It’s the last Summer Spotlight Series interview. Can you believe it? My favorite time of year is right around the corner. I can’t wait for all of our fun family fall activities! I will be kicking off my fall series next week titled, Farm Life from the Farmer’s Wife. I hope it will be loads of fun!

Our interviewee this week is author Victoria Kimble. Victoria is the author of The Choir Girls series. She is a wife, a mom to three girls, a full-fledged homebody, a so-so housekeeper, a mediocre musician and has dreamed of writing her whole life. She lives at the foot of the Rockies in Littleton, Colorado, and she will never take that for granted. She loves French fries, superhero TV shows and movies, and cats. She could probably love the beach if she ever spent any time there. Her thoughts live at www.victoriakimble.com.

The first three books in The Choir Girls middle-grade series, Soprano Trouble, Alto Secrets, and Harmony Blues are available on Amazon now. And book number four, Solo Disaster, releases October 6th!

Summer McKidd is a bright, compassionate 7th grader. She has a good group of friends, which can be a hard feat for someone in junior high. She and her friends love to sing in their choir at school, and this is where her trouble begins. At the fall concert, her friends drag her into a mean prank and Summer is soon sentenced to nursery duty at church. When she walks into the nursery, she sees that the victim of their prank is also a volunteer. Summer begins a friendship with this girl but soon sees that she will have to choose between her group of friends and her new friend. Can Summer do what is right and keep her friends?\

What drew you to writing for children/YA?

Middle school is burned into my memory. There are a lot of things I’ve forgotten about my childhood, but I remember middle school vividly. So my heart goes out to every single kid who is entering the murky waters of seventh grade, especially the girls. I was not a popular kid during those years, so I spent a lot of time reading. Those books shaped much of my thoughts and beliefs about life. Because of that, I’ve always wanted to write stories for those kids who are deep in the trenches of middle school themselves.

What do you want children to learn from your books?

I hope every person who reads my stories has a “me too” experience. Those were my favorite stories. They still are my favorite stories. The ones where I connect with the characters or the situation on a level I wasn’t expecting. I hope middle school girls, especially, will realize that the situations they face every day in school and with their friends are situations that everyone faces. It is very easy to believe that you are the only one who feels a certain way, and if you feel isolated, then you can quickly feel shame. And that is so unnecessary. Every kid has those insecurities, and if kids truly understood that then they would be able to see that they don’t need to be afraid or ashamed of the things they are going through.

Have you always been a writer? When did you first know it was the career for you?

I’ve been creating stories since I was a kid. My first story was about a little alien I drew that I called a Whatzit. I quickly realized that I probably wasn’t going to be an author/illustrator, but the stories keep coming. I tried to be a journalism major in college, but I realized after the first year that I didn’t want to write news stories; I wanted to write my own stories. I’ve taken a couple of correspondence courses in writing fiction since then, and every time I did it just solidified my dream.

Who is your hero? 

I’ve always admired Robin Jones Gunn. She wrote the Christy Miller series, which had a huge impact on my teenage years. I’ve always wanted to write stories just like she does. Her stories are entertaining and lead people straight into a relationship with Jesus.

As a mom and a former middle schooler (ha!) I can totally relate. Middle school was scary, and I hope each of you moms out there reading this blog will consider reading Victoria’s books. They could really help your child (and maybe even you) cope with the not-so-easy moments! To celebrate the end of my Summer Spotlight Series, Victoria has graciously agreed to give away a paperback copy of Soprano Trouble!! Leave a comment below between now (Thursday, Sept 14th) and Saturday, Sept 16th, to be entered for a chance to win. One lucky winner will be drawn on 09/16 at 3 PM EST.

I’ll see you next week for the first installment of Farm Life from the Farmer’s Wife, featuring anecdotal (and often hilarious) stories from the farm! Sign up for my newsletter now and don’t miss any updates about the upcoming (and quickly approaching) release of Callum’s Compass, my debut Inspirational Romantic Suspense novel.