Niki Barlow

Why I Started Writing:

In high school, I loved the art of storytelling through creative writing, but I allowed a comment on one paper by a teacher to end my writing desires. Many years later, my family was traveling, looking at colleges for two of our girls. Our youngest wanted to stay back at the hotel, so I stayed with her while my husband took the other two on. As I was leaving my bedroom to go to the pool area, I distinctly heard God say, write. And I did. I wrote the first 57,000 words in less than a month. The novel was horrible, but over the years, I took classes, went to writers’ conferences, and studied online while being a pastor’s wife, mom to seven including three foster children, and working full time. My love for writing grew into an intimate conversation with God.

 

Authors Who Have Influenced Me:

In high school, I was an avid reader of Katherine Woodiwiss and Julie Garwood. They influenced my imagination through character and plot development. After I accepted Christ as my savior, the Bible, which is full of colorful characters, plot twists, and truth, gave me insight and the desire to reach others through fiction. I read a mixture of authors and genres from sci-fi, speculative, Christian, paranormal, contemporary, and romance.

 

Books I Have Written:

Fostering the Heart Devotions for foster care, kinship, and adoptive parents to share the daily journey of foster parenting.

Sharing With God: An Intimate Conversation Journal to spur communication with God and see how He influences your choices.

Fostering the Fire of Your Heart: Strength through Christ. A devotional anthology for coming through life’s challenges. Co-compiled and contributed to.

 

What I'm Working On Now:

Burning Part of the Quest Series about a near-future America unraveling by war which spotlights women holding to their faith while overcoming tremendous obstacles.