In Converting Kate , Beckie eWeinheimer explores the life of a high school

sophomore who is no longer quite sure she is so special or that her church is the only true church. In Converting Kate, (Viking) 15-year-old Kate Anderson was born and raised in the Church of the Holy Divine, a fictional church with similarities to the real church in which Weinheimer was raised. Kate’s church has strict dress code, restrictions on the TV shows and movies its members can watch, discourages the use of the internet and the reading of “worldly books”. Its all-male hierarchy dictates that women may have no occupation beyond that of motherhood and its doctrine rails against the evils of homosexuality. Like Kate’s fictional church in Converting Kate, Weinheimer’s real denomination controlled every aspect of her life. Although a sixth generation member of this conservative church, Weinheimer broke away and when she left, she left her heritage, her way of life, and most of her family and friends. Looking back, Weinheimer says, “It was as if their moral beliefs had overpowered their reasoning skills to the point they were ignorant to anything else. Ignorant and yet so sure they had the one and only true religion without ever exploring other religions, because of course that would lead them down the path to Satan.” She adds, “Even now, several years later, they pray for me, just like Kate’s family prays that she’ll come back to the fold and not end up with Satan.” Beckie explains, “I chose the young adult voice of Kate because I worried my forty-something voice was too angry, yet half the mail I receive is from other adults who felt stuck in a culture that just didn’t fit.” Beckie and Kate faced a universal dilemma that each of us will face at some time in our lives -what do we really believe? And do we have the courage to stand up to it? Converting Kate is a perfect example of truth in fiction. About the Author Beckie Weinheimer earned her M.F.A. in writing from Vermont College. She has two college aged daughters and lives with her husband of 27 years in Queens, NY. This is her first novel. Visit the author’s website at http://www.beckieweinheimer.org https://videos.whiteblox.com/gnb/secure/player.aspx?sid=34972