~~ An Interview with Leisha Kelly by Linda Mae Baldwin ~~

LMB:  When did you start writing?  What drove you to write the first book? 

I was writing as a kid. Poems and short stories and things. I started  my first novels as a teenager but even though I knew I wanted to write, I didn’t take it seriously enough, or didn’t think I could. I guess you could say I let life and my own lack of confidence get in the way. I wrote now and then over the years, but aside from sharing a few poems, I never did much with it. I stopped writing altogether when my children were born, focusing my time on them. But when my youngest child was three or four, I got to the point where I couldn’t stand it anymore. I felt like I had to write or go to pieces. My husband was very obliging (and a bit surprised I hadn’t said anything before). He started taking the kids outside or someplace when he got home from work to give me space to create. It was also my husband who encouraged me to send out my work to be published, and to get an agent. “If you’re going to write this stuff, you need to share it,” he said. “It’s time.” And he was right.  

LMB:  How many books have you published? Who are you published with? 

Already available are historical fiction: Julia’s Hope, Emma’s Gift, Katie’s Dream, and Rorey’s Secret, which follow each other.  And a different kind of book, under the name L.A. Kelly, entitled TAHN. All are published by Fleming H. Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.  There will be at least two more books to follow Rorey’s Secret, plus a Christmas story related to the series. And a sequel to TAHN, called Return to Alastair, is due out in January.   

LMB:  I really enjoyed Rory’s Secret. Where did you get the idea?  

I actually had the idea for Rorey’s Secret while I was finishing Emma’s Gift, and at first I thought it might be the next book, but I needed to write Katie’s Dream in between. It wasn’t a complete idea, just the knowing that there would be a barn fire severe enough to cause injury, and the cause of the fire would be in question. I didn’t even know at first who would be injured or how badly. Or how the fire really started. Funny how my ideas work like that sometimes. I get a starting point and discover the rest as I go along.  

LMB:  I didn’t know until recently, that you are the author of Tahn. I LOVE THAT BOOK. I’ve given a copy to my daughter who is married to a Marine and it’s making the rounds through the wives…I will probably send a copy to her to donate to the church too. What a wonderful tale. Is it true that you wrote that from a dream? 

Probably. I’m not sure how else to explain it.  I woke up one morning just knowing about this character (Tahn). I knew his name and what he looked like, the things he’d gone through, the things he would have to do, and how he felt about it all. I knew about the lady (Netta) and what her initial reaction to him would be, as well as why her perception of him would change. I knew about the villains in the story. Even the first line. An incredible amount of detail.  It really grabbed me. I started trying to write everything down as quickly as I could, just to be sure I didn’t forget anything. I spent much of that day, and then that summer, with paper and pen everywhere I went, writing like crazy. It was really pretty amazing, thinking back. I must have been strange to live with there for awhile. I don’t think I got much else done. 

LMB:  What’s the best thing about writing?

There are two best things. The satisfaction of finishing the story and knowing that it works. And the great feeling that somebody else has gotten something out of it, too. 

LMB:  What is day of writing like for you?  

Oh, boy. That depends on the day. We homeschool, so a lot of my time and mental energy goes to lesson planning and work (and fun) with the kids. But I try to get four hours of work done weekdays when possible (the kids have free time or work with Dad then, or may be in bed). When I have a looming deadline, or a story is really flowing, I tend to do more (at night), plus whatever I can on the weekend. 

LMB:  What does your writing space look like?  

I use a room in our house for my office. It’s a little cluttered and disorganized at the moment because I’m in deadline crunch (and about to start another school year). I have tons of books and papers, research, etc. Pictures of my kids. And a file drawer of ideas I haven’t had time to get to yet.

LMB:  What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever been given?

To trust what God has given me, what he has put into my mind and heart to say in my stories, and let them be what they are.  

LMB:  What’s the best piece of advice you give beginning writers?  

Know your calling. Don’t get into this for the money. Don’t decide what to write based on what you think somebody else wants. If you feel you have to write, then there’s something waiting for you, something you’re meant to create. Find that, and you’re on the right track, whether people think you’re crazy or not.  

LMB:  Why do you write for the CBA and not the ABA? 

My faith is so important to me that I can’t separate it from my writing. I wouldn’t want to try because it is part of who I am, and part of who some of my characters are. I thought that my perspective would fit with a CBA publisher and the CBA marketplace, and I guess I was right.  

LMB:  What’s next for Leisha Kelly, after the Country Road Chronicles?

That’s a good question. I’m not completely sure yet. I expect to do another story after Tahn and Return to Alastair, to complete the trilogy. And I’ve thought about more novels related to the Country Road Chronicles, as well. Either progressing forward in time to feature grandchildren in contemporary times, or going backwards into the story of some of the lesser characters, most specifically Lizbeth, or Julia’s Grandma Pearl. But I also have novel ideas unrelated to anything I’ve published so far. I’m as interested as anyone else to see what develops next. 

LMB:  How can people contact you? 

Until we get a personal website put together, you can get additional information or order books at my Publisher’s website: www.RevellBooks.com

Or you can send questions or comments to me at: P.O. Box 182, Clayton, IL 62324  

Thanks so much for doing this Leisha! Appreciate it! 

Best - LMB