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Spotlight
"Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips." - Proverbs 27:2
A look behind the story to show what motivates these authors to write for God 7/1/2008 Joining us this month is author Mary DeMuth. I met Mary briefly at last year's ACFW Conference in Dallas and have appreciated many of her insights as she has shared her heart on a couple of email writer's loops where I am a member. I look forward to getting to know her better in the future. Mary E. DeMuth loves to cook, garden, read, create, sing and write. She’s the proud mom of Sophie, Aidan and Julia and happy wife of Patrick. Together, they spent two and a half years church planting in France and now live in Texas with a new, energetic dog named Pippin and a little white furball of hate named Madeline the cat who was happy without Pippin, thank you very much. Jill:Our cat Shadow thought life was just fine with a second male cat Tiger as well, but he's finally adjusted, albeit grudgingly. :) Mary’s books include: • Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God • Building the Christian Family You Never Had • Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture • Watching the Tree Limbs • Wishing on Dandelions Mary's first novel, Watching the Tree Limbs from NavPress came out in 2006. This is from Publishers Weekly: In this debut faith-based novel, DeMuth transports readers to the hot East Texas town that is nine-year-old Mara's home. Amid the red dirt and pecan trees, Mara struggles to find her way through a painful and mysterious family situation. Who were her parents? Is her aunt Elma really her aunt-and does Elma really have a tumor? What will happen to her if her aunt dies? The pain in Mara's life multiplies when she meets General, the teenage neighbor who repeatedly rapes her, threatening her life if she tells anyone. DeMuth captures the horrific situation-from Mara's inability to keep her body from shaking to her determination to watch the tree limbs to keep her mind off of what is going on-while providing hope of redemption and healing. Her characters are expertly drawn, and encompass meanness, evil, great kindness and the confusion of generally good people who don't know how to handle what life has given them. Christian themes are woven throughout as a natural expression of the characters and situation. Readers may be surprised at the dark subject matter, but this book will appeal to many readers both as a thoughtful, powerful reflection on a difficult topic and as a compelling story. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. You can purchase Watching the Tree Limbs at these three online bookstores: CBD, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon. I asked Mary to give us some insight into how God is using her and her writing.  Jill: When and how did you know that you wanted to be a writer? Mary: Right after I started having kids, I couldn’t get writing out of my mind. That was 1992. Jill: Can you share with me some of the highlights of your writing journey – something particularly memorable or humorous? Mary:I wrote a for-profit newsletter that helped pay for my first Gateway computer. The newsletter was called The Giving Home Journal. It was about household management—managing what you had well in order to give more away. I did that three years. What prompted that was my curious obsession with The Tightwad Gazette that made me extremely anal about saving money. The epiphany came when my husband asked if I was going to utilize his belly button lint to knit sweaters. I realized saving money for that sole goal was not enough because it made me obsessive. Saving in order to give was the way to go. Thus, the GHJ was born. All from belly button lint. Jill: Inspiration comes from strange places, yes? :) Tell me a bit about what you write now and what you hope/plan to write in the future. Do you have a favorite genre? Mary: I’m writing southern dramatic fiction for Zondervan as well as a memoir. I would like to continue writing fiction and nonfiction, as God allows. Jill: Do you consider your writing the work God has given you to do for a lifetime or for a season of your life? If you could pursue anything else, what would it be? Mary: Probably the rest of my life, unless I lose my mind (which might just happen!). The other career: graphic designer or anything artistic. I could make little drawings and paintings and collages forever. I love design. Jill: Are there people in your life who encouraged you, who are responsible for you becoming a published author? Mary: My good friend Sandi Glahn mentored me when I first started pursuing publication. She’s been a godsend and has become one of my closest friends. She helped me craft my first query letter, and she’s rejoiced with me all along the journey. Everyone needs a Sandi! Jill: Can you share one struggle that entered your life as a result of writing and how God helped you to overcome it, to make you more like Christ? Mary: Oh boy. Yeah, howdy. My second nonfiction book Building the Christian Family You Never Had was an excruciating one to write. I wanted to put that book down several times because I have living family members who would be hurt by my recounting my childhood. If I hadn’t believed God told me to write that, I certainly would have abandoned it. He sent encouragers at just the times I was ready to quit. It was an amazing journey. The book was still painful, but I believe many have been set free in the aftermath. Jill: Likewise, is there a particular joy in this writing business/ministry that God has used to remind you that He is, in fact, using your words to His glory? Mary: When I hear from people who have been touched somehow, that I’ve written their thoughts and they no longer feel alone, then I know God has had something to do with it all.  Jill: Has writing opened opportunities for you to give your testimony and witness for Christ or minister to fellow believers? If so, can you give one example? Mary: Yes, wow. An acquaintance asked to have a meal with me. She hemmed and hawed through the meal and then asked if we could go somewhere to talk. Turned out she’d been sexually abused and Watching the Tree Limbs (my first novel) helped her see how she’d been affected by it. She’d told very few people this information. It’s been a privilege to watch God heal her through this. Next up for Mary— Daisy Chain January 2009 Zondervan - The abrupt disappearance of young Daisy Chance haunts the small town of Defiance, Texas. Fourteen-year-old Jed Pepper searches for answers in this gritty and compelling story of love and sorrow, revealing God’s hand of redemption in impossible situations. Thin Places (working title, not finalized) Summer 2009 (Her memoir) Through raw storytelling, Mary DeMuth helps readers know they don’t wrestle with issues of faith and life alone. Thin Places helps readers anticipate with joy the surprising and perplexing times God comes near, knowing that life change is around the bend. You can visit author Mary DeMuth and get to know her better by checking out her website or her blog. Thanks Mary, for joining us this month on Spotlight! ~Jill~ |
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