Looking out the Window: Award-winning Author Kathleen Neely Talks About Her Journey with Jesus and Her New Book, Arms of Freedom

  

A Warm Welcome to Kathleen Neely

Is Jesus real? Does the Bible change lives?

I went to Sunday School as a child because it was the culturally correct thing to do. Mine was not a faith-based home. Somehow little nuggets of truth took root and began to grow. It was a slow journey. Let me rephrase that. It is a slow journey. Still ongoing. I once thought of the Bible as a book of do’s and don’ts. If I wanted to follow Jesus, I must do list #1 and must never do list #2. But that’s not what the Bible is.

God’s word is life-changing. When I truly began to spend time with Jesus and study His word, I found my thought processes shifting.  My heart desired Him more than earthly treasures. ‘Doing’ became an overflow of ‘knowing.’ Before He changed my heart, I never thought of myself as a sinner. I didn’t do really bad things, so I viewed myself as ‘good.’ I remember the day that I recognized my sin. Pride. Selfishness. It sent me to my knees in tears. I’d like to tell you that that’s all in the past, but I’d have to add lying to the list. I do much better, but the transformation to being in Christ’s image is a process that won’t be complete on this side of heaven.

Years ago, I sat with a friend who raised her hand to accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior. After talking with a pastor, we went to our car and she said, “I don’t feel any different.” Yet day by day, month by month, and year by year, the changes became obvious, and beautiful.

Paul said that “being confident of this, He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil 1:6. If you make the first step toward Jesus, He won’t abandon the work He began.

So, is Jesus real? Is the Word of God life-changing? Yes! I’m a living testimony to that truth. I love the epitaph engraved on Ruth Bell Graham’s tombstone. It simply says, “End of construction. Thank you for your patience.”

About Arms of Freedom

With each page of the age-old journals, Annie discovers all that unites her with a woman who once lived in her farmhouse. One lived with wealth and one with poverty, but both knew captivity. Both longed to be free. 

Miriam yearns to escape her life as a super model. She drops the pseudonym and uses the name she gave up years ago—Annie Gentry. Then she alters her appearance and moves to rural South Carolina to care for her grandmother. Can she live a simple life without recognition? Can she hide a net worth valued in the millions? Love is nowhere in her plans until she meets a man who wants nothing more than Annie Gentry and the simple life he lives.

Charlotte lived in the same farmhouse in the tumultuous 1860’s. The Civil War was over, but for a bi-racial girl, freedom remained elusive. She coveted a life where she wouldn’t bring shame to her family. A life where she could make a difference. As she experiences hope, will it be wrested from her?

The journals stop abruptly with a climactic event, leaving Annie to search for information. What happened to Charlotte? Did her life make a difference?  Did she ever find freedom? 

What Readers Are Saying 

In Arms of Freedom, author Kathleen Neely has penned an incredible dual timeline novel that fans of both post-Civil War historical fiction during the Reconstruction period and contemporary fiction will immensely enjoy. The novel intertwines the historical storyline with the present as a young bi-racial girl’s journal from the 1800s turns into a search for family history and answers about the past. This powerful and emotional story demonstrates the strength and determination of the human spirit during the time of the Emancipation Proclamation, the Reconstruction period, and the rise of the KKK. 

Arms of Freedom is highly recommended for fans of time slip novels, historical fiction, and women’s contemporary fiction with light romantic threads. Such a wonderful novel!

Buy Arms of Freedom on Amazon

Bio:

Kathleen Neely is a retired elementary principal, and enjoys time with family, visiting her two grandsons, traveling, and reading.

She is the author of The Street Singer, Beauty for Ashes, The Least of These, Arms of Freedom, and In Search of True North. Kathleen won second place in a short story contest through ACFW-VA for her short story “The Missing Piece” and an honorable mention for her story “The Dance”. Both were published in a Christmas anthology. Her novel, The Least of These, was awarded first place in the 2015 Fresh Voices contest through Almost an Author. She has numerous devotions published through Christian Devotions

 Kathleen continues to speak to students about writing and publication processes. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.

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