through her to lead Ashton back to hope and faith?

Reunited at Christmas by Debra Ullrick: Shelby Davis thought she’d never again see the ex-fiancĂ© who dumped her. Then Ryker Anderson gets lost in a blizzard, and she’s on the snowmobile search and rescue team. Now what?

Now what? That’s easy! Pick up this digital-only box set from Amazon, Kobo, or Nook and enjoy seven novels from some of the genre's most popular authors. I'm thrilled to be included!

Valerie Comer's life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local food movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily ever afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters.

Valerie writes Farm Lit where food meets faith, injecting experience laced with humor into her stories. Her debut novel, Raspberries and Vinegar: A Farm Fresh Romance, was awarded Best Contemporary Romance published in 2013 by The Word Guild.


7 comments:

  1. Valerie, I loved your interview with Kimberly Rae and what she had to say about characters. Given my long connections with the Philippines, I'm curious to know what part of the Philippines she grew up in. Or, as the Filipinos would say it, "Where in the Philippines is her home place?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Karen! I grew up in a couple of different places in the Philippines during my years there. My younger years (up until I graduated from 8th grade) were spent in the Northern Philippines not far from the beautiful rice terraces of Banaue. Once I graduated from the small mission school I attended, I went to boarding school in Manila. I miss the Philippines the most at this time of year. Christmas is such a big thing there. I love how they begin to play the Christmas music and decorate as soon as the "-ber" months hit! Most years I find myself longing for a "green" Christmas as opposed to a "white" one! :)

      Delete
    2. Valerie and Kimberly, great interview! Kimberly, I'm the opposite to you and I'd love to experience a white Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere :) Your Christmas experiences in the Philippines sound amazing.

      Delete
  2. Hi Kimberley, so nice to meet a fellow Canadian author!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Enjoyed the interview, Kimberly, and thanks for sharing about the Love Brings Us Home set. What a great bargain!! Glad to have you on our blog!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Always so happy to meet Canadians, Kimberly! My daughter and her family live in Calgary. With 4 grandchildren there I claim to be an honourary Canadian.

    ReplyDelete