Katie Ganshert, Author at Katie Ganshert

Why Hello There!

Posted on September 8, 2014September 8, 2014 by Katie Ganshert

It’s hard to believe that the bare-feet, sunscreen-on-our-noses, pool-side days are behind us. Kids are back to school with new backpacks and sharpened pencils, ready to learn. Air conditioners are turning off. Windows are opening. Leaves are starting to change. Stadium lights are shining on Friday nights. Candy corn’s in the candy aisle. And ever so slowly, the air’s turning crisp.

I love summer. But man, do I loooooove fall.

Since I’ve been away these past couple of months, I thought we’d catch up by taking a look in our rear view mirrors (what we’ve been up to over the summer), and then turning our eyes toward the horizon (what’s up ahead). Sound good? Good!

My Rear View Mirror High Lights

I traveled to Washington D.C. to talk to our congressman and representatives about the legally adopted children stuck in Congo, our daughter included.

Ryan and I put together our little girl’s room, a task that has filled us with hope and expectancy.

I finished content edits for my fourth novel, The Art of Losing Yourself, which will release in April, 2015. It was a labor of love, I tell ya.

I wrote an adorably romantic novella for a second Year of Weddings series by Zondervan, set to release in October, 2015.

I joined Toastmasters.

I visited book clubs and read books and went on bike rides and ate a lot of ice cream and have been attempting to learn French and, and, AND!

I sent my son off to kindergarten!

I have no idea how we got here already, but here we are. My baby boy is growing up. His two bottom loose teeth are proof.

What’s on the Horizon

My very first novella, An October Bride, releases in three short weeks! I’m smitten with this story, y’all, and I can’t wait to share it with you! Check back next week and there will be some bonus features up on the page. The page is a little sparse at the moment. (In random news…one of my friends saw the cover and thought the bride was standing beside a bare-chested man. I couldn’t see what she was talking about at first, but then she explained how she was seeing it and voila! I SAW IT TOO! In fact, every time I look at my beautiful cover I see it and giggle a little. If you’re seeing it too, rest assured. That is her arm. Not male pectoral muscles.)

At the end of this month I will be boarding a plane for the Democratic Republic of the Congo to spend some time with THIS cutie.

Oh, my heart. I cannot wait. I have some adoption-related tasks to accomplish while I’m there. Mostly, I’m just excited to have her in my arms again. People ask if I will be bringing her home this time. There is a remote possibility. God would have to perform a CRAZY miracle, but there’s a chance it could happen. If you want to join us in praying for that miracle, please do! I know God is powerful enough to make it happen if it’s His plan. But I also know that if the miracle doesn’t happen, His grace will get us through.

When I return, I’ll rest up a bit and then I’ll take off for Indiana, where I’ll be speaking at the Indiana Faith and Writing conference, and teaching a workshop too. If you’re looking for a cheap writing conference to attend, this is a great one to sign up for! I’d love to see you there.

What about YOU? What’s in your rear view mirror? What’s on your horizon?

Soaking up the Moments

Posted on July 8, 2014July 8, 2014 by Katie Ganshert

When Brogan was a baby and I was still working as a 5th grade teacher, I remember looking at the kindergarten students walking in a cute little line down the hallway, thinking, “I wonder what Brogan will be like when he’s in kindergarten.”

It felt like an eternity away. Like I had all the time in the world.

Then I blinked.

And this happened…

In a little over a month, my little man starts kindergarten.

Which means these final weeks are precious weeks. I will be spending them outside in bare feet with my boy. And when I’m not, I’ll be inside working on edits. Blogging’s going to have to wait until I pack up his lunch and kiss his cheeks and send him off to school.

See you all after Labor Day!

How will you be spending the rest of your summer?

Authors at Work

Posted on June 23, 2014June 23, 2014 by Katie Ganshert

There’s this fun blog hop that’s been going around amongst authors and I’ve been tagged!

By the fabulously talented Dani Pettrey, I might add.

Do you know her?

I think everybody knows Dani, and if you don’t, you really should. She’s a best-selling author of romantic suspense and an all-around fabulous person. I had the privilege of debuting alongside Dani in May of 2012 when her debut novel, Submerged, and my debut novel, Wildflowers from Winter, hit shelves at the same time.

To read Dani’s answers to the questions below, hop on over to Dani’s blog!

What am I currently working on?

I recently received editorial notes for my fourth novel, The Art of Losing Yourself, which will release in February of 2015. Which means I’ll be inside my deep, dark editing cave for a good month or two. I’m also in the midst of plotting another novella that will release in October of 2015 (my first novella, An October Bride, releases this fall).

A fun side project I’ve been working on whenever I have the time has been a Young Adult paranormal/dystopian-esque trilogy called The Gifting. I just finished book 2 and have sent it to beta readers to see if it’s any good. Writing outside my genre has been a great way to refuel my creativity.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Do I write romance or women’s fiction? I think the answer to that depends on who you ask. There’s plenty of romance in my novels, but my characters also have that deeper, inner journey often found in women’s fiction. Hopefully, when you pick up a Katie Ganshert novel, you will find an appealing and unique mixture of the two.

Why do I write what I do?

I write romance because it makes me giddy. I love creating the tension and the chemistry. Every time my hero and heroine fall in love, I feel like I’m falling in love all over again and anybody who’s ever fallen in love knows what a fun feeling that can be! I give my characters that deeper inner journey, because to me, that’s the story’s heartbeat. That’s the meat. Creating those journeys keeps me on my knees, which is where I always want to be. There’s no way I could write those journeys authentically without God paving the way.

How does your writing process work?

I’m a big plotter. My writing process starts with a character or a scene or a question I want to explore, and from there I build. I come up with a story goal and conflict. I flesh out the characters. I figure out the major plot points of the novel (opening disturbance, the point of no return, the climax, the black moment). And then I get out the note cards. I jot down ideas for scenes and play around with the order of things until I have a cohesive story line. Once the story is plotted, I write a fast and furious rough (and I do mean ROUGH) draft. Take a breather, then dive in for edits. My first draft is so sloppy that it’s often unrecognizable by the time I’m ready to turn the manuscript into my editor.

And now it’s my turn to tag someone…

Tag, you’re it Ronie Kendig!

It’s fun being sandwiched between two incredibly talented suspense authors. Ronie is not only a good friend (who I get hang out with on Wednesday), she’s a phenomenal writer! Hop on over to Ronie’s blog to read her answers to these same questions!