Guest Author: Kathleen Rouser

Thank you, Delia, for allowing me to share about my writing journey this month.

In my bio, I always say that I wanted to be a writer before I could even read, which is true. I loved it when my mom read books to me and became captivated with the idea of telling stories. My patient mother used to listen to my endless ramblings. I had also hoped to illustrate the books I was going to write someday, but while I enjoyed drawing and painting, I never developed my artistic ability that far.

Fast forward to being grown-up. I had my first magazine article published at nineteen. My much older brother, John, encouraged me to write and took me along to writers’ conferences. He loved to write as well. Sadly, he passed away in a car accident when I was twenty-four. It was like my biggest cheerleader and mentor were gone, and I lost a wonderful brother and friend.

Grieving prompted me to write a short story that included a character inspired by John. I would also try to write articles from time to time, but I was shy about submitting and still needed to grow a thicker skin toward rejection.

At twenty-one, after a five-month courtship, I married the love of my life. Less than a year later, we were blessed with a beautiful baby boy. A month before Matthew was born, Jack and I each accepted Jesus as our Savior, which would change so many things—including my purpose for writing. Motherhood and homeschooling took priority for many years. I wasn’t one of those energetic moms who could burn the candle at both ends.

Still, I took some time for writing, occasionally attending a local conference and taking a correspondence course in writing for children. As my kids got older, I began writing more seriously again, trying my hand at a few different genres.

In 2002 I wrote my first faith-based romance, a story from my heart. After several incarnations and rabbit trails to write other stories, Rumors and Promises was first published in 2016. A second Stone Creek Brides story came out in 2017. After I wrote the third book, my publisher had changed hands, and they were no longer interested in it. I received my rights back for the first two.

I wasn’t quite ready to go completely indie, and God provided another way. I queried Scandals and Mercies to Wild Heart Books in 2023. After I sent a proposal, they wanted to republish the first two books as well! I was so thankful to find such a wonderful home for my Stone Creek Brides series. I was going through a dark time right then, and it felt like the Lord was giving me a hug when He provided that contract.

Book Four, Wounds and Rescues, just released on October 6th. I am soon turning in rewrites for Betrayals and Hopes. (Yes, book five!) Though I began my writing journey when publishing and writing were much different, I can attest to the fact that sometimes the tortoise will cross the finish line—provided she doesn’t give up.

About Kathleen:

Kathleen Rouser is a multi-published, award-winning author of historical and contemporary Christian romance. She is a longtime member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of Faith, Hope and Love Christian Writers. She resides in southeast Michigan, a location which she often uses in her novels, with her hero and husband of forty-some years and two sweet cats who found a home in their empty nest. 

About Wounds and Rescues:

A nurse with a wounded heart. A former lawman haunted by loss. An attraction neither can afford.

Rose Sinclair has built a careful new life in Stone Creek, hiding her painful past beneath a high lace collar. When private investigator Caleb Ellis arrives claiming he's found a grandfather for two orphans she's grown to love, she's determined not to trust him—or let him take the children she's come to cherish.

Caleb needs Rose's cooperation to reunite the children with their family. But as questions begin to surface and shadows from Rose's past reappear, it becomes clear someone is willing to do whatever it takes to keep the truth buried.

Forced to travel west posing as husband and wife, Rose and Caleb must protect the children while outrunning a past determined to destroy them. As danger closes in, Caleb must confront the faith he abandoned, and Rose must decide if she can risk her heart again.

Because this time, trusting the wrong person won't just break them—it could cost them everything.

Perfect for fans of Karen Witemeyer and Mary Connealy, this faith-filled historical romance features a forced-proximity journey, blending danger, redemption, and a road that leads two wounded hearts toward love.