During my early days of blogging, as I spent every spare moment discovering and reading new blogs, I began to make connections with other writers. I came across so many different personalities back then, learning from others about how they kept their writing momentum going. In the blog world, I found humor and bitterness, personal blogs and fiction. There were so many words out there, some filled with struggle, others always seeming to find something of value and hope in life’s realities. All of the writers I found taught me something about finding my own voice, but one in particular had a positive and lasting influence.
I don’t remember now exactly how Kimberly McKay and I found each other, but we struck up a friendship that grew strong enough for us to eventually begin communicating outside of our blogs. We messaged one another, talked on the phone, and eventually we even got to meet in person. Kim taught me about seeing my glass as half-full rather than half-empty. She always “blogged her blessings” and encouraged her readers to do the same. Some of us took her up on the challenge. In previous years, Friday posts on my blog came to share a common theme when the Life is Good series was born. (Really should get back to doing those!) My pal, Abby‘s Silver Liningness Sundays were also a result of Kim’s challenge and Kim might even claim some credit for Bud‘s Monday Smiles, which came about in part through a sort of domino effect from the Life is Good series.
Kim took her positive outlook to an even bigger audience a few years ago when she published Finding Kylie, the story of a young woman who has lived her entire life believing her father was dead. Only after losing her mother to cancer, does Chastity discover two life-changing secrets. Her father is very much alive and there is a very big reason that her mother kept him such a secret all these years.
Chastity’s story now continues in Kim’s newest book, Facing Redemption. Kim’s habit of tackling life’s problems with her faith is a solid backdrop to her stories. As Chastity balances the success and joys that come her way along with the inevitable challenges and heartache, she turns to her faith in God to get through them. Facing Redemption lets the reader watch Chastity help a friend stay afloat through a very difficult time in her life while Chastity is in the midst of one of the happiest times in hers. Chastity has met the man of her dreams and her wedding day is fast approaching. While she plans the direction of one of the biggest days in her life so far, she finds herself struggling to do so without her beloved mother by her side. And as if that isn’t enough weight for one person to carry, at the same time, she is trying to decide what – and who – family is to her.
Kim sent me a copy of Facing Redemption a few months ago. I got a slow start in reading it, thanks in part to the holidays. But once the holidays were behind us and life had slowed down some, I could really immerse myself in the book. Pretty soon, I couldn’t put it down. I love anything that lifts the spirits, and Facing Redemption does that well. I found my heart aching at times, only to cheer for the characters as they pushed themselves to overcome the things that fought to hold them back. Also, I’m a sucker for a good love story!
“We” thoroughly enjoyed Kim’s latest accomplishment at our house!
Interested in reading Kimberly McKay’s books? You can pick up your own copies (or Kindle version) on Amazon. And if you’d like to show Kim your support, you can “like” her page on Facebook.
I have to say, it’s quite an ego boost to have someone come along and say, “I like what you wrote. Do you mind if I use it?” NO, I don’t mind! What are you, crazy?
Recently, Bud, who is a talented writer and writes the blog, 
