I met author Megan DiMaria several years ago when the ACFW Conference was in Denver. I had gone through a severe allergy attack a month before the conference and had to watch my diet since I didn’t know what caused the attack. Bottled water became a need and since Megan lived in Denver, she graciously offered to buy some for me to have in my room, since I would be flying and couldn’t cart it with me on the plane. I’ve found Megan to be sweet and kind ever since, always offering to pray for specific needs that come through the ACFW prayer loop. When she sold her first book Searching for Spice to Tyndale House Publishers a year ago, I was thrilled for her!

Megan DiMaria loves to be an encouragement to women as they live out their faith in today’s busy world. Her upbeat personality and deep appreciation for the humor in ordinary moments creates a bond with other women as they laugh and learn that life is an adventure, one not for the weak of heart.

In speaking with women from around the country, Megan discovered that even those in satisfying marriages still yearn for something more. She wrote Searching for Spice in response to that desire. Her writing and speaking ministry exists to assure women that God loves them and that they shouldn’t be stunned or thrown off balance when challenges come into their lives.

Megan received her B.A. degree in Communications, with a specialization in Mass Media from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. She has been a radio and television reporter, a Web content editor, a contributing writer for local newspapers and has worked for a weekly newspaper. She is also a freelance writer, crafting magazine articles and advertising copy.

Megan and her husband Carl currently live in suburban Denver near their three adult children. The share their home with a little old Jack Russell Terrier named Belle who seems to find her way into Megan’s novels. They often travel back to their roots in Long Island, NY to visit family and get their fill of delicious Italian food.

Megan’s second book Out of Her Hands releases this month.

Linda Revere is losing control. Her grown children are poised to launch into life with exciting choices and endless possibilities. And like all parents, she only wants the best for them. She has been praying for her children’s future spouses since they were very small. Confident that her prayers will be answered, Linda is not prepared for the young woman her son brings home.

In the midst of balancing a challenging job managing an upscale photography studio with her busy home, Linda is trying to help her father-in-law get on with life after he’s widowed. And now her best friend and confidante is moving across the country. How does Linda manage when she realizes it’s all out of her hands?

You can purchase Out of Her Hands at these three online bookstores:

CBD, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon.

I asked Megan 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?

Megan: I first knew I wanted to be a writer when I was in elementary school. I began to pound the keys on an old, manual typewriter when I was about 11 years old. As a child I would write plays that my friends would perform for the neighbor kids..

Jill: Can you share with me some of the highlights of your writing journey – something particularly memorable or humorous?

Megan: I was horrified when I first realized it, but now I can laugh at the typo I sent to an editor in a proposal for Searching for Spice. I intended to say, “A romance-deprived, photographer’s assistant longs for a sizzling affair—with her husband.” But instead I said, “A romance-depraved photographer’s assistant. . . ” Wow. That’s quite a difference.

Jill: 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?

Megan: I’m currently writing a story about a woman who is eager for the empty nest, but it seems her house is getting fuller rather than emptier. My working title is Many Happy Returns. I love to write contemporary women’s fiction, although for escape I read all genres. I’ve been told that despite my writing having humor, it reaches deep places. I like being able to explore all the facets of life women experience.

Jill: Do you consider your writing the work God has given you to do for a lifetime or for a season of your life? Can you see yourself pursuing something outside of writing for His glory?

Megan: At the moment, I feel that it’s my work for a lifetime. That’s probably because I’ve had a driving desire to be a novelist since I was a child. My day job is also writing. I work in a marketing department, writing all kinds of copy and correspondence. Writing is very much a part of my identity. But I believe if God has something else for me to do instead of writing, I’ll be able to embrace it.

Jill: Are there people in your life who encouraged you, who are responsible for you becoming a published author?

Megan: My 6th grade teacher surprised me one day by decorating a corkboard with winter scenes and hanging an essay I wrote in the middle of the collage. She said that my writing was so descriptive that she could easily illustrate my story. That teacher also read aloud to the class every day. She was a wonderful teacher who allowed her students to fall in love with books. More recently, in 2000 I had been part of an online writing community. I was a newbie and never really clicked with that group. When I wrote my farewell email I got a response from a writer who I had never met or whose name I had never heard. She encouraged me to join ACRW, the writer’s organization whose name changed to American Christian Fiction Writers. If Brandilyn Collins had not extended herself to an unknown author, I may have never persevered in my writing journey.

Jill: Wow, Megan – Brandilyn Collins is the reason I also joined ACRW – now ACFW! Sounds like she’s been instrumental in encouraging many aspiring authors.

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?

Megan: I’ve always felt that my writing was a God-thing, I know it’s really all about Him. My experience does not particularly involve a struggle, but an acceptance. I am humbled by the opportunity to be published. I know of so many wonderful writers who still await “the call.” So I’ve been pinching myself, waiting to wake from this wonderful dream, and wondering why at this time the grace of God has fallen upon me and not another deserving author. I believe my writing career is at the Lord’s discretion, and I wake each day thankful for the job I have. I’m not at all ego driven about my publishing success, and I realize that the next contract may never come. There are no guarantees in publishing, so I live day to day in the grace of God.

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?

Megan: Yes! The reader feedback I’ve gotten has been amazing. Women and men have told me that after reading Searching for Spice they’ve changed the way they look at their marriage. One woman wrote to thank me for reminding her to put God in her marriage relationship.

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?

Megan: I’ve had the pleasure to speak with other writers to encourage them, but the best opportunity I’ve had was to speak of Jesus to a childhood friend who was open to hearing about God because she read my novel and liked the way my faith played out in my words. Wow. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Jill: I agree!

If you haven’t read Megan’s first book Searching for Spice, here’s a peek at what you’ll find:

Linda Revere longs to have a sizzling affair . . . with her husband—a practical, no-nonsense community college science teacher. Unfortunately, life isn’t scripted, and nothing goes according to plan. Linda hopes God will answer her prayers to jazz up her marriage, but is she ready for what happens next?

I enjoyed this book very much and would recommend reading it before reading the sequel. Megan knows how to keep you turning pages.

To learn more about Megan visit her website or her blog.

Thanks Megan, for joining us this month on Spotlight!