As I scroll through Facebook and see friends building a snowman on vacation up north, we sit here in Florida sweltering in ninety degree heat with a heat index of one hundred...in OCTOBER! (Remind me why I live in Florida again?) So, as we skip fall and plow ahead with an extension of summer, I want to welcome my next guest to the Florida front porch, author Kathy Rouser!
Kathy, pull up a chair, grab some iced tea, and give us a quick bio of who Kathy Rouser is?
I’m Kathleen Rouser, writer of inspirational historical romance. Most
importantly, I’m in the grip of Jesus’ life changing grace and mercy. I’m
grateful to be a wife to Jack and mother to Matthew, Leslie, and Jesse. I’m
also a fan of the three Cs–cats, coffee, and chocolate.
Before you ever got a notion of
becoming a writer/author, how old were you, and what were you doing in that
time of your life?
Before
I wanted to be a writer I was sitting next to my mom while she read to me,
taking naps, and sucking my thumb. Seriously! I wanted to be a writer from the
time I was about four-years-old and before I could read. My friend, Laurie,
and I would make up adventures to play together and I loved hearing the stories
my mother read aloud. I was enchanted by picture books. I memorized a book
called My Own Little House and would
“read” it to anyone who would listen. I couldn’t wait until I learned to read
and write. I wanted to write and illustrate my own books when I grew up.
Of
course, dreams wax and wane as you grow and change. For quite a few years my
passion was art. When I was in high school I focused on drawing and painting.
But then I was on the school newspaper and bit by the writing bug again. I had
my first magazine article published when I was 20. A friend of mine’s mom owned
a travel magazine and was looking for an article on travel in space in the
future. She liked what I wrote and published it.
When
I was 21, I had my oldest son and focused mainly on raising the kids and
homeschooling for the next 15 years as my husband was often gone on business.
There were little writing projects here and there, but it wasn’t until the late
90s that I decided to seriously pursue fiction writing.
"Dreams wax and wane." You said it. So, what educational background do
you have?
I
went to a small parochial high school in the Detroit area. It was called Shrine
High School and affiliated with Shrine of the Little Flower (St. Therese) Roman
Catholic church, which is now a national shrine.
For
my first two years of college I attended Michigan State University which had
one of the highest-rated communications programs in the country. I thought it
gave me lots of options to use my writing skills and I toyed with going into a
public relations career. Then along came unexpected love, marriage, and
children.
It
wasn’t until my children were grown that I decided to go back to school for
health care—twice. The first time I earned a liberal arts degree at Oakland
Community College, along with a small amount of training in ophthalmic
assisting—too little it turned out to land a job. Soon I was back in school. I
earned an associate of applied science in dental assisting at Washtenaw
Community College, the best accredited dental assistant program in Michigan. I earned
two certifications. I worked in a contract job for a year and then did some
temp work, but it became clear to me that wasn’t where the Lord wanted me to
stay. Plus, the long hours were hard on me physically. I’m happily home much of
the time and able to spend more time on writing now.
Small world. My wife is from Michigan. Lived in the Detroit/Pontiac/Auburn Hills area growing up. She wanted to move back to Michigan and be a dentist when we first met. And I think her mother attended Oakland CC. You've already stated you are married and have children. Anything you wish to tell us about your family?
I’ve
been married to my wonderfully supportive husband, Jack, for 36 years this
December. We have three grown children scattered around the country.
I’m going to give you a shotgun
list of favorites. List your favorite in each category and then tell us in one
sentence why it is your favorite.
Favorite
Food:
Mint-chocolate chip ice cream—the marriage of creamy mint ice cream and dark
chocolate. Need I say more?
Favorite
Drink:
A mocha latte. I love coffee. Add chocolate and it’s even better.
Favorite
Song:
Contemporary Christian: “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” Hymn: “Be Thou My
Vision”—Both beautiful worship songs that speak to my heart.
Favorite
Non-Fiction Book (other than your own & besides the Bible): At the
moment, Finding God’s Blessings in
Brokenness, by Charles F. Stanley. Reading this was the beginning of
healing for me this past year as I waded through a grieving process.
Favorite
Bible Verse:
Lamentations 3:22-23 - It is of the Lord's mercies
that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every
morning: great is thy faithfulness.
Favorite
Movie:
While You Were Sleeping – It’s the
quintessential romance and I love the humor
Favorite
Actor or Actress: I don’t really have one. There are so many good ones
out there.
Favorite
Novel (other than your own): Pride
and Prejudice. Not very original of me, I know, but I appreciate Jane
Austen’s wit and it was one of the original romance novels.
Favorite
Novelist (other than you): It’s a toss-up between Jane Austen and
Jan Karon. They’ve both inspired me in different ways and I just like to read
their books more than once!
Favorite
Sport:
Maybe ice skating because of the gracefulness of it, but I’m really not a sports
person at all.
Favorite
Team (Can be any sport, any level): Goes with the last question—not a
sports person. Although I’ll root for the MSU Spartans over the U-M Wolverines.
(This past weekend must have been wonderful.)
Favorite
Subject in School Growing Up: Probably English/Language Arts. I loved
reading stories and understanding how the parts of grammar work and learning
new words. Definitely weird, I know!
Favorite
Subject Now:
As in school subject? Or topic of conversation? (Good question.)
Favorite
Teacher in School: Mrs. Williams, my third-grade teacher. I wish I
could find her and tell her what a encouragement she was to me. She was the
first teacher to encourage my writing and she was always kind to me.
Favorite
Time of the Year: Autumn. I love that it’s not as hot anymore
(usually, this year being an exception) and not too cold. Plus, the fall colors
are beautiful. I also loved starting a new school year full of possibilities,
whether as a student or a homeschooling mom.
Favorite
Place to Vacation: I love northern Michigan, but I must say the nicest
place I ever vacationed is Hawaii. Northern Michigan is a lot more doable
though. It’s only a few hours away and has some of the best scenery ever with
its lakes and trees.
If you had one person you could
meet (think outside the Bible here) and could spend as much time as you wanted
with that individual, who would it be?
There
are plenty of people that would be a lot of fun to meet. Growing up, I always
admired Louisa May Alcott as Little Women was a favorite book of
mine. I’d like to talk to her about what it was like to be a woman writer in 19th
century America and more about her stories behind her stories, which I love.
If you had one person you could
meet (think ONLY Bible characters here) and could spend as much time as you
wanted with that individual, who would it be besides Jesus?
First
I was going to say Daniel, because of how steadfast he was in his faith, to ask
him how he trusted God the way he did, but then I was thinking how wonderful it
would be to talk to Mary,
the
mother of Jesus. It would be so interesting to hear more about Jesus’ life on
earth, what it was like growing up in His earthly family, some of the mundane
everyday things, and just to get her perspective on how things happened. I’m
wondering if it would make me feel even closer to Jesus, or to feel like I know
Him even better.
Besides the usual things authors
face, has there been an unusual event that changed your perspective about being
an author?
My
experience of feeling as though I’d been going through a spiritual wilderness
this last year really sharpened my focus. I’d been going through (and continue
to) a grief of sorts over lost relationships that made me feel far away from
the Lord. I kept waiting, listening, and grabbing any crumb of hope He gave me
until I saw Jesus in a new light and my faith was renewed. During that whole period
I was working on rewrites for Secrets and
Wishes. As I pushed my way through, begging God for strength and energy I
learned that even when the way isn’t easy, if He’s given you a job to do, He’ll
make a way for you to do it. So even when writing feels overwhelming or
impossible it’s important to keep putting one foot in front of the other,
metaphorically speaking, and take the next step in obedience. It’s not time to
give up. I felt empty, but He made a way. And He’s been with me through it all.
Why do you live where you live?
My
husband and I grew up in the Detroit area. We’re lifelong Michiganders. When
his office moved farther away from the city and the drive got to be a bit much,
we decided to move to a small town in a semi-rural area, though it’s gotten
more built up over the last few years. The drive has been better for Jack and
we enjoy the beautiful scenery, the winding roads, and lakes. It’s seems more
peaceful and we have a little more room out here. We love it!
We know “Readers are leaders,
and leaders are readers.” Is there a book you’ve read in the past five years or
so that has helped you become a better you? If so, which one was it, and how
did it affect your life?
Probably
Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy by
Nancy Leigh DeMoss. A dear friend of mine wanted to use this book as a Bible
study we would do together last winter/spring. I wasn’t so sure I was feeling
very thankful for anything at the time of being in the wilderness, but the Lord
eventually softened my heart. Going through this book and learning to make
thankfulness a regular practice instead of finding the negative in everything
definitely helped me change my perspective. I did the journaling activities
along with reading the book and it had a profound effect on my heart attitude.
I should probably go through it every year!
What Bible scripture has impacted
your life the most, and why?
I
was listening to John MacArthur on the radio one day talking about Jesus’ death
and resurrection around Easter time many years ago. As he taught that Jesus had
died once and for all for all of our sins and rose again, he also quoted John
10:28: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall
never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. He talked about how salvation was
all Jesus’ work and not by our good works. Even though I had thought I
committed my life to Christ I was sure that since I wasn’t living for Him the
way I should I was no longer worthy of being saved. Hearing John 10:28 lifted a
burden from me! From that day forward my whole life changed, knowing He keeps
me in the palm of His hand.
Is there anything else you’d
like to share with our readers about you, or anything we didn’t cover?
I
enjoy making jewelry and knitting, basically creating new things with my hands
I guess. I’m thankful to have the privilege of teaching children at our local
Community Bible Study.
And
I wouldn’t mind trying writing in another genre such as YA speculative someday.
For now I’m pleased to be able to share my stories about the fictional
characters of Stone Creek, Michigan at the turn of the last century and
grateful to work with LPC Books.
Kathy, it's been a pleasure having you stop by and share some interesting and personal thoughts with our readers.
Readers, if you wish to connect with Kathy, here are some ways:
Until next time, may God bless you all, and may you all bless God!
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Book 1
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Book 2
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