Featured Interview With Carol Amon and Lawrence Kemp McGehe
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I am proud to say I’m a Southern girl from Columbus, Georgia and Larry is a mid-westerner from Dubuque, Iowa, transplanted to Illinois. We were married in 1978 and have combined our careers and life experiences to bring a unique blend to our writing. We love to travel and have visited all seven continents and all fifty states, connecting with individuals across the world. We also enjoy mentoring young adults, whom we fondly identify as our “children.” Our only “child,” Casey, was a delightful, smart, and loving cocker spaniel, who we enjoyed for 14 years and still enjoy in our memories.
When asked about our greatest honors, we brag on each other: Carol was the recipient of Presidential Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics, which led to a meeting with President George H. W. Bush at the White House. Larry was named an All-American Softball player who pitched his team to third in the nation. He also served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam era.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
We both grew up with amazing mothers who read to us from our earliest memories. We memorized books to the point that people thought we could read at age three! I had a poem published in college, but both of us first wrote primarily for professional journals and magazines. The journey of writing our first novel began in the early 2000s.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Liz Curtis Higgs, Francine Rivers, Melanie Dobson, Brock and Bodie Thoene, Elizabeth Musser, Tom Clancy
Tell us a little about your latest book?
In Search of My Heart, the first book of the In Search series, is a story told by Miriam, a young Jewish girl, who grows up in first-century Israel in the loving home of her strict religious family. Her fellow Jews bustle throughout their small village with a zest for life, but also with a clear disdain for the Roman soldiers who occupy their town. Miriam has definite views regarding her life and a strong desire for adventure in the world beyond her village.
Her life and expectations are shattered when she experiences tragedy at a young age. Bitterness and disillusionment replace the joy she has always known. Through a series of events interwoven with biblical accounts, Miriam is catapulted into the lives of scriptural women who have encountered the Messiah. Compelled by her curious nature, Miriam joins the women traveling with Jesus. Her long-held beliefs are challenged. Doubts, trials, and pain attack her attempts at faith. She questions whether Jesus could be who he says he is. She wonders if she can trust those who have been touched by him and more importantly, whether she can trust herself.
We get a glimpse at this time in Jewish history through the eyes, emotions, and thoughts of this intriguing young woman. Miriam helps us see ourselves in these ageless, yet very personal issues.
Some readers will be interested in reading this book to learn the history of this time and place and become more familiar with the geography of Israel and surrounding areas during the time of Jesus. For those readers, we provide an extensive body of notes and three different maps at the end of the book. Other readers may be more interested in the biblical context of the story’s events. In Search of My Heart has plenty of intrigue and a few surprises along the way.
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