The winner of the drawing from last week’s Writer’s Window, for Tamara Leigh’s Nowhere, Carolina, is Nancye Davis. Congratulations, Nancye!

Kathy Harris, who writes fiction as Kate Shiloh, is someone else who has been a member of Middle Tennessee Christian Writers for five or six years—in fact, she’s now the publicity officer for the group! Kathy is published in nonfiction, with devotionals/essays appearing in books such as Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks, Mom; All My Bad Habits I Learned from Grandpa; and the One Year Life Verse Devotional. She also introduced me to a new, and beautiful, breed of dogs—Shiloh shepherds, which are like ginormous, goofy German shepherds.

Kathy blogs at DivineDetour.com where she features authors and musicians making a positive impact on the world.

What do you like best about being a writer?

I like everything about writing as long as the words are flowing. But creating and getting to know my characters is perhaps my favorite thing. They’re like friends and family you love to spend time with.

What do you like least about being a writer?

I hate doubting myself. Especially when it’s to the point of being blocked.

Pop, Soda, or Coke? What do you call it, and what’s your favorite variety?

I was born in the Midwest, and we call it soda. 😉 For me, there’s nothing better than an iced cold Coke from an old-fashioned, glass bottle. But I try to pick healthier alternatives at this stage in life. I choose an organic option when I’m craving something soda-like.

Describe your favorite pair of shoes.

Red suede slides. Love them!

What’s the most fun/interesting/crazy/scary/unique hands-on research you’ve done for a book?

There have definitely been funny/crazy situations, but the one time that stands out for me is when I needed a very specific kind of person to help me with facts to complete my last manuscript. About that same time, a business associate was in town and he asked me to join him and another of his clients for dinner. The man I met that evening was business partners with someone who was perfect to provide the answers I needed, and he helped me to arrange the connection. It was like a confirmation from God that I was to continue to write the story.

Candles. We all have them. But do you burn them? What scents are your favorite?

I love vanilla scent (and taste), so that’s my candle of choice. But I rarely burn them.

Have you ever re-gifted something someone’s given you?

Hmmm. I’d like to think I haven’t, but there might have been that one time…

If you were to write a novel about what your life would have been like if you’d become what you wanted to be at eight years old, what kind of character would the story be about?

I’d have been a writer! I dreamed of it even as a child. Despite going to college to study writing, it took me many years—beyond a different and very fulfilling career—to settle into writing the novels I have had in my head for years. I choose to believe that God planned my life in such a way. His plan is perfect.

What makes you happy?

When my life is in balance—when my family is well, my work is caught-up, and my writing is flowing.

What makes you nervous?

When my life is out of balance. I’m a perfectionist, and a busy life takes it’s toll on our kind. 🙂

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?

There have been many, but one was actually from you, Kaye. You said, Rejection is no more God’s voice to a writer than a tackle is God’s voice to a football player…it’s part of the game.

I also love something Erma Bombeck once wrote. She said, When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything you gave me.”

What’s your biggest dream for the future?

Time to write to my heart’s content and encouragement along the way.

Tell us about what you’re currently writing.

My agent is shopping a women’s fiction manuscript I completed earlier this year. I’m currently rewriting the sequel, outlining another story, and have several others in various stages of development.

Where can people find out more about you/connect with you online?

I’m having a great time interviewing literary and musical guests twice a week at my website, www.DivineDetour.com.

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Kathy Harris graduated with a B.S. in Communications from Southern Illinois University and is a marketing director in the Nashville entertainment industry. She has been writing for most of her life, but writing and studying the craft of fiction for the past ten years. She is the publicity officer for Middle Tennessee Christian Writers, an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers, and a member of Romance Writers of America, American Christian Writers, and The Writers View 2. Tyndale House, Thomas Nelson, and Chicken Soup for the Soul have published Kathy’s non-fiction works in anthologies and/or devotionals. Her agent is currently shopping her women’s fiction manuscript, The Road to Mercy.

Kathy is an owner and enthusiast of Shiloh Shepherd dogs. She regularly features literary and music-related guests at her website, www.DivineDetour.com.