Hello readers, this month The Review was granted an interview with Kendra Norman-Bellamy. Mrs. Bellamy is not only an author, but first and foremost a Woman of GOD, a wife, mother, publisher, and motivational speaker. Please join me in my conversation with best-selling author Kendra Norman-Bellamy.

Please join our blog list today in order to participate in our February contest for a “FREE” copy of Fifteen Years, Kendra’s latest release.

A Conversation with Kendra Norman - Bellamy

First of all, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to share with us.

Review: Please introduce yourself to The Review readers.

KNB: Thank you for inviting me to be a featured guest. I appreciate the opportunity to share with your audience. Well, first of all, I am a family woman; a wife and mother. I love God and enjoy life. “Demanding” probably doesn’t adequately define my day to day schedule. I am employed by three mainstream publishing houses as an author and by one mainstream publisher as a copy editor for their Christian imprint. In addition to that, I am the founder of KNB Publications, which is an independent self-publishing ministry that produces faith-based works by up and coming writers. My many duties and deadlines keep me extremely busy, but I feel blessed because I absolutely love what I do. On those occasions when I break away from my stringent literary schedule, I enjoy traveling, exercising, scrapbooking, fellowshipping with my sorority sisters, and spending leisure time with my small circle of close friends.

Review: Do you write full-time?

KNB: Yes; for 6 ½ years now. With the demands of my schedule, I couldn’t fit in the responsibilities of a structured corporate America job even if I wanted to.

Review: How did you start writing?

KNB: I’ve had an appreciation for putting pen to paper since I was a small child. My first piece of literary work was a four-line poem that I wrote as a class assignment when I was ten years old. At the time, it seemed insignificant, but unbeknownst to everyone but God, a writer was being fashioned at that moment. From there, I developed a fascination for the writings of Dr. Maya Angelou, and my love for words was birthed. Somewhere along the way, I started writing poems on a regular basis, and ultimately became skilled enough that I won a city-wide poetry contest in my hometown as a young adult barely in my 20’s. Writing full-length manuscripts didn’t become a thought until much later in life. I bore the massive heartbreak of burying my first husband in 1995, and shortly after that ordeal, writing became my escape and a source of healing. Because of that, I often tell people that my purpose (my writing ministry) was really birthed out of my pain.

Review: Can you walk us through your writing regime? Do you have a set outline that you follow, or do you go where the narrative takes you?

KNB: I am what many industry professionals call a “seat of the pants” writer. There are no chapter or story outlines that I’ve devised ahead of time. My regimen is to sit and type as the thoughts flow. I used to say that my books were character driven, meaning that I allow my characters to tell me where the story should go. But that’s not the whole truth. I’ve come to the realization that my books are actually God-driven. My characters are only being obedient to His will. They are navigating the story in the direction in which God is orchestrating my creative thoughts to direct.

Review: How important is it to incorporate your faith into your work?

KNB: It’s non-negotiable. Letting God’s glory shine in my stories is not an option. He is the One who has gifted me to write, and He has charged me to write for Him. So it’s not like I’m doing God any favors by writing Christian based stories. He has favored me by choosing me to do so.

Review: As a Christian Fiction author, what do you feel are the misconceptions about what Christian fiction is?

KNB: I’ve learned that that there are still people who are turned off by the label “Christian fiction.” They see the term itself as an oxymoron. God is real, so the misconception is that you can’t place Him in a fictional story and expect people to be blessed by it. I never go to battle with people over what I consider to be petty issues like that, but I do challenge them to consider that the Word of God (specifically the New Testament) is loaded with parables that Jesus told to His disciples. These were engaging, edifying, and relatable stories that He created for the purpose of helping them understand whatever it was that He was trying to teach them at the time. Christian fiction serves the same purpose. The stories aren’t preachy or condemning, but they are definitely inspirational, entertaining, and have the potential to be life-changing. And although the stories are fictional, the center point is still a very real God.

Review: Tell our readers about your new release, Fifteen Years.

KNB: This book is a healthy mix of drama and an unlikely romance. The storyline itself brings to light just how meaningful non-biological family can be in a person’s life. Fifteen Years is the story of Josiah “JT” Tucker, a corporate executive who, on the outside, looks like he has it all together. He’s tall, he’s strikingly handsome, and he’s a successful businessman with the money, the designer suits, and the high performance vehicle to match. Everybody can see JT’s success, but nobody can see his bleeding heart and broken spirit. Under all of the outer sensation is the torn son of an absent father and drug addicted, neglectful mother. Because of his ill-equipped parents, JT was tossed from one temporary home to the other during most of his childhood years. But one foster family (the Smiths) that he was fortunate enough to be placed with for a six-year period, introduced JT to Christ and planted some good seeds in him that took root and helped him avoid becoming a statistic despite his circumstances. However, at the age of thirty, he’s yearning for that thing that his money can’t buy; the love and sense of belonging that his life has lacked since he was taken from the Smiths fifteen years earlier. So at the urging of his pastor, JT embarks on a mission to reunite with his foster parents and foster siblings. But when he finds them, he finds far more than he bargained for.

Review: Kendra, again we thank you for this interview. What would you like to leave our readers with?

KNB: I’d like the opportunity to thank all of those readers who have supported me over the years. Greatness isn’t gained by the works of one person alone. Whatever level of success I have attained, I know that it wasn’t a one-woman achievement. It’s come by way of God’s favor and the backing of those who have cheered me on by purchasing books. I need readers to know that their support is never taken for granted.

Review: How can readers contact you?

KNB: I am all over the web, so I’m not difficult to find. My official author website is www.KendraNormanBellamy.com. To check out my independent self-publishing house, a reader can log on to www.KNB-Publications.com. I am the visionary of a motivational ministry that can be found at www.IShallNotDie.org, and information on the Christian cruise I founded is at www.CruisinForChrist.org. In addition to those key websites, I can be found on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and several other social networking sites.

Win a autographed copy of “Fifteen Years”. For contest details visit: www.Blessed2Write.blogspot.com