Today we welcome Kathy McKinsey to my blog. Thanks for stopping by, Kathy. Tell us about the book – a
brief blurb:
Millie’s Christmas
Ruthie says Millie will love
Christmas. Ruthie is Millie’s best friend, so she’s sure Ruthie’s right, but
why does Millie keep finding Ruthie and her brother Jake crying?
Millie, an orange kitten,
shares about her first Christmas. Her best friend Ruthie, six years old,
teaches Millie about Christmas—food, decorations, music, presents, and Jesus!
Millie’s friend Bruce, the
family dog, also helps her celebrate Christmas, and sometimes gets her in
trouble.
When Ruthie’s big brother
Jake breaks his ankle, Millie learns about sad things, like divorce, when Jake
can’t visit his mommy for Christmas. Millie watches Ruthie’s family love each
other through the sadness, and find joy in Christmas.
Are any experiences in
Millie’s Christmas based on personal experiences? Did you draw upon any stories
or movies for inspiration for the novel?
I normally write women’s
fiction, so this was new for me. When my kids were little, however, I loved
reading to them and telling them stories. I once wrote a story where the main
characters were dogs, and my daughter Rebecca liked that. That probably helped
encourage me to write this in a kitten’s POV.
If you had to do it all over
again, would you change anything in Millie’s Christmas?
Trying to get dog and cat
facts accurate. For example, can cats see colors?
Did you learn anything from writing
your book and what was it?
I learned that I can write a
children’s story. I enjoyed it a lot, and I may try my hand at it again. I also
do believe this story can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
Did you have to travel much
for research for Millie’s Christmas?
No, not at all.
(If a series) What was it
like coming back to the [certain characters] for the [numeral] novel in the
series? Do you foresee any more stories for this family
of characters?
This is not a series.
However, it might be fun to tell another story about this family. Maybe from
the point of view of the dog.
Who was your favorite
character in Millie’s Christmas?
That’s tough. Probably
Millie, but I also had a lot of fun with Ruthie, the little girl.
Was there anything in Millie’s
Christmas that you did not enjoy writing about?
No. It started out as just an
exercise, to get me writing every day. I had no plan in mind to start out with.
But God gave this story to me as a surprise gift. It’s one of my favorite of
all my stories.
Share your bio and links for
social media and to buy:
Kathy McKinsey grew up on a pig farm
in Missouri, and although she’s lived in cities for nearly 40 years, she still
considers herself a farm girl.
She’s been married to Murray
for 32 years, and they have five adult children.
She’s had two careers before
writing—stay-at-home-Mom and rehabilitation teacher for the blind.
She lives in Lakewood, Ohio
with her husband and two of her children. Besides writing, she enjoys
activities with her church, editing for other writers, braille transcribing,
crocheting, knitting, and playing with the cat and dog.
https://www.kathymckinsey.com
No comments:
Post a Comment