Spotlight on Kristi Gold
(Published in 2002)

By Cheryl Bolen

In 1999, three years after she was a double Golden Heart finalist, Kristi Goldberg (writing as Kristi Gold) sold her first book to Silhouette Desire and in the next 30 months has made 11 additional sales.

This talented writer even racked up a Rita finalist nomination for her first book, COWBOY FOR KEEPS.

Though Kristi lives near Waco and has belonged to the Heart of Texas RWA chapter since 1995, she is also a long-time, long-distance member of West Houston.

Ironically, neither of her Golden Heart finalists (long contemporary and single title) has ever sold. "One of my GH books was too risky, the other had elements not deemed marketable."

After she gave up on them, she came up with an idea for a short baby/reunion/cowboy book that Silhouette requested, then rejected. "I did quit writing for about three days after that set-back, but with a lot of support I started another book immediately." That book was the Desire which became her first sale--almost 12 months after she had sent it to Silhouette.

Kristi gives much credit for that first sale to her critique partner and friend Vicky Dreiling of the West Houston chapter. Vicky kept prodding Kristi to keep on writing.

Because of Kristi's contest wins, at the time she made her first sale to Silhouette, she already had two other manuscripts in-house; therefore, those two promptly sold. Book II, DOCTOR FOR KEEPS, came out two months after her first book, and Book III, HIS SHELTERING ARMS, followed five months later.

Kristi has also published and is contracted for additional Silhouette continuity series. Her first was for Texas Cattleman's Club (April 2001) with HER ARDENT SHEIKH. She's contracted for Books 8 and 9 in the Dynasties series.

She has also generated her own series. Currently, she's got out her Marrying An MD series. January's offering was DR. DANGEROUS, February's DR. DESIRABLE, and DR. DESTINY is a March release. A fourth book, DR. RENEGADE's release is TBA.

Scheduled in 2003 are two more sheikh books.

One would expect cranking out all those books would not leave time for her to have a life, but Kristi refutes that, saying she can write a book in a mere two months.

"I pretty much write by the seat of my pants so I tend to hurry so I can see what's going to happen in the end," she said.

She adds that it helps that she can now sell on proposal and that she writes full time.

"I do have a life beyond writing," Kristi said. She and her retired doctor husband live on a small ranch near Waco with two of their three children. Their oldest daughter is in college. Still at home are a 14-year-old son and 17-year-old daughter. Kristi says her kids are active, and she attends horse shows. (She used to ride horses on a non-pro circuit.) In addition, her family takes two vacations a year.

"I do still cook on occasion," she says, adding that her husband does the clean-up.

In addition to the success of her career timing, Kristi said, "Heck, I've just been plain fortunate."

Fortunate in her first editor, Jennifer Walsh, who left after two years to take care of her newborn twins. Fortunate in her new editor, Patience Smith. And fortunate in her agent, Pattie Steele-Perkins.

"I acquired Pattie after I received The Call and before we negotiated the contract. . . I'm indebted to her not only for the support she's given me far beyond contract negotiations, but also because she didn't hang up on me during that first conversation--I was a maniac!" Kristi said having Pattie as an agent has been "one of the best things I've done for my career."

This successful career shows no signs of letting up, and it won't if Kristi has anything to do with it. "I absolutely love what I'm doing, and I've waited much too long to get here!"