A Visit with Author Kathy Cretsinger!

Happy Wednesday!

And welcome to the blog!

Are you enjoying Spring? Where I live, in Kentucky, we have a lot of false starts to the season, but the flowers and trees are promising us that warm weather is making a comeback. 

Today I'm so pleased to bring you one of my favorite people, and the reason I'm a published author today! Kathy Cretsinger!

Kathy and her husband, Jerry, moved to Western Kentucky from the hills of East Tennessee several years ago to be close to their children and grandchildren. This brought another change in their lives. Kathy began publishing her books and then decided to help other authors who were having a hard time in the publishing industry by starting Mantle Rock Publishing. Kathy loves being close to her family and enjoys growing orchids, which continue to multiply. Kathy is a board member at the Mid-South Christian Writers Conference and a member of ACFW. She has a bi-weekly blog on her website http://www.kathycretsingerauthor.com. You can also find her on Facebook at Kathy Cretsinger, and at Kathy Cretsinger, Author.

 When the writing bug bit me and I began hanging out with writers online, I was repeatedly told, “You’ve got to meet Kathy Cretsinger!” When I finally did, out-of-state at a conference of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), she invited me to attend her writing group, and I discovered she lived less than 30 miles from me. She, Susan Page Davis, and the late Sandra Robbins, along with several other amazing writers, took me under their generous wings, keeping me going until I was ready.

 

In the years since I’ve known Kathy, she’s written a series of historical fiction novels and is in the middle of a romantic suspense series. Both are based on places or situations near and dear to her heart, and I love them. She and her husband, Jerry, as mentioned earlier, are the former owners of Mantle Rock Publishing, where my first books were published. When they decided to retire, the new owners renamed it Scrivenings Press, LLC, and it continues to grow. Kathy and Jerry built a publishing family that continues today.

 

So, I call Kathy my “Book Mama,” and I’m thrilled to bring you an interview! She has generously offered a signed paperback copy of the third book in her Shady Valley Series, Shady Connections, as a giveaway to one of our readers -- all you have to do is comment to be entered!

 

And now, the interview! 

 

Regina: Kathy, I can’t tell you how happy I am to have you on the blog today! I know you’ve got a lot to share, so here goes!

 

Real-life stories make the best foundation for events in a novel, I think. What is one story from real life that you’ve included in one of your books?

 

Kathy: This is the first time I’ve put this in a book. When my daughter, Diane, was in first grade, she had to ride the bus. I had to drive about two miles to pick her up. When the bus came one day, the bus driver got out with her and walked to my car. He told me he couldn’t let her ride his bus anymore because she was fighting. When we were settled in the car, I asked her what happened. She said, “That boy kept pulling my pigtails and I told him to stop. He kept on. You always told me to treat other people like they wanted to be treated, so he wanted me to hit him, or he wouldn't keep on pulling my pigtails.” We had a talk that night about doing to others. 

 

Regina: I would love to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation! LOL!! I can see the serious expression on her face!

 

Now to something to satisfy our readers’ curiosity … ;) 

 

Salad or Sandwich?

 

Kathy: Salad. Bread does not agree with me, but I do eat a Reuben and Big Mac occasionally.  

 

Regina: Going gluten-free has been a life-changing habit for you, I know, and one you’ve used as a catalyst for the characters in your “Shady Valley” series!

 

Here’s one of my favorite questions: What is your favorite Bible verse, and why?

 

Kathy: Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”  This has been my favorite verse since college. We have something to look forward to if we live according to God’s word. Nothing can harm us here on earth, we have a great reward in the end. 

 

Regina: Amen! Now let’s find out about what you like for entertainment!

 

What is your favorite movie and why?

 

Kathy: My favorite movie is “Dirty Dancing.” I like a movie that shows good in the end. This movie does. Two people are misunderstood, and they come to terms with themselves in the end. The movie is set in the mountains of North Carolina, cold creeks, beautiful scenes. You watch both main characters grow up in the movie.

 

Regina: Would you believe I’ve never watched it? I know. At 60, I have no excuse. I’ll try to watch it before we get together again! LOL! 

 

A lot of interviewers ask for your favorite book. That’s just not fair! What has been the most recent book you’ve read that excited you or moved you in some way? Why?

 

Kathy: The last book I read was The Songbird of Hop Hill by Kim Vogel Sawyer. It releases in April. I’ve always loved reading Kim’s books. This one did not disappoint me. When I started reading it, I never thought I’d enjoy reading a book about a prostitute. She was so desperate with no family. It tells of faith, changes, love of others. I highly recommend it.

 

Regina: I’ll keep that one on my radar!

 

If you were on a deserted island with a laptop and no Wi-Fi what are two programs or apps you would have to have on your computer?

 

Kathy: The first one would be my Bible. If I’m stranded, I’m not going to be writing books, but I will be reading them. My Kindle app will have to be full. I may be there a while.

 

Regina: Bible apps are wonderful! I think, with the book count on my kindle at over a thousand, I’d be okay for a while. If we could be stranded together, we could SHARE! ;)

 

Thanks for the interview, Kathy! I love getting to share you with our readers!

 

Now, here’s some information about Shady Connections, the third in Kathy’s Shady Valley Series!

 

Nothing shady ever happens in Shady Valley, Tennessee, but shady things happen everywhere.

 

Bruce Howard and Grace Manis decide to elope in November, and they find they are expecting a baby soon after their marriage. They are in their 40s, and they never expected to have a family.

 

Bruce is having dreams of being abducted. A stranger suggests Bruce is a dead-ringer for his brother who was murdered and his son abducted. Can Bruce be that child?

 

An old acquaintance enters Shady Valley and memories flood back. Is he the abductor?

 

Daisy Greer is also expecting, and someone is trying to steal her baby and Grace’s. Can the perpetrator be found before the babies are born? Well, nothing shady ever happens in Shady Valley. Or does it?

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this, and will comment below! Thanks to Kathy’s generosity, one commenting reader will receive a paperback copy of Shady Connections! I loved it, and I think you will, too!

If you can't wait until the drawing, you can purchase Shady Connections HERE!

 

Until next time, enjoy a good book – or ten! 😊