Elizabeth Maddrey's "Wisdom to Know"

Title: Wisdom to Know (Grant Us Grace Book 1)
Publisher: HopeSprings Books

Cover blurb: Is there sin that love can’t cover?

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.

1) How did this story come to you?
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. Seeing the women and men who came through the Center – many of whom were strong believers at the time they made their choice – wrestle with forgiveness (feeling they deserved it as well as giving it to others involved) is not something I’ll ever forget. Lydia is an amalgam of many of these women.

2) Tell us about the journey to getting this book published.
The first major hurdle for me was talking myself into actually letting someone other than family look at my manuscript. I was terrified. At the same time, unlike so many of the other novels I’d written (that live on my hard drive, never to see the light of day), I really felt like this one needed to see the light of day. So I spent a good bit of time polishing it, sent it out, never heard back from anyone (which, of course, means they weren’t interested) and went to a writer’s conference. At the conference, I got some good critiques that showed me changes I needed to consider and I met up with the editor I’d worked with on a non-fiction project a while ago. Talking to her, the pieces all kind of just fell into place – they were looking to start a fiction imprint and were interested in my story. I really believe God pulled all the strings to get it to this point.

3) Tell me three things about yourself that would surprise your readers.
1. I did archery all through middle and high school and have marksman medals.
2. I originally intended to write science fiction, not romance. (And I’ve still got story ideas brewing in that genre, so that might happen yet.)
3. My husband and I are semi-serious about retiring to Ireland to run a Bed and Breakfast later in life.

4) What are you working on now and what's next for you?
Right now I’m working on book 3 in the Grant Us Grace series. It’s scheduled to be released in September, so I need to get a bit of a move on with it! I’m also busy with lining up the promotion/marketing for book 2, Courage to Change, which will be released April 8, 2013. As for what’s next, I really hope it’s writing and publishing more books. I’ve got so many story lines in my head; I hope they’re things people will want to read.

5) Parting comments?
Thanks for having me, this was fun!

6) Where can fans find you on the internet?
I love to have people connect with me! You can visit me at my website: http://www.ElizabethMaddrey.com  or on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ElizabethMaddrey
I’m also on Twitter @ElizabethMaddrey