Kathy Harris and Free Books!

Tragedy, love, and secrets meet on a journey of faith.

Before we visit with today's author, I want to announce that the winner of the signed copy of Dark Alleys, by Lillian Duncan, is:

lizzielaura17@ . . .

Congratulations! I'll email you today to get your mailing address, and we'll get your book to you right away. I encourage readers to keep commenting and/or subscribe at right (above my list of books) in order to participate in future book give-aways!

Now let's visit with novelist Kathy Harris, author of The Road to Mercy (Abingdon Press, September 2012).

Kathy Harris is an author by way of a "divine detour" into the Nashville entertainment business.

After graduating with a Communications degree from Southern Illinois University, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to work with a well-known gospel music group. A few months later, The Oak Ridge Boys began their transition into country music, and Kathy had the opportunity to help build an entertainment empire from the ground up. Through the years, she’s been blessed to work with a number of other music artists in different capacities—from writing author bios to designing fan club merchandise catalogs.

About ten years ago, Kathy decided to pursue her childhood dream of writing novels. An active member of American Christian Fiction Writers and the publicity officer for her local writers group, she lives near Nashville with her husband and their two Shiloh Shepherd dogs. She regularly interviews literary and music guests on her blog at DivineDetour.com.

Please tell us five random things we might not know about you.

-- During high school and college, I sang with a semi-professional Southern Gospel music group.

-- Shortly before high school graduation, I considered a career in the FBI. After college, I considered returning to school for a law degree.

-- I enjoy cooking and experimenting with recipes and have entered (but never won) a number of recipe contests.

-- My husband and I actively pursued adoption for a while, until health issues intervened.

-- The prologue to The Road to Mercy was inspired by a childhood experience.

Such a varied background! Fascinating. 

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of The Road to Mercy.

Dr. Ben Abrams, rescued as an infant from a fiery crash that killed his family, turned his adversities into success but lost his heritage of faith. Fifty years later, Josh and Bethany Harrison face a difficult decision that also tests their faith. A rupture in Beth's carotid artery leaves her on the brink of death, even as she's pregnant with their first child. While Dr. Abrams urges her to abort the baby to save her own life, she and Josh step out on faith and
continue the pregnancy.

During the next few months, Josh, a Contemporary Christian singer, struggles with his faith while Beth hides a secret that may destroy their marriage. She also discovers a decades-old connection to Dr. Abrams that could change his life forever.

I love the cover, by the way.

What is it about Bethany that will make your readers care about her?

Bethany is hiding a secret sin from her past—never quite believing that God can forgive her. Never believing that she can fully forgive herself. Haven’t we all struggled with something similar, too often forgetting that God is bigger than our sin, no matter what it is?

Oh, you know it! I think we often spend a lot of time focusing on how we've disappointed God, rather than focusing on how amazing it is that He's already forgiven us.

If you were the casting director for the film version of your novel, who would play your lead roles?

Bethany Harrison - Kristen Ruhlin



Josh Harrison – Chris Hemsworth






Dr. Abrams – Oded Fehr



Alex Hayes – Nicole Kidman




Speaking of films, which novel would you like to see brought to film?

Tamara Leigh’s Stealing Adda. I love stories about writers—and this is one of the best!

What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?

I recently read and loved Lisa Wingate’s Blue Moon Bay. Her characters, her setting, and her description were very well drawn. Even the title is beautiful, don’t you think?

It sounds like somewhere I'd like to be!

What are you working on now?

I’m in the process of editing a romantic suspense manuscript I finished earlier this year. It’s a story I couldn’t get out of my head until I finally put it down on paper—even though I was supposed to be working on a different manuscript. ☺

Where else can readers find you online?

My author site is www.KathyHarrisBooks.com.
I hangout a lot at my blog, where I interview authors and music guests, www.DivineDetour.com.
You can also find me on Twitter at @DivineDetour.
Or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KathyHarrisAuthor. I would love to connect with readers there.

The book is available at fine book stores and for online purchase via the following buttons:




CBD.com

Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?

What fiction book you’ve read most affected your life… and why?

Trish, thanks so much for inviting me here today. It was fun!

Thank you, Kathy, for visiting with us and telling us about your novel. Readers, Kathy has offered to give a signed copy of her book to the winner of our drawing on Monday, October 1. To enter, leave a comment below in answer to Kathy's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Leave your email address, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Be sure to check out my interview with Sarah Sundin, below. Leave an appropriate comment at the bottom of the post to enter the drawing for a copy of the book.

And see my post about an exciting new cell phone plan. I signed up recently and am truly jazzed. Send me an email through the "Email Trish" button, above, if you'd like me to send you a link to learn more about the phone plan and the income opportunity it presents.

Finally, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post.

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer HERE.