Love’s Journey Home (47 page)

Losing myself in that fictitious world. Walking around the house while two characters
are conversing in my head. Running to my desk from the shower or the treadmill to
jot down the lines that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I’m in the middle of a manuscript
right now in which the words seem to pour out faster than I can write them down. It’s
the best feeling and it brings great joy to my life. It’s a gift from God and I thank
Him for it every day.

What is your writing style? (Do you outline? Write “by the seat of your pants?” Or
somewhere in between?)

I’m totally an organic writer. Because I have so little time to write, I want to use
it to get the story written. I find if I stop to outline I lose the momentum and the
creative fire that feeds it. It’s not any fun anymore—it’s like a class assignment.
I’ve written synopses for proposals in the past, but invariably the story veers off
in another direction and I have to rewrite them afterwards. Being out there without
a road map is half the fun—scary but exhilarating.

What other new projects do you have on the horizon?

I’m beginning a three-book spin-off series called the New Hope Amish. Readers will
recognize some of the characters as several families from Bliss Creek will pick up
and move to Missouri to make a new start. It’s been so much fun because I still get
to visit my Bliss Creek folks but also add some new characters and plop them down
in a new setting.

What message would you like your readers to take from the Bliss Creek Amish series?

Don’t lose faith. It would be easy to do in this broken world, but God is in control.
Love each other. Help each other at the beginning, middle, and end of each day. Count
your blessings.

What do you do to get away from it all?

Usually, my husband and I rent a condo in Port Aransas on the Gulf of Mexico for a
few days in the summer, but next year, on February 14, we’re celebrating our twenty-fifth
wedding anniversary by taking a week-long trip to Hawaii. I’m counting the days!

Finally, my thanks to the folks at Harvest House for taking a chance on a new writer
(especially Kim Moore, who offered me a contract for
To Love and to Cherish
before I finished writing it) and doing such a tremendous job producing and marketing
these books. And my thanks to the readers who have responded with encouraging and
kind notes. Writing these books and having them published is a dream come true, and
I cherish it every day.

About the Publisher

To learn more about books by Kelly Irvin or to read sample chapters, log on to our
website:

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON