No, I don’t. I would love to be able to do that someday, but I have serious doubts about my ability in that genre. I have the utmost respect and admiration for fiction writers!
What would you like for our readers to know about you personally?
All the books I have worked on are related to the military in some way—the reason for which can be traced back to July 5, 2003. That was the day I married a Coast Guard officer and was swept from Washington, D.C. to Alaska. I wasn’t a military wife for long, but it was long enough to give me an understanding and compassion for military families and to want to encourage them and share their stories.
Also, I’m an ordinary mom. I used to do all my writing during my child’s nap times and after she went to bed at night. Now that we have two small children, my husband uses flex time with his job to allow me to write two mornings a week. The rest of the time, I’m wiping runny noses, changing diapers, doing laundry, washing dishes, and occasionally, cooking. (Cooking is always the first thing I let go when I’m under a deadline.)
I’m a firm believer that most days can be made a little brighter with good music (I love Keith and Kristin Getty), good chocolate (aka Toblerone), coffee (I’ll settle for Folgers when the budget is tight) and finding new ways to make my children laugh.
Tell us about your family.
My husband Rob is no longer active duty but is still connected to the service through the business he started, which provides graphic design to Coast Guard ships, units, air stations, etc. Our children are Elsa, age 4, and Ethan, who will be 2 in October. Elsa is beginning to make up her own stories now, much to her mother’s delight, and Ethan is content to make truck and train noises all day long. Ethan was born with hypothyroidism, so he is on lifelong medication for that. So far, it appears that the condition was caught in time so that he has no signs of mental or physical retardation.
Yes, my first book was Faith Deployed: Daily Encouragement for Military Wives (Moody 2008). But I couldn’t have completed that without the contributions from 14 other Christian military wives from every branch of service.
I was also the contributing editor for the award-winning Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from World War 2 by Larkin Spivey.
Do you have any other books in the works right now?
Yes. I’ve teamed up with Larkin once again for the Battlefields & Blessings book for Viet Nam, plus I’ve got proposals in the works for more devotions for military wives, as well as a book of devotions for parents of special needs children.
What kinds of hobbies and leisure activities do you enjoy?
Reading tops the list, then scrapbooking, gardening, and baking. I recently discovered The Cake Mix Doctor book, has been so much fun that baking now ranks pretty high on my favorite hobby list, but practically-speaking, it’s just not healthy to spend too much time on cake.
Why did you write the featured book?
My two co-authors (Jane Hampton Cook and John Croushorn) and I wrote the book to tell the stories that otherwise are not being told. We interviewed about 70 people connected to the current war, including soldiers, chaplains, military family members, widows, medics, humanitarian workers, government contractors and more. Our goal was to honor today’s generation of heroes (including the heroes at home) but also to show through their stories that God is big enough even for the pain and heartache war brings. God is faithful even in the most uncertain times. He offers peace when the battles literally rage. That’s what this book is all about.
What do you want the reader to take away from the book?
This is a 365-day devotional book, so each story also has a Scripture and a brief prayer. Naturally, we want readers to come away from the book with a closer relationship with God, and with a broader understanding of who He is. We also hope readers will have a better, more multi-dimensional picture of America’s soldiers, their families, and the sacrifices they make (largely unnoticed) every day. We also want readers to be inspired by their courage and faith in the midst of trials and grief. There are heartbreaking stories in this book, but there are also wonderful pictures of redemption and hope.
Where on the Internet can the readers find you?
My Web site is http://www.faithdeployed.com/ . You can also find me at www.facebook.com/FaithDeployed .
Thank you, Jocelyn, for sharing this wonderful book with us.
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