Wisdom to Know & Give Away

February 25, 2013 /

WTK Cover

Back Cover Description

Lydia Brown has taken just about every wrong turn she could find. When an abortion leaves her overwhelmed by guilt, she turns to drugs to escape her pain. After a single car accident lands her in the hospital facing DUI charges, Lydia is forced to reevaluate her choices.

Kevin McGregor has been biding his time since high school when he heard God tell him that Lydia Brown was the woman he would marry. In the aftermath of Lydia’s accident, Kevin must come to grips with the truth about her secret life.

While Kevin works to convince himself and God that loving Lydia is a mistake, Lydia struggles to accept the feelings she has for Kevin, though she fears her sin may be too much for anyone to forgive.

Before we go any further, the winner of last weeks drawing is Kay M. I will contact you later today for your snail mail address. Thanks for commenting, Kay.

1. Welcome to Kimberly’s Musings, Elizabeth. Please Tell us about your book. 

Wisdom to Know tells the story of Lydia Brown. She’s someone I consider a pretty typical “good” young woman who, despite growing up in church, has never really made her faith her own. So she goes through the motions and knows all the right answers, but other than Sundays, you don’t see faith impacting her life all that much…until the consequences of her actions start catching up with her. When that happens, Lydia isn’t sure how to handle the crisis and she spirals into a deep pit without really caring what relationships she destroys in the process. After she finally crashes at the bottom, she realizes how much she needs God if there’s any hope of rebuilding those relationships.

2. I read the blurb for your book and noticed that it tackles some tough issues. What inspired the story?

I grew up active in pro-life ministry. My mother ran a Crisis Pregnancy Center for twenty years and over that time, I spent a lot of time helping out, both as a volunteer and on staff. One of the things we did a great deal of at our Center was after-abortion healing. The women and men who choose abortion tend to be forgotten (at best) in the pro-life arena and in churches, and so many of them are desperately hurting. Those who are believers (and the abortion rates aren’t significantly different for folks in the church when compared to those outside) often feel that they don’t deserve forgiveness – that they’ve done the one thing bigger than God’s grace. But it’s not true! Unfortunately, even though God forgives us, the consequences of our sin can wreck our human relationships – and wrestling with that, recovering from that, is one of the things Lydia and Kevin both have to do.

 3. How long did it take you to write this and did you have to do any special research?

I actually started Wisdom to Know in 2002 and then set it aside for a while because I was feeling stuck. I went on writing other things, but Lydia’s story kept pulling at me. When NaNoWriMo came around in 2011, I dug it back out, thinking I’d start completely over but keep the idea. I did end up keeping a little more than just the idea – but I wrote all but approximately 10K words of the story (the bit that I kept from 2002) in November and December of 2011. Once I let myself go with the story, it just flowed.

I didn’t have to do a ton of special research. The main thing I looked into were rehab facilities and DUI charges to get a feel for how to make that aspect of the story realistic.

4. When did you first start writing and is it something you have always wanted to do, or did you fall into it later?

I’ve always been writing. My mom gave me a blank book when I was five and pretty much from that point forward, I’ve been writing down my stories. I’ve always harbored the dream of being published, but transitioning from dream to goal was terrifying. The prospect of the rejection that goes hand in hand with putting your work out there for anyone to read left me paralyzed for a long time. It really was only getting to the end of Lydia’s story, and realizing that it was a story that I wasn’t going to be able to let just hang out on my hard drive, that pushed me past the fear.

5. Is there a must read book, you’d recommend, or what is your current favorite book? 

This is tough – I tend to read around 120 books a year and I really enjoy the majority of them. But I do have some I go back to over and over again. Anne of Green Gables (that whole series – honestly Anne of Windy Poplars is my absolute favorite) is one that I think everyone should read at least once. The Dragon King trilogy by Stephen Lawhead is another – I read that series when I was eleven and it’s one I still love re-reading. And then really, if you’ve not read the entire Narnia series, you’re missing out.

Wow, Elizabeth I thought I read a lot.:) Thanks for sharing with us today. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you a bit and learning about your book. Elizabeth has offered to give away one copy of her book Wisdom to Know. Keep reading to see how to enter.

ElizabethMaddreyHeadshot

Elizabeth Maddrey began writing stories as soon as she could form the letters properly and has never looked back. Though her practical nature and love of math and organization steered her into computer science for college and graduate school, she has always had one or more stories in progress to occupy her free time. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books and has mastered the art of reading while undertaking just about any other activity. Her debut novel, Wisdom to Know, Book 1 of the Grant Us Grace Series, was released in January, 2013. Courage to Change (April, 2013) is the second in that series and continues the story of characters from the first book. She is also the co-author of A is for Airstrip: A Missionary’s Jungle Adventure, a children’s book based on the work of a Wycliffe missionary.

Elizabeth lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. with her husband and their two incredibly active little boys. She invites you to interact with her at her website www.ElizabethMaddrey.com or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethMaddrey

Thanks for offering to give away one copy of Wisdom to Know to a lucky commenter. Is there any question you would like commenter to answer to qualify for the give away?

If you could choose any monument or historic location for the site of the man of your dreams to proposal, what or where would it be?

Rules: You must answer Elizabeth’s question to be included in the drawing. If you become a new follower, my system will tell me and I will include your name twice in this weeks drawing. This drawing is only open to USA addresses. Void where prohibited by law. I will contact the lucky winner on Monday March 4th. If you do not respond within seven days a new winner will be drawn. There needs to be a minimum of ten entries for a drawing to take place. Happy reading!

22 Comments

  • Connie Almony (@ConnieAlmony)

    February 25, 2013 at 7:07 pm

    My favorite monument in Washington, DC is the Vietnam Memorial. Not just because of what it is, but the sight of people rubbing names from it makes it alive to me–personal and touching. However, that would not be something I would want for a proposal :o/. For a proposal, I’d have to say the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at night. I love the idea of the steps and the lighting is majestic.

  • Beth C

    February 26, 2013 at 2:39 pm

    I would pick an historic house in Savannah, GA. I love the beautiful souhern homes and it would be so romantic to be to be on a front porch swing and get a proposal!

  • Jorie

    February 27, 2013 at 1:15 am

    I always appreciate it when writers tackle hard issues that are otherwise taboo to discuss in society, as it depends on an individuals point of view or where they are in their walk of faith. I applaud Ms. Maddrey’s efforts in producing a story that everyone should read, if only to expand the empathy and understanding of such difficult descions that ripple into each others’ lives due to how the choice effects those around them, as much as it effects them on an internal level. I enjoyed seeing how the story developed, how it was nutured, and how the words finally came to her as this is one story that simply wanted to be told! 🙂

    To answer the question for the bookaway,… the first thing that came to my mind was Stonehenge, but I think anywhere along the rocky cliffs of Avalon, on the Newfoundland Coastline would do quite nicely as well! 🙂 Its historic due to how long Avalon has been there, inasmuch as the purpose of the pennisula to the fishing industry. Newfoundland itself is steeped in history due to the amount of immigrants that came from Ireland, to the effect that they have their own version of Gaelic! 🙂

    I would be honoured to read this book, as I hadn’t yet come across the author!
    inkand-blogaways(at)usa.net
    // Florida

  • Janet Estridge

    February 27, 2013 at 4:09 pm

    Since I live in Florida I would choose the Fort in St. Augustine. My husband remembers seeing it when he was a little boy.
    Thanks for entering me in the giveaway.

  • Wyndy

    March 2, 2013 at 7:00 am

    I am not eligible for the draw as I am from Canada. I am glad to see that you have read past the first 2 Anne books. I loved them too but then they were about my father’s family so the characters actually meant more to us. I had all 10 books read by the time I was about 12. Windy Poplars was a great story. As for the question, I really have no idea where an ideal engagement spot would be. I think that the proposal itself makes the spot memorable.
    Wyndy C
    https://wynswonderland.blogspot.ca

    • Kimberly Rose Johnson

      March 2, 2013 at 10:34 pm

      Hi Wyndy, thanks for commenting. I think you’re right about a proposal in and of itself would be romantic, that is unless you had the proposal my hubby did. We were watching an episode of Air Wolf and he just randomly proposes. NOT romantic in the least. LOL

    • Elizabeth Maddrey

      March 3, 2013 at 12:46 am

      How neat that you’re related! That’s so cool. Anne is a series I return to every year – it’s just not summer until I’ve gotten through them.

      You’re definitely right though, having the man you love down on one knee (even if it’s metaphorically) makes any place romantic.