California native Kristina Kilbourne* has taken a life-long love of reading and books and transformed it into her own literary series. Her first book SHADOWS OF TRUTH is a tale of love, lies and deception that culminate in death and the revealing of secrets. The author spoke with Conversations' Cyrus Webb about her upbringing with books, what guided her to writing and her advice for those who believe they have their own story to tell.
Here is their conversation...
Kristina, when did you realize that you enjoyed books?
I have enjoyed books since I was a little girl. Every night my mom would read to me and I never wanted her to stop.
If I were to have visited you at home 5 years ago, what would I have found on your bookshelf?
The Bible first and foremost, but you would have seen Melody Carson¡¦s "Guitar Girl," "Stephanie Meyer¡¦s "Twilight," and Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins series "Left Behind, The Teen Series"
I should let our readers know that you are involved in other areas of entertainment as well. How important is it for you to find avenues to share your talents?
It is very important especially with my music and my plays. The Industry is in this "Do It Yourself" phase and whether you like it or not it is the best opportunity for an artist to have control over who they are and how they are portrayed. For me I like to find ways to incorporate my music, my books, and information about my plays within the same venue or event. If you don¡¦t find avenue¡¦s to be heard then you won¡¦t be.
For many writers the idea for their first book comes from things they have heard about or personally experienced. What about you? How did Shadows of Truth come about?
Shadows of Truth came to me about two years ago. These characters kind of flooded my mind all at once. Honestly, I know that it was God birthing this great seven book series in me, because it was as if I was watching a movie as I was writing it out.
Were people close to you surprised that you were writing a book?
Some were but not my parents. I have been writing since I was a little girl probably just as long as I have been singing.
Writing for many is one thing, but sharing it with the public is sometimes a bigger challenge. How did you make the decision to publish your book?
It took me a while to put Shadows of Truth out because of the fear of sharing it but it got to the point when God had to sit me down and say "Your gifts and talents aren¡¦t about you. You are the vessel carrying them but they¡¦re for the people." I started to realize I was horting stuff that wasn¡¦t mine and that¡¦s pretty selfish so I just stepped out on faith and did it.
Kristina, there are some authors who enjoy the writing process but aren't as excited about the marketing and promotion involved in a book's success. How have you balanced the creative side of writing with the business side?
What a lot of authors don't understand is that they are really one in the same. No one will be a better promoter than the author. Its totally in our hands to set the tone for the promotion and what is great about being creative is it doesn¡¦t have to stop with the last page of a book. Its up to us and should be fun for us to find creative ways to make our books come alive through promotion.
What do you hope people take away from your debut novel?
I hope that people can see a piece of themselves in Shadows of Truth, I hope they laugh, I hope they cry, I hope to inspire forgiveness and spark even the smallest amount of change. It was and is my continued prayer that readers are affected and infected by Shadows of Truth.
Any advice for those interested in getting into print or publishing in 2011?
Do it. If you have a voice that you want heard there is nothing more powerful then a pen and a piece of paper.
Thank you for your time, Kristina, and continued success to you. How can our readers find out more about you?
I am available on my website www.shadowsoftruth.info
* Kristina Kilbourne was also a guest on Conversations LIVE Radio with Cyrus Webb. Listen to her discussion about Shadows of Truth here: http://tobtr.com/s/1384313
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