BLONDEVA'S BOYS - Kendra Norman Holmes - One Free Book

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

My writing is ministry, and the books that I write—both fiction and nonfiction—are done so in accordance to the leading of the Holy Spirit. He’s the inspiration and motivation for what I write, when I write, and how I write. Being used by Him is humbling. I write the kinds of books that I do because of my desire to obey and please God.

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

Oh gosh…that’s a tough one. It would be a toss-up between the day I married my husband and the days that I gave birth to my children. I’ll go with the day that I married Michael. It was joyous from start to finish. The happiness in the childbirth experiences didn’t come until the end. LOL!

How has being published changed your life?

Before becoming a published author, I’d never done any real traveling, and although I was already a licensed minister at that time, I was still very much an introvert. At the time I became a nationally published author, I was thirty-something and had never been on an airplane. My world experience was limited to Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and South Carolina. Once I became nationally known as a published author, my entire existence changed. I found myself flying all over the United States and even traveling internationally to share my books with people in all walks of life. I thought that being a published author would give me the opportunity to say what I wanted to say without actually saying it. Instead it thrust me into the limelight and onto the stage. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but God had anointed me for this even before I was born. Traveling and public speaking has become an intricate part of my life. I feel very blessed to be chosen and trusted by God to carry out this assignment.

What are you reading right now?

I am on the verge of starting to read a nonfiction/ministry book titled, Is It Just My Imagination? The author is Ternae T. Jordan, Jr., an amazing man of God who I met just a couple of weeks ago when my travels took me to Chattanooga, Tennssee.

What is your current work in progress?

I’m still tying up the loose ends of Blondeva’s Boys as I prepare to take it to print to release, hopefully in the next two to three weeks. Once I’m completely finished with it, my next writing project will be a joint one that I will be doing with my husband. We have plans to write a daily devotional together that will be geared toward encouraging and strengthening marriages and family bonds. I’m excited about getting started.

What would be your dream vacation?

That would definitely be Hawaii!! It’s the one state I’ve never been to that I really want to visit. I have had the pleasure of visiting some beautiful places in my life including islands in the Western and Eastern Caribbean, but I very much want to set my feet on the grounds of Hawaii. I know the day is coming in which my heart’s desire will be fulfilled, and I’m looking forward to it!

How do you choose your settings for each book?

I typically set my stories in places where I’ve been so that I can make the story as accurate and as believable as possible. There was once a time in my career when almost all of my fictional stories were set in Atlanta, Georgia, because that’s where I was living at the time and I just felt more comfortable having them take place there. Now, I venture out a little more and either set them in a city/state that I’ve visited, or I create a fictitious town and set the story there (as I did in Blondeva’s Boys).

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

I think I’d have to say Joyce Meyer. She’s incredibly inspirational and has a wealth of godly wisdom. I very much respect her and love the ministry God has entrusted to her. Often times when I watch Joyce on television as she becomes transparent and blesses so many people by sharing the pains and the joys of her life’s testimony, I see a reflection of myself. I believe spending an evening talking and sharing with Joyce Meyer would be a wonderfully unforgettable experience.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

I think if I weren’t a writer, I would use my creativity in the field of professional photography. I love taking pictures and capturing moments on film. In the near future, I actually have plans to purchase a professional camera with all the bells and whistles and pursue photography as a true hobby.

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

I work a full-time job Monday through Friday, and I have a husband who I adore and with whom I thoroughly enjoy spending time. Because we both are employed in corporate America and work full-time hours, Saturdays are largely geared to spending quality time together and focusing on us. And on Sundays a large part of our time involves ministry and corporate worship. So my most difficult writing obstacle is finding the time to do it. I never have the time to write, but I always make the time to write. All the talent in the world won’t get the book written. If I want it done, I have to make it happen. So I do…late at night, on the occasional Saturdays when my husband works a few overtime hours, during lunch breaks at work, etc. It’s about how badly you want it. It takes sacrifice. It’s the difference between writing being a pastime versus it being a passion.

What advice would you give to a beginning author?

My advice always comes in the form of these three words: Prayer. Patience. Perseverance. I strongly believe an aspiring writer needs all three. Personally, I don’t know how anybody gets through anything without prayer. It’s the first thing I do in the morning, and I find myself talking to God throughout the day. He’s the source of my strength and the source of my inspiration. I can’t write without Him. Success won’t happen overnight, but if a writer doesn’t get anxious and exercises patience during the process, all the hard work will pay off. And finally, writers need to understand that discouragements will come along the way. We’ve all experienced them on our journeys, but with perseverance and a dogmatic refusal to allow the stumbling blocks to make them give up, beginners will eventually be able to taste the sweet fruit of their labor.

Tell us about the featured book.

Blondeva’s Boys is a project that is near and dear to my heart. The female matriarch in the story is named after my beloved mother who passed away in November of 2014. While the only real likeness between my character and my mom is their deep love for God and family, it was important for me to give her the same name. My mom absolutely hated her first name and solely went by her middle name. Although I didn’t care much for the name either, I’ve come to appreciate it for being as uniquely beautiful as she was, and I wanted Mama’s name to become a household one. In my story, Blondeva is a God-fearing woman in her 80’s who, along with her husband, raised four children—all sons. Most of them grew up to be successful in pretty much every aspect of their lives. However their youngest, Isaac, has a history of disappointments in everything from schooling to marriage and the shadow of those failures have followed him all throughout his life. The story takes place in the fictitious town of Nona, Alabama. Isaac moved away from the small city in which he was raised and even joined the US Air Force in order to escape the constant reminders of his failures. Ms. Blondeva (as she’s called by most) pulls a few strings to get Isaac back to his hometown. He now works as a licensed contractor and her bait to lure him home are the renovations that are needed on the home that she and her husband have shared for several decades and her “failing health” (note the quotations marks). What Isaac ultimately finds out is that he—not the family home—is the one in store of a makeover: spiritually, mentally, and physically.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Blondeva’s Boys opens with a “prologue,” giving the readers a peek into a dramatic incident that will happen later in the story. The prologue takes readers to an injured Isaac who is lying on the side of one of Nona, Alabama’s roads. He’s seriously battered and bruised and a stranger, who Isaac doesn’t even have enough strength to open his eyes and see, is talking to him and trying to keep him conscious until help arrives. There are no cell towers on that particular rural stretch of highway, so Isaac just has to suffer through what he believes is a slow death while the stranger’s young son runs to the nearest convenience store to get help. The first page of the book gives readers a taste of things to come.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

My official web home is www.RoyaltyWriter.net. Readers may also find me on social media through Facebook (www.Facebook.com/KendraNormanHolmes), through Instagram (royaltywriter) and Twitter (@Royalty_Writer). I’m also the host of a weekly Internet radio show called Royal Pen Network. Listeners can tune in each Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. (EST) and listen live by going to www.JoynetRadio.com.

Thank you, Kendra, for sharing this new book with us. I'm eager to read it.

Readers, leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Google+, Feedblitz, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:

Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com