A Visit with Kelly Goshorn

 

Good morning! Everyone, I'd love for you to meet Kelly:

  

Kelly Goshorn weaves her affinity for history and her passion for God into inspiring stories of love, faith, and family set in America’s vibrant past. When she is not writing, Kelly enjoys, binge-watching BBC period dramas, board-gaming with her family and friends, exploring historical sights, and spoiling her Welsh corgi, Levi.

***(Kelly is offering a free paperback of Across the Shores to one lucky reader (US only) So make sure and leave a comment for a chance to win!)

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Michelle: I like to break the ice right away by a little "get to know ya," so tell me quick! What are your 5 fast favorites?

Kelly:

Color: Teal

Season: Fall

Animal: Dogs (especially corgis)

Beverage: Tea – Hot or cold

Movie quote: “…I have my country’s 500^th anniversary to plan, my wedding to arrange, my wife to murder, and Guilder to frame for it. I’m swamped!” ~Prince Humperdink, The Princess Bride

 

Michelle: Oh my gosh, I love love love that movie! So many fantastic one-liners too. I think we're going to get along quite well you and I. :) Okay, another fun one... If you could have a dinner party with three historical figures, who would you choose and why?

Kelly: What a fun question for a historical romance writer. Since I write stories set in America’s past, I think I’ll choose James Madison, Abraham Lincoln, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. I think it would be fascinating to discuss what inspired James Madison to write our Constitution and establish a three-branch system of government – a grand experiment never before attempted. If I could talk to Abraham Lincoln, I’d want to know what his plan had been for Reconstruction. Would he have distributed land to the newly freed slaves? Would he have allowed the South to establish Jim Crow laws? I’d like to think America may have taken a different path had he not been assassinated. And Laura Ingalls Wilder? Well reading her books and watching Little House on the Prairie established my love of history. I’d like to thank her for writing her stories and inspiring so many like myself to fall in love with reading!

Michelle: That would make for a very interesting dinner conversation for sure! And since you mentioned author Laura Ingalls Wilder, I'd love to know which authors have had the most impact on your writing?

Kelly: When I think about how I want my writing to affect my readers, I hope to convey the passion of Julie Lessman, the humor or Karen Witemeyer, and the lyrical prose of Tamara Alexander who inspire me to be a better writer. But if we’re talking about the authors who have had the biggest tangible impact on my writing, I’d have to say Dani Pettrey, Debb Hackett, and Lori Altebaumer. Debb and Lori are critique partners and close friends. They challenge me to sit at the keyboard and get the work done. Their willingness to read and reread scenes until I have them just right helps make my work shine and gives me the confidence that it's ready for readers. Dani Pettrey has taken me under her wing as my mentor and has also become a dear friend. She has guided me through the process of acquiring an agent, helps me brainstorm, gives me advice, and is always available to answer my questions or boost my confidence when I’m feeling overwhelmed by deadlines or other writing related tasks.

 

Michelle: That feeling of overwhelm is something I think every author I know experiences. Every person I know, period! I find myself daily coming to Christ for His peace that passes understanding. Do you have a favorite/life verse? Why is that one meaningful to you?

Kelly: Boy, choosing just one verse is tough. I think the one that means the most to me in this season of life is 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” I’ve lived most of my life in fear—fear of failure, fear of what other people thought, fear of rejection, even fear of success! When God answered my prayer for a new direction, a new passion for my life, I had no idea how he’d use that answer, “write a book,” to help me tackle my fears and learn to trust Him more deeply than I ever had before.

 

Michelle: His ways are certainly higher than our ways, that's for sure. So now that He has led you in this new direction of writing novels, what is your favorite part of the process?

Kelly: I love the revising and editing stages. The blank page is my writing kryptonite. The only way for me to overcome it is to set a timer and try to get as many words as possible in a set timer. It helps me turn off the internal editor. Then the fun begins. I get to play with the words until they are just the way I want them. I love to read a scene over and over again tweaking it just a bit each time.

 

Michelle: Oh, I still struggle hard with that internal editor in me. I'm glad you've found a way to defeat her! Can you give any hints about what you’re working on now?

Kelly: I’ve been working on another full-length novel set in post-Civil War Virginia, but I can’t say much more on that project yet. I’ve also been busy promoting my April release, The Veil part of the Across the Shores novella collection as well as working on edits for my October release, The Christmas Carving which is included in the Chiseled on the Heart Christmas Legacy Novella Collection releasing October 3^rd.

 

 Michelle: Oooh, that sounds exciting! Sounds like you're keeping pretty busy, and I'm so glad you came to visit today. Please keep in touch!

Social Media Links

To stay in touch with Kelly, sign up for her newsletter at: 

https://kellygoshorn.com/my-writing/newsletter

 

Or visit her on:

 

Her website: http://kellygoshorn.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kelly.j.goshorn/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18023325.Kelly_J_Goshorn

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kelly-goshorn

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kellyjgoshorn/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KellyGoshorn

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/KellyGoshorn/

Don't forget -- Kelly is offering a free paperback of Across the Shores to one lucky reader (US only) So please drop a comment, question, or a simple "howdy" in the comments section for a chance to win!

Across the Shores

Novella Collection

Four women, bound by generations, find love where they least expect.

Sometimes love finds you where you are, and other times it meets you across distant shores as four women discover in these four historical stories linked by a shared gold pendant.