Janet S. Grunst -- Overcoming Divorce & Single Parenting

Author Janet S. Grunst

CFP: I am happy to have my friend, author Janet S. Grunst visit with us. Janet is the co-leader with me, of the Tidewater Christian Writers Group. She's also a member of Colonial American Christian Writers and a contributor my group blog, Colonial Quills. She's an amazing lady and I'm so delighted with her debut in Christian fiction! Please welcome Janet to the blog!

Janet:
In the fall of 1993 my world came crashing down when my husband announced he was leaving me and our two sons.  There had been no warning signs. Shock, despair, and anxiety for the future continued in the weeks and months to come. But I also knew that the Lord would see us through all that faced us. 

I clung to Joshua 1:9  “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

I would never want to relive all the trauma and health crisis of that decade, but I am so grateful to have experienced how God manifested His presence, power, provision and protection in it.  
1. I prayed for wisdom and guidance in how to respond to my husband, my sons and to the circumstances and choices ahead. 
~ God gave me an unbelievable composure and the words whenever I needed them. It was all God’s work. 

2. I asked God for the truth of why my husband was leaving.
~ God provided a miraculous and unexplainable phone call with the answer.

3. In despair I cried out to God. 
~ God provided clergy, and godly friends to counsel, pray for, and support each of us, a family who included us at holidays and other times, friends who sent things and showed up unexpectedly at crucial moments. 
4. I asked the Lord for godly men to mentor my sons.
God sent men from the church to take them to sporting and to Promise Keepers events. 
5. I prayed for professional help of his choosing for our family
~ God provided a wonderful Christian Counselor and later a Christian lawyer

6. I traveled many miles each day to get my sons to their schools with only two hours of sleep each night. I asked God for protection for my health and travel needs.
~ For eight years I never got sick. He kept me alert and saved us from a head-on accident with a large van in a completely unnatural way. Later, a friend I hadn’t seen in years who witnessed it, called to tell me she had seen angels protecting our car. 
7. I prayed God would provide a job, if at all possible working in ministry.
~ The Lord provided me with a job at the ministry I’d been serving in as a volunteer for the previous twenty years. I could even continue to attend a CBS class. 
8. I asked the Lord to find a purchaser for our home and for an affordable home closer to church and schools.
~ God provided all of that, and eleven to move us on the Friday after Thanksgiving, a day they had off work and should have been spent with their families. Before they left, they gathered and prayed peace for us and blessings on our new home. Two girlfriends provided lunch for them.  A stressful, emotional move was transformed to a time of intense humility and gratitude to God and His servants.

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord,  plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”                       Jeremiah 29:11-13

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” James 1:2-3, 12

Bio: Janet worked in banking or ten years and as a freelance writer for two regional publications. After taking a break to raise her children, she worked for an international ministry, Community Bible Study, most recently as the Executive Assistant for the Executive Director. She continues to serve as a leader in her local Community Bible Study class and in her church. She resides in the Historic Triangle of Virginia with her husband and West Highland White Terrier.

Janet Grunst can be found online at:
http://JanetGrunst.com
http://colonialquills.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                https://twitter.com/janetgrunst 

CFP: Thanks so much, Janet for visiting with us and sharing your testimony of God's provision!                                                                                                                                   

Giveaway: We're giving away a copy of Janet's debut novel A Heart Set Free from Smitten Historical Romance (a division of Lighthouse of the Carolinas) to one lucky guest. Please leave a comment to enter! 

Tracy Cooke Wainwright - Testimony of Overcoming

Tracy Cooke Wainwright

We all have challenges. There are certainly times in life when those challenges seem overwhelming. Looking back on the many I've faced, it's interesting how clearly God's hand is revealed.

When considering what to write about, the whole gamut ran through my mind. The eighteen month time period my parents got divorced, moved out of state separately, I graduated high school, started college, and then ran out of money, lost my place to live, got dumped by my fiancé, and couldn't find a job. Then there are the many times I've dealt with depression. I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 31. Then there's my current situation: my family of six is living in the upstairs of my in-laws house.

As you can see, there are many trials I've experienced and been brought through by the grace of the Lord. However, the issue that surfaced and I feel led to share about is my chronic back pain.

I remember lower back pain as early as 16. I remember people always telling me I was too young for back pain. I generally replied that I wished they'd tell my back that. My father and I nailed down the initiating incident to when I hyperextended my knee about age 13. As the years continued, a handful of minor traffic accidents seemed to contribute to my discomfort. Then, when my children were little I pulled my back out for the first time. A couple years later, I did it again. And in December 2012 I pulled it out a third time. This is the one that really knocked me down.

I had some speaking commitments the week after. Plus, it happened three weeks before Christmas. That I had a busy schedule would be an understatement. (You know how that time of year can get!) It was the week before Christmas my mom and sister showed up and took over. This meant I was able to do what I should have been doing since day one - staying off my feet. The bigger problem was sitting didn't work. I had to lay down. All the time.

I struggled with both the pain and being basically incapacitated. I watched about as much Netflix as I could stand and still had lots of recovering to do. One day I randomly did a search for Galatians on YouTube. I came across some well-known believers reading the whole book at a conference. It was a blessing! Especially since it led me to listening to two new preachers I didn't know about before. 

I didn't want to be flat on my back the weeks before and week after Christmas. I'm not good at doing nothing. However, God used (and I'm thinking maybe even brought me to that place on purpose) that time to speak some powerful things into my life. It started a journey of digging even deeper into scripture. It proceeded some of the deepest growth in my relationship with the Lord that I've ever experienced.

I've never completely recovered. I still deal with back pain almost every day. While I never would have wished it, and would be very grateful for complete healing, God has used it to teach me more about Him. And He's used it to help my ability to have compassion on others. 

Hmm. So He's used my injuries and discomfort to teach me to love Him and others better.

In His grace and mercy, He not only upheld His promises and has been with me every step of my pain, but He's also used it to bless me. I'm so grateful I've learned not to dwell on what I don't want to deal with, but instead focus on what He's doing through my circumstances! God has truly used this and other situations to transform my thinking to be more intentional about focusing on Him regardless of what's going on in life.

About Tracy: Tracy Wainwright is a wife, mother of four, women’s ministry team leader, women’s conference director, speaker, and multi-published author. She loves sharing the lessons God teaches her with other women through Bible study, over coffee, at women’s events, and in her books. She’s written fiction, nonfiction, adult, young adult, and children’s books. Her latest book, A Transformed Mind: Changing Your Thoughts to Change Your Life, is the first of a twelve part series.

Giveaway: One of our commenters will receive an ebook copy of the first part of Tracy's new series.

Diana Reviews 'The Forgiving Hour' By Robin Lee Hatcher

The Forgiving Hour

The Forgiving Hour by Robin Lee Hatcher

Zondervan, 2011

Reviewed by Diana Flowers

5 stars*****



Truly An Unforgettable Novel!

In The Forgiving Hour, Robin Lee Hatcher has penned a gripping, riveting novel of betrayal and forgiveness, and the consequences of sin as far reaching as ripples in a stream.

Claire Porter is content with her life as a housewife and mother. In her comfortable home in Boise, Idaho, surrounded by tulips and daffodils, her 12 year old son, Dakota, and a handsome husband, what more could she ask for? Although not a Christian, Claire prides herself in being a good, loyal wife who doesn't nag her husband, even if he does occasionally come home late and is temperamental at times. She is simply glad this handsome man chose her to be his life-long partner—until that fateful day she ventures into a dark pizza parlor and her near perfect life is turned upside down forever.

Now years later, Claire's grown son brings home his fiancée, Sara Jennings, who by a cruel twist of fate just happens to have been instrumental in the disintegration of her marriage. Claire's bitterness and lack of forgiveness towards Sara threaten to destroy Dakota's newfound happiness and that of his lovely fiancée; and a new love that is blooming in her own life as well. But surely no one would expect Claire to forgive this home-wrecker…not even God. Or would He…? 

This book was absolutely amazing to say the least and I devoured it in two nights! I literally had a hard time putting it down as this spellbinding, powerful story played out, and I experienced a gamut of emotions throughout. I was impressed at how well the author intertwined Claire's and Sara's point of view so that the reader could sympathize and understand both of these extraordinary women. And yes, surprising as it may seem, Sara was extraordinary! This is a compelling story of broken relationships, redemption, and the healing power of God's love that will melt the reader's heart; revealing how we, too, can be transformed and set free by the power of forgiveness.

**Note to readers: Robin Lee Hatcher told me that this is the first book she wrote when she switched from writing secular fiction to Christian fiction, and for that reason it is very special to her. It also happens to be a favorite amongst her many reader fans. We are so glad Robin made the "switch!"

This book may be purchased through Amazon (paperback and ebook), CBD and Barnes & Noble (ebook and audiobook only.) 

Giveaway: Winner's choice of one of Robin's books in choice of format. *Please enter email for contact purposes.*

Question: Has it ever seemed as though God has required you to forgive someone that you just absolutely felt it was unfair or impossible for Him to expect that of you?

Teresa S. Mathews Reviews A Promise Kept by Robin Lee Hatcher

A Promise Kept by Robin Lee Hatcher

Thomas Nelson Publishers

Reviewed by Teresa S Mathews

5 Stars*****

When I saw the information popping up about this book I knew it was one I had to read; what a good decision that turned out to be. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it and I hope this review will persuade you to read it also.    

When Allison met Tony it was almost love at first sight, within a year of their first date they were married and having a baby. What a life-time of beautiful memories they were going to have. How cruel it is when life deals you something you are not expecting and before you know it your dreams are in ashes. After years of making excuses for Tony's problem Allison has had enough and she gives him an ultimatum, straighten up for good or hit the road. Never in her wildest dreams did she think he would divorce her.

Allison had prayed for years for God to deliver Tony and heal their marriage. She was so sure God had told her He was going to answer her prayers but somehow she must have gotten it wrong. Now she is on the way to live in the mountains north of Boise in a beautiful cabin that was once her great-aunt Emma's.

While exploring Aunt Emma's house Allison stumbles upon a beautiful wedding dress in the attic; Allison can't help but wonder who it belonged to since Emma was never married. Having her curiosity piqued, Allison looks further into the things left behind and finds stacks of old journals written by Emma. Will these journals clear up the mystery of the dress? Or will they produce a shocking secret that no one has spoken of for almost eighty years?

I can't praise this book enough; Robin has created a story so powerful it will deeply touch your heart, especially when you know this is based loosely on her own story. Not only do you get to walk with Allison's as she struggles to maintain a relationship with God after she thinks she has misunderstood His will for her life. You get to rejoice with her when she realizes that GOD has had everything under control the whole time and that He can take our messes and create miracles from them. Thank you so much Robin for sharing this moving story with us.

You can find this book and more by Robin at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and CBD.

GIVEAWAY: We will be giving away one copy of Robin's books this week, Winner's choice of book and format. International Winner Ebook only.

Interview With Nancy Mehl by Carrie Fancett Pagels

Nancy Mehl

Nancy Mehl is the author of Inescapable and Unbreakable, books one and two in her Road to Kingdom Series and of The Harmony Trilogy as well as a number of cozy mysteries. Altogether, she’s published fourteen books.

Nancy, welcome to Overcoming Through Time – With God’s Help.  We appreciate your willingness to share your testimony of overcoming with our readers. 

Would you tell us about the most difficult thing in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help?

I would have to say that overcoming my past was the most difficult. My parents divorced when I was nine and my brother and I lived with my mother who battled mental illness. After leaving home, other relationships in my life caused a lot of pain. My way of dealing with my feelings was to stuff them in a mental closet and pretend everything was all right in my life. Then in my forties, that closet burst open and all the hurt spilled out. It took about a year for me to work my way through it. 

I learned that feelings buried alive never die, they just fester and affect other areas of your life. God walked me through the entire process and taught me that it isn’t a sin to have problems. But not dealing with them – or allowing them to rule your future - can stop your life in its tracks. If those hurts hadn’t come to the surface, I’m not sure what would have happened to me. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be an author today. I didn’t see myself as someone who could achieve anything special. But thanks to God, I now know He has a plan for me and that it’s a good one. All He asks is that I trust Him and believe.

Unbreakable

Disability friendliness: Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have any other works available on audio?  Do your e-books have audio capability? Do you have any in large print? 

Inescapable is available in audio format. All of my books are available in large print. I believe Unbreakable will also be available in audio format but since it’s just been released, that hasn’t happened yet.

In this latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading about a disorder or situation?

In my newest novel, Unbreakable, my main character, Hope Kaufmann, must step outside her comfort zone, confront her father and those in her community who want her to live according to their beliefs, and establish her own viewpoint. This can be a frightening experience.

I think many of us have never questioned why we believe what we do. It’s difficult for God to lead us on our own path when we’re busy following someone else on theirs.

Thank you Nancy for agreeing to answer these questions.  Have a blessed day and keep on writing!!

Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your wonderful site!

Bio: Nancy Mehl lives in Wichita, Kansas, with her husband Norman and her very active puggle, Watson. She’s authored fourteen books and is currently at work on a new series for Bethany House Publishing. The first book in her Road to Kingdom series, “Inescapable,” came out in July of 2012. The second book, “Unbreakable” released in February of 2013.

All of Nancy’s novels have an added touch – something for your spirit as well as your soul. “I welcome the opportunity to share my faith through my writing,” Nancy says. “God is number one in my life. I wouldn’t be writing at all if I didn’t believe that this is what He’s called me to do. I hope everyone who reads my books will walk away with the most important message I can give them: God is good, and He loves you more than you can imagine. He has a good plan for your life, and there is nothing you can’t overcome with His help.”

Readers can learn more about Nancy through her Web site: www.nancymehl.com or her blog ww.suspensesisters.blogspot.com. She is also active on Facebook.

Giveaways:  Nancy has graciously offered to give away a copy of Inescapable and Unbreakable this week. OWG will give away an ebook copy of any of Nancy's books, also, this week.

Overcoming the Burden of Single Parenting - With God's Help

Parenting isn't for the faint of heart. And that goes triple for single parenting. I was spared the difficulty of divorce, unlike Candace Calvert our guest this week. Two broken engagements were easier than two divorces. The most difficult job I had in my life was single parenting my nephew when I was a young adult.  My older sister's husband divorced her when their son was only two-years-old.  It took its toll and he stayed with me for two years,at the same age my son is now which is that transitional time between childhood and the teen years. They didn't call it tween years, though, back then.  


And I didn't even carry the load of shame some single parents, like one friend of mine, carried. This dear woman, brought up in a prominent family, was crushed when she was divorced, left with two children, and had to go back to work to provide for them. 


I haven't read Janine Turner's book 

Holding Her Head High: Inspiration from 12 Single Mothers Who Championed Their Children and Changed History

but it looks great.  

Do you have a word of encouragement today for Christian single parents?

Carrie Fancett Pagels Interviews Candace Calvert

CandaceCalvert  is the author of Trauma Plan and of the Mercy Hospital series. I met Candace through Facebook and fellow ACFW members.

Candace, welcome to Overcoming Through Time.  Would you share either the most difficult thing in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help, or the most tragic situation or circumstance one of your character’s has had to get past?

God blessed me with a quirky wit and buoyant optimism, but I didn’t come to really know Him until after a “triple whammy” turned my life into a bad country song. In a span of eighteen months, I experienced a painful and unexpected divorce, the Northern California floods of 1997, and (just when I was coping like a champ, no problem) an equestrian accident that left me with fractured ribs, a bleeding lung, broken back, neck fractures and a spinal cord injury. With no warning, my comfortable life was gone and I became a single mother, a disaster evacuee, and a patient in my own trauma room. I sometimes say that God took drastic measures to get my attention!

In the months of rehabilitation, I healed in body and spirit. And came to fully understand the difference between being a “strong” woman and a woman of strength. The difference is faith, and that lesson has been my biggest blessing. My story, “By Accident,” appears in Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul, and launched my writing career. Readers of my Mercy Hospital and Grace Medical series will find that my fictional characters struggle with similar issues. In fact Riley Hale, heroine of Trauma Plan, suffers from lingering disability after a spinal cord injury.

What is your favorite bible verse and why?

Though it’s hard to choose a favorite, I’d have to say Jeremiah 29:11, the verse that became the Scriptural base for my first novel, Critical Care. I love that it so beautifully shows God’s loving plan for our lives and that it speaks of hope. Hope is a recurrent theme in my work, and I’m always pleased when folks call me the author of “medical hope opera.”

Disability friendliness:

Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have any other works available on audio?  Do your e-books have audio capability? Do you have any in large print.

The first book in my Mercy Hospital series, Critical Care, is available in large print and has recently been recorded by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. It is my hope that my other books will follow suit. All of my e-books have audio capability.

What has been the most important thing you hope your readers will get from your books and why?

As I mentioned before, my medical fiction themes all center around hope—and healing. I offer exciting glimpses into the world of emergency medicine and, more importantly, into the hearts behind the stethoscopes, people with wounds—physical, emotional, and spiritual.  I love when readers call these characters “relatable,” telling me that these struggles, doubts, fear—and joys—mirror their own.  We are all flawed human beings; we make mistakes and need second chances. My characters may be medical heroes, but it is through the grace of God that they find true hope and healing. I’m heartened when readers feel encouraged by that.

As you researched your books, did you learn anything that particularly touched your heart?

At the core of my stories—in both the Mercy Hospital & Grace Medical series—is the issue of post traumatic stress. I address the serious emotional toll taken on rescue, fire, medical, and law enforcement teams who put their hearts and lives on the line in service to others. In my book, Disaster Status, I needed to write from the point of view of a hospital worker suffering PTSD as a result of his service in the Gulf War. A member of my church, a retired Army Lt. Colonel, offered to sit down with me and share his memories of fighting in that desert conflict. Some of it was difficult for him to voice—and for me to hear. His input added much to the character of Sarge Gunther, and I was deeply touched that he wanted to help with my story so that it might offer “hope to other people.”

In this latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading about a disorder or situation?

Yes, absolutely. As mentioned earlier, all of my books deal with the subject of critical stress (“burn out,” post traumatic stress disorder). Trauma Plan offers coping strategies for people (medical teams as well as civilians) who have been emotionally affected by tragedy. It also gives encouragement to victims of violent crime, and for those who must cope with debilitating injury in its aftermath. Fear (vs. faith) is an overarching theme, and the subject of agoraphobia is explored via a secondary character.

Thank you Candace for agreeing to answer these questions.  Have a blessed day and keep on writing!!

Website Link: http://candacecalvert.com/

You can purchase Trauma Plan through Amazon 

through Barnes and Noble, as well as CBD and other book stores.

Candace Calvert is a former ER nurse who believes love, laughter and faith are the best medicines. Her Mercy Hospital and Grace Medical series offer readers a chance to “scrub in” on the exciting world of emergency medicine—along with a soul-soothing prescription for hope. Wife, mother, and very proud grandmother, she makes her home in northern California. 

GIVEAWAY:  Leave a comment and your email to be entered in this week’s contest.  Drawing will be late Saturday.  Candace is offering two paperback giveaways of each of the books reviewed this week and we are offering an e-book of either one, for a total of five possible chances to win this week!

Interview with Kit Wilkinson

Kit Wilkinson is the author of Mom in the Making,due out within the week, on June 21st, and of two other Love Inspired Suspense novels, Protector’s Honor (2009) and Sabotage (2010).

I met Kit through American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW.)  She was a real blessing to me and to the Tidewater Area Christian Writers because Kit was our Area Coordinator through ACFW and she came down and got our local group started.  That local group made all the difference in the world for my writing. Thank you, Kit!!

CFP:  Kit, welcome to Overcoming Through Time.  Would you share either the most difficult thing in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help, or the most tragic situation or circumstance one of your character’s has had to get past?

KW: Well, I’m in a difficult place right now actually. I’m in the middle of a divorce. I am certainly leaning on the Lord to get through this, as well as my family and lots of great friends.

CFP: I continue to pray for you Kit and ask readers to please join me in praying for you and your family and that God would make His presence known to you in the midst of this in a very personal and powerful way. Readers, join me in an AMEN on that!  We want you to come back and share with us how God walked with you through this valley, as He surely will. 

CFP: What is your favorite bible verse and why?

From Isaiah 43

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

   I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

2 When you pass through the waters,

   I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

   they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

   you will not be burned;

   the flames will not set you ablaze.

3 For I am the LORD your God,

   the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

I love the security in this promise from God. I always feel like, “don’t mess with me, I’m His” after I read this. J

CFP: I love that, Kit, it is a powerful passage of scripture, one to claim and hang onto!

CFP: Disability friendliness   Is this latest release available in audio format or do you have any other works available on audio? I believe many of your books are available as e-books with audio capability, is that correct (on Kindle)? Do you have any in large print?  (Thank you – we offer this information to our readers with difficulty reading books in regular print format.)

KW: Definitely available as an e-read from Kindle or Barnes and Noble. ( CFP Note: audio can be used to read aloud from the Kindle.) I do know that Mom in the Making and Sabotage are available in large print.

CFP: What has been the most important thing you hope your readers will get from your books and why?

KW: Hope. Life is hard and sometimes we feel like we can’t get through stuff so I hope readers can escape that feeling for a while with an easy read and leave the book with a sense of hope for whatever their circumstance may be.

CFP: As you researched your books, did you learn anything that particularly touched your heart?

KW: Well, I tend to write about things I already know a little about. I have done some research on military life though and I’m always touched by what our soldiers give up for us.

CFP: In this latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading about a disorder or situation?

Here’s a blurb from RT, from Kit, with these elements highlighted by Carrie:

MOM IN THE MAKING (4) by Kit Wilkinson: Widowed and pregnant Becky Kirkpatrick is the new middle-school fill-in teacher in Glendale, Tenn. She meets Justin Winters when she mistakenly takes his coffee, never imagining that he was once best friends with her husband. Justin is home to recover from his experiences in Afghanistan. Justin and Becky become involved, but will the past misunderstanding between the Winters and the Kirkpatricks preclude any chance of a relationship with her? Covering a variety of relationships, with both main characters working to overcome their fears, this is a sometimes sad, sometimes joyful, yet always hopeful and heartwarming story.

Thank you Kit for agreeing to answer these questions.  May God bless you and walk with you every day in the midst of this storm.



Giveaway:  Leave a comment, and prayer!,  and your email address for a chance to win a Kindle copy of Kit's new release or a paperback copy of Sabotage.

Interview with Joan M. Hochstetler

http://www.amazon.com/Daughter-Liberty-American-Patriot-Book/dp/0310252563/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1301537449&sr=8-3

Joan Hochstetlerhttp://www.jmhochstetler.com/

is the author of The American Patriot series, three books set in Revolutionary War-era America. She is also author of One Holy Night. Joan has several historical blogs, also, that she hosts (americanpatriotseries.blogspot.com is the one I post on the most frequently. The others are languishing!).

I met Joan through ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), a national group. I also got to know her better through Colonial American Christian Writers, an online group I founded last year for authors of colonial-era, and slightly beyond, American books or works-in-progress. The most fun I have had with her, however, was when I was invited to join a Dutch novella writing team with Joan, who wrote the first section. I am so happy she agreed to my interview.

Joan, welcome to Overcoming Through Time.

Thank you so much for inviting me to join you! I’m so pleased we met, and I’m hoping that we’ll get to work together on our novellas.

Would you share either the most difficult thing in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help, or the most tragic situation or circumstance one of your character’s has had to get past?

Going through a divorce, and then my parents’ death a few years later were both equally painful. My parents died within hours of each other after a very bad car wreck back in 2002. We buried them on the same day, which was incredibly difficult. But God’s grace was so evident through that whole experience, not only in holding me up through the days when they were in the hospital, and then their deaths and the funeral, but in reconciling me and my oldest and youngest daughters.Their father and I divorced in 1994, while they were still teenagers, and although my middle daughter chose to maintain a close and loving relationship with both me and her father, the other two rejected me completely. I didn’t believe I’d ever have a relationship with them again, and that completely broke my heart. But my parents’ death softened their hearts as they began to realize that they wouldn’t always have their parents with them.

As a result of my parents’ death, my daughters reestablished a relationship with me—in time for me to become a part of my youngest 2 grandchildren’s lives. Now whenever I go through painful situations, I’m reminded that God can use even the most difficult circumstances for a good purpose and for His glory.

What is your favorite bible verse and why?

My life verse is Isaiah 6:8: Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

That verse struck me powerfully when I was a child and with the faith of a child, I committed to following wherever the Lord would lead. That decision has guided me all my life. I haven’t always been faithful, but it’s the goal I constantly strive toward. With God’s help I strive every day to live according to His calling.

Are any of your books available in audio format? Are any available as e-books with audio capability? Large print? (Thank you – we offer this information to our readers with difficulty reading books in regular print format.)

My books are all available on both Kindle and Nook. I don’t have a Kindle, but I’ve been told they do have audio capabilities. I’d love to have my books available in audiobook format someday.

What has been the most important thing you hope your readers will get from your books and why?

That our nation was founded on biblical values and principles. It’s become popular today to believe that our Founders were Deists or even unbelievers, but that couldn’t be more mistaken. The great majority of those involved in the Revolution were professing believers in Jesus Christ, including Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and they believed that no nation could long endure unless the citizens were taught and chose to uphold the great moral principles of Christianity.

I also want to convey a sense of how faithfully God leads his people through history. And I want readers to know about and value the great sacrifices those who have gone before us made to ensure our freedom. Our Founders were giants—men and women who acted heroically in spite of flaws and limitations. They weren’t perfect by any means, but they accomplished miracles. When I see the direction our country is going in today, I’m afraid the heritage they bequeathed to us is being lost, and I want to do everything I can to prevent that.

As you researched your books, did you learn anything that particularly touched your heart?

In doing the research for book 4 of the American Patriot Series, the thing that has touched me the most is the incredible hardships and sacrifices our founding generation suffered to establish our great nation. Crucible of War starts off with the Battle of Trenton. What Washington and his army endured in crossing the Delaware through massive ice floes, and then riding miles to fight the Hessians through a brutal nor’easter, is almost beyond belief. Several men even froze to death on the way. The more I study this period, the more impressed I am by the conviction and fortitude of our founding generation, and the more committed I am to ensuring that their sacrifices are never forgotten.

Thank you,Joan, for agreeing to answer these questions. Leave it to a psychologist to ask such deeply personal questions. I cannot imagine how awful it must have been to lose your parents like that. And to have gone through divorce and mending your family again.  Have a blessed day and keep on writing!!

Thanks so much, Carrie! I hope one of these days we’ll have a chance to meet face to face.

Leave a comment or question for a chance to win a copy of a (gently used!) book from J.M. Hochstetler.  Thank you Joan for sharing with us. Oh, and I believe Joan is very happily remarried as she has shared with me how happy she is when her husband gets back from being on the road!