Please welcome author Vikki Kestell to the blog today!

Vikki Kestell’s passion for people and their stories is evident in her readers’ affection for her characters and unusual plotlines. Two often-repeated sentiments are, “I feel like I know these people” and “I’m right there, in the book, experiencing what the characters experience.”

Vikki holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Learning and Instructional Technologies. She left a career of twenty-plus years in government, academia, and corporate life to pursue writing full time. “Writing is the best job ever,” she admits, “and the most demanding.”

Also an accomplished speaker and teacher, Vikki and her husband Conrad Smith make their home in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Praise for Vikki…

“Vikki writes the kind of fiction that hooks you within the first few pages, will not let you go until you have finished, and leaves you wishing for more.”

—Janis Braun, Seattle, Washington

“Her books are not just for ‘chicks’! I was amazed how engrossed I became in the lives of Vikki’s characters, and how much I could relate to their situations.”

—Ed Dunne, Los Angeles

“Be prepared to put life on hold. That’s all I have to say!”
—Rebecca H., New Jersey

“You will laugh, you will cry but, most of all, you will be uplifted.”
—LaTisha Holland, St. Augustine, FL

Website and Social Media Links

To keep abreast of new book releases, visit her website, http://www.vikkikestell.com/, or find her on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/TheWritingOfVikkiKestell, and Twitter, @Faith-FilledFic.

And here’s her upcoming book!

Genre(s)

Christian Historical Fiction

Christian Romance

From the author of the groundbreaking series, A Prairie Heritage, comes the compelling story of fiery-haired, fiery-tempered Tabitha Hale. Rescued from a life of depravity, Tabitha gives her heart to God and her life to nursing. As this tenacious, redeemed woman perseveres toward the vocation God has placed on her life, her temper and stubborn independence stand between her and this selfless aspiration. Will Tabitha pass the trial by fire that is necessary for God to truly use her?

And what is Tabitha to do with her feelings for Mason Carpenter, the man who simply refuses to give up on her? Is it even possible for God to ordain a shared future for two such different people, both with fervent callings upon their hearts?

When the Great War erupts in Europe, Carpenter leaves for England to train British pilots to fly reconnaissance missions over Belgium and France. Soon after, Tabitha hears God asking her to nurse the war wounded. However, because America has not joined in the fight, Tabitha has few options. Will the elite British Nursing Service make a place for her? Will they accept the services of an American volunteer? And will Tabitha and Mason overcome the differences that stand between them?

Revisit Palmer House—a most extraordinary refuge for young women rescued from prostitution. Renew your acquaintance with Rose Thoresen, Joy Michaels, and the others who live at Palmer House. Glimpse the years between Stolen and Lost Are Found.

Release Date

November 2 (pre-order available now) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015HTU4Y0

 

We’ve also got a great interview with Vikki…

 

Who is your favorite author?

Just one? Come on! I love soooo many good books and their authors. Let’s see. I can mention Bodie Thoene (Zion Chronicles, The AD Chronicles), Jan Karon (The Mitford Series), Tom Clancy, Dick Francis, Francine Rivers, Michael Crichton, Brad Thor, Jane Austin, Charlotte Bronte, and many more. You can see that my reading appetite is quite varied.

How do you describe your writing style?

My writing is character-driven and fast-paced. I don’t waste time on fluff; I’d rather move the story along and provide my readers with a good, meaty read.

Why should we read your book?

Most of my readers tell me that, in addition to loving my unpredictable plotlines, they become emotionally attached to my characters almost immediately. Tabitha herself is rather unique. In the era where women’s rights were just emerging, she takes amazing risks to accomplish what she feels called and compelled to do: She travels alone from America to England, while U-boats are sinking any ship they can find, to volunteer with the British Nursing Service.

Although Tabitha is a trained nurse, being an American puts her at a real disadvantage: England’s Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service is attached to the military and open only to subjects of the Crown. The only path left to her is to serve as a volunteer—and most volunteers are untrained.

Have any of your characters been modeled after yourself?

Perhaps, in the beginning, I might have seen myself as Rose Thoresen, the main character in A Rose Blooms Twice, who survives the death of her entire family by purchasing an abandoned homestead and making a life for herself that is both demanding and rewarding. Rose figures heavily in the rest of A Prairie Heritage, but that’s where her resemblance to me ends. Obviously, she managed to escape and make a life apart from me! *Grin*

If you could exchange lives with any of your characters for a day which character would you choose and why?

Perhaps Taz, the ex-Marine, in my short story, The Christian and the Vampire. After all, he got to meet a real vampire! Then again, he’s a guy. So perhaps I’d choose Gemma, from my Nanostealth series. She is invisible, and I would love to be invisible and push the boundaries of what I could do in that state: “Good morning, Mr. President. Don’t be alarmed. I just wanted to tell you that I’m available for a covert operation, should you need me . . .”

What books have most influenced your life?

What books haven’t? We are a product of the sum of all good reads. The English classics shaped my sense of dialogue and interpersonal drama; contemporary spy and crime have shown me how to craft a true mystery, and the best zombie books have taught me how to write skin-crawling suspense! And the Bible has taught me how to heal or forgive my characters’ flaws.

If you could select one book that you could rewrite and add your own unique twist on, which book would that be and why?

Oooooo. One? Wow. Tom Clancy’s Executive Orders? Um.

Beatles or Monkees? Why?

I love both group’s music but probably the Beatles’ music more. However, the first big concert I ever attended? That was the Monkees in Portland, Oregon, fourth-row, main-floor seating. It blew my mind.

Who should play you in a film of your life?

Someone skinny, please! And someone with real chops, perhaps Sigourney Weaver. Her role as Ellen Ripley did a lot to define me during a very dark period of my life.

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