Kimberla Lawson Roby

Kimberla Lawson Roby has sold nearly 3 Million copies of her books, and they have frequented numerous bestseller lists. Over the years, Kimberla has spoken to thousands of women at conferences, churches, expos, workshops, luncheons, libraries, colleges, universities and bookstores. She shares her own personal journey straight from her heart and has a strong passion toward helping women become all that God created them to be.

Kimberla is a professional member of the National Speakers Association (NSA), she is the 2013 NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction and the recipient of the 2017 SOAR Radio Trailblazer of Honor award.

Kimberla’s books deal with very real issues, including women empowerment, sexual harassment, racial and gender discrimination in the workplace, problems within the church (and the consequences), Christian/family/moral values, drug and gambling addiction, marriage, infidelity, single motherhood, breast cancer, infertility, sibling rivalry, domestic violence, childhood sexual abuse, mental illness, and the care-giving of a parent to name a few.

BPM: Why did you decide to write your non-fiction title, The Woman God Created You to Be: Finding Success Through Faith—Spiritually, Personally, and Professionally?

Interestingly enough, I never thought I would write or publish any nonfiction books. Especially since, for more than two decades, I’ve always written fictional stories. But in October 2016, after waking up with the words Hearing God’s Call and Finding Your Purpose at the forefront of my thinking, I knew God had given me those words for a reason.

At first, I thought they were going to become the title of the book itself, but as it turned out, they became the title of one of the chapters. It’s important for me to say, too, that no matter how much I tried to push the idea of writing a nonfiction book out of my mind, I didn’t find peace until I moved forward with it.

BPM: Tell us a little about your creative process. Do you use a computer or write out the story by hand?

I always outline my books and then write one chapter at a time in the exact sequence that those chapters will appear in the final book. I use my computer, and for my first draft, I try to write no less than one chapter per day. Then, when my book is complete, I work on rewrites and revisions.

BPM: Writing can be an emotionally draining and stressful pursuit. Any tips self-care for creative folks?

It definitely can be, but the key to dealing with stress is to find balance and to incorporate that balance—in all areas of our lives. This is something I struggled with for years, and it is also the reason I wrote a chapter in The Woman God Created You to Be, entitled “Suffering in Silence, Mentally and Emotionally.”

BPM: What was the most challenging part about telling your own story?

For me, the hardest part about writing this book was having to relive some of the very trying and painful times I have experienced in my own life. But what I ultimately realized was that, if I wanted to help other women in a way that I had been praying for, being transparent and sharing my own personal stories was very necessary.

BPM: How did writing this non-fiction book and publishing it yourself differ from writing your novels?

So normally, I start with a story idea, then I create my characters and write a detailed outline. But for this book, my initial outline involved creating all the chapter titles. I basically outlined my table of contents, and then I began writing very short synopses of those chapters. Writing full chapters on nonfiction topics is very different from writing fictional scenes.

BPM: Share one specific point in your book that resonated with your present situation or journey.

We should always be okay with saying, “no,” and we should never feel obligated to say, “yes,” when we know we’re exhausted, overworked, and overwhelmed. We should never have to apologize for saying, no, and while I’m much better in this regard than I used to be, every now and then, I still feel as though I should apologize for not doing what others want me to do.

BPM: How can readers discover more about you and your work?

Readers can visit my web site or any of my social media pages: http://www.kimroby.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kimberlalawsonroby

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kimberlalawsonroby

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KimberlaLRoby

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/kimberlalawsonroby

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