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I am happy to bring you an interview with Robin Khoury, the author of the new children’s book The Grumpy Monk.

Q: When did you become interested in writing?

A: I have been writing since I was a little girl. I have an old attempt at a romantic novel that I attempted when I was about ten or twelve! My mom and I still laugh about the opening lines: “A tall thin blond walked down thirty second street…”

Yes, I lived on 32nd Street, but the tall and thin part was definitely poetic license! I was on school newspaper in high school, and then wrote a regular column called Robin’s Nest for the Oklahoma homeschooling magazine for many years. I have been published in several Christian magazines, such as Virtue, Brio, Confident Living.

Q: What inspired you to write this book?

A: In 2005, I picked up a copy of The Practice of the Presence of God on a bargain book table. I had read it years before and was blessed by it, so I decided to buy this nice hardback. As I reread it, I kept thinking, “I have never seen this story written for children.” I started working on it then and continued to work on it for the next year.

Q: Is The Grumpy Monk your first book? Do you plan on making this a series?

A: The Grumpy Monk is actually the third book I have written for children. It is part of a series called Miss Robin’s Christian History Heroes. Our children need to know about servants of God that did great things for Him. Then they will be encouraged to serve God, too.

Q: What is the main message you desire for children to learn?

A: The message of The Grumpy Monk is three-fold. The first is that God knows you and loves you. He created you and knows your name. He is not surprised by the place you are in today.

The second message is that every job is valuable when done out of love for God. The third message is that God gives us the ability to do this. He will guide and give strength, love, and peace for the job He has assigned to you. All of these messages are carefully woven into The Grumpy Monk.

Q: Do you have anything else you’re working on?

A: Thanks for asking! I’m so excited about this. As I read and reread The Practice of the Presence of God while working on The Grumpy Monk, I kept having to look up a bunch of words. The original was written in the 1600s, so it is pretty hard to read.

Finally, I just thought, “I’m going to write this book out so that any mom can just pick this up and read it!” So, I sat with a dictionary by my side and rewrote the text while asking myself, “How would I say this?” The book will be out in a couple of weeks.

Q: Where can your book be purchased?

A: The Grumpy Monk can be purchased at grumpymonkbook.com or littlelightpress.com if people would like to see all of my books.

Thanks so much, Robin!

You can visit Robin at her site: robinkhoury.com or facebook:RobinKhoury or twitter: @robinkhoury