Kari’s bio:
Kari Trumbo is a bestselling author of Christian and sweet romance, she also writes women’s fiction under the name Teri Blake. As Teri, she reached the USA Today bestseller list with her book The Rosewood Diary.
She writes swoony heroes and places that become characters with historical detail and heart. She’s a stay-at-home mom to four vibrant children. When she isn’t writing, or editing, she pretends to keep up with them.
Kari loves reading, listening to contemporary Christian music, singing when no one’s listening, and curling up near the wood stove when winter hits. She makes her home in central Minnesota, land of frigid toes and mosquitoes the size of compact cars, with her husband of over twenty years. They have two daughters, two sons, one cat, and one hungry wood stove.
Kari will be on my blog three times! Twice for a two-part interview (part two is here), and then I’ll post an excerpt of her book, Better Than First.
I’ll also post a special knitting pattern for a drawstring purse that Kari’s heroine uses in her novella, January Hope, in the Save the Date anthology!
And here, he’s me and Kari!
Camy: What is your most memorable moment as a writer?
Kari: Honestly, It’s a tossup between the first time I pushed the publish button (I’m mostly independently published at this time) and when I hit the USA Today bestseller list with my Teri Blake name. Both were walking on the clouds moments.
Camy: I can totally relate! I remember that feeling when I hit the USA Today bestseller list with my Camille Elliot name!
Finish this line: Writing a novel is …
Kari: … a passion. If that passion and desire are not there, you probably won’t complete one. They are like a marathon, you have to be dedicated to write a full novel.
Camy: totally agree with that!
What's your best writing strength?
Kari: Editing. I love it. I love the re-read step and I love the first reactions of my editors. Sometimes, it’s a random comment/reaction that they made that makes me change something in my story. I love that I can “mean” something, but in writing it didn’t come across as I wanted and their reaction helps me to fix and clarify. Words are powerful, use wisely.
Camy: UGH I wish I was better at editing! I tend to be kind of sloppy at it. :(
Most writers struggle with insecurity. How do you retain your confidence as a writer?
Kari: Chocolate. LOL Well, that’s part of my tool kit. I also have verses that I read when I’m sure that I’ve never written a word that makes a lick of difference, and a playlist of songs made to build me up (Can you say, Overcomer by, Mandisa?).
Camy: I love that song! (Kari sent me a verse image for James 1:12, but since I wasn’t sure if I could use it legally, I made my own verse image. It’s a great verse!)
What's the biggest risk you've ever taken as a writer?
Kari: Taking on a new pen name. I knew it was a risk. I would lose a few readers who think it’s dishonest (which is why I have been completely open about it, we even share a website). But women’s fiction is very different from romance, even romantic women’s fiction won’t satisfy a real romance reader. This way, it’s easy for any reader to tell the difference.
Camy: Wow I can totally relate to that! I decided to take my Camille Elliot pen name since I was also writing a wildly different genre (historical romance).
I’ll be back tomorrow with the second part of Kari’s interview. She’ll be talking more about her book, January Hope, which is one of the books in our Christian Wedding Romance anthology, Save the Date.
Preorder Save the Date for only 99 cents! Releases September 15th!
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