This week in The Loft: Author Kimberly Beckett!

Joining me today in The Loft is author Kimberly Beckett. By day, Kimberly is a civilian attorney for the Department of Defense. In her off-hours, she writes equine-facilitated happily-ever-afters. She has loved horses since she was a child and has been riding dressage for several years. Among her accomplishments: Kimberly has earned a U.S. Dressage Federation Bronze Medal. Currently, she writes and tends to her horses and greyhounds in southwest Ohio.

Author Kimberly Beckett

S:  Welcome Kimberly!  You and I have something in common. We are both lawyers who write romance! (Chuckles.) But I write about lawyers in love, while you favor horses.

Tell me, why did you become a writer?

K:  I have always loved to read, and after exhausting the books in my local library, I started writing my own stories.  However, it wasn’t until I had been practicing law for 30 years, was married, and had a grown son that I decided to pursue writing as a vocation.  In my Horses Heal Hearts series, I have combined my love of horses with my love of writing romance. 

S:  What attracts you to the romance genre?

K:  In my job as an attorney, I see people in stressful situations on a regular basis. It’s my job to represent them and try to resolve their conflicts to the best of my ability.  As a romance reader, at the end of the day, I reach for a romance novel so that I can find a place where the conflict is manageable, and there is always a happily-ever-after.

S:  (Nods.) When I was studying for the bar exam, I think I read one romance novel a day, just to ease the stress. We actually passed around a bag full of paperbacks so everyone could indulge. 

What was your worst date ever?

K:  I once went out with a man who was the exact opposite from me in personality. He was a salesman who told bad jokes most of the evening, then took me to see the movie “The Killing Fields” about genocide in Cambodia. Not at all romantic. Suffice it to say that I never saw him again.

S:  Wow. You must have been itching to go home after that one!

Do you believe in love at first sight?

K:  I don’t believe you can truly love someone just on first sight, but I do believe that there are people in the world that we “know” even if we’re meeting them for the first time. It’s hard to explain, except that I believe in reincarnation, and that we can meet in this lifetime souls that we have known in past lives, who come into our lives to help us or encourage us in some way. It’s the only way I can explain how once in a while you meet someone that you instantly “click” with, and who seems to know you even though you have only just met. That phenomenon has happened to me several times.

S:  (Nods.) Deja vu is real.

What do you crave?

K:  I have an unholy attraction to dark chocolate, and I also can’t resist ice cream. It’s my favorite decadent treat.

S:  I am addicted to dark chocolate coffee crunch bars. When I am in the middle of writing a book, I go through way too many!

Tell me about your book, "Lionel's Leap of Faith."

K:  Sure. This is Book 3 in my Horses Heal Hearts series. Here's the blurb--

One fateful decision in a moment of weakness destroyed Lionel Hayes’ life as he knew it and led to the death of his long time partner and lover. At first, he blamed his friend Michael Stafford for his misfortune and sought revenge, but through his work rehabilitating abused horses, and the trust of one special horse, he realized that he had to take responsibility for his actions, and that he and he alone should take the blame. From that day forward, Lionel vowed to restore his image and resume the career that he loved.  In the process, he found the horse of a lifetime, Gideon’s Rainbow.

Monty Campbell was a rising star on the international show jumping circuit until he lost his horse to injury. Desperate for a replacement mount, and with the support of the British Equestrian Team, he leaned of Gideon’s Rainbow and knew this horse was for him. To his surprise, the horse’s owner was also a perfect match for him, although the man stubbornly refused to acknowledge it. How could Monty convince Lionel they were meant for each other and would the sinister force that sought to destroy Lionel destroy Monty as well? 

S:  I am a big fan of Dick Francis, who also writes about the horse world. This sounds like a very moving story! Where can readers buy your book?

K:  It's available on Amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/Lionels-Leap-Faith-Horses-Hearts-ebook/dp/B07XK9FZ16

S:  Kimberly, thanks so much for joining me today! If you'd like to learn more about Kimberly and her books, please visit--

Website:  https://www.kimberlybeckett.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Author-Kimberly-Beckett-270784220060587/ 
Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Beckett/e/B079SQNPLQ