Kendra Norman-Bellamy is a native of West Palm Beach, Florida, but spent most of her formative years in south Georgia. She graduated from Brooks County High School in Quitman, Georgia and later became an alumnus of Valdosta Technical College (Valdosta, Georgia), where she majored in Technology (Information Technology) and was inducted into the National Vocational Technical Honor Society.

In 1988, Kendra married Jimmy Lee Holmes and later gave birth to their two daughters, Brittney LaKendra (b. 1989), who is also a national bestselling author and Crystal Charmaine (b. 1992). Following Jimmy's death in 1995, she married Jonathan Bellamy. Kendra began writing poetry as an elementary school student, but did not recognize her gift as a writer until 1999 when she journaled the lingering heartache of the loss of her first husband. Shortly thereafter, she penned her first fictional manuscript, For Love & Grace, which received rave reviews when it became her freshman published novel in 2002. She has appeared in a number of televised programs including a featured appearance on BET's Lift Every Voice where she was interviewed by the show's creator and former host, Gerard Henry.

Kendra and her family currently reside in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. She is a member of Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc.

Career

In addition to her own writing, Kendra is the founder and president of KNB Publications LLC, an independent self-publishing house that produces the works of up and coming writers of Christian based fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She is also the founder and organizer of Cruisin' For Christ, an annual Caribbean cruise that celebrates Christian artists and artistries and the visionary of The I.S.L.A.N.D. Movement, a motivational ministry whose name is an ancronym for "I Shall Live And Not Die."

Her debut novel, For Love & Grace was self-published in 2002. The book was re-released in 2004 through BET Books. Kendra gained national bestseller status when her third release, Crossing Jhordan's River (Moody Publishers/May 2005), peaked at #1 on Essence magazine's Best Sellers List for paperback fiction.

Currently, Kendra's works are produced through three major book publishers: Moody Publishers (Lift Every Voice imprint), Kimani Press (New Spirit imprint), and Urban Books (Urban Christian imprint).

Her published works include:

• For Love & Grace (Guardian Books, 2002 / re-released BET Books, 2004)
• A Love So Strong (Moody Publishers, 2004)
• Thicker Than Water anthology (BET Books, 2005)
• Crossing Jhordan's River (Moody Publishers, 2005)
• Because of Grace (BET Books, 2005)
• The Midnight Clear anthology (KNB Publications, 2006)
• Three Fifty-Seven A.M. (Urban Books, 2006)
• One Prayer Away (Moody Publishers, 2006)
• In Greene Pastures (Urban Books, 2006)
• More Than Grace (BET Books, 2006)
• This Far By Faith anthology (Kimani, 2008)
• Battle of Jericho (Urban Books, 2008)
• The Lyons Den (Urban Books, 2009)
• The Morning After (Urban Books, 2010)
• Fifteen Years (Moody Publishers, 2010)
• Song of Solomon (Urban Books, 2010)
• I Shall Not Die (KNB Publications, 2010) *non-fiction