Bottke, Allison 1955- (Allison Gappa Bottke)

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Bottke, Allison 1955- (Allison Gappa Bottke)

PERSONAL:

Born July, 1955, in Akron, OH; married; husband's name Kevin; children: Christopher, Mandy, Kermit, Kyle.

ADDRESSES:

Home—MN. Agent—Steve Laub Agency, 5025 N. Central Ave., Ste. 635, Phoenix, AZ 85012-1502. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer. God Allows U-turns, founder; former plus-size model.

WRITINGS:

(With Heather Gemmen) Jingles and Joy, illustrated by Matt Whitlock, Faith Kidz (Colorado Springs, CO), 2003.

(With Heather Gemmen) Picnics and Peace, illustrated by Matt Whitlock, Faith Kidz (Colorado Springs, CO), 2003.

(With Heather Gemmen) Laughter and Love, illustrated by Matt Whitlock, Cook Communications Ministries (Colorado Springs, CO), 2003.

(With Heather Gemmen) Friend or Freak, illustrated by Gary Locke, Faith Kidz (Colorado Springs, CO), 2004.

(With Heather Gemmen) Get Real!, illustrated by Gary Locke, Faith Kidz (Colorado Springs, CO), 2004.

(Collector, with Cheryll Hutchings) Journeys of Friendship: 30 True Stories of Kindred Connections, Barbour Publishing (Uhrichsville, OH), 2004.

(Collector, with Cheryll Hutchings) Journeys of Hope: 30 True Stories of Faith in Adversity, Barbour Publishing (Uhrichsville, OH), 2004.

(Collector, with Cheryll Hutchings) Journeys of Joy: 30 True Stories of Abundant Living, Barbour Publishing (Uhrichsville, OH), 2004.

(Collector, with Cheryll Hutchings) Journeys of Love: 30 True Stories of Undeniable Devotion, Barbour Publishing (Uhrichsville, OH), 2004.

(With Heather Gemmen) Pastrami Project, illustrated by Gary Locke, Faith Kidz (Colorado Springs, CO), 2004.

(Editor, with Cheryll Hutchings and Jennifer Devlin) God Answers Prayers, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 2005.

(With Cheryll Hutchings) God Answers Moms' Prayers, Harvest House Publishers (Eugene, OR), 2005.

A Stitch in Time (novel), Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), 2006.

(With Tracie Peterson and Dianne O'Brian) I Can't Do It All!: Breaking Free from the Lies That Control Us, Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), 2006.

One Little Secret (novel), Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), 2007.

"GOD ALLOWS U-TURNS" SERIES

God Allows U-turns, Crusades Press (Nicholasville, KY), 1998.

(Editor, with Cheryll Hutchings and Ellen Regan) God Allows U-turns: True Stories of Hope and Healing, Promise Press (Uhrichsville, OH), 2001.

(With Cheryll Hutchings and Ellen Regan) More God Allows U-turns: True Stories of Hope and Healing, Promise Press (Uhrichsville, OH), 2001.

(With Cheryll Hutchings) God Allows U-turns: American Moments, True Stories of Hope and Healing from Times of National Crisis, Promise Press (Uhrichsville, OH), 2002.

(Compiler, with Cheryll Hutchings) God Allows U-turns for Teens: The Choices We Make Change the Story of Our Life, Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), 2006.

(With Cheryll Hutchings) God Allows U-turns for Women: The Choices We Make Change the Story of Our Life, Bethany House (Minneapolis, MN), 2006.

Contributor to periodicals, including Ladies' Home Journal, Woman's World, Shape, Weight Watchers, and Cosmopolitan.

SIDELIGHTS:

Allison Bottke is an inspirational author, most famous for her "God Allows U-turns" series. At the age of thirty-five, Bottke decided that she needed to turn things around for herself. She made a number of changes in her life situation, began talking about and coming to terms with her obesity, alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, and childhood molestation. Her public talks inspired many, giving Bottke the confidence to pursue this series as well as other like-minded writing projects and novels featuring baby boomers. In an interview with Heather Ivester in Christian Women Online, Bottke commented: "Many years ago, it was painful to discuss being molested as a child, and then years later the extreme abuse I endured at the hands of a violent husband. Sharing that you are a survivor of childhood abuse and domestic violence is never easy, but the more I talked to others about it, the less painful it became. Plus—and this is the big thing—I began to see how God used my transparency to help others through the same issues. His plan is far greater than any I could ever imagine."

Bottke published her first novel, A Stitch in Time, in 2006. Dee, the main character, faces situations similar to those Bottke has previously faced in her own life. Forty-something, in a failed marriage, and overweight, Dee leaves her husband, undergoes gastric bypass surgery, and starts a new career as a fund-raiser. She meets a new man she deeply cares for but still faces problems from her ex-husband. Harriet Klausner, who reviewed the novel in the Midwest Book Review, noted that Dee's character was the driving force behind the novel itself. Klausner concluded that it is Dee's "spiritual, mental, and emotional changes that turn her into a success and the novel into a fine inspiring read."