Face to Face with Author Kimberly M. Miller

Kimberly M. Miller is a writing and film professor by day, author by night. She enjoys watching movies, making jewelry, and creating fun stories for her readers. Currently, Kimberly has two published novels, Picking Daisy and Forgiving Tess, but she looks forward to bringing more romance your way soon!

 

Welcome! We're so glad you could visit us today. 

What made you decide to become a writer? I started writing when I was a teenager. A friend and I made up stories that we knew famous people and got into adventures with them. It’s funny now, but at the time it showed me that I could tell stories and that I found a lot of pleasure in it. I never imagined I’d actually publish any of my work until many years later.

What is your favorite thing about being an author? My two favorite things are really figuring out my characters (especially their backstories, quirks, etc.) and writing solid dialogue.

Where did the inspiration for your latest book come from? Forgiving Tess is inspired by several areas but I’d say the biggest influence is the recognition that we all have a past but that God knows it already and is bigger than any of it. Once we’re forgiven, it’s done. But that isn’t just us forgiving others or others forgiving us either. It’s US forgiving ourselves too.

How does your faith and spirituality work in with your writing? I hope that my faith is woven into the writing so that it isn’t heavy-handed. A good story well-told will inspire and encourage readers without the need for a dramatic sermon.

What do you want readers to come away with after reading your books? My wish for my readers is that they’ve had a chance to escape life for a while but also that they can return to it with a greater sense of peace too.

What is one of your favorite scenes in Forgiving Tess? Ahhh! That’s a tough one. I’ll give two- one, when Tess first runs into Josh again. And two, when Josh finally (awkwardly) asks Tess on a date.

When you are stressed, maybe a deadline’s approaching too fast, what is your favorite snack food? Or so you have another way to cope? Foods- coffee, chocolate and peanut butter. But other ways to cope definitely include exercise and doing yoga. I break often while writing and have a yoga mat always waiting right behind my writing chair.

If time and money were not a concern, what one skill would you like to learn? I always wanted to be more musical so maybe learning to play the piano or guitar. I don’t think there’s much hope for my vocal skills, though I do sing a LOT in the car.

What is your favorite thing about where you live? Ha. No comment. It’s below zero and snowing. So, I guess when it is summer I do enjoy going out in my neighborhood (not much traffic here) and taking long walks.

What are you working on next? I’ve got several pieces in the works that have been sitting around for a while (none of them named as-yet). I’m enjoying doing a lot of editing on those.

Tess Carson has finally turned her life around. After a string of bad decisions, she's making amends, paying debts, and working to bring her family back together. But when Tess’s childhood crush re-enters her chaotic life, she’s certain it’s the worst time for romance. Even if he still has those mesmerizing dimples.

In Tess’s eyes, Josh Thorne has it all. As a youth pastor with a thriving ministry, he’s exactly what she needs. He’s stable, kind, confident, and not afraid of Tess’s troubled past—even if she still has an entire town that insists her sins will never be forgotten or forgiven.

But when the demons of her past collide with the incredible promise of her future, Tess wonders if it’s possible to forget and forgive. Does she have enough courage to try?

Buy: https://www.amazon.com