It is difficult to talk about how my faith informs my writing without sharing a little bit of my personal story so here goes -

At the tender age of nineteen, at a time when I could barely stand to be in my own skin for a variety of reasons, I experienced love. It dawned on me that all of those marquee signs along the back roads of the Bible belt (which I made an awful lot of fun of growing up) were actually true. That is, someone loved me and had already given up their life for me despite my wayward ways and the darkness in my own heart that was becoming all too obvious, unbearably so. I believe this person, this rescuer is Jesus, God made flesh, and I happen to be convinced that he loves and desires every human being on earth. If you are wondering, hear me out: you are wanted and you are loved.

When I talk about Christianity, it must be acknowledged that Christians mess up all the time. They throw grace out of the window and pass judgment, they don’t love their neighbors, they fight with one another, they are quick to condemn a wrong-doing that is a social taboo and they easily over-look a wrong-doing that is the social norm, and saddest of all, they are slow to acknowledge the suffering in the world and to move into action on behalf of others in need. In essence, many don’t model the life of Jesus. However, the doctrine of grace is an awesome reality, one I hope no one would overlook despite the failings of human beings who claim to be Christians. I, for one, was thankful to take hold of it.

In terms of my writing, I don’t set out to write a “religious” book. My first aim is always to write a good story – one with a gripping conflict and compelling characters. That said, the themes that invariably surface in my stories are the same ones that I wrestle with in my own mind and heart, and they are as follows: receiving and extending grace, loving the unlovable someone in my life and finding hope in the midst of a hopeless situation.