Please join me in welcoming author Jennifer Slattery, whose latest release is Beyond I Do.

Welcome, Jennifer! I’m pleased to have you here to chat about your new book.

Let’s jump right in. It seems you have a heart for the brokenhearted. Can you share with us how that came to be?
Sure. I went through a period of homelessness as a teen, and though God plucked me off the streets and radically changed my life, I found old wounds continued to simmer, keeping me from fully experiencing the emotional and spiritual freedom available through Christ. But God was so faithful and brought deep healing with His love and grace. This healing, however, has been a journey, and I’m sure I haven’t fully reached “the end” yet. I might never reach wholeness this side of heaven, but God’s brought me a long away, and He’s turned my shame into praise and my pain into compassion and joy.

Having experienced that deep, life-changing grace first hand, I want to point others to Christ and the freedom He offers, and I believe fiction is a great way to do just that. 

I see on your website there’s another project close to your heart, Takin’ It to the Streets. Will you tell us about that?
Absolutely! Takin’ it to the Streets is an Omaha Metro ministry that serves the working poor and homeless. I think many would be surprised how many mothers and children we serve each week. We offer a hot, home-cooked meal for dinners on Fridays and lunch on Wednesdays, and a pancake feed every third Saturday of the month. But more that, we try to restore human dignity to the broken men, women, and children we serve, showing them through our words and actions the love of Christ.

Jennifer, please give us a brief description of Beyond I Do.
I’d love to. ☺Beyond I Do is about a security-seeking bride who takes a challenge made by her pastor (pre-book) seriously. Her pastor tells his congregation, “If you don’t know any single mothers, anyone dealing with poverty, or any who is homeless, you need to widen your circle.” This challenge really strikes a cord within her, and she senses God is calling her to something, but she’s not sure what. So she begins to pray. Meanwhile, she has a wedding to prepare for! But as her wedding draws near, an encounter with a battered woman and her child sparks a long-forgotten dream and a hidden passion—one that could change everything, including her fiancé.

Why did you choose to write about this particular subject?
In this novel, my main character is trying to discover and embrace her God-given purpose, even though the very idea—when she discovers what it is!—terrifies her! I wrote this novel because I’m an outreach gal that loves seeing people find their unique calling. I believe we all have a role to play in the lives of others, and I believe we’ll never be truly fulfilled until we discover what that is. I hope after having read my novel, readers will begin to pray about their calling, and once they discover it, that they will follow after it with everything that is within them. This will naturally lead to great healing in the lives of others and great joy in the giver!

What is special or unique about these characters?
Although I loved all my characters, POVs and minors, I probably had the most fun crafting Ainsley’s fiancé Richard. As a psychiatrist, his personality and day-to-day encounters were fascinating. To the casual observer, he may appear to be a bit of a narcissist, but when one looks deeper, they’ll begin to see his seemingly arrogant and domineering traits compensate for his feelings of inferiority. Many readers have said they don’t like him, even after they see the reason behind his behavior, but I suppose that’s to be expected. I imagine we all have people we know are broken on a rational level, but that doesn’t mean it’s any easier to hang around them.  And yet, Christ loves even the worst of sinners and calls us to do the same.

What do you hope readers take away from the story?
I think I’ve touched on this a bit, but mainly, I hope they will walk away with a desire to make a positive impact in the lives of others. Obviously, not everyone will be called to serve the homeless, as my heroine in Beyond I Do is. But we are all called to serve someone—to actively and consistently share the love of Christ.

What can we expect from you next, Jennifer?
I actually have another book coming out this winter called When Dawn Breaks. It’s about a fifty-one year old realtor who’s displaced by a hurricane.

Jacqueline Dunn has a strained relationship with her adult daughter. This had been a major source of regret for her. Wanting to find purpose and to make amends with her daughter, she heads north to Willow Valley, where her daughter lives.

While there, she encounters three children, also displaced by the storm, who’ve been abandoned by their mother. She also meets a handsome railroader, a man she could easily fall in love with. If she allowed herself. But dealing with his own issues, Jacqueline isn’t sure if he will be the one she can lean on during the difficult days ahead. And then there are the three orphans to consider, especially Gavin. Must she relinquish her chance at having love again in order to be restored?

Where can readers reach you on the Internet?
They can connect with me on my personal blog, http://jenniferslatterylivesoutloud.com, they can friend me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JenSlatte or at
Twitter at https://twitter.com/Jenslattery

Is there anything else you’d like our visitors to know?
Hm… I feel like I’ve dominated this conversation a bit. I’d rather hear from them! In this interview I talked about a character in my novel that many readers hate. (And I completely understand!) When talking books, it seems folks usually chat about their favorite characters. I’d love to hear about some of your least favorites. Who have been some antagonists that have absolutely made your skin crawl (without being over-the-top/cliché) and why was that?

Thank you so much for visiting with us, Jennifer. It was such a pleasure having you as my guest.
Thank you for having me! I can’t wait to hear what your readers have to say! I always love talking about characters, books, and chocolate. Oh… we didn’t talk about that one, did we? Hm… Someone should fix that. Okay, I will. My second question to your readers, what is your favorite chocolaty treat, and would you prefer to bake it yourself or purchase it elsewhere (like at a quaint coffee shop along the river)?

If you’d like to win a copy of Beyond I Do, use the Contact page and type “drawing” in the comments box along with any answers you may have to Jennifer’s questions. The deadline to enter is October 29th.