Welcome to Author Spotlight! Each week will feature a different author. We’ll get the scoop behind their writing life and dish a little. The authors will also be giving away a copy of their latest book. FUN.

The winner from last week’s Author Spotlight with Julie Klassen is HANNAH PEASHA! Please email my assistant Christen with your mailing address. (ckrumm@litfusegroup.com)

This week please welcome Jamy Whitaker in the spotlight! To win a copy of her book Get REAL: Stop Hiding Behind the Mask (Westbow Press), leave a comment on this post!

Share a little bit about yourself. Married with kids? Empty nester? Do you work full-time and write when you can squeeze it in?

I live with my amazing husband and five energetic children in rural Indiana. With children ranging in age from 4 to 14, I write when I can find the time – early in the morning, waiting for cross-country practice to end or late at night.

And share something about your writing. What’s your genre(s), your areas of interest…

I enjoy writing to women exactly where they are – speaking to theirs hearts and needs.

How did you get started writing? Did you have a dream of being a published author?

I started writing a blog and it simply went from there. It has always been a dream of mine to publish a book, but I didn’t really believe it would happen; kind of like my dream to run a marathon.

After you started writing seriously–how long was it before you were published?

It took about a year and a half from the time I started my blog until my book was published.

Aside from a cup of good, strong coffee, what helps you get all of your “brain cylinders” firing so you can write well? Do you have any favorite places and routines when you write? How many hours a day do you spend writing?

Coffee is a must while I am writing, no matter what the time of day. I enjoy writing out on the deck overlooking our pasture, woods and pond first thing in the morning, if possible. However, with the kids, that does not always happen. My office, lovingly created for me by my husband, would be my other favorite place to write. I do not have a set number of hours per day that I write due to the kids’ schedules. Therefore, some days I write for hours at a time and other days not at all.

What has been the biggest help to you in the journey to publication? Writers’ conferences? Writing groups? Your mom as your first draft reader?

The single biggest help would have to be attending the Proverbs 31 She Speaks conference this past summer in North Carolina. Through this conference, I met several facebook and twitter friends before hand that helped and encouraged me along the way. My husband has been incredibly supportive from the early stages of my writing all the way through publication.

Is the “writer’s life” what you thought it would be? (Explain your answer)

No, a writer’s life is a lot more involved than I initially thought; with building and maintaining a platform as well as promoting and marketing the published work. With that said, I still absolutely love what I do.

What are your biggest distractions?

Without a doubt, my biggest distractions would be the telephone and a messy kitchen.

What do you least like about being a writer? Most like?

What I like least about being a writer would be staring at the blank computer screen and wondering what direction to go.

I love getting all my thoughts and inspirations from inside my head down on paper and then having those words touch someone’s life.

What advice would you give to new writers?

The advice I would give a new writer would be to write, write and write some more. It does not need to be perfect, simply get your ideas and thoughts down onto paper. Also, do not get discouraged or caught up in the “number” game – comments, followers, likes; simply focus on the calling you have on your life. God will take care of the rest.

Pretend I’m a customer at a bookstore looking for a good book. Give me a one or two sentence promo to convince me to buy your book.

Hiding who you really are is a life hazard. Get REAL: Stop Hiding Behind the Mask empowers women to let their true identity in Christ shine through.

What’s on the book horizon for you?

I am currently working on my next book. Staying in the same vein as Get REAL, it will also be a nonfiction inspirational book. I am hoping to have it completed by the end of next year.

Last question, how can readers find you and your books?

Come and visit me at www.jamywhitaker.com or join my facebook page, www.facebook.com/AuthorJamyWhitaker

Thank you for sharing your writing life with my bleaders! (blog + readers = bleaders)