FIFTEEN YEARS - Kendra Norman Bellamy - Free Book

Welcome, Kendra. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

Because doing so is a charge that has been assigned to me by God. This is ministry for me, and when I write, I’m answering a divine calling. It’s all for His glory.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

That would be a close toss-up between my wedding day and the birth dates of my daughters.

How has being published changed your life?

When I worked in corporate America, I never felt fulfilled. Every job I’ve had, I’ve loved, but there was always an unexplainable void that I couldn’t readily define until I became a published author. Once I became published, I knew I had more than a career; I had found my purpose and my divine destiny. I’ve had jobs where I made far more money than I make as an author, but no job has brought me more joy or a greater sense of accomplishment.

What are you reading right now?

Bishop Johnathan and Dr. Toni Alvarado (pastor and co-pastor of Total Grace Christian Center in metropolitan Atlanta, GA) have partnered to pen a book for married Christians called Let’s Stay Together. That’s the book I’m reading right now.

What is your current work in progress?

Presently, I am embarking on the penning of my first non-fiction project entitled I Shall Not Die. It’s a ministerial book based on the premise of Psalm 118:17 and inspired by the memory of my first husband who passed away in 1995. The purpose of I Shall Not Die is to motivate and encourage people to live in spite of the circumstances.

What would be your dream vacation?

To visit the Motherland. I pray for the chance to travel to Africa someday.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I live in metropolitan Atlanta, and the vast majority of my stories are set here. Atlanta is a huge metropolis, and the setting options (city choices) seem endless. Periodically, I will have my characters travel to other states, but they are almost always areas of the country that I have visited or toured and been inspired by in some way.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

Dr. Maya Angelou is my all-time favorite author. Even in her twilight years, she’s a fountain of wisdom and just as poised and well-spoken as she was fifty years ago. It would be a dream come true for me to sit down and have a one-on-one chat with her for just five minutes. Having a whole evening to fellowship with her would be an example of God doing exceeding abundantly above all that I’ve asked or thought.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I enjoy traveling (especially cruising), aerobic exercising, listening to music, and scrapbooking.

What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

In addition to writing for more than one mainstream publishing house, I also single-handedly run a business wherein I assist other authors in realizing their dreams of becoming published authors; so it is difficult to keep my head above waters with multiple demands and deadlines. I ward off becoming overwhelmed by making sure that I write daily to keep my craft sharp, and I often make priority lists so that I can focus on what things are most important to center my attention on at the time.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

I’d tell them that they need the “Three P’s” if they are going to make it in an industry as competitive and demanding as this one. Prayer, patience, and perseverance, in my humble opinion, are three ingredients that are essential to success in the literary world. It can get rough along the way, but if a newbie is certain that this is the industry that they want to be a part of, and if they have the three P’s, the journey will definitely be a more pleasant one.

Tell us about the featured book?

Fifteen Years is a book about the importance of un-biological family. In it, Josiah “JT” Tucker is a man who is the picture of success on the outside, but on the inside he feels broken and incomplete. Because of his absent father and neglectful mother, he grew up in the care of the state and bounced from one foster home to the other. However, during a very impressionable time of his life, he was placed in one foster home where he remained for a six year period of time. During that stint, he was introduced to love, family, and Christ. Shortly before his fifteenth birthday, he was taken from the family he’d come to see as his own and sent back to live with his mother who continued to struggle with substance abuse. Now, fifteen years later, at the age of thirty, JT has beat the odds and risen to success, but despite his corporate, financial, and material gains, he’s a tortured and tormented soul and knows that he must find his way back to the un-biological family he once knew in order to find peace of mind and a renewed faith in God. But what he discovers when he reunites with them is that a whole lot about the way your heart loves a person can change in fifteen years.

Please give us the first page of the book.

The story begins with a flashback of JT’s youth – to the morning after his high school graduation. It started out like any other day in the life of Josiah Tucker; with him awakening all alone on a lumpy mattress in a shoddy house. His mother has been nowhere to be found for the past few days, which is also normal when she’s using and abusing, so he has no cause for concern. But a knock to the door of his home changes JT’s life forever, and it becomes the moment that defines him as a hollow man.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My official website is http://www.kendranormanbellamy.com/ . I am also on MySpace at www.myspace.com/KendraNormanBellamy  and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KendraNormanBellamy . I love to hear from my readers!

Thank you, Kendra, for spending this time with us.

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