Hachette Book Group / TNSThe 13th and most recent installment in the Rev. Curtis Black series, “A Sinful Calling,” was released in June by Grand Central Publishing and centers on Curtis’ son Dillon as he plots revenge on his father by starting his own megachurch.

“A Sinful Calling”by Kimberla Lawson Roby (336 pages, Hachette Book Group, $15)

ROCKFORD, Ill. — It’s often said life imitates art, which might be one reason why Kimberla Lawson Roby’s series about a rogue pastor obsessed with women, wealth and power hits close to home.

The 13th and most recent installment in the Rev. Curtis Black series, “A Sinful Calling,” was released in June by Grand Central Publishing and centers on Curtis’ son Dillon as he plots revenge on his father by starting his own megachurch.

For Roby, a native of Rockford, Illinois, and lifelong Baptist, the characters, though fictional, are all too real.

“There are some truly wonderful pastors throughout this country that spread across every denomination, but we do have the Rev. Curtis Blacks and the Dillon Blacks of the world,” she said. “As Christians we have to be careful of who our leaders are and know that we’re talking about another human being here. Yes, they may be preaching the word, and I believe we need to hear the word, but we want to follow someone who has integrity and respect for God and is not misleading innocent people.”

Though never intended to be a series, Roby said the feedback she received from readers of the first Curtis Black novel, 2000’s “Casting the First Stone,” made an impact when readers began sharing their own stories of pastors-gone-bad.

“Readers started coming to my events with their own personal experiences, even saying some of the real names of pastors,” she said with a laugh.

Roby must be doing something right: Her 24 novels have sold nearly 3 million copies, she’s made numerous appearances on best-seller lists, she received a 2013 NAACP Image Award, and her national tours frequently result in standing-room-only audiences.

And yet, she may have never become a writer at all.

The path to publication

Back in 1995, a 30-year-old Roby felt something was missing.

A big reader all her life — a love affair she attributes to Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” — Roby never thought to pursue a literary career, instead opting to go into business.

“At 17 years old I thought, ‘Well, I’m not going to be a writer; I’m going to major in business,’ because at that age you’re thinking you want to earn a lot of money,” she said. “But now I tell young people everywhere I go, ‘Please don’t make the same mistake, please don’t let money be a factor. Let it be about your passion and your purpose.’”

With business degrees from Rock Valley College and Cardinal Stritch University, Roby moved from job to job, eventually becoming a financial analyst for community development for the city of Rockford.

But something still didn’t feel right, so she began spending nights and weekends writing what would eventually become her debut novel, “Behind Closed Doors.”

In 1996, with the novel completed, Roby drew up an initial list of 14 agents to submit to. She was rejected by all of them.

“When I submitted to literary agents, I didn’t know it would be as hard as it was,” Roby said. “I did my research about how to get published and found that publishing houses really didn’t accept unsolicited manuscripts. I didn’t see where I had anything to lose, but once again I was rejected. I was really ready to give up.”

And Roby probably would have if not for the encouragement of her husband, Will, who suggested she use her business background to create her own publishing company.

Borrowing from Will’s 401(k) and taking a small loan from their local credit union, Roby created Lenox Press in June 1996, printed an initial 3,000 copies and began working on a marketing plan.

From Will Roby’s perspective, the risk of taking money out from his 401(k) was of no consequence.

“I had no problem with borrowing the money because when it comes to money and numbers, she’s a financial wiz,” he said. “We just wanted to get her name out there, and by the blessing of God her career took off.”

“Behind Closed Doors” would go on to sell 10,000 copies, land Roby an agent, a deal with Kensington Publishing, and a retroactive publishing of “Behind Closed Doors” by Black Classic Press – all during the internet’s infancy before the boom of self-publishing platforms.

“Back then no one thought about self-publishing. She’s a trailblazer in that sense,” said Beth deGuzman, vice president and digital and paperback publisher at Grand Central.

From Kensington, Roby moved to HarperCollins imprint William Morrow, then Grand Central Publishing, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, where she is today, averaging at least one book a year. (Roby’s next novel, titled “Copycat,” is already in Grand Central’s hands.)

“I only hoped to write two or three, maybe even five books,” Roby said. “I didn’t realize I was going to be writing a book every year. It never dawned on me that I even could do that or had the ability to do that. I never imagined, never ever.”

Like life

In “an old, old, raggedy notebook” she’s had for years, Roby keeps a running tally of life issues to write about.

“I start with a real-life social issue, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes taboo, sometimes controversial,” she said. “Then I build my characters around it and start plotting the story.”

Each of Roby’s 13 Rev. Curtis Black novels and 11 standalone titles focus on a life issue, such as workplace discrimination (“A Taste of Reality”), infertility (“Here and Now”) and breast cancer (“Best Friends Forever”), among others.

“A Sinful Calling” deals not just with Dillon’s thirst for revenge and his false call to ministry (“Dillon hadn’t been called by anyone. He’d called himself, and he wasn’t ashamed of it,” she writes) but also with his sister Alicia’s bout with psychotic depression.

DeGuzman said what makes the series engaging is Roby’s penchant for plot twists combined with serious issues that lend gravitas to her work.

“Part of the appeal is it’s like you’re eavesdropping on the juiciest, most scandalous story you can hear,” deGuzman said. “You never know what to expect. She doesn’t write suspense novels, but they always have that edge-of-the-seat quality to them.”

DeGuzman added that Roby’s characterization furthers the appeal.

“It’s really a testament to how well-rounded her characters are,” deGuzman said. “They have so many shades of gray in them. Her writing is very colloquial, not stylized, which feels like real life.”

‘She’s just real’

Elbert Myles never thought he’d attend an author event, but a few years ago he and his wife drove from their home in Texas to one of Roby’s events in Kansas City, Missouri.

Before departing, Myles sent Roby an email. To his surprise, she emailed him back, but that wouldn’t be his only takeaway: During the book signing, Roby asked the crowd if Myles and his wife could cut in line so they can get an early start on their seven-hour drive back, he said.

“That was a defining moment where I appreciated her as a person,” Myles said. “Not just as a person who writes books, as a person, a human being.”

Since that time, Myles has made a habit of attending Roby’s events in states neighboring his current home in Oklahoma.

“I can’t stress enough how personable she is as a human being,” he said. “She’s just real, and that strikes me more than anything else. The writing is good — the writing is awesome, don’t get me wrong — but the fact that she’s a good human being is what really gets me.”

For Roby, maintaining relationships with fans is her way of saying thanks.

“I feel like that’s the very least I could do when readers are kind enough to read my work,” she said.

DeGuzman attributes that mentality to Roby’s self-publishing experience.

“One of the reasons she’s become such a success story is that she still acts like a self-published author,” deGuzman said. “They know a lot about marketing and about their fans, and Kim definitely knows her fans. She genuinely enjoys talking to her fans. There’s a wonderful give and take between them.”

The journey

Perhaps the biggest give and take comes from Roby’s marriage to Will, which she calls “the greatest journey.” Married in September 1990 after four months of dating, the Robys last year celebrated their 25th anniversary.

“I’m so blessed and very thankful for all of my readers, but I think the greatest, greatest part of life, for me the happiest part, is my marriage,” she said. “To love somebody and have them love you back the same way, unconditionally, there’s not a lot than can compare to that.”

Will’s unconditional love stems well beyond borrowing from his 401(k): He’s accompanied her on every one of her book tours. It’s something he jokes took “some major sucking up to my boss” to accomplish but has been rewarding.

“I enjoy meeting her readers, traveling, seeing the country, eating different foods, but the best part is seeing her with her fans,” he said. “She’s like a rock star.”