John Watkins speaks to Sharon about sharing faith through Christian fiction.
How did you get into writing?
I’ve always loved to write. As a little girl, I dreamed of being an author. But it wasn’t until I was in my late thirties that I sensed God’s call to move forward with that dream.
In 2008 I started leading a weekly group for women at our church. Every Monday morning we met to explore spiritual disciplines that have helped Christians throughout history pay attention to the presence of God and the movement of the Spirit in transformative ways.
As we walked together, I sensed there was a story to tell - not about our particular lives, but about the power of the Spirit to conform us into the image of Jesus Christ. I began to wonder what would happen if I created four characters who met at a retreat centre in order to learn ways to walk more closely with God. From there, the story of their spiritual journeys with God and with each other emerged.
You have a busy life with speaking, spiritual direction and retreat leading. How do you find time to write and how do you go about it?
For me, writing is prayer. Even when I’m not working on a book, I spend time journaling most days. It’s a lifelong and life-giving practice that helps me pay attention to the movement of the Spirit. Sometimes those details from my life with God become part of the characters’ journeys as well.
I bring my training as a pastor and spiritual director into the writing process, listening prayerfully for the direction the characters are moving and then responding accordingly. I delight in being utterly surprised by the twists and turns along the way, including some of the significant plot points. In this way, the stories feel more ‘received’ than ‘created.’
I remember one particular moment when I was writing Sensible Shoes. Our son, then thirteen, was in the room with me while I was crying over something a character had just disclosed in a scene. Puzzled, he said, ‘Mom, I don’t get this! You’re in charge of the story!’ Weeping, I replied, ‘No, I’m not.’ That’s part of the joy for me - giving the characters freedom to walk on and off the page.
You have two fiction series, Shades of Light and Sensible Shoes. Why did you choose fiction and do you find it a good medium for conveying Christian truth?
I chose fiction because it’s so invitational. Jesus understood the power of story and imagination and used it to reveal the kingdom of God. Like the Holy Spirit, stories are stealthy. They have a way of sneaking around our defences to stir, confront, comfort, inspire, and yes, even instruct us. As we become invested in a story, characters can serve as mirrors that help us see ourselves more clearly and windows through which we glimpse God. Story can also linger with us and pursue and shape us long after we’ve read the final page. For all these reasons, I find it a powerful medium for pointing to Jesus and conveying the truth of our faith.
Do you know of instances of people coming to faith through your books?
I often hear stories from readers who have been awakened or reawakened to faith through my books. Though my audience tends to be Christians who are longing to go deeper in their life with God, I’m always honoured to meet someone whom the Lord drew to himself for the first time through my characters’ journeys. My books have been translated into multiple languages, and one of my most memorable encounters happened in Germany after I spoke at a conference. Through an interpreter, I discovered that several of the women who were waiting in line to meet me wanted to tell me that they became believers after reading the German translation of Sensible Shoes. What a faithful God!
You are speaking at CRT in September [2023]. How do you hope to encourage Christian retailers, publishers and fellow authors?
We’ve been navigating unfamiliar terrain over the past few years, with so many losses, changes and new opportunities. My books are about lament and hope, fear and faith, wrestling and rest. At the heart of each of them is the call to know ourselves as God knows and names us: beloved. I hope to provide some opportunities for each of us to be renewed in his love and in the power of his Spirit as we move forward with our kingdom work together.
Your latest book Feathers of Hope came out in April ‘22. Have you plans for more books?
My next book (tentatively titled 'Not Finished Yet') is a children’s picture book featuring my character Wren Crawford as a little girl, learning to paint her prayers and name her feelings to God in the spiritual practice of lament. I’m hoping in future novels to continue the journey with some of my other characters as well. Right now I’m in a season of listening, waiting for the next stories to emerge.
Sharon Garlough Brown is a spiritual director, speaker and cofounder of Abiding Way Ministries, providing spiritual formation retreats and resources.
Sensible Shoes series
Shades of Light Series
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