Featured Interview With J.M. Kirkley
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I’m a Texas transplant, originally from Southern California. I still miss the San Gorgonio Mountains covered in snow and the cresting surf at Newport Beach, but my home is among the Pineywoods of East Texas. Here, I live with my spouse of 50+ years, where we raised our son and daughter.
I’m a late bloomer: I graduated college at 40, plowed through my master’s degree in counseling, and published my debut novel in my sixties. Proof that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams.
My life centers around my faith, our kids and grandkids, and listening to the stories of my clients, who inspire me.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
My fascination with books began as a young adult when I became an avid reader. First the enduring classics reeled me in, then the process of writing began to intrigue me. How authors craft an entire story.
I began putting pen to paper as our kids left home and the house became Too Quiet. Writing answered the question, what now?
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Choosing favorite authors is like an ice cream lover picking a favorite flavor of ice cream. It depends on my mood. Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte rate the top of my classics list.
My favorite genre is historical Christian fiction with at least a romance thread woven throughout. Favorite authors in that category include Roseanna M. White, Lisa Wingate, Tamera Alexander, Laura Frantz, Sarah E Ladd, and Michelle Griep.
All these authors inspire me in my writing.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
A Writing Upon the Sand is a page-turning tale, seen through the eyes of the protagonist, Emily Cleburne, who returns to the place that spawned her nightmares. The scene of the deadliest natural disaster in US history, the 1900 Great Storm of Galveston. It’s taken her a quarter of a century to face her fears and her deepest secret. At last, she allows the memories of that year to flow. Despite surviving the worst of times, she experiences love with a happily ever after ending.
The book took me more than 20 years to research and write, as it weaves in events leading up to and after the 1900 Great Storm. I wove in historical people, like Clara Barton and R.C. Buckner, who aided in the relief effort.
“Draped in southern charm, cloaked in mystery and belted in real tragic history, J.M. Kirkley’s, A Writing Upon the Sand is a prize Christian Historical Romance debut.” Iris Fuller for Artisan Book Reviews
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