About the Book

Book: Beauty for Ashes

Author: Kathleen Neely

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Nathan Drummond’s actions at the age of eighteen had devastating consequences. Writing became therapeutic, leading him into a successful career as a mystery writer. With seven novels to his name, Nathan is rapidly becoming a household name.

When family responsibilities force him to return to his home town, he meets Angie Hernandez. Nathan doesn’t count on falling in love, and certainly not with a woman who has the power to shatter his peace.

Being at home pushes him too close to painful memories, and as guilt threatens and panic attacks set in, Nathan begins to write a novel paralleling the tragic event from his youthful folly.

Will the novel be seen as a work of fiction, or will it expose his secret and threaten his future?

Author Interview

Question: Do you set a plot or prefer going wherever an idea takes you?

There are numerous trade books for writers detailing how to’s of plotting, researching, developing characters, and numerous other strategies. I don’t believe that there is one set formula for writing novels. Every writer finds their own little niche.

Plotting may be the area with the greatest diversity among authors. Some great novels were outlined start to finish with great detail. Some begin with an open-ended path. I live in the middle of those extremes. When I begin a novel, I know where it’s going and how it will end. I know the main characters, but not necessarily the secondary characters. I’d say that my plotting is a skeletal picture, with details added by my characters. During the planning stages of Beauty for Ashes, Angie wasn’t a violinist. Carlos didn’t exist. Those details came to life during the writing process.

Question: Do you need to be in a specific place or room to write?

I’ve discovered that I need quiet and freedom from distractions. I admire the people who can sit in a crowded café and write, but that doesn’t work for me. I can handle distractions during edits but not when drafting a new story. My favorite place to write is my kitchen table beside a double window, but only when I’m home alone. Otherwise, I squirrel away in my office—actually, it’s a spare bedroom with a desk, but office sounds much more impressive.

Question: What, according to you, is the hardest thing about writing?

My hardest part of writing for me comes when drafting those first few chapters. That’s when I’m trying to build the foundation for the story in my mind. Establishing setting, characters, preparing for the events that I know will come. I find those first few chapters to be tedious.

Question: What would you say is the easiest aspect of writing?

My favorite part of the writing process is one that many authors dislike—editing. I enjoy it because that’s when I re-examine my manuscript. Where I make better word choices, add sensory details, embellish with figurative language.

I also enjoy researching. I learn during this process. Beauty for Ashes includes a dyslexic teen. That information was in my wheelhouse. It also includes details of the NBA, classical violin, and panic attacks. I had to do my homework on those issues.

Question: How long does it usually take you to write a book?

A novel takes about six months of my life. Three to four months to write it, and two to three months to edit, including beta readers, proposal, summary, and all of those required elements. In Beauty for Ashes, Nathan, my protagonist, is a mystery writer. As you read it, he provides a few insights into the life of an author. He will help you get to know me better. I hope you enjoy Nathan and Angie’s story.

Click here for your copy!

About the Author

Kathleen Neely is the author of The Street Singer, Beauty for Ashes, and The Least of These. She is a former elementary teacher. Following her years in the classroom, she moved into administration, serving as an elementary principal at Eden Christian Academy in Pittsburgh, PA and at Shannon Forest Christian School in Greenville, SC. Kathleen is an alumnus of Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania and Regent University in Virginia.

Among her writing accomplishments, Kathleen won second place in a short story contest through ACFW-VA for her short story “The Missing Piece” and an honorable mention for her story “The Dance”. Both were published in a Christmas anthology. Her novel, The Least of These, was awarded first place in the 2015 Fresh Voices contest through Almost an Author. She has numerous devotions published through Christian Devotions. She continues to speak to students about writing. Kathleen is a member of Association of Christian Fiction Writers.

She resides in Greenville, SC with her husband, two cats, and one dog. She enjoys time with family, visiting her two grandsons, traveling, and reading.

More from Kathleen

I’ve always been an avid reader, but began writing at a period in my life when I didn’t have time to commit. While raising three sons, I also worked full time as a teacher, then later as an elementary principal. That left little time for writing. I’d plug away at my manuscript then neglect it for months. Those months became years. Every now and then, I would pull it out, re-read it, then add a little to it. When retirement approached, I thought of that old, abandoned manuscript. That’s when I began to take writing seriously. I joined a writing group, attended conferences, and met with two other writers weekly to critique and be critiqued. That manuscript is now a published novel.

I truly love writing. I can get lost in my own thoughts when planning a story. Characters become real and take on their own personality, sometimes different than I originally intended. Nathan, the protagonist in Beauty for Ashes, is a novelist. This excerpt is scripted from the book as he attempts to explain his trade with Angie. His explanation describes my approach to writing.

Excerpt: “They’re real people. I have to make myself become them. My mind lives out each scene. What would they feel? How would they react? I’m an actor playing a role, except that I have to play each role, each character. I immerse myself completely, then find words to capture it.”

I hope you’ll visit the pages of Beauty for Ashes and meet Nathan. He loves writing as much as I do, but hides a deadly secret. His past triggers challenges that leave him with debilitating anxiety and panic attacks. Writing has always been a balm for Nathan—until he writes his own story.