If you've got questions, send me an e-mail via the contact page, and I'll upload answers here.
Here's what some readers are asking:
Q. Are any of the flashbacks scenes from your own life?
A. Yes, in modified form. When I was two or three years old, my grandfather bought me Brown Bear. I loved that bear. Years later, my sister's puppy chewed off the eyes and destroyed part of his face. My mom tried really hard to fix it (and she was really pleased with her effort), but it was never the same bear. Of course, I was a teenager when it happened, so I was only partially devastated.
Mara also received some of my pain (sorry, Mara!). I was always the last one picked for teams, and one of the happiest days of my life was my last day of P.E. in high school. I also was excluded from a big birthday party in elementary school (and yes, the girl-who-shall-remain-nameless had promised me an invitation if I helped her with a book report). For Mara, the memory is particularly painful and poignant because it speaks to her isolation and rejection as a child. I didn't have that kind of pain, but I have deep empathy for the ones who suffered alone. Loneliness makes me cry.
Q. Did you script out the story before you began writing?
A. (Insert laughter here.) No. I had absolutely no idea where the story would go. The whole thing unfolded step by step, and I was totally surprised, not only by the revelations from the characters' childhoods, but by the ways in which they responded to the Spirit. One of the biggest surprises to me was when I discovered that a couple of the characters actually knew one another in the past. That blew me away.
Hannah was particularly stubborn about revealing details, and I actually didn't know what she was hiding until I saw her teenage journal entries. In the first draft of the book, the secret is revealed in her journal. I re-wrote it (once I knew the truth) and made the reader wait for the disclosure until the end. If Hannah wasn't ready to talk about it, it wasn't fair for me to let the reader know the details prematurely.
Q. Do you have a favorite character?
A. I feel for each of them in different ways. I love Meg, and I'm really proud of her. Honestly, if I had known that her husband was going to appear in flashbacks, I don't think I would have been able to make her a widow. Her story made me cry again and again. Meg demonstrates beautiful courage, and she really does inspire me. I also feel very tender toward Mara, and I love how she begins to see the truth about who she is to God. Her images of God and of herself evolved in precious ways.
Charissa is a piece of work, and it took me a long time to have any affection for her. We always react strongly when the mirror goes up and we see glimpses of ourselves in other people, and that's the role Charissa plays for me. Her desire to be perfect, her concern for reputation, her critical spirit: all these things are sins the Spirit has pursued in my own life. Eventually, I was able to move from "I can't stand her!" to "That girl cracks me up!" So I guess that indicates progress in my own journey toward taking myself less seriously.
Q. Is there going to be a sequel?
A. I hope so. Now that I really know these women, I'm hoping I'll be able to watch them move forward. I'd love to see how they integrate what they've learned and experienced so far.
Q. What do you hope readers will do when they finish the book?
A. Get connected. Walk together, walk together, walk together.
One of the main differences between the fictional Sensible Shoes Club and the real group I meet with every week is the context. For the book, I had to have the characters meet at a retreat center, because I needed them to be new to one another. I didn't want the reader feeling left out of the lives of women who already knew one another in a local church.
I am passionate about the importance of the local church. We need to be sharing life by worshiping, praying, serving, loving, being together. My first hope would be that spiritual formation groups like the one described in the book would take root in churches. I'd love it if sacred journey groups and Sensible Shoes Clubs started all over the country!
Secondly, I'm a huge advocate for spiritual direction. My once a month meetings with my spiritual director are invaluable--one of the most important gifts I give myself.
As I was getting ready to release the book, I told my director that I worried that perhaps someone would read and have strong reactions and not know where to go with all that emotion. I told her that I wished I could put page 225 in bold print--the part where Katherine pleads with the group not to walk alone. Diane replied, "Trust the Spirit to bring those things into bold print for those who need that word."
So I'm praying every day for my readers--that the Spirit will comfort, soothe, stir, prompt, provoke, reveal, encourage, enliven, lead, guide, heal, transform...I'm praying Isaiah 61 and trusting the Spirit with the journey forward. Like Hannah, I've had to confront my own tendency toward over-responsibility. Part of my journey is letting go and entrusting my readers to God's faithful care.