INTERVIEW | Kimberly Cash Tate

Written Voices has the pleasure of hosting Kimberly Cash Tate, author of Heavenly Places her first 7-day, “In Love Virtual Book & Podcast Tour” with The GRITS COM Literary Service! If you missed it, check out the “What Does It Mean To Be In Love? Podcast from Tuesday, May 27.

Kimberly, describe yourself for our visitors.

I’m very much a homebody.  Because we homeschool, I spend the bulk of my time with my children and with my husband, since he’s a professor and has a flexible schedule.  As a result of homeschooling for six years, I’ve gained a passion for all sorts of things I never had an interest in, such as ancient history, Latin, and Greek.  But my main passion is the Word of God, which I try to infuse into much of what we do in school.  It’s also what I infuse into my writing.  If I couldn’t minister through writing, I probably wouldn’t write at all.  That’s what drives me.

How do you find time to connect with God?

I remember when my kids were toddlers, I would wait until their naptime and then get my Bible and sit at the dinette table.  I would just study and pray and have the sweetest time with the Lord.  As they’ve gotten older and sleep a little longer, I spend the early mornings with God, a cup of coffee, and my Bible.  It’s my favorite part of the day.  If I’m not connecting with God, nothing feels right.

Who are your favorite authors? Favorite books?

Hmm.  This is a hard question.  Most of the books I enjoy are those I have read or plan to read with my children.  So my favorites are The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Shakespeare, historical fiction, and Jane Austen novels.

Tell us about your journey to publication.

My journey to publishing Heavenly Places is actually linked to the publication of my nonfiction book, More Christian than African-American.  In 1997, I had prepared a proposal for that first book and sent out query letters to solicit an agent.  I had heard of Denise Stinson but she wasn’t in the Guide to Literary Agents so I sent it to six agents who had listed that they were interested in spiritual or African-American books.  I remember praying over the letters and putting them in the mailbox on a Monday.  That same week, on Thursday, I got a call at work and the person said, “Kim, this is Denise Stinson.”  My jaw dropped.  She said I had sent a query letter to a black female agent who was an atheist and the agent faxed my query letter to Denise, thinking she might be interested.

Denise asked if I had sent her a query letter.  I said, “Umm…not yet.”  I sent the proposal overnight and she was calling me that Sunday to tell me she wanted to represent me.  That book was released in 1999, and shortly thereafter, Denise started Walk Worthy Press.  She told me I should try my hand at fiction and, a few years later, God moved me to do just that.  When I finally finished the manuscript of the novel, I sent it to her and she again called me pretty quickly, saying she loved it and wanted to publish it.  Believe me, I gave plenty thanks to God.

Tell us about your current book?

Heavenly Places is about a woman named Treva who has always had very little self-worth, thanks to her mother.  She sought to find her self-worth in a career, and she did, with success.  But when her family moves back to her hometown, she’s full of despair because she can’t find another job and the memories of heartache she’d fought to escape are haunting her again.  Worse, she’s near her mother once more, who hasn’t changed.  Her sister coaxes her into a women’s home Bible study that she’s starting, and even though Treva resists, doesn’t like the women, and quits a couple of times, her life is ultimately changed as she finds out who she is in Christ.

How did you come up with ideas for this book?

God put the idea on my heart and it seemed every time I turned around, books and articles would come my way which showed women dealing with the issues Treva was dealing with.  I kept thinking, “If they could only see themselves through God’s eyes.”  When I started writing, I had no idea that a Bible study would be featured in the book.  When God laid that on my heart, I thought, “Wow!  That’s awesome, Lord!”  I prayed throughout the whole book.  I’d get to a chapter and say, “Okay, God, I have no idea where to take this.”  And it would come.  My relationship with God went to new levels as I wrote this book because I truly depended on Him and He was faithful.

What’s next for you?

I just finished a manuscript for another novel, and I have another nonfiction book scheduled to be released next year.

Where can visitors find you online?

My website is www.kimberlycashtate.com, where I also post weekly devotions that people can subscribe to.  I’m on MySpace address is www.myspace.com/kimberlycashtate.