In September 2002 I attended my first American Christian Fictions Writers Conference. At that time the group had a few hundred members and was known as American Christian Romance Writers. We met in Kansas City, and I felt so out of my element – surrounded by unpublished and multi-published authors that seemed perfectly at ease – the exact opposite of what I was feeling. All I wanted to do that first night was to hop on a plane and fly home. I didn’t belong there. Certainly God had other plans for me.

The next morning, after a rough night of wrestling with God, I met Kim Vogel Sawyer near the elevators. Kim was feeling a lot like I was, and if she could have driven home that previous night, she agreed she would have done it too. Instead, we both stayed and gave God a chance to teach us what He’d brought us there to learn. Kim has continued to be one of the kindest, sweetest people I’ve ever met – and now she is an ultra talented, multi-published author herself! Who would have thought? But with God all things are possible.

A Kansas native, Kim is wife to military-hubby Don, mother of three girls, and the doting grandmother of four. She adores “c” words like cats, chocolate, children, and church, and she never goes a day without singing. Active in her local church, Kim teaches adult Sunday school and participates in both voice and bell choirs. When she ventures out for speaking engagements, she leaves an hour earlier than Google maps recommends–because she always gets lost. In her spare time, Kim enjoys quilting, calligraphy, and participating in community theater.

In June 2006 her first two books, Dear John with Barbour’s Heartsong Presents line and award-winning Waiting for Summer’s Return from Bethany House Publishers released. Since then Kim has nine more contracted books with both Barbour and Bethany. I read Waiting for Summer’s Return and have to say that Kim did a wonderful job with the story. She’s been compared to Janette Oke, with her simpler, gentle style, and the prairie romance in this story was well done and an enjoyable read.

Her two latest releases are as follows:

Where Willows Grow (Bethany House historical)

The drought and Depression have stolen nearly everything of value from Harley and Anna Mae Phipps–but will it also steal Anna’s faith?

Backcover copy: Her heart aches for his return… but is the distance between them measured by more than miles?
Anna Mae isn’t sure her husband is being completely honest about his job with the Works Progress Administration. They’re building a castle? In Kansas? Harley promised he’d be at the worksite only long enough to earn enough cash to keep their farm. But the money hasn’t arrived, and Anna Mae fears Harley may be gone for good.
Harley Phipps has never been a man in need of luxuries, but he wants to do right by his wife and two little girls. He was about to lose all he’d worked for if he didn’t do something—there was no way he could pass up the government job, even if it meant leaving his family for a while. Anna Mae was awful mad when he sold the mules, packed his bag, and headed out. If only she’d send him a short note to let him know she and the girls are all right…

Where the Willows Grow is also available at Amazon, Christian Book Distributors, or Barnes & Noble.

Bygones (Barbour contemporary)

Backcover copy: Widower Marie Koeppler and her grown daughter Beth reluctantly return to the Mennonite community Marie abandoned twenty-three years ago. Soon after their arrival in Sommerfeld, a series of mysterious thefts raises the community’s suspicions against the “outsiders.” Can Marie prove their innocence, or will she be forced to flee once more? Henry Braun thought he’d gotten his love for Marie out of his system, but soon begins to wonder if she’s stolen more than his heart. When it’s all said and done, can Henry and Marie let bygones be bygones, or has their love been doomed from the start?

Bygones is also available at Christian Book Distributors and Barnes & Noble.

Kim has contributed to five books compiled by other authors, and is the self-published author of the Mt. Lake Series loosely based on her family’s history.

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

Kim: I can’t ever remember a time I wasn’t fascinated by words and stories. I told my kindergarten teacher that people would check out my books in the library someday–it’s just always been a part of who I am.

Jill: Tell me a bit about what you write now and what you hope to write in the future.

Kim: Right now I’m writing historical stand-alones for Bethany House and contemporary women’s fiction series with a Mennonite setting for Barbour. All of my stories tend to have a romantic thread, but I wouldn’t call them “straight romance.” I’ve always loved historicals and seen myself as a an historical writer, but I’m willing to develop the seeds God plants in my heart, whether than involves a contemporary or historical setting.

Jill: If and when did you realize your writing was a calling?

Kim: Because I’ve always written–as a means of taking brief escapes from reality, expelling emotion, or simply entertaining myself–it took awhile for me to make that connection. It probably hit home after I self-published my first book and I started receiving reader feedback. The story touched something in women who carried scars from abusive situations and helped lead them toward healing. I knew that wasn’t me–that was God working through the story. I began seeing my writing as a means of ministering. My prayer is that each story will connect with the reader who needs it–and God knows who that reader is.

Jill: What means did God use to confirm in your heart that this is exactly what He has prepared for you to do for Him?

Kim: Well, it’s kind of strange, really. I first had to give up “my” writing before God made clear I was to do “His” writing. God brought physical and emotional healing to me at a writer’s conference. After that miraculous touch, I truly believed He had put me on the writing pathway so I could be at the place, at that time, to receive His healing. I was fully prepared to quit writing at that point–I thought His will had been done–and I was fine with it. If you could take either healing from a life-long burden of shame and pain or a writing contract, would anyone choose the contract? But a few months later, He instructed me to close the door on my classroom. I stepped out in faith, and He threw wide the door to publication. That told me clearly: I had been healed to write. So…I write.

Jill: 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?

Kim: Only one? Writing has been an amazing journey, and He’s used it in soooo many ways for my good. I suppose the most recent conflict came in the middle of my third historical for Bethany House. The story revolves around three orphan train riders, and the story has deep meaning for me because my step-grandma, who I loved dearly, was an orphan train rider. So in my head, I started writing this story for her. And the flow just disappeared. I battled to put words on a page. The frustration was acute–what was I doing wrong? And then He reminded me–I’m not supposed to be writing for Tantie, I’m supposed to be writing for God. When I put my focus back on Him, the flow returned. Jesus came for one purpose: to be about His Father’s business. That’s what I’m trying to do, too–my Father’s business for me.

Jill: 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?

Kim: When I hear from readers that a story has touched them in some way…wow. I can’t describe what that does for me. One woman who read Waiting for Summer’s Return told me the spiritual lessons helped lead her toward healing after losing her husband; a reader of Dear John indicated she finally accepted her life had purpose after reading the story. (She didn’t have Down syndrome, but a physical abnormality that made her feel “less than acceptable.”) Those kinds of things let me know God is at work behind the scenes, guiding the characters, and using them to impact hearts. That’s very humbling.

Jill: 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?

Kim: I guess probably most writers have figured out writing and speaking fit together. People assume if you can write words on a page, you are capable of delivering words verbally. Consequently, a speaking ministry has taken wing. Brandilyn Collins, who prayed for my healing, told me later in an email that God healed me to give me a platform for reaching others who carried a similar burden of shame. I’ve found that to be true. Each time I’ve been invited to speak as a “guest author,” and I share my testimony of healing, there is someone in the audience who feels God’s touch. I would never have chosen a speaking ministry–I don’t like being up in front of people–yet each time I speak, I literally feel empowered by the Holy Spirit. I know I grow with each experience, and I also know God uses me to bring growth to someone else. That’s a pretty awesome privilege.

I hope you enjoyed this interview with Kim Vogel Sawyer. Please check out her website and her books. If you like gentle stories of hope, you won’t be disappointed!

Thanks Kim, for joining us this month on Spotlight!