Former bookseller-turned-author Kate Breslin enjoys life in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. A writer of travel articles and award-winning poetry, Kate received Christian Retailing's 2015 Best Award for First Time Author, and her first novel For Such A Time was a Christy Award and two-time RITA award finalist, and won American Christian Fiction Writers 2015 Carol Award. Kate's sixth novel, In Love’s Time, released in December, 2022. When she's not writing inspirational fiction, Kate enjoys reading or taking long walks in Washington State’s pristine woodlands. She also likes traveling to new places, both within the U.S. and abroad, having toured Greece, Rome, Barcelona, and much of Western Europe. New destinations make for fresh story ideas. Please visit her at www.katebreslin.com.
Voni: Welcome to Diamonds in Fiction, Kate! Please tell us about the journey to your very first book.
Kate: My goodness, that was long ago
and far away! It all started back in the early 1990s when I had a high stress corporate
job. The last day after winding down a business trip on the East coast, I purchased
a paperback novel at the grocery store, thinking to while away the hours before
my plane left in the morning. As I read that evening, I was swept up into a world
of history and romance, and found that escape fiction helped me to relax and
unwind. I became a voracious reader, devouring every popular historical romance
novel I could find. The time came when I’d finally read all of the stories by
my favorite authors, and I began to consider writing my own book. Since I had a
pretty good handle on spelling and grammar as well as typing, I started crafting
my first novel. It wasn’t as easy as I’d imagined! In fact, it took me five
years in between working full time to complete my Scottish historical romance.
I think I wrote into that story my version of every romantic trope I’d ever
read in books, and I finally finished the manuscript at 160K words—that’s 500
published pages! After much polishing and editing, my story went on to become a
finalist in a national writing contest; however, it did not win nor did I
receive that coveted publishing contract. I remember I was devastated at the
time, but later on I was to be grateful for unanswered prayers. It seemed that God
had bigger and better plans for my writing.
Voni: That is a BIG book…500 pages! Lots of writing and polishing and editing!!!! And a walk toward God’s plans. How did your faith come to meet your writing and your love of reading?
Kate: And that is the second half of
my journey; while I had loved reading from an early age, my faith didn’t meet
my writing as much as it crashed into it headlong. You see, I’d left my
Christian upbringing years before and it was only through a series of circumstances
I call Providence that I began my return to Christ. After I’d written my Scottish
novel, which was clearly a secular romance and not intended for the inspirational
market, my conscience began to question my motives, and what I intended to put
out into the world. I felt God nudging me in a different direction; yet I stubbornly
wrote another story, a contemporary rom-com, in my effort to get published. I
omitted the explicit scenes, but it was still not suitable for Christian
fiction. With that novel, I finally secured my first agent and I was thrilled.
Yet this also put me at a Crossroads; did I plan to write what I wanted, or to pursue what God wanted
me to write? I vowed then that if this latest story was rejected, I would take
up writing inspirational fiction. And lo
and behold, when all twelve agented inquiries came back with rejection letters,
I was relieved! At this point I was reading the Bible through for the first
time, and happened to be poring over Esther’s story. I felt such passion that I
knew God wanted me to write that book, and when I finished the manuscript, For Such A Time was to become my debut
novel in the publishing world. I found a wonderful new agent and my dream
publisher. God had opened those doors for me.
Kate: Thank you! I’m so pleased you
enjoy the weekly posts. I love the idea of curling up with a favorite book and
beverage, tuning out the world, and losing myself in the pages of romantic
adventure! I’ve been creating #freedomfriday posts for over ten years and
nearly 600 desired reading spots, so it’s difficult to choose a favorite above
all the rest. I can say that I always prefer a bright, cheery room with a super
comfy chaise, perfect natural light coming in through a window, and of course—a
room filled with books! J
Kate: Ha! While I do enjoy drinking
coffee as well as tea, I’m an Anglophile at heart and love writing British
historical fiction, so tea is at the forefront for me. Some of my current favorite
black teas are Twinings’ Earl Grey and Vanilla Chai; Bigelow’s Salted Caramel,
and for herbal teas, Celestial Seasonings’ Bengal Spice and Honey Vanilla
Chamomile. A steaming cup of chamomile tea is a must in the evenings, the
perfect way to relax and enjoy a good book!
Kate: I’ve been on hiatus for some
time; however I do have a novel in the works. It will be another story set in
Britain during the Great War, and the planned first of a three-book series. I
love creating the kind of story I want to read and to share a bit of the
history I’ve learned. I hope my fellow readers will enjoy the journey with me!
Kate Thank you so much for allowing me to share time with your readers. I always enjoy reading, writing, and talking about books!
CONTACT INFORMATION
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https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kate-breslin
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