About Kay Marshall Strom
Kay Marshall Strom has written thirty-six published books, numerous magazine articles, and two screenplays. Four of her books have been chosen as book club selections, eleven have been translated into foreign languages, and one was optioned for a movie. Her writing is also included in numerous volumes and compilations, including the bestselling Conversations on Purpose for Women (Zondervan 2005) and various editions of the NIV Devotional Bibles.
In addition to her writing, Kay taught writing classes through the California State University system for ten years, and still teaches at writers conferences around the country. In 2008, she was invited to India to teach writing in order to give a voice to those not normally heard.
A sought-after speaker, Kay is in demand for retreats and special events throughout the US and around the world.
Kay and her husband Dan Kline make their home in the Pacific Northwest.
You can visit her website at www.kaystrom.com.
The Interview
Could you please tell us a little about your book?
The Second-Half Adventure: Don’t Just Retire-Use Your Time, Skills & Resources to Change the World is just about the most comprehensive title/subtitle I have seen assigned to a book! It pretty much covers the topic, doesn’t it? It is basically a call to Baby Boomers, who are scowling at the idea of aging, to use the second half of their lives to make a difference in the world.
What cause are you most passionate about and why?
A verse in the Bible says the Lord requires us “To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God.” (Micah 6:8) I see this as a call to reach out to the most helpless and oppressed among us. Much of my writing, both fiction and non-fiction, focuses around those who are suffering and how we can intervene on their behalf in positive ways. I can do this best by staying off my soapbox and spinning stories!
Do you have any rituals you follow when finishing a piece of work?
I call my daughter, and we do “the dance of joy.” Then my husband and I go out for a really nice Chinese dinner.
What are you currently working on?
I am just finishing Book #37—a novel, the third of the “Grace in Africa” trilogy. The Call of Zulina was released in the fall, The Voyage of Grace comes out in August, and The Triumph of Grace will be available in Spring of 2011. As soon as this is finished (next month) I start another fiction trilogy, this one set in India.
Do you have any advice for writers or readers?
For writers: Never give up. Never, ever give up. Everyone gets better and better. No one gets worse and worse.
Is there an author that inspired you to write?
I know this sounds funny, but it was A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. I was assigned the book to read when I was in eighth grade, and it absolutely captivated me. It opened my eyes to a story’s power to move a heart and change a nation.
What are some of your long term goals?
I want to keep on writing as long as Agatha Christie did. And I want to have as many books published as she did!
What do you feel sets this book apart from others in the same genre?
For several years, the editor at Moody Press asked me to consider writing a book on retirement. I always said no, because I had nothing new and fresh to say. Hey, I wasn’t retired, and I had no intention to quit writing. But then I met a group called Finishers Project. This great organization provides Christian adults with online information, challenges and pathways for discovering and processing opportunities in the U.S. and around the world. They helped greatly with this book. Check them out at www.finishers.org.
About The Second Half Adventure
Whoever you are, whatever your skills and experiences, you can use what you have gained in life to help change the world. In connection with The Finishers Project, The Second-Half Adventure will enable you to analyze where you have been, where you want to go in the second-half of your life, and how to start preparing today.
Through the stories of individuals and couples who have found meaningful involvements—from business people to housewives, from engineers to artists—this book will help you infuse your special God-given years with purpose and eternal significance. The best adventure is yet to come!
Read the Excerpt
(though they would never use that term!). Whether aching with disappointment
over the passage of time or proud of their accomplishments,
every seven seconds another one turns fifty. That’s 12,000
people a day. Nearly 4.5 million each year.As boomers enter the second half of life, because of their sheer
numbers, they are poised to rock society all over again. As I write this,
approximately 35 million Americans are age sixty-five or older. By
the year 2030 that number will have doubled to a whopping 70 million.
Some who look at this burgeoning population have raised a collective
gasp of alarm. “What are we going to do with all those old
folks?” they cry. “What will happen to our society? It’s only going to
get more and more decrepit!”Those people underestimate baby boomers. Boomers have never
done anything in the same old way things had always been done before,
so why would they start now? The fact is, they are already in the
process of reinventing retirement. And without a doubt, they are the
ones to do it. Not only because of who and what they are, but because
they are approaching their second half healthier, more educated,
and more full of vigorous years than any generation that preceded
them. They may be getting older, but they definitely remain a vital
force to be reckoned with.
…
Now consider for a moment: What if boomer retirees, whose passion
is for God, were to take Christ’s teachings seriously? What if they
were to determine to use their acquired skills and expertise to demonstrate
God’s love to the world in practical ways? Imagine what could
happen!
“The unique values and sheer numbers of the boomer generation
have not taken God by surprise,” Don Parrott of Finishers noted. “I
believe He has been preparing exactly the kind of workforce He would
need from North America at this time in history.”
Here’s what reviewers have to say!
(coming soon!)
The Second-Half Adventure Virtual Book Tour Schedule
Monday, Jan. 4
Interviewed at Beyond the Books
Tuesday, Jan. 5
Book spotlighted at Examiner
Wednesday, Jan. 6
Interviewed at The Writer’s Life
Thursday, Jan. 7
Interviewed l Chat l Book Giveaway at Pump Up Your Book
Friday, Jan. 8
Guest blogging at Moms Not All
Monday, Jan. 11
Book reviewed at Maria’s Space
Tuesday, Jan. 12
Guest blogging at Boomer Chick
Wednesday, Jan. 13
Guest blogging at One Pushy Broad
Thursday, Jan. 14
Guest blogging at Blogging Authors
Friday, Jan. 15
Guest blogging at The Book Connection
Book reviewed at Desperately Seeking Deals
Monday, Jan. 18
Book reviewed at Libby’s Library News
Tuesday, Jan. 19
Interviewed at As the Pages Turn
Wednesday, Jan. 20
Guest blogging at As the Pages Turn
Thursday, Jan. 21
Guest blogging at Paperback Writer
Friday, Jan. 22
Book spotlight at A Bookworm Reads
Monday, Jan. 25
Interviewed at Kim Smith’s Introducing Writers! Radio Show on Blog Talk Radio
Book spotlighted at The Hot Author Report
Tuesday, Jan. 26
Book reviewed at Marta’s Meanderings
Thursday, Jan. 28
Interviewed for Review From Here
Friday, Jan. 29
Interviewed for Personovelty
Monday, February 1
Interviewed at Blogcritics
Tuesday, February 2
Book trailer spotlighted at If Books Could Talk
Wednesday, February 3
Book reviewed at Winning Readings
Thursday, February 4
Interviewed at Divine Caroline
Friday, February 5
Book reviewed at Broken Teepee
Monday, February 8
Book reviewed at Books, Books, The Magical Fruit
Tuesday, February 9
Book reviewed at 4 the Love of Books
Wednesday, February 10
Guest blogging at The Writer’s Life
Thursday, February 11
Interviewed at The Hot Author Report
Friday, February 12
Book reviewed at Reading at the Beach
Monday, February 15
Book reviewed at Blog Business World
Tuesday, February 16
Guest blogging + book giveaway at Cafe of Dreams
Wednesday, February 17
Guest blogging at Prill Boyle’s Defying Gravity
Thursday, February 18
Guest blogging at The Story Behind the Book
Friday, February 19
Book reviewed at Simply Stacie
Monday, February 22
Interviewed on A Book and a Chat Radio Show
Tuesday, February 23
Interviewed at American Chronicle
Wednesday, February 24
Interviewed at Paperback Writer
Thursday, February 25
Interviewed at Broowaha
Thursday, February 26
Guest blogging at Night Owl Reviews
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