Today I have the privilege of hosting my author-friend, Jennifer Slattery. I’ve had the honor of getting to know her as we’ve both written for Internet Café Devotions and Living by Grace. I admire the fact that no matter what Jennifer is working on her goal is to bring glory to God.
Her latest book, Intertwined, will be released on Monday, October 5th. And you have an opportunity to win a copy simply by leaving a comment on today’s post! More about that later. For now, grab a hot mug of coffee and join me as I welcome Jennifer.
The interview
Hello, Maria! Thanks so much for having me on your blog! I love how God has intertwined (no pun intended) our lives—ever since Living by Grace! And I love seeing all God is doing to expand your ministry and your writing.
Today’s interview is extra fun because my readers and Facebook friends came up with the questions. So, here are the things they said they wanted to know:
First, it seems everyone wants to know about my past –
The early years
For those of you who aren’t aware, I went through a period of homelessness as a teenager. Boy, this could be a long answer! Maybe book-length even! Haha. Many want to know how I ended up on the streets of Tacoma. To be honest, there’s not an easy and quick answer to that one, and I’m not always sure how much to answer, as I do try to protect my family’s privacy. But you can read some of my history in this article, which appeared in the Omaha Herald last fall.
Short answer is, our family went through some tough times, and my way of dealing with this was to quit eating. Going hungry made me feel powerful, strong, and in control during a time I felt anything but. My parents’ way of dealing with me not eating was to send me elsewhere. First I lived with an aunt, but then she changed her mind and decided she didn’t want me, so then I went to live with my maternal grandmother. This was interesting…
Unwanted
My interpretation of all this was that I was unwanted, and I began to give up on myself and life. I eventually ended up moving in with a friend who lived on the outskirts of my hometown. She lived with her dad, a single father. He was never home. I never met him once. I’m not even sure he knew I was living there!
I soon learned I’d need a job. I learned from a friend that the Bellis Fair Mall in Bellingham, Washington, was hiring. Only problem—I didn’t have a car or my license. BUT a friend of mine, a fellow track and cross country runner, had recently moved to Ferndale, a town bordering Bellingham, which had public transportation between the two. So, grabbing all my things—clothes, that was pretty much all I had—I headed north to Ferndale. I moved in with my friend and started attending Ferndale High.
I’m not sure how, or even if, I got registered for school. Actually, I think I may not have been officially registered, as when I tried as an adult to track down my records, they weren’t to be found.
Jobs & a place to stay
At about the same time, I got two jobs, one at Lerner NY in the Bellis Fair Mall and the other as a hostess at a restaurant nearby. Great, right? Sort of. Because I went to school during the day, I worked evenings. This meant I often closed, which in turn meant I didn’t get off until 10:00 p.m. or later, after the last bus heading to Ferndale had come and gone. Luckily (or maybe unluckily in hindsight), my friends were college students who had their own apartments, and they readily agreed to let me crash at their place.
On their living room floor. The room where they frequently hosted parties.
I’d lie there, on the floor, no pillow or blanket, trying to drown out all the noise around me, wishing everyone would leave or that somehow my sleep deprivation would overtake me and I’d be able to go to sleep. One a.m. would roll around. Two a.m. Three a.m. Then, at about 6:00 a.m., I’d get up to catch the bus heading back to Ferndale so I could begin my school day.
I grew more and more tired, more and more behind, and more and more angry. Eventually, I gave up entirely and quickly spiraled, ending up on the streets of Tacoma.
A transformation
But God pulled me out, introduced me to the most loving and generous man I’ve ever met—my husband of 20 years now—and Jesus Christ radically transformed my life.
Wow, that was a very long answer, so long I don’t have room, blogosphere speaking, to answer the next question—how I got involved in Takin’ it to the Streets, an Omaha Metro ministry that serves the working poor and homeless. For those interested in the answer to that question, pop by Emilie Hendryx blog, Thinking Thoughts on October 20th—she’s hosting me that day!
The book
Intertwined – Abandoned by her husband for another woman, Tammy Kuhn, an organ procurement coordinator often finds herself in tense and bitter moments. After an altercation with a doctor, she is fighting to keep her job and her sanity when one late night she encounters her old flame Nick. She walks right into his moment of facing an unthinkable tragedy. Because they both have learned to find eternal purposes in every event and encounter, it doesn’t take long to discover that their lives are intertwined but the ICU is no place for romance….or is it? Could this be where life begins again?
Intertwined, part of New Hope Publisher’s contemporary fiction line, is a great reminder of how God can turn our greatest tragedies and failures into beautiful acts of love and grace. Readers will fall in love with the realistic characters and enjoy the combination of depth, heart-felt emotion and humor that makes Jennifer’s novels so appealing. Readers will be inspired to find God in every moment and encounter in their own lives!
Buy it:
Your turn
If you’re interested in winning a copy of Jennifer’s book, Intertwined, follow the directions below:
*Leave a comment to this post, and be sure to include your email address
*Contest open to US residents only
*Deadline to enter is midnight Eastern Standard Time, Monday, September 21, 2015. Winner will be notified via email
About the author
Jennifer Slattery writes soul-stirring fiction for New Hope Publishers, a publishing house passionate about bringing God’s healing grace and truth to the hopeless. She also writes for Crosswalk.com, Internet Café Devotions, and the group blog, Faith-filled Friends. When not writing, Jennifer loves going on mall dates with her adult daughter and coffee dates with her hilariously fun husband.