Ginger Garrett Answers The Faithful Fifteen
August 2006
Writing
FaithfulReader.com: Could you give a brief summary of your latest book?
Ginger Garrett: In DARK HOUR Queen Jezebel of Israel has sent her daughter, Athaliah, to marry the king of Judah, a kingdom that sits just below Israel. Athaliah hates the people who believe in one nation, one God. She sets herself against the nation, and against God, leading to the ultimate clash between good and evil. Only her stepdaughter has the nerve to defy her. It's a story of power, women and faith.
FR: What role does faith have in the book? What inspired you to write it?
GG: Faith is dangerous in this book for those who aren't willing to abandon the one true God. The faithful are slandered, plotted against, and ultimately betrayed to their deaths. Yet one woman abandoned everything --- her home, her love, her name --- to save the nation, and the one child who could reclaim the throne. The child was Joash, who is in the lineage of Christ. How powerful to think that one woman saved the lineage of Christ!
FR: What do you feel your calling is as a writer?
GG: I want to renew our love for the old stories, the stories of women who lived out faith in extreme times, who witnessed God at work and were blessed to be born women.
FR: Who are your favorite authors and mentors? How have they influenced your work?
GG: C. S. Lewis (of course!), G. K. Chesterton, J. R. R. Tolkien, Brock and Bodie Thoene, Siri Mitchell, Kimberly Stuart, Jack London, Mary Percy Shelley, James Herriott and Tom Wolfe.
My mentors include Dr. John Walton of Wheaton College, an expert in the "First Temple Period" of Christian history. He has many nonfiction resources available, and I am honored to learn from him. I also owe a huge debt to my publisher, NavPress, because they have walked with me every step of the way --- from unknown author to being nominated for the best novel of the year (my novel CHOSEN was nominated for the ECPA Christian Book Awards).
FR: Do you have any favorite stories of encounters with readers?
GG: I love to chat on e-mail with readers. I get a lot of questions, and sometimes I get an encouraging note just as I am feeling discouraged about something. When the research gets tough, and I realize I need more brain cells, it's nice to hear from someone who has enjoyed a book.
Spirituality
FR: Tell us about your personal faith journey.
GG: I gave up Christianity when I was about 24. I moved to a new city, and threw out my Bible and all the Christian books I owned. I had been unhappy for a long, long time, and Christianity hadn't solved it for me.
During my first week in the new city, someone invited me to church, and because we had a business relationship I was dependent on, I didn't feel I could refuse. She took me to hear a guy named Andy Stanley. I sat where I wouldn't have to see him and tried to ignore everything he said, but something broke open that day, and I began to suddenly understand why I had gotten so off track. (News flash: the Bible works best when you actually DO what it recommends, not just know where the verse is.)
Today, I am at peace, even when I struggle, which is every day. I see life as a story and don't want to miss the adventure. I think less about the past and more about the future.
FR: Who are your spiritual mentors?
GG: My mom and grandmother. My grandmother encouraged me to eat chocolate every day, trust God for everything, and remember that kissing a handsome man was God's very good gift to me, and I should try to kiss as many as possible before getting married!
FR: What is your current church community involvement?
GG: I still attend Andy Stanley's church, and am involved in other churches for other children and women's ministry events.
FR: What are your Scripture reading habits? Prayer habits?
GG: My personal rule is that the Bible has to be the first thing I read every morning, which is hard in a house filled with hundreds of books and e-mail. I love sipping my first cup of coffee and reading my Message Bible, curled up on the couch.
My best praying happens when I am jogging or walking. I don't take music so I can "listen" to God and hear myself think. It's the best time of the entire day, and I pray over my knees every time that God will let me keep doing it.
FR: If you had one message for Christians today, what would it be?
GG: If we knew how much we were loved, the pain and fear would melt away. Women who are loved are capable of remarkable things. Ask God to open your heart's eyes to how much you are loved.
Life
FR: Tell us about your family. Spouse? Kids?
GG: Hubby of ten years, three kids, two dogs, and after a fish fatality this morning, we're down to four fish.
FR: Do you and your family have any special traditions?
GG: Every Christmas, I cook a special dish in honor of a family matriarch who has passed on. For my great-grandmother, it's divinity candy. For my grandmother Helen, it's Swedish Tea Ring. For my Basque (Spanish) grandmother-in-law, it's anise biscotti.
FR: What are some of your favorite hobbies and activities?
GG: I don't have time for hobbies anymore, but I love dogs, especially giant ones like St. Bernards and Newfoundlands. I also love my birdfeeder, which is outside my kitchen window, because it attracts so many birds all year long. It's those simple pleasures that make life sweet!
FR: What are your media habits? Television? Movies? Music? Etc?
GG: I love TV. I can set my recorder to find shows on any subject, and it will. It helps with my research. I watch documentaries, news programs, and black-and-white movies. I don't watch sitcoms or most other programming.
A music confession: I love Elvis.
FR: What excites you about life?
GG: We think we have boundaries, restrictions based on our choices. We think we've defined ourselves and we're stuck with it. But God doesn't play by our rules --- He interrupts, interferes, and interjects at the most wildly unexpected moments.
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