Author Kathryn "Katie" Cushman is a graduate of Samford University with a degree in pharmacy. She is the author of five novels, including Leaving Yesterday and A Promise to Remember, which were both finalists for the Carol Award in Women's Fiction. She is also the co-author of Angel Song with Sheila Walsh. Kathryn and her family currently live in Santa Barbara, California.
How has your upbringing influenced your writing?
I was raised in the rural south. I grew up surrounded by storytellers— which to me is one of the great things about the south. I've loved "story" for as long as I can remember.
When and why did you begin writing?
All my life I had known that I wanted to write "some day". When my husband's uncle (who I adored!) was diagnosed with terminal cancer, I begin thinking about what a diagnosis like that would mean for me, and what I would regret. Other than the fact that I obviously didn't want to leave my family, the thing that really stuck out was that I would regret never attempting to do the one thing I'd always wanted to do. I began praying about it and soon after received confirmation that it was time for me to give it a go.
When did you first know you could be a writer?
When I first started writing I knew that the chances of getting published were slim, but I believed that I was supposed to be writing, whether or not I was ever published. So, I think I really became a writer the day I started writing. I started getting some positive feedback from conferences and contests, which boosted my confidence that maybe I could break in to the business. Honestly, though, I didn't know I could be a published writer until the day I got my first contract offer.
What genre are you most comfortable writing?
I like women's fiction. My writing style tends to make for quick reading, but I ALWAYS want my stories to have a deeper meaning.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
I'm currently in the first draft of a story about a young woman whose father has just died in a car accident. Upon going through his paperwork, she realizes that the mother and siblings that she had been told had died in a fire over twenty years ago, are still alive. The book is her journey to figure out what happened and why. I doesn't have a title yet.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I think a lot of us tend to believe that when God calls us to something, His "blessing" means it will be easy—but that is not always the case. In Chasing Hope, I use the Children of Israel as a parallel, but I could just have readily used the disciples and the hardships they faced. Sometimes, being called means remaining faithful in spite of extreme difficulty.
How much of the book is realistic?
Pretty much all of it. Sabrina, the main character, suffers from some of the same medical issues as my daughter. Every bit of her experiences were pulled from my own family. For the running part of the book, I actually took up running as research. I enjoy exercise, but do not enjoy running. That part was a challenge!
What books have most influenced your life?
20 years ago I read a book called, "The Revelation" by Jean Grant. I'd been raised in church all my life, but after reading that book, God was more real to me than He had ever been. That's when I knew I wanted to write Christian fiction, not just fiction.
What contributes to making a writer successful?
Persistance. Willingness to take critique seriously. Great friends who are willing to help get out the word about a new book. Did I mention persistence?
When you wish to end your career, stop writing, and look back on your life, what thoughts would you like to have?
I want to know that my books made people think, re-evaluate, or consider things in a new way.
Chasing Hope by Kathryn Cushman A Personal Drama of Shattered Dreams and Second Chances A talented runner fully committed to Olympic dreams, Sabrina Rice's future was shattered by a devastating diagnosis. One forfeited scholarship and several years later, she has new goals and dreams that have nothing to do with running--something that's become far too painful to think on. Until the day she sees Brandy Philip running across the community college campus, easily outpacing security. Sabrina immediately recognizes world-class speed, and it's all the more painful that it belongs to a teenage graffiti artist. When a chance encounter brings the two young women together, Sabrina becomes Brandy's best hope for staying out of juvenile hall. Soon, Sabrina begins to feel an uncomfortable nudge that her new life is just about to be toppled...that God may be calling her to minister to this talented but troubled girl.
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