An Interview with Kathleen Long Bostrom
Interviewed by Janine C. Hagan
Kathleen Bostrom is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She and her husband, Greg, have served as Co-Pastors of the Wildwood Presbyterian Church, Wildwood, Illinois, since 1991. Kathy is the author of nearly two-dozen books for children. Her books have been nominated for the Gold Medallion Award and the People’s Choice Award. She is included in a 2003 edition of Something About the Author and Contemporary Authors, two of the premiere reference sources for information on children’s authors. Her books have sold well over one million copies since 1997. Kathy holds a Master of Arts in Christian Education, a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry from McCormick Theological Seminary. She and Greg have three children: Christopher, Amy, and David.

Janine: Kathy, I first met you in 1999 at a Writer’s Conference at Columbia Theological Seminary where you were a co-leader of a workshop. At that time you had several children’s books that had been published. Then I discovered that you were ordained as a Presbyterian Minister, a full-time mom, and a writer as well. By then, I was more than impressed. I was proud of the realization of your potential as well as excited, and well, curious. What was the “spark” that ignited the concept for that first book?

Kathy: I am delighted that you contacted me to do this interview, after these many years. What a blessing and joy to have connections that remain through the years! One of the nice parts about writing, and traveling around, is meeting people who share a love of writing, and then finding out what these people are doing on down the road. I am proud of all that you have accomplished since we met!

As for my first book . . . I suppose you mean my first published book! I have a filing cabinet drawer full of manuscripts that will never see the light of day. I spent four years sending out manuscripts trying to find a publisher, and racked up over 250 rejections before I did so. It was worth it all.

The first book I had accepted to be published was the first book in the Little Blessings series I’ve done for Tyndale House. The book, “What is God Like?” was written originally for an editor at another publishing house, who turned it down. The book was inspired by a little girl in my church, who had asked her mother, “Is God a boy or a girl?” The mother had no idea what to say, so she had the little girl ask me. They caught me between worship services on a Sunday morning as I was rushing off to prepare for worship, so I had to think about the answer. Trying to explain to a child the attributes of God sparked the idea for this book. I sought out Bible passages that described God and used those as a foundation, then came up with questions I thought a child might ask. The other books in the series follow the same format, with a different focus. “Who is Jesus?”,” What About Heaven?”,” Are Angels Real?”, and “What is Prayer?” were published about a year apart, following the first one.

The day the editor at Tyndale called to tell me that they wanted to publish my book is a day I will never forget. It was a Monday afternoon in mid-September. When I hurried home to tell my family, their responses ranged from, “Way to go, Mom!” to “Finally!” My youngest son was barely seven years old at the time and over half of his life, I had spent trying to get published, so that was his frame of reference!

Janine: Could you share with us some of your faith background/history? Where did that first lead you, professionally speaking? How have those experiences brought about or shaped your gift of writing? (In other words…tell about your personal faith background leading into ministry, family, and writing. How would you name your creativity/work within the context of your faith? Is this a “passion?” Is this linked to your ministry? Is it separate? Or are they both part of the same package?

Kathy: Good question! I’ll start from the end. My writing, definitely, is a ministry, and an extension of the work I do as an ordained pastor. My books reach out to a wide range of people that I would never reach through a single pulpit. My work as a pastor feeds my ideas for books. I see what is needed, I hear the questions children ask, I try to find a way to put faith into words. I’ve found that adults enjoy my children’s books, too, especially those who are newer to the faith. Having a strong biblical foundation to my books connects with a wide age range.

I grew up in a loving family, but we did not attend church. I first began going to church in high school, through the invitation of my older sister who had started going to a Presbyterian church. She invited me to come to the high school youth group, which terrified me. I was extremely shy, and hesitant to meet new people. I cried the night before my first youth group meeting! But I found a wonderful group of loving, caring Christians, both the young folks and the adults. I still keep in touch with some of them, thirty years later. In the church, I found my “place.” I was baptized at the age of fifteen, and the church was my home away from home.

After I graduated from college, I worked for two years. I wasn’t sure what to do with my life. A youth pastor suggested I go to seminary and get a degree in education and teach in a church. Bingo! It was like a thunderbolt. I knew that seminary was my destiny. I didn’t know at the time that I would end up in ordained ministry, as I had no intention of ever preaching or becoming a minister. God nudged me along the way and I am grateful. I definitely felt “called” to ministry.

That is how I look at my career as a writer. I feel “called” by God to write. During all those years of rejection, when it seemed like I was spending countless hours and going nowhere, I knew deep in my heart that God had some reason to lead me into this. I had to trust that one day, I would find out where the years of writing would lead. Now I look back and see where my trust has been confirmed. God has blessed my life in so many ways.

I also see my years of writing sermons as good practice for writing children’s books. You have to have a good introduction, get to the point, and finish. There is a limited amount of time to do this in a sermon, and a limited number of pages to do this in a book. Writing sermons and writing books for children is similar in that I am writing something to be spoken aloud. It’s a unique kind of writing. And writing books for children is far more difficult than some people think. There is an economy of words that is very tight. I try not to be a “wordy” preacher, and the same goes for my books, although I often have to cut a lot out of a first draft in order to condense the material to the proper length.

Janine: Okay. This is a question that is for my benefit. How do you do it all? Do you get different kinds of energy from each ministry/work so that the flow sustains the whole? Can you name some of the dynamics that happen with multi-tasked ministry and family-life such as this?

Kathy: I am definitely an introvert in an extrovert’s job. Ministry demands a lot of energy, being in front of people, leading worship, and making myself available when there is a need. The writing nurtures my introvert side, and so gives my life a good balance. My writing energizes me. It feeds my spirit, and gives me the quiet, self-contained, introspective time I need in order to have the energy for my church work. The two blend together in a wonderful way.

There are times I am stretched. I have three kids – now teenagers – who have busy lives. I tell people, “I have one husband, two jobs, three kids, and never enough time.” I try to prioritize what needs done. Church work takes precedence over writing: If it’s a Saturday and I have a book manuscript to write and a sermon to preach the next day, it’s no contest which will get my attention for that day!

I am a very organized person, and that helps. I keep close track of my book deadlines, and try to pace myself. I can get lost in my writing, so I try to set aside blocks of time when I can do that. And I am blessed with a wonderful, supportive family and congregation who are all very proud of my books and encourage me all the time.

Janine: Do you have favorite books? Or, are they all your “children?” Do you love them equally? Do you have different memories attached to the writing of each one?

Kathy: Yes, my books are like my children. I love each of them, but in various ways. I suppose “What is God Like?” will always hold a special place in my heart, because it was my first. And another book in that series, “What About Heaven?” is a sentimental favorite. It was published shortly before my mom died of lung cancer, and she told me it was her favorite of my books so far. I read it to her in the hospital the night before she died. It was the only time in the final hours of her life that she “came to” and was able to communicate, through her eyes if not through words. I will always hold that memory in my heart.

“Papa’s Gift” is one of my favorite stories, although the book did not get much attention. It is the story of a little girl and her grandfather, and how she copes with his death. I wrote the book to help families know how to support a grieving child. I wanted adults to know that it was okay for their children to be angry, sad, quiet, whatever. I think the book is one of my best, as far as writing. And as in all my books, the illustrations are terrific (I can say that because I didn’t do them!).

Janine: The theme of this issue of EcuMiniNet™ Online! is “Ordinary Time": Harvesting Extraordinary Virtues (Patience, Kindness, Gentleness, and Generosity). Since you have just written the 2005 Horizons Bible Study for Presbyterian Women and your focus is on the liturgical calendar, perhaps you can share some thoughts with us about what we call “Ordinary Time” or any extraordinary wonderings about these “fruits.”

Kathy: I learned a lot writing that Bible study! I hope others will find it as interesting to study as I did.

The word “Ordinary” as used in “Ordinary Time” did not originate from the word, “ordinary.” It comes from a system of counting the days between the church seasons, using “ordinal” numbers. These are numbers counted as “first, second, third,” rather than “one, two, three.”

We have come to associate “Ordinary Time” as time that is ordinary – between seasons. Ordinary Time is the longest period of time in the church year. I think that speaks closely to how our lives unfold through time. There are high points and low points, but in between, a lot of ordinary time. As I see it, “Ordinary” time is really full of extra-ordinary time. God fills the ordinary with holiness. The smile of a friend, the breath of a baby, the tulips pushing through the ground in the spring – each one of these is ordinary in the sense that they happen frequently, but not a bit ordinary when seen through the eyes of faith.

If a person is diagnosed with a serious illness, suddenly, an “ordinary” life seems like such a gift! We are not always aware of how blessed each moment truly is. The fruits of the Spirit are nearly unattainable, if we think we have to be loving, patient, kind, gentle, etc. all the time. That is impossible. By the grace of God, we strive to let these fruits feed us and fill us so that we can share them with others. I think that the best we can do is to strive for these fruits, knowing that they are indeed gifts of the Spirit, not something we “achieve” on our own. It is important to get our daily intake of fruits – the kinds that grow on trees - and the spiritual ones that are given to us through the Spirit.

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