 Have you ever wished that you could sit down with a successful author and ask the secrets to their success . . . and more? We did! In this post, Kathleen Y'Barbo pulls back the curtain and tells you the things she's learned over the years. This interview is jammed-packed with insights on having a long-term career, dealing with rejection, not taking the business side of writing personally, and growing as an author. Publishers Weekly Bestselling author and tenth-generation Texan, Kathleen Y'Barbo is a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee and bestselling author of more than one hundred books with over two million copies of her books in print in the US and abroad. Known for her spirited heroines, swoon-worthy romance, and plots that keep readers guessing, Kathleen spins stories where the past never stays buried for long. When she’s not writing mysteries with a vintage twist and sometimes a dash of romance, Kathleen enjoys chasing down new travel destinations with her hero in combat boots or sipping a Dr. Pepper Zero on a Southern porch, where she’s dreaming up the next unforgettable tale. Keep reading to get Kathleen's insider keys!  If you could go back to your early writing days, what one piece of advice you would give your beginner self? Never replace the love of writing with the pursuit of publication, and never EVER think that someone else’s success somehow diminishes yours. What rituals or tools help you stay productive without burning out? When I first began writing, I would place my fingers on the keyboard and say, “Okay, God, where are we going today?” I still think that’s a great reminder of just WHO is in charge. It also helps to give me perspective. How do you tackle writer's block when you're stuck mid-plot or with a flat character? Rewrite a pivotal scene from the other character’s POV. Ask yourself what secret he/she is hiding. Get a fresh perspective on the characters. Do you have a go-to technique that's saved a manuscript? What's your secret to creating characters that feel alive and unforgettable? Do you start with backstory, flaws, or something else? I put myself in the shoes of the character and learn who he or she is. Figure out how the character thinks, what does he/she want? What’s the worst thing that can happen to him/her? What’s the reaction when that happens? By testing my character I figure out who he/she is. Revision can often feel endless. How do you know when your book is done? You don’t! The real answer to that is the deadline has arrived and I have to let it go. I’d never stop revising if I wasn’t forced to. From querying agents to hitting bestseller lists, what was your biggest publishing hurdle, and how did you overcome it? My biggest publishing hurdle is myself. Procrastination, making choices that took away from writing time, etc. Those are the things I wish I could go back and get do-overs on. How do you balance writing with the business side—marketing, social media, or day jobs—and still protect your creative energy? I delegate. Seriously. I have a publishing team, and they’re amazing. Jaime Jo Wright’s MadLit Assist handles my social media, branding, and street teams. Savanna Kaiser is my web guru and VA, and Jill Kemerer of Story Architect handles all things related to my publishing. What's one book or author that transformed your writing? Many years ago I read a book called Some Wildflower in My Heart by Jamie Langston Turner. That book was absolutely beautiful, both in plot and in the writing. I wanted to write like Jamie when I grew up. I still do! After years in the industry, what keeps you excited about fiction writing? I’ve always thought of myself as a reader first and a writer second. Reading takes me places I can’t go and shows me things about God in such a profound way. The idea that my stories could show Jesus to someone who needs to know him will never not excite me. Every writer faces self-doubt. What’s a moment in your career when you questioned your work the most, and how did you overcome? Every day! Well, maybe not every day but the publishing world offers so many chances to second guess your ability to write. I overcome by reminding myself that if God opens a door He’s got a purpose for it. So I step through the door and keep typing. And I don’t read my reviews. How do you reconcile the tension between writing what you love and writing what the market demands? I can’t reconcile it. Either we write for the love of writing or we write for money. There’s no wrong answer to the question of which to choose. God provides financially just as he feeds the soul with a good book. Sometimes both happen at the same time. I’ve chosen both routes at one time or another. What’s the hardest storytelling lesson you’ve learned—perhaps a technique or perspective you initially resisted—and how did embracing it elevate your fiction? The hardest storytelling lesson I’ve learned is that when an editor has a specific request for a type of story, the fact that I might have a more creative way of writing that story only means I’m going to have to rewrite it the editor’s way if I want to publish for her house. When crafting a novel, how do you decide which themes or messages to weave in without making the story feel preachy or heavy-handed? I never consider themes when I’m writing a story. I begin with either characters or a story question. Was there ever a time when you had a project fail—a book that flopped, or a rejected manuscript? Did that setback teach you something unexpected about yourself, your craft or your career? Oh my gosh yes! I wrote six full novels before I sold a book and the book that sold was a novella that I hadn’t written yet. Of those six, only one--The Pirate Bride—made it to print, but only in a much different way than it was originally written. Manuscripts get rejected for all sorts of reasons. Don’t take it personally, but don’t quit. Just write something else. Looking back on your career, what are you most proud of? That I somehow managed to raise four decent humans who have jobs and still love me despite the fact I was one of those crazy writer types who hauled a laptop into the stands during hockey games or who had to set a kitchen timer so I wouldn’t get lost in a story and forget to pick up my preschooler. Success can be as daunting as failure. After a major win (like a bestseller or award), how did you handle the pressure? That’s easy. I’ve never felt like I deserved any of those awards. Yes, I work hard at my craft, and no I'm not minimizing how amazing it is to have a bestseller or win an award. But I am nothing without God. What advice would you give new writers chasing their first big break? Pray. Seriously. The Lord will guide our steps. If you let yourself be so focused on getting published, you’re going to miss the point. It’s the journey—the words you write with Jesus sitting next to you—that are the reason we do this. While you’re busy striving to make something happen, the Lord is actually the only doing it. Don’t settle for good when He has the best in mind for you. Looking back, what’s one choice you made early in your career—about your writing, publishing, or mindset—that you credit for your longevity as an author? Never lose the love of writing. Give up chasing publication if you must, but let that love of twisting a plot and creating characters remain. Never say you have to write. Say you get to write. Writing is a decision. Looking back, what’s one choice you made early in your career—about your writing, publishing, or mindset—that you credit for your longevity as an author? I was still an unpublished author when I joined American Christian Fiction Writers in 1999. Without the writing friends I’ve made, the editors I’ve met, and the encouragement I’ve received at ACFW conferences, I have no doubt that I would never have published all the books I have. Joining ACFW was absolutely the best choice I made early in my career. You can check out Kathleen's website at: kathleenybarbo.com Buy Kathleen's recent release: Flora's Wish.  Eureka Springs and Natchez 1887 A will, a promise, and a man whose lies have tangled them together… Flora Brimm is determined the fifth time is the charm. Back home she has a reputation as “Fatal Flora,” a woman whose previous four fiancés died in untimely accidents. Flora is desperate to marry because, thanks to the terms of her grandfather’s Last Will and Testament, producing an heir is the only way she can keep Brimmfield, her family’s Natchez estate. She’s confident this visit to Eureka Springs with her grandmother, Millicent Merriweather Brimm, will solve the issue. Now to manage the elopement she and Will Tucker, an elusive railroad detective, have planned without alerting the grandmother who misses nothing. Inventor and Pinkerton detective Lucas McMinn is hot on the trail of Will Tucker, the thief who broke his sister’s heart. Using the gadgets that he and fellow Pinkerton inventor Kyle Russell have created, Lucas is closing in on stopping the man before he finds his next victim. Unfortunately Flora Brimm has complicated his investigation at every turn. Worse, the Natchez beauty could easily steal his heart if he allowed it. When chasing Tucker endangers not only Lucas’s life but Flora’s the stakes rise. Can Lucas and Flora stop a conman before he becomes a murderer?  This post was complied by Brandy Vallance, a literary agent with Barbara Bova Literary Agency, an award-winning author, and a Story Consultant for Writing Day Workshops. Brandy is the winner of two national writing awards, one of which included a $20,000 prize. Her novel, THE COVERED DEEP, has been featured in USA Today & Writer’s Digest. WITHIN THE VEIL has been called “passionate and riveting” and Publisher’s Weekly encourages those who like sweeping Scottish sagas to dive in because “the journey is wonderful.” Brandy loves helping writers break the chains of fear and self-doubt. You can find out more at brandyvallance.com.  Attend a Writers Conference in 2026:
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