An Interview with Krystine Kercher

Tells us first how you came to faith in Jesus.
I trusted Christ as my Savior when I was four. I had a friend over for night; she was all of seven, and I thought she was very grown up. When Mom read Bible stories to us at bedtime, my friend asked lots of questions about faith, and God, and I got to listen in. I think it was the first time that I had ever heard it all put together quite like that, and understood that I had a choice to make, too. When she said she wanted to ask Jesus to be her Savior, I realized that I wanted to as well, so we asked Jesus into our hearts together.
What a wonderful moment!
We lost touch with her family shortly after that, when they returned to Australia and were assigned to a new post. So, somewhere, out there, on the other side of the world is my spiritual twin. I don't know if I'll ever see her again on this earth, but if I don't, I look forward to meeting her again one day in heaven.
How old were you when you wrote your first real story and what was it about?I think I wrote my first book when I was in third grade. It was a tiny little story on scraps of paper smaller than a notecard about a bee. I drew pictures to go with it. Mom saved it for me. I think I found it again among my keepsakes a little while ago, but, knowing me, I've likely misplaced it again.


Where did you get the idea for your latest book?I had this truly horrible dream, and woke up with my heart pounding in terror and in a cold sweat. To exorcise that dream, I wrote it down, and then realized that I had a pretty good story kernel, so I expanded upon that beginning and wrote a book about it.The first book was truly terrible as only first books can be, but it introduced a character named Bjorn. When I was done writing that book, I began
What do you want readers to take away from your writing and this book in particular?
The loving care and provision of God for them; and that God knows them by name and has a plan for their lives; that they are of infinite worth to Him, just as Bjorn is.
What part of this book did you enjoy writing the most and why?
Oh, that's a hard choice! I really enjoyed writing the dream sequence in Chapter 3, but the end of the book was my favorite, because I really liked how it all came together...and the tantalizing glimpses of something more to come that I was able to work into it.
What is your favorite Bible verse?
I have a lot of favorites, but if I have to pick just one, tonight it's Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV):
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. "This is definitely one of Bjorn's favorite verses, too.

What is your favorite comfort food?
Chocolate? :-)
What are your hobbies other than writing?
I garden, sew, read books, do crafts, and hang out with my kids and my niece and nephew.


How does your faith play into your writing?
My faith informs and infuses my writing. I try not to be preachy with it, but show my characters living out the Christian walk.

What is your favorite book by another author and why?
I have too many favorite books to pick just one.
Favorite childhood book? There's A Monster At The End Of This Book (A Sesame Street Golden Book)

Where do you get most of your ideas for your books?I've gotten some ideas from dreams I've had; but others grew out of creative collections of odd bits and pieces; a little bit of "what if," a set of fantastical maps; drawings of possible characters, and journaling ideas.
Out of everything you have written, do you have a favorite and why?My favorite book so far is the one that I've just published: A Shadow on The Land, although a prequel I've been working on for some time promises to take Shadow's place in my affection.
Have you ever had a mentor when you were first starting out? Who was it and how did they encourage you?The best advice I have ever received about writing was from Donita K. Paul. She invited me to attend a critique group that she was leading in the Springs. One of the things she taught me early on was that if I wanted an audience for my books, I needed to concentrate on writing in the everyday English that I spoke. This is a lot harder than most readers might suppose--
Unfortunately, her health quickly deteriorated after I joined her group, so she wasn't at most of the meetings, but when she was there, I learned so much, and she really encouraged my writing.
The other critiquers in the group picked up where she left off, and helped me to grow by leaps and bounds as a writer, and I will always be grateful to them for the many lessons they taught me, but I still really treasure Donita's advice. 
To purchase the book on Amazon: click here