Interview and Book Give Away with Kathi Macias

Imagine the horror of being told your mother has been murdered. Now imagine discovering your son committed the crime. That's the premise of Kathi Macias' latest novel, My Son, John.
I'm honored to have Kathi with me today as she shares her writing wisdom with us. Don't forget to leave a comment and you'll be in the drawing for a free copy of her book!

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 30 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. She is a popular speaker at churches, women's clubs and retreats, and writers' conferences, and recently won the prestigious 2008 member of the year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) at the annual Golden Scrolls award banquet. Kathi "Easy Writer" Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al, where the two of them spend their free time riding their Harley.

Vonda: Welcome, Kathi. I just finished reading your latest novel, My Son John, and was intrigued by the concept. Tell us about that.

Kathi: My Son, John (Sheaf House, 2009) was twenty years in the research/writing/publishing stage. I first thought of it in a slightly different context, when AIDS was just beginning to be talked about here in this country. The original story was to be about a young man who gets AIDS, and it would be his family's first revelation of his homosexual lifestyle. The message was the same then as it is now, with the need for unconditional love and forgiveness running throughout the story. However, I was unable to find a publisher. Christian publishers thought it was too edgy, while secular publishers thought it was too religious. When I got it out and dusted it off a couple of years ago, my publisher and I agreed it needed a "facelift." We maintained the thread/theme of unconditional love and forgiveness, but the story changed to a woman whose mother is murdered-and then her son is arrested for the crime. My many years of serving in jail and prison ministries had a great impact on the telling of the story.

Vonda: People always ask me this question, so I'll ask you: Where do you get the ideas for your novels?

Kathi: I have tons of ideas; the problem is deciding which are worth pursuing. Some stand the test of time and prayer; others don't, and that's all right. With My Son, John, the desire to tell the basic story never left me, but the details of the story got tweaked over the years. I usually have a starting point and a desired end, but sometimes the "in between" gets changed around a bit.

Vonda: Tell us how you come up with characters for your books.

Kathi: All my stories are character-driven, meaning that the storyline unfolds through their lives. Some authors write plot-driven stories, adding characters to make the plot happen. Characters are paramount to my stories, as I want my readers to identify with them, to care what happens to them, to feel what they feel and think what they think, to the point that they nearly experience what they experience. My experience in drama classes helps me develop three-dimensional characters that breathe; I spend a lot of time on that aspect of my books. If the characters aren't believable to me, they won't be to others either.

Vonda: With which character do you identify most and why?

Kathi: Though I've never had to go through what Liz experiences in My Son, John, I relate most to her, as I know what it's like to pray for a prodigal and, at times, to despair that he/she will ever return to the fold. A mother's heart is fertile fodder for all sorts of writing!

Vonda: How did you get involved in writing?

Kathi: I've always been a dyed-in-the-wool bookworm. Put words in front of me-whether on a book page, a newspaper, or a cereal box-and I start reading them. I wrote a story in the third grade, and the teacher and principal liked it so well they turned it into a play for the PTA. I was hooked! I won lots of awards for my writing during junior/senior high, and when we were teenagers, I told my then boyfriend (now husband) that I was going to be a writer some day. It took several years to break into print, but it finally happened, and he still reminds me of that.

Vonda: Of the books you've written, which is your favorite and why?

Kathi: This is tough, because my favorite is usually whichever book I'm working on at the time. Seriously, though, of my books released to date, My Son, John is my favorite fiction work, and Beyond Me is my favorite nonfiction, though there are others that run close seconds in both categories. And the novel I completed earlier this year for early 2010 release, No Greater Love (set in South Africa), is dangerously close to displacing My Son, John as my favorite fiction accomplishment. Why? My Son, John and No Greater Love have such a deep, underlying message of self-sacrificing love; as a result, you can't help but see Jesus in the midst of them. As for Beyond Me, the subtitle says it all: Living a You-First Life in a Me-First World. Beyond-Me living is at the heart of everything I write/speak/teach/preach. It is, I believe, the life God has called us all as believers to model every day. As of January 1, 2010, we will officially be dba "Beyond Me Ministries."

Vonda: What are you currently writing?

Kathi: I just finished book two (More Than Conquerors, set in Mexico) and am working on book three of the "Extreme Devotion" series for New Hope Publishers (their first-ever venture into fiction), called Red Ink and set in China. It will follow on the heels of No Greater Love and More Than Conquerors; book four, People of the Book, takes place in Saudi Arabia. I also just completed working on a stand-alone historical novel with my co-author, Susan Wales, (First Allegiance, for Abingdon Press). All five of these novels will release between early 2010 and early 2011. I also have another fiction series following right behind those five, but they still need to be researched/written.

Vonda: Wow, God is truly blessing your efforts at this stage of your career! But I know the blessings came only after years of hard work. Do you have any words of encouragement for those who are still waiting for publication?

Kathi: Oh yes! For those of you just beginning on this awesome journey of writing, may I remind you that every successful venture begins with a tiny step of obedience--and in God's economy, no effort to serve Him is small. So take that first step and watch with joyous anticipation at how God will multiply it for His glory!

Vonda: Thank you, dear friend, for joining us today and giving us a peek into your writing journey. I know many will be encouraged by your story.

Now readers, don't forget to leave a comment for Kathi or me and you'll automatically be in the drawing for a free copy of My Son, John.

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The Writer's Workshop is Now Open! (And you can win a free class!)
Have you ever wished you could take my classes from the comfort of your own home? Well, now you can! The first class, Opportunities for Christian Writers, is now ready for download! Price includes MP3 download, handouts, and resources for writers.

And, to celebrate the grand opening of The Writer's Workshop, the first person to order a class will get a full rebate! If you're the first "class attendee" to sign up for a class, I'll send you a check for a full refund! (PayPal notifies me as orders come in.)

After ordering, the website will open to a download page for all the materials. Be sure to remember where you save them!

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There will be TWO winners this week! Don't forget to leave a comment and order your workshop--and you could win big this week!

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Thank you, my friends, for joining with me on this writing journey. It's an honor and a privilege to partner with you to bring worthy words to the world.

I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:3-6

I pray God's blessing on the work of your hands and your hearts,

Vonda