After almost 20 years, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kimberla Lawson Roby is ending her beloved Reverend Curtis Black series. I recently spoke with her about Better Late Than Never. (Stick around to the end of the interview because I’m giving away a signed autographed galley of the book.)
Tell me about your latest book, Better Late Than Never.
Better Late Than Never centers on Reverend Curtis Black and the vivid recollection of his abusive and impoverished childhood; his terminally-ill sister who he has been estranged from for years; his wife, Charlotte and how she secretly hasn’t wanted to be first lady of Deliverance Outreach for years; and their youngest daughter, twelve-year-old Curtina, who is now causing more problems in the household than Curtis and Charlotte ever thought possible.
Why did you decide this would be the last book in your popular Curtis Black series?
From the very beginning, my hope was to bring Reverend Curtis Black full circle. What I wanted was to show that anyone, if they choose, can turn their lives completely around for the better. And now that Curtis has done that, I knew it was time to end the series.
What do you want readers to learn from the story?
1) Whatever happens in your childhood, good or bad, will affect you for the rest of your life, 2) Not every smiling face belongs to a truly happy person, and 3) Life is much too short to go years without speaking to your loved ones. Forgiving someone who has hurt you can sometimes be hard, but it’s certainly well worth doing.
What do you want readers to learn from your life?
1) That believing in God, believing in yourself, and believing in whatever it is you are trying to accomplish (in that order) means everything, 2) That you can in fact find success in this world without jeopardizing your faith, and 3) That treating others the way you want to be treated is always the right thing to do
What will you miss most about the Curtis Black series?
Writing about characters who have held a special place in my heart for nearly two decades. Even more so, I will miss hearing my readers discussing Reverend Curtis Black and his family with so much energy and excitement.
Where will you be touring with the book?
Currently, my tour cities are Rockford, IL; Dallas, TX; Baton Rouge, LA; Memphis, TN; Charlotte, NC; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; and Chicago, IL (Orland Park). Then, in September, I have events in Phoenix, AZ and Indianapolis, IN.
What’s next for Kimberla Lawson Roby?
The release of my first non-fiction title.
Do you have anything you would like to add?
I just want to say how thankful I am to God and my readers. When I first wrote Casting the First Stone, the first book in the series, it was never my plan to write a sequel. However, because my readers continued asking for four years if I would in fact be writing one, I eventually did, and from there the Reverend Curtis Black series was born. I really do have the best readers in the world, and I am forever grateful to all of them.
To learn more about Kimberla Lawson Roby, visit her website or connect with her on social media.
www.facebook.com/kimberlalawsonroby
www.instagram.com/kimberlalawsonroby
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