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Author Interviews
Kendra Norman-Bellamy is one of the leading Christian novelists of today. She is the winner of numerous writing awards and her goal is to reach the multitudes for Christ through her ministry. Kendra has written several novels, many which include Crossing Jhordan's River, For Love and Grace, and Because of Grace . A native of Georgia, Kendra has traveled throughout the country conducting various book clubs and book signings.
Let's take some time to see how Kendra has allowed God to point her toward her purpose and how she is pursuing it.
• At what age did you come to know Christ? As the daughter of two ministers, I was introduced to Christ from infancy. I accepted Him as my personal Savior on Friday, June 1, 1979 during a revival conducted by my father in a small town called Adel , Georgia . I was twelve years old at the time.
• How has your relationship with Christ affected your career as a writer? I believe my spiritual foundation has everything to do with where I am in my writing career. Christ is the one who gave me this gift in the first place and whether or not I'd use it to His glory was never in question. I've never desired to write in any other genre other than Christian fiction and I know that is fully fueled by my relationship with God. I remember when I was pondering my destiny, purpose and ministry. One morning during my daily devotion time, I opened my Bible and my eyes immediately fixed onto a verse I'd never read before. It was Jeremiah 30:2 which said, “Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel , saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.” That was a powerful spiritual awakening for me. I knew then that my writing would be a ministry used to glorify God while edifying mankind.
• Explain how you made the transition from working full-time in the corporate world to writing full-time. I often say that July 4, 2003, for me, was Independence Day in more ways than one. After much prayer and with the support of my family, on that date, I stepped out on faith and left my corporate America job to become a full-time writer. I loved my job. It paid well and my boss was one that most employees would die for. In spite of that, I knew my calling and I knew that in order to get to the place where God wanted me to be, I had to prove to Him that I trust Him. I had no publisher and no publishing prospects. It was a “crazy faith” decision, but I knew that it was a move that God had orchestrated. I knew that if I used the faith that I'd been taught about all of my life, God was going to do something mighty – and He did. Within a month of leaving my job, God blessed me with not one, but two mainstream publishing deals from two prominent publishing houses and it's been quite a journey ever since.
• Can you tell us a little about your current book? My most current title is Three Fifty-Seven A.M. which officially releases on August 1 st , but became available at the end of this month (July). This is one of my favorite projects for a couple of reasons. To start with, it is the first book to be published through KNB Publications, the self-publishing company that I founded last year. This is a story that I co-authored with Hank Stewart, who is a prominent poet, spoken word artist, and founder of famed jazz ensemble, Five Men on a Stool. Three Fifty-Seven A.M. is a story based on a popular poem written and performed by Hank. Back in December of 2004, he approached me about assisting him in turning his poetic piece into a full-length novel and I immediately accepted. Being that this was my first completed collaborated project, it was a new challenge, but I had a lot of fun helping to write and develop this engaging story. It was written in twenty-two days, which is the quickest that I've ever completed a novel. I think readers will be taken on an emotional rollercoaster with Three Fifty-Seven A.M. because it tackles so many real issues that people can relate to. It will make readers realize more than ever, the importance of God's perfect timing. It really is imperative that we do what He says do when He says to do it. Currently this title is available on Amazon.com as well as through my website (www.knb-publications.com).
• Do you have another book coming out soon? If so, when? In October, Thicker Than Water , a collaborated work that I undertook along with two other BET authors, will hit bookstores everywhere. This is a book that consists of three separate stories, all of which deal with family secrets, troubles and other issues. My contribution is titled A Gracious Thanksgiving and it surrounds the life of DJ Griffin, a young pastor who finds himself unable to shake strong desires to protect and shadow one of his church's newest and prettiest members. The problem lies in the fact that DJ is a happily married man – or at least he was until Shandi walks into his life and turns his world upside down.
• Who is your target audience? Describe your goal when trying to reach your audience. Quite honestly, my target audience is the general reading public. Although I write Christian fiction, I don't aim to have my books confined to “church folks”. My books are my ministry and God said He would make the whole world my pulpit. The stories I tell aren't preachy in nature, but there is a lesson to be learned with all of the issues that I tackle in them. I want everyone to read and embrace the stories I write. From the young reader to those who are advanced in age – I want them all to be blessed and entertained by my novels.
• Did you self-publish in the beginning of your writing career or did you go with a royalty publisher? As is the case with most writers, I began self-published. Not by choice, mind you. I tried to get a publisher, but after getting several rejection notices, I moved forward with self-publishing and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. For Love & Grace was originally self-published in 2002 and for a solid year I pounded the pavement and did everything on my own. It was re-released in 2004 after being picked up by BET as a part of a three-book deal.
• Would you recommend self-publishing to an author who is trying to break into the field of writing? If so, why? I'm definitely an advocate for self-publishing. I think it teaches writers a lot of necessary things about the publishing industry that they probably won't find out if they are contracted from the beginning. Self-publishing forces authors to learn the ins and outs of the industry and in the long run I think it also gives the writer a higher level of appreciation for what he or she does. I also believe the self-publishing process humbles us in a way that even if/when we become contracted though the “big houses”, the roots and hard work that it took to get there are never forgotten.
• Of all the books you've written, which is your favorite and why? Denzel Washington once said, “My favorite movie is always my next one.” It was his way of saying that each role he plays, he tries to make it better than the one before. It's a reminder to never get to the point where you believe you've reached your best. Instead, let that be a level that you're always striving for. That's the way I feel about my novels. I want my favorite one to be my next one…whatever that one may be. I can say this, though. My favorite characters to create were the ones in my BET “Grace Series”. The characters in For Love & Grace and Because of Grace and More Than Grace , which releases in 2006 are a group of people that I fell in love with, despite the fact that they were fictional. Maybe the reason is as simple as they are the characters in the first book I ever published. I don't know. But for whatever reason, although the series ends with More Than Grace , I think those characters will live with me forever.