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Welcome to the blog's first author interview! Today we are meeting author Kelly Carpo...
Hello, Kelly! Can you begin by telling us a little about yourself?
I was born in California and raised in Oregon. I’m a 60-year-old house wife. I enjoy a plethora of crafts from writing to crochet. I’m an artist, author, crafter, to name just a few of my hobbies.
Can you tell us how you became interested in writing? Why are you drawn to it?
My grandma got me started when she introduced me to writing poems. I was hooked from then on.
Many people in our family are authors so I guess it is in my blood.
Do you think God has a purpose for your work and, if so, what?
Yes, I do. I believe it’s to tell my story about how I came to know God and what he has done for me in my life. He gave me the talent so I feel I should share it with others.
What are your writing strengths and weaknesses?
I think my strength is in my willingness to share my most intimate feelings. To tell what God brought me out off to his loving arms.
My weakness is I’m a talker, sometimes even my emails start to look like books.
What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned about yourself or the writing business since you decided to walk this path?
I guess my biggest lesson is to be willing to accept not everyone is going to be interested in what I write or be polite about it.
Who/what are your biggest influences?
Definitively the Holy Spirit, my family and friends.
What are your goals when you write a piece? What do you hope they will accomplish in your readers?
The knowledge of God’s love, patience and forgiveness.
What do you find to be the most difficult aspect of writing and how do you cope with it?
Staring at that blank page trying to remember all the things I wanted to say, and how to write it so that it all makes sense, not just to me, but to those who will read it.
Who are your favourite writers and why?
Two of my all-time favorite writers of Christian books are Scott J. Toney and Lilliet Garrison. I have learned so much from both of them.
What advice would you give to writers, especially those looking to break into your genre?
I would say, read-read-read. The more you read the more you will see how it’s done by others. I read over 300+ Christian books as a reviewer before I felt confident in writing my own books.
Can you tell us about your books? What other projects are you working on?
I have two books so far. The first one, God’s Gardener, is a biography. Showing what my life was like before I became a Christian.
The second book, A Tap on the Shoulder, is mostly my thoughts and opinions on Christian subjects.
I’m hoping to write and illustrated a children's book of poems.
Can you share something interesting about yourself that's unrelated to writing?
I love a good mystery. I’m an avid cozy mystery reader. I hope to someday be able to write a Christian mystery.
Anything else you’d like to share with us?
Something I’ve heard many times, write about what you know. I’m no scholar of the Bible but I do know what I feel about what I’ve read and heard. So, I wrote about it.
How can readers get into contact with you?
They can reach me by writing to ravenwing60@gmail.com
Thank you so much for spending time with us today, Kelly. It was great to get to know you and to discover why writing is so important to you. Readers, please leave a comment below and don't forget to check out Kelly's books.