SALT LAKE CITY UT May 4, 2016
“Life without faith is a precarious way to exist. That was my position as a wannabe believer and admirer of people who seemed to be living a life of deep and abiding faith,” says Kerry Parry, author of a manuscript that immediately caught the eye of WiDo Publishing’s™ submissions editor, Allie Maldonado.
“Kerry’s query about her book, ‘Conversations with the Faithful’, struck me as such an intriguing concept,” says Maldonado. “I was eager to get into it and see if she could pull it off. I was delighted to find that her writing style and charming voice really made it work.”
For decades, Parry felt like an outsider where faith was concerned. After a series of events that set her on a spiritual journey, Parry decided to interview the faithful, to see what made them tick, how their faith helped them deal with things. She questioned friends, relatives, and strangers about their religious beliefs. She sought people of diverse religious experiences, who practiced, depended upon, and demonstrated a faith that, in her mind, made them extraordinary.
Growing up in a family where religion was not part of life, Parry always felt like she was missing out on something that other people had. She reflects: “My parents believed shielding their children from the trappings of organized religion was a great gift to their offspring. While skipping church on Sundays had its benefits, it left me feeling adrift. I had no faith to hold onto during times of trouble. I envied those who were grounded within a community of believers.”
Once her book was complete, she sought a publisher. Parry discovered WiDo while doing a systematic search of publishers who worked with creative nonfiction and spiritual authors. “When I read WiDo’s mission statement about publishing books that are ‘readable but not formulaic, entertaining without being fluff, uplifting without being preachy, literary but not obtuse, realistic and thought-provoking without being graphic–Above all, books that tell a darn good story,’ I thought, this is the one. This is the publisher I want to work with.”
Parry is currently thinking about doing another nonfiction book, this time about immigrants. She’d like to do a collection of immigration tales similar to her interviews with people of faith. She recently posted a blog about immigration on her website. Her post can be found at the following link: http://kerryparry.com/support-humanity/.
“We love getting manuscripts like this,” Maldonado says. “Original ideas with a strong compelling voice. Kerry is a talented writer, and we’re looking forward to working with her. ”
Besides religion and immigration, Parry enjoys following politics. And, as she says, “I also love martinis, which makes me dangerous at parties.” Clearly not someone to shy away from discussing hot topics, Parry has found that not everyone shares her enthusiasm and openness about what people believe and why. After years of asking people penetrating questions about their deeply held beliefs, she says, “I find it painful to stick to safe, superficial topics of conversation even among new acquaintances.”
Kerry Parry spent twenty plus years as a marketing executive in the financial services industry. She attended University of Northern Colorado where she studied journalism and the University of Denver where she received an MS in Advertising Management. When not writing, she practices yoga. She lives in Arvada, Colorado with her husband. They have three adult children who can be found in or out of the revolving door they call home.Her website and blog is at http://kerryparry.com