Our interview today is with Kari Trumbol. Thank you Kari for being here today and for agreeing to do this interview.

Question #1 What is the best thing about being an author?

I love being an author because I get to live vicariously through my characters. I have a physical disability that limits me, but my characters don’t have that, they are free. It is also incredibly satisfying to write a scene on paper and see it in two ways, the way your head saw it, and the way it came to life on the page.

Question #2 What are some of the challenges of being an author?

I am challenged all the time. I am newer to writing so I learn something new almost every day. The most challenging aspect of writing is realizing after the fact that you’ve made mistakes. In the end, you have to let it go and pray that the message is delivered to those the Lord intends. In the end, that is all that matters. We write to reach those God intends for us to reach.

Question #3 Describe a Typical Day for You.

I get up and read a passage from my Bible. If I don’t start my day that way, it goes downhill fast. I have four children, so for the next few hours, we do school. If it is a good day we finish by noon or a little after. I try to get the house picked up or laundry done during school, but if not, I do it after lunch. During the afternoon, I do my social networking. It is usually when I write my blog posts or post to twitter and Facebook.  
After dinner and a few hours spent with the family, my husband and I get the kids to bed and then I have writing time. I generally write for a couple hours every evening. It is the time that is most quiet and I can focus on my characters and story. 

Question #4 What genre(s) do you write? And why or how did you chose them?

I currently write historical Christian fiction. Currently, my stories are more western right now, but I have other historical ideas as well that are not western.

Question #5 Do you read the same genre that you write? Why or why not?

I do. I think it’s important to love the genre you write in. I started out reading general historical romance, then when my first story took shape in my head and I realized it was going to have a western/pioneer feel, I started reading all I could. I don’t do it for ideas, I have plenty of my own, I read to get into the “feel” of what is popular and working so I will have some indication of if my story will fit.

Question #6 What is something that readers would be surprised to know about you?

Perhaps they would be surprised to know that my original fascination into people was criminally. My minor in college was Criminality and Deviance, I wanted to study the criminal mind as an FBI agent.

Question #7 When and how did the writing bug bite you? 

I’ve wanted to write for a long time, probably almost ten years. I started feeding the need by blogging, but I didn’t feel qualified and I was shy about it. Three years ago, a friend of mine published a book and I offered to edit it for her. That put me in the center of writing, that friend learned that I’d written a manuscript and she challenged me to write another for NaNoWriMo camp (In July, 2014). That book became To Honor and Cherish.

Question #8 When you write, do you plot everything out or not? Why does that work for you?

I  have not had success with plotting. The story comes into my head like a movie. I have recently started planning a novel. Plotting sounds like it would be less work than pansting (instead of rewriting a whole novel, it could be worked out in the plot stage) but until my brain starts working that way, I’ll be writing by the seat of my pants.

Question #9 What is the best thing a reader or reviewer has ever said about you?

The best thing they’ve said is that they can’t wait for the next book. I think that might be the best compliment you can receive.

Question #10 What is the worst thing a reader or reviewer ever said about you? How did you handle that?

I’m blessed in that I am new, the most critical thing anyone has ever said was to point out things that I need to continue to work on.

Question #11 If you could go to one place and write, where would it be and why

As a mom of four, my dream is to have an office space of my own that is quiet. As we live in a small home by most standards, I won’t have one within the four walls of my home, but I would love some daytime quiet.

Question #12 If you could have one experience back to do over again, what would it be and why?

My sophomore year in college was an incredibly selfish time for me. One roommate that was in our town home fell victim to my cruel, selfish behavior. If I could go back and do something over, I would go back, understanding that things I said would haunt me for life and treat her differently. Sometimes, you don’t get the opportunity to ask forgiveness. Words hold so much power.

Question #13 Who do you consider a mentor in your life? What did that person teach you?

My mentor is not a Christian author, she is a secular author but a dear friend of mine. She has helped me every step of the way and been a champion through every situation I’ve come up against. Her name is Melissa Stevens.

Question #14 Is writing your only job? If not, tell us a little about your “day” job.

No, the bulk of my day I am a mom to four children, including their education. I also do freelance developmental editing, but I haven’t accepted new clients that weren’t referred to me in quite some time.

Question #15 If you weren’t writing, what would you be doing?

If I hadn’t succumbed to writing yet, I’d still be editing and reading all the time. I’d also go to bed at a decent hour.

Question #16 What is your favorite verse in the Bible? Why?

Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It’s my favorite because as I Christian, these verses express the the only thing that can separate us from Christ is ourselves. Once Christ is our Lord, nothing can take His love away.

Question #17 What other hobbies do you have?

I also love knitting for myself, friends, and family. I knit socks and anything else that trips my fancy.

Question #18 Where can people find you on the Internet?

I can be found at www.theeditorsnote.com, https://www.facebook.com/theeditorsnote or on twitter @KariTrumbo my amazon author page is http://www.amazon.com/Kari-Trumbo/e/B015IJOLN4/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Question #19 What advice do you have for other authors?

Keep learning and trying. Even if you think what you are doing right now isn’t working. You can’t write a great paragraph until you write a poor one. Get critiques, learn something new. Apply what works for you, discard what makes your writing choppy or bad and know the difference.

Question #20 Tell us about your book.

To Honor and Cherish is a romance about Meg Connor who becomes a widow just before the story begins. Jax McCartney answers an ad in the paper to be a foreman at her ranch to help her get back on her feet. Sparks fly even at their first meeting and soon they both enjoy bantering together. Meg has to learn to give control to God, not what is comfortable or what she thinks is right, or she will chase away the answer to her prayers.

 

 

 

 

 

Question #21 Tell us about the characters in your book.

Meg, she is a widow who desires to control every aspect of her life after losing her husband. She needs to be the boss because her husband’s death left her feeling out of control.  
Jax, he has secrets that he’s kept from almost everyone. He’s a wanted man and Meg’s ranch is the perfect place to hide.

Question #22 Do you include your own life in your books? Why or why not?

I’m only peripherally in this book. Meg and Jax visit an area that is close to where I currently live and one subordinate character has more of me in her, but she won’t get her own story until later.

Question #23 What is special to you about this book?

It is special to me because I loved making it better. I liked it quite a bit when I finished it, but re-writing and editing it made me love it more. It is also special to me because this story has been weaving its way into my dreams and day thoughts for years and it is finally out of my head an on paper.

Question #24 What do you hope readers take away from this book?

I hope that people take away that sometimes we are the roadblock for our own prayers. Meg can’t have her love or her ranch until she learns to submit to what God wants instead of what she desires because it is safe.

Question #25 What’s your favorite “treat”?

I love English toffee, especially with good coffee. It is one of my most favorite indulgences.

Question #26 Morning or night, which is the best and why?

Night is better because I can have quiet for as long as I can force my fingers to type. In the morning, I might only get a few minutes before my activity wakes up others in the house.

Question #27 Favorite season and why?

Fall, I love the cool weather and the warm colors. The first time we light the wood stove and the fragrance of burning wood wafts through the house. I love the laugh of pheasants on my driveway and geese as they fly overhead. I’m from Minnesota, so I relish each and every day of fall, some years it lasts for a few months, other times, it seems incredibly short.

Question #28 Least favorite household or yard chore?

Folding laundry. I can collect it, wash it, dry it, take it out of the dryer but it seems to weigh a million pounds at that point and I need a miracle to get it from basket to drawers.

Question #29 Pose a question for our readers to answer…

What is your favorite love story

About the Author:

I write novels that revolve around characters who feel real, with struggles and hurts, but who cling to their faith to get them through. I have been writing for my own benefit for a number of years and building stories in my head for as long as I can remember. I earned a BA in Psychology with a Minor in Sociology from the University of Minnesota. I never dreamed while taking those courses that I would use them to observe people and write them in a genuine fashion, instead of helping people with mental illness. I find people very interesting, both those I witness in life and those I create. The most interesting things happen when people are put into situations they would never dream could happen.