Kathleen Y’Barbo called me on the phone in 2001 to tell me that Michal had taken 4th place in the Lone Star Writing Competition! I still have the certificate mentioning that placement on my office wall, and still remember how delightful Kathleen was to talk to! I loved her Texas accent. :) We’ve had a few other conversations since that first day, and now she is the publicist for Books & Such Literary Agency, with whom I’m also affiliated.

Kathleen Y’Barbo first discovered her love of books when, at the age of four, she stumbled upon Granny Simpson’s set of World Book Encyclopedias. Letters became words, and words became stories of far-away places and interesting people.

As she grew up, Kathleen learned that her love of story could carry her off to places far beyond her small Texas Gulf Coast town. Soon she hit the road for real, earning a degree in Marketing from Texas A&M before setting off to such exotic destinations as Jakarta, Tokyo, Bali, Sydney, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Eventually, the road led back to Texas and a career in writing. Within a decade, Kathleen became a best-selling author of more than thirty award-winning novels, novellas, and young adult books. In all, more than 850,000 copies of her books are currently in print in the US and abroad. Soon Kathleen will be adding nonfiction books to her credits as well.

In addition to her work as an author, Kathleen is the exclusive publicist for Books & Such Literary Agency. Thus, the girl who only dreamed of books, now writes them herself, and tells the world about other authors.

Kathleen is a member of the Authors Guild, Advance Writers and Speakers Association, American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Words For the Journey Christian Writers Guild, and the Public Relations Society of America. She holds a BBA from Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School, as well as a certification in Paralegal Studies. A tenth-generation Texan, Kathleen Y’Barbo has a daughter and three sons.

Kathleen’s latest book The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper has an awesome cover and looks like a fun book I need to read!

Here’s the blurb:

Gilded Age romance collides with Wild West adventure! New York socialite Eugenia Cooper longs to enjoy one last escapade before she marries banker Chandler Dodd.

Opportunity knocks, and she heads for rough-and-tumble Colorado. When she takes the job as governess for silver baron Daniel Beck’s daughter, she wonders where her future lies. With Chandler—or with Daniel?

The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper is available at:
Amazon
CBD
Barnes & Noble

When and how did you know that you wanted to be a writer?

I knew from a very young age -4 or 5 – that I loved books. But I was from a tiny town on the Texas Gulf Coast and had no thoughts of ever writing anything that I would be willing to share with anyone. Through junior high and high school, I filled scores of spiral notebooks full of poems and stories then hid them away. I convinced myself a history major could never make a living and got my decree in business. It wasn’t until my dad passed away unexpectedly at the age of 58 that I began slowly to realize I should make a serious attempt at writing. Seven years after that, my first book was published, and I dedicated it to him.

Can you share with me some of the highlights of your writing journey – something particularly memorable or humorous?

An ongoing highlight of the writing business is getting to meet readers and other authors. People whose books sat on my keeper shelf years ago are now my friends. Readers are so much fun. One particularly memorable encounter with a reader happened not at my own book signing but at a friend’s event that I was attending for moral support. A man came over with his son who was probably 6 or 7. He pointed to my friend and said (insert Texas accent here), “That there’s a real arthur, son. Take a good look.” Then, with a straight face, he went on to tell her, “I read a book once. They made me.”

Tell me a bit about what you write now and what you hope/plan to write in the future. Do you have a favorite genre?

I write fiction with the occasional nonfiction book thrown in. I love writing historical romances but occasionally I get the urge to do a contemporary. Someday maybe I’ll do a women’s fiction, though I’m sure as soon as my agent hears about that she’ll be shaking her head.

Do you consider your writing the work God has given you to do for a lifetime or for a season of your life? If you could pursue anything else, what would it be?

I think anything God gives you is for a season. Sometimes that season is a lifetime, and sometimes it is not. If I could pursue anything else, it would be a job as a suntan lotion tester in the Florida Keys. As the Lord has not yet provided the calling or the body for that, I’m going to keep writing!

Are there people in your life who encouraged you, who are responsible for you becoming a published author?

Oh yes! My kids are great encouragers, though as far as I know only one of my children has read any of my books all the way through (Bless you, Jacob!). DiAnn Mills gave me my start by taking me under her wing and offering not only a wonderful long-term friendship but also the chance to get published.

Can you share one struggle that entered your life as a result of writing and how God helped you to overcome it, to make you more like Christ?

Sometimes life just doesn’t cooperate, even when you’re on deadline. I’ve had so many times when I’ve had to make choices based on what was good for my writing over what I wanted to be doing. Knowing I am where God wants me to be has helped me to lean on Him when I’m writing even though I don’t feel like it.

Likewise, is there a particular joy in this writing business/ministry that God has used to remind you that He is, in fact, using your words to His glory?

I get so many great letters from readers. Some are heart warming, others heart-wrenching. But each time I realize someone cared enough to let me know that my book touched them, I’m truly humbled.

Has writing opened opportunities for you to give your testimony and witness for Christ or minister to fellow believers? If so, can you give one example?

There are several ladies who, though they are not believers, never miss the chance to read my books. It’s exciting to know that fiction is taking the gospel where it might not have gone.

Coming in Summer 2010 from Waterbrook is Anna Finch and the Hired Gun.

To learn more about Kathleen and her many other writings, visit her website or the Books & Such blog.

Thanks Kathleen, for joining us this month on Spotlight!