Author Interview
What inspired this story?When my peeps and I read
The Count of Monte Cristo, I became fascinated with the idea of
righteous vengeance. Here was this character, Edmond Dantès, tragically and falsely
imprisoned, who finally acquires the means to right decades of wrong. Would he, and most
important, should he? We had lots of fun discussing the question, Does the Count act with
godly authority?
I bandied about this idea long after we finished that book, and a different face supplanted
his—the image of my own character, Adelle Simonette, a young, widowed mother. But, if
she’s the hero, who is the villain, at least in Adelle’s mind? That’s where Glory and Eli Pryor
and their bookstore come in.
In my novel, Glory and Adelle tell themselves different versions of the same story: One says
God failed her. The other believes God will avenge her. Yet, they’re both wrong. That’s
because life doesn’t work the way a narrative unfolds in the classics; often, there’s no
obvious good guy or bad guy or reasonable motive. And this leads to what I show in The
Stories We Carry: we have to trust God to use all our stories for good and not harm
What messages or themes do you focus on in this book?The overarching message in
The Stories We Carry is that God is the source and the
foundation of all that’s good and true—from what we believe to what we read. This novel also
reflects the beauty and the strength of community, and it’s filled with characters who prove
that family is what we make it.
How does faith play a role in this story?One of the biblical passages I drew from to write
The Stories We Carry comes from Hosea
6:1: “Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces; now he will heal us. He has
injured us; now he will bandage our wounds.”
In my novel, Glory Pryor thinks she’s run far enough and long enough from God that He’ll
never find her. But it turns out that He’s never left her. Adelle Simonette wields her faith like a
weapon instead of using it to soothe her own wounded heart. For both women, the LORD
wastes no effort—or painful memory and experience—to reveal His great love and save
them from themselves
What about this book excited you while writing it, and what do you hope readers will
learn? I loved creating scripture-inspired, original poetry and showing how our Creator reveals
Himself through His Word and our words, even in places and within pages where you
wouldn’t expect to find Him. Isn’t that how He works in our everyday lives?
Also, as a wife of thirty years and a mama of many, I enjoyed the challenge of portraying a
mature, yet newly married couple whose only children were their books; their closest family
members were “found” or created within their small community. I hope this novel shows
readers that our hearts are big enough—and our world is small enough—to connect with
others by providing a meal, holding a hand, or starting a conversation. We never know when
we could be inviting Jesus to the table, as in Matthew 25:37-40.
What are your passions and how do they impact your writing?Caring for my family is my greatest blessing. They’re why I write and why I can’t write more.
My peeps—including my dog, Oscar, who generously shared his name with the four-legged
character in
The Stories We Carry—both inspire and distract me, usually simultaneously.
Because we’re homeschoolers—another great passion of mine—I’m always teaching and
learning and feeding my love of words, books, and all things literary. Our somewhat flexible,
yet hectic, schedule, provides opportunities to spend time with people of all ages as we
travel hither and yon, so I’m always adding to my cast of characters, creating dialogue, and
discovering new settings. And cooking, sweeping, and stacking sneakers on the stairs
What do you find to be the most challenging part of the writing process? What advice
would you offer young writers?Remembering my why constantly challenges me. I’ve been called to write about how faith in
Jesus changes our perspective and affects our relationships. That’s the most important story
I carry. I encourage young writers to know their why and hold on to it so the how of their
work—platform building, querying, reviews, sales, social media, outlining, meeting
deadlines—doesn’t detract from their main purpose: conveying the truth God has led them to
share, whether in fiction or nonfiction.
What books or authors have shaped you recently? Australian author Liane Moriarty’s manner of plopping readers smack into her novels inspires
me to help readers “move into” my North Carolina–based stories. In her latest,
Here One
Moment, Moriarty paints a vivid picture of all the history her characters are toting around and
how their pasts weave together and affect each other. Johanna Rojas Vann’s
An American
Immigrant emphasizes the impact of an individual’s life and voice and how staying true to
them can change the world—one story, one family, one community at a time.
