Today I’m honored to have Kelly Goshorn as my guest. I love her transparency and heart for the Lord. I pray you’ll be blessed as I was by her responses. Be sure to stick around to the end for a chance to win her debut novel A Love Restored!

Hi Cynthia, thank you for hosting me on your blog today!

It’s so great to have you, Kelly. Besides writing, tell us what other hobbies you enjoy.

I enjoy scrapbooking and cardmaking, though I don’t do that as often as I’d like. Hubby and I enjoy watching movies and BBC period dramas together as well as going to the theater and playing board games. Living in Virginia, I’m blessed to be within a short driving distance to many historical landmarks. I love planning day trips to battlefields, historical sites, museums, etc. I also enjoy walking my dog several times a day, and I’m hoping to begin hiking on some of the nearby mountain trails.

Some great hobbies! You and I share some common interests, except I live in the flatlands. Your Virginia mountain trails sound beautiful! Share with us one of the first books or authors to inspire you and why.

I discovered Christian fiction through Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke. I quickly devoured the entire series, then moved on to every other title she wrote, and finally to other historical romance authors. My sisters and I called these our “prairie stories.” As a writer however, I’ve been inspired to try and capture the passion of Julie Lessman, the humor of Karen Witemeyer, and the lovely, descriptive prose of Tamera Alexander in my stories. Those are huge shoes to fill and I know I fall way short of my desire.

Some wonderful authors to look to! Do you have a favorite character in your novel? If so, why?

I hope it doesn’t sound trite, but I would have to say my heroine, Ruth Ann. Showing her journey to self-acceptance was my favorite part of writing her character. At the beginning of the story she is plagued by self-doubt about her appearance because of the unkind things that have been spoken to her about her fuller-figure. She repeats these unkind things to herself until they come to define who she thinks she is. Watching her blossom into the strong, resilient woman she wants to be and seeing her character accept herself as a beautiful, Godly woman still makes me teary.

Such a powerful transformation touches the heart. I love that the heroine of A Love Restored has flaws. What motivated you to make Ruth Ann opinionated and with a less than perfect appearance?

Thank you, Cynthia. I think characters with emotional and physical flaws are much easier to relate to. The motivation behind Ruth Ann is me.Like my full-figured heroine, Ruth Ann, I’ve struggled with weight issues my entire life. I’ve had cruel things said about my appearance. Oftentimes by people who were supposed to love me. But their insensitive words failed in comparison to the ugly way I spoke to myself. I’d become so defined by the negative comments and opinions of those surrounding me, I no longer saw anything to esteem. I’d allowed my self-worth to be determined by a yardstick that measured my value according to the size of my waist or the flatness of my stomach, always coming up short. My own journey to self-acceptance, as well as what a loving God will do to grab a stubborn woman’s attention, are pivotal to the story line.

Oh, I’m so sorry to hear all you’ve gone through, but it must be so rewarding to see how the Lord is using your hardships to speak into readers’ hearts. How have you sensed the Lord’s hand on your writing journey?

My faith has grown by leaps and bounds through this process. My writing journey began with a simple prayer for the Lord to give me a passion to serve Him in some way. But the path that lay ahead would not only prove to be challenging from a craft point of view, it would require me to face my biggest personal and spiritual obstacle—the fear of failure.  What I discovered is that God sees not only who we are, but who we can be when we place our trust in Him. He calls us to tackle our biggest obstacles so that we can rest in total dependence on Him. Wherever the writing journey takes me, I’ve been irrevocably changed. There’s no going back and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

What a wonderful testimony. Thanks for sharing it with us! What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Right now I’m working on a three book series also set in my native Loudoun County,Virginia, this time during the Civil War.Surrendered Hearts examines what happens when God requires us to surrender those things we hold most dear. Throughout the series, characters are called to sacrifice their dreams and ambitions, their pride, and for one, his life, as God recklessly pursues each of them. Readers can learn more about the books in this series at http://kellygoshorn.com/my-writing/surrendered-hearts.

Sounds like a wonderful series, Kelly! I look forward to reading them!

Thank you so much for having me today, Cynthia. It’s always a joy to spend time with other Christians, especially those who love books as much as I do.

Kelly Goshorn weaves her affinity for history and her passion for God into uplifting stories of love, faith and family set in nineteenth century America. She earned a B.A. in Social Studies Education from Messiah College and an M.Ed. in History from The Pennsylvania State University. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America. Kelly has been enjoying her own happily-ever-after with her husband and best friend, Mike, for 28 years. Together they have raised three children, four cats, two dogs, a turtle, a guinea pig, a gecko, and countless hamsters. Thankfully, not all at the same time.

Purchase on Amazon US, Amazon UK and Barnes & Noble A Love Restored is currently on sale for $0.99!

You can connect with Kelly on:

Her Website

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Bookbub

Read how God works in the lives of Cynthia Roemer’s characters in her Inspirational, Historical Romance (Prairie Sky) Series.
UNDER THIS SAME SKY ~ BOOK ONE
UNDER PRAIRIE SKIES ~ BOOK TWO
~Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble
**Connect with Cynthia Roemer on Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter.

Now for the Giveaway! Kelly is graciously offering an e-copy of her novel, A Love Restored! Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway below for several chances to win!

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