Kim Brooks author of She That Findeth #shethatfindeth

Kim Brooks Talks About Her New Book She That Findeth #shethatfindeth

What inspired you to write this book?

As a licensed minister to singles for the last 10 years and the author of a daily devotional for single women in which I receive feedback from subscribers as well, I’ve noticed many single women have similar issues when it comes to being single and matters of the heart. Also, as a 30-something woman with familial dreams of my own, I have experienced moments of desiring a mate myself, which is truly natural since Scripture says God will give the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). It’s the waiting period that so many get impatient with as many God-fearing women wonder, “When will he come?” So I decided to place these feelings along with the feelings of others into one character by the name of Shenita Love (which stands for “She Needs a Love”) who, at 35, gets tired of waiting on God to send her a husband and decides to set out to get one on her own. In her quest to find a husband, her friends Jackie, Pippa, Danielle and RayShawn all have their own problems to deal with as well and by the end of the novel the reader discovers whether or not Shenita finds all she seeks.

What is your favorite chapter from the book and why?

My favorite chapter from the book is Chapter 56 near the end when all is forgiven from the three friends as Shenita and Jackie support Danielle in her future endeavor. It’s a nice “moment” between friends who, in spite of their different personalities and different personal issues with men, come together and be a blessing to one another as true friends should be.
What are three things you wish you’d known before you reached where you are now?
I wish I had known that just because you sign on with a major publisher doesn’t guarantee that they’ll market your book. When I signed my first book deal for my debut novel, He’s Fine…But is He Saved? years ago I assumed the distribution and marketing would be there. I eventually discovered that while the distribution was there (once the publisher realized there was a real demand for the book as at one point they were sold out because they didn’t print enough copies initially) the publisher solely depended on me to get the word out about the book to the masses. Thankfully, with the help of my publicist, Pam Perry, we were able to spread the word about the book to the point where it did become a bestseller with Black Expresssions Bookclub shortly after its release.
That’s the only thing I wish I had known, other than that I have no regrets and to this day consider everything a learning process.

Oprah always asks, What do you know for sure?

I know that Jesus is Lord and that He created each and every one of us with a purpose in life and it’s up to us to seek God and discover what it is. I know for sure that I was born to write. I also know for sure that I love Oprah 🙂

What did you learn while writing this book?

Interestingly enough, I learned that pole dancing isn’t just some freaky dance women do in order to get dollars from dudes. One of the characters gets tempted to go back to a pole dancing lifestyle, and interestingly enough in doing research for it by attending a class (yes, I did) and watching instructional videos on YouTube I discovered that there’s a lot of effort involved and that it’s not easy to do, requires skill and is an actual sport. I believe because of the music, costumes and environment makes for a more sexual atmosphere, but remove those elements and place a girl in a gymnasium wearing a leotard doing the same type of routing I don’t believe you’ll have the same effect. If given the right enviornment and family friendly music and decent clothing, I actually can see it as an Olympic sport one day.

If you could have dinner with three authors to talk with about their writing , living or deceased , who would you invite and why?

I would love to have dinner with Tyler Perry (yes, He authored a Madear book before so he counts 🙂 Joyce Meyer and Jerry Jenkins.

Tyler Perry is my inspiration and has been since his first movie (I’ll admit I didn’t start attending his plays until recently) and I would ask him how in the world does he find time to write movies, plays, t.v. shows along with their accompanying songs etc. I love how he doesn’t keep himself in a box but still respects his core audience by not going to far left to the left.

I would talk to Joyce Meyer about her relationship with God and how she maintains such a calm, peaceful and humble demeanor while heading a largely successful ministry that blesses at the same time and I’ll also ask her about her philanthropic efforts in feeding and providing water for others in other countries. I love her spirit and her words are anointed and I would just enjoy gleaning from what she has to say.

I would ask Jerry Jenkins about the success of his “Left Behind” books and how he got to where he is today since millions have been blessed by his books.

What is the toughest test you faced as a writer or in your profession and how did you overcome the problem?

The toughest test I faced in in not taking things personally. I had to learn that not everyone will agree with your work or endorse it and I had to learn that everyone is entitled to their opinion. I had to trust God that He would have the right people be blessed by my work and the right people to come along and support what I’m doing. Now, when my new book, She That Findeth, released I checked the Amazon reviews actually looking for a 1 star rating because I wanted to get the feedback and learn how I can improve. To my pleasant surprise so far all reviewers have given it 5 stars and many women commented on how they can relate to one or more characters and how they were encouraged in their walk with Christ as a result of reading it. To God be the Glory!

About the Author