Kristine Lowder

I'm a recovering Californian, born and raised in San Diego. I earned my Bachelor's degree in communication/Print Media from Biola University in 1982 and married The World's Smartest Man in 1983. Our family of four boys and one gopher snake moved to the Evergreen State in '02. We've almost adjusted to the wet weather and small town life.

My professional background includes working as a staff writer, feature editor and senior writer/editor as well as stints in public relations and marketing. I also worked in aerospace for several years before getting a real job as a professional mom and homeschooler. I've published eight books to date and am working on my ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth titles. Specifics depend on when you catch me--and whatever Muse happens to be tiptoeing across my keyboard on any given day.

Where else have you been published?
My byline has appeared in a variety of on-line and print publications and more than thirty ezines, including Hearts at Home, A Long Story Short, Blessings for Life, Sunpiper Press, Humor and Life, in Particular, Destiny3Publishing, All Things Royal, and TheChristianOnlineMagazine. Several anthologies have also carried my poetry and/or short stories such as in Our Fathers Who Art in Heaven, Sojourns, and Whispers of Inspiration. I specialize in creative nonfiction and personal narrative, both serious and light-hearted. For more info. (or a shameless plug), visit:

http://people.lulu.com/users/index.php?fHomepage=119106

What are you working on these days?
I just completed my first full-length work of fiction, an historical novel set in first century Palestine. I’m also working on what may be loosely termed my “memoirs,” The Mountain and Me, another collection of short stories as yet untitled, and Snuggle Bunny and the Wenzel, a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the “joys” of camping. I’m nearing completion of a second novel set in modern day Washington. The working title is Heavincense. (You understand, of course, that a writer claiming a writing project is “nearly complete” is the rough equivalent of a five year-old claiming it’s “nearly” Christmas.) Besides that, something like 11,972 ideas, characters, dialogue and potential plots are currently orbiting the ‘ole cerebral hard drive. Only the most tenacious will see the light of day. Eventually.

Why do you write?
The simple fact is I can’t NOT write, so I’m never quite sure how to answer that question. That’s probably because I don’t understand people who DON’T write, or those who regard writing as a particularly heinous form of cruel and unusual punishment. That said, the main reason I write is the same reason Olympic athlete Eric Liddell gave for his running in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire: “I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.”

Favorite authors.
That’s a tough one. Like most writers, I read voraciously. If I’m sitting down I feel compelled to read something. Anything. Even the back of a cereal box. If pressed, however, I’d have to put at the top of my list (in no particular order): Elisabeth Elliot, Max Lucado, Calvin Miller, Charles Swindoll, Annie Dillard, Earl Hamner, Jr., Isak Dinesen, Jane Austen, C.S. Lewis, Corrie ten Boom, Elyne Mitchell (Australia) and Richard Paul Evans. Also Jan Karon, Bodie Thoene, Philip Gulley and the incomparable O. Henry. They’re all incredibly gifted writers. I’d love to be one iota as good as any one of them when I grow up.

Favorite Book:
Man! That’s like asking which of your kids is your favorite. Well alright. I confess a great fondness for Margery Williams’ immortal classic, The Velveteen Rabbit. I’m also a big fan of Curious George and the man in the yellow hat (don’t tell anyone).

Most effective remedy for writer’s block:
Long walks with my incurably affable yellow Lab, Eve. Also milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate with almonds, white chocolate, hot chocolate…

Do you enjoy writing?
Are you kidding?! I LOVE to write. Except for the small drops of blood I sweat with every syllable, writing comes as easily as breathing.

How do you find time to write?
Are you still kidding?!

When do you get your best ideas?
I have this theory that a writer’s mind—at least my mind, which is another story altogether, but let’s not go there—is at its creative zenith when it’s at rest. It seems the ‘ole gray matter just churns out ideas with ‘nary an ounce of effort whenever my synapses are flat-lining. This seems to happen most frequently in one of four places: 1) The shower, 2) While driving, 3) During a political campaign, and 4) When trying to argue the nutritional merits of brussel sprouts with a seven year-old. (He always wins.) Ignoring clocks and snoring helps a lot, too.

What frustrates me:
Tepid showers. Dirty dishes. Clean laundry that no one can figure out how to put away. People who don’t return phone calls. Being late. Running out of chocolate. Crowds. Isolation. Monotony. Incessant interruptions when on the cusp of a brilliant stroke of genius. Editors who insist on correcting my fragment sentences. I KNOW they’re fragments; they’re used intentionally for clarity. Or emphasis.

What delights me:
Anything sold by Hershey’s. Sunshine after rain. Sunshine before rain. Sun any time. Rainbows. Psalms, Romans, Ruth and Philippians. Hikes in the hinterlands. Charles Wesley, Fanny Crosby and Isaac Watts. Libraries. Anything sung by Andrea Bocelli. My family, especially Snuggle Bunny.

Places I’d like to see/visit before I die:
Grand Teton National Park. Vienna and Salzburg. Tuscany. Well alright. I’ll settle for a corner booth at McDonald’s so long as I’m sharing it with Snuggle Bunny.

Most amazed when:
Someone reads my written ramblings and says so--nicely; anyone swears off chocolate voluntarily. (The threat of imminent death as an inducement does not count.)

Most amazed by:
Grace!!

When not reading or writing, what do you like to do?
That only leaves about twenty minutes a day, ya know. Well alright. When not reading or writing I enjoy hiking, swimming (except for the water part), family camping trips (except for the tent part), hanging out and/or eating pizza with friends, and doing almost anything other than laundry. I’ve been known to drop everything for a visit to Mount Rainier National Park. I also enjoy watching MacEddies with Snuggle Bunny. Does anyone remember those? (What can I say? I’m a sucker for sappy romances.) I also used to jog and play tennis, but encroaching old age and creaky knees cured me of both.

Would you classify yourself as an extrovert or an introvert?
Puh-leeze!

Opinions that have absolutely nothing to do with writing:
Best Western ever made: Shane with Alan Ladd.
Best duet: Indian Love Call -- Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald.
Most memorable pairings: Lucy & Ethel; Ralph Kramden & Ed Norton.
Best ethnic cuisine: Italian and Japanese. (Why did I say that? My stomach is going on strike for Tuscan or tempura!)

Favorite quotes:
“Laughter is not only the best medicine but the best revenge,
although being rich and handsome and
outliving all your enemies are good ones, too.”
--Patrick F. McManus

“Hand over the chocolate and no one gets hurt!”
-- Yours Truly

Chief writing goal:
To know and reflect His pleasure.

Story ID:	747
Written by:	OurEcho Admin (bio, link, contact, other stories)
Story type:	In The Spotlight
Location:	UA USA
Year:	2006
Person:	Kristine Lowder