Through it all, I was reborn.įocus: You switched from a nursing and counseling career to being a novelist, and then transitioned from secular to inspirational fiction. And there, in the hearts of those fellow men, I caught the strongest, purest glimpse of God that I had ever seen. Their actions opened up a whole realm of new insights about my fellow man. I was so moved by their kindness and generosity. I truly believe, in a symbolic if not actually in a literal way, I died when Sean died-as a mother, a woman, and a human being.ĭuring that difficult time surrounding and after Sean's death, I found the strongest emotional support from the faith that had comforted and sustained me in my youth, and my family, friends, and the ministers who came to us. And in many ways, I lost the future, and my concept of how life was and should be. I lost my sense of order in the universe that parents are supposed to watch their children grow up, and that parents should die before their children. I lost my illusions that if I was a good mother and followed all the rules, I could always protect him.

When I lost Sean, I lost a piece of myself. It's been said the loss of a child is the worst grief there is, that the parent-child bond is one of the most powerful bonds there are. The shock and terrible grief involved in losing Sean was a blow I am still recovering from, and probably will be for the rest of my life.

No one, not even his doctor, suspected he had cancer until it was too late. Kathleen Morgan: In June 1996, after a very short illness, my youngest son, Sean, died of a fast-growing, virtually hidden cancer. Would you be willing to share a little about that time? How did that time influence where you are today in your faith? I started writing again, and haven't stopped yet, almost 19 years later.įocus: Eight years ago, you faced an excruciating loss in the death of your youngest son, and came to a real crossroad in your spiritual walk. Then, after reading an article in a magazine on romance writers, something clicked. In time, my love of books evolved into writing stories that were probably the usual for girls my age-horse and other animal stories.įrom second grade on, though, I wanted to be a nurse, so writing as a profession never entered my mind, or at least not until I was in my thirties and home with two toddlers. I remember one quarterly report card, in third grade I believe, where my teacher noted I had turned in 21 book reports. Focus: Kathleen, thanks so much for joining us! Would you begin our interview by telling our readers when you first became interested in writing? Did you enjoy stories as a child? Or was it later in life that your interest surfaced?

Consuming Fire by Kathleen Morgan