Kathy Harris's Blog

Letitia “Tish” Suk invites individuals to create an intentional life. She loves to speak and write about shaping legacy, establishing life-giving spiritual practices, and celebrating the day-to-day adventures of everyday life. 



The author of Getaway with God: The Everywoman’s Guide to Personal Retreat, 100 Need to Know Tips for Moms of Teens and Tweens, and Rhythms of Renewal, her new book is A Legacy of Days: 10 Fun Ways to Tell Your Story to the Next Generation.



Tish loves to walk by Lake Michigan, browse resale shops, and make up new family traditions. She and her husband, Tom, who is a marriage and family therapist, are the parents of four grown children.

If someone asked you to describe yourself with one word, what word would that be? And why?

Intentional! Our days are full of choices and while many are made for us by our previous decisions like where we live, where we work, what we have added to our schedules and more, we still have a lot of choices left! I love curating parts of day-to-day life with rituals and rhythms which add to the abundant life Jesus offers us.

The Author and Creator of our lives often writes in a twist that ultimately blesses us more than our original plan. Have you ever experienced such a “Divine Detour” in your life?

So many times! I stop to thank God for the prayers He DIDN’T answer that I was so set on happening. Initial disappointment gave way to much relief when I could see the bigger picture. One example from our early years was when we had our heart set on a certain home. Begged for it from Jesus, tried all our efforts to make it happen. It went to another family, so we chose our second option. We are still there and decades of stories of our family and all the hundreds who have come through our door and stopped by our yard would not have been written in the same way. Thank you, Jesus!

Let’s talk about your new book, A Legacy of Days: Ten Fun Ways to Tell Your Story to the Next Generation (End Game Press, March 2025). Please tell us about it.

We each are someone’s descendant and will be someone’s ancestor. Don’t be the one no one knows anything about! How and why do you want to be remembered?

How can you share your story with the next generation without writing a book? There are other ways to tell your story and ten of them are in my new book: A Legacy of Days: Ten Fun Ways to Tell Your Story to the Next Generation.

These include: Journals • Photos • Recipes • Family Traditions • Letters • Travel to Family Sites • Interviewing Relatives • Passing on your Faith Story • And More!

Perfect for individuals, parents, grandparents and anyone who has a younger generation in their life, the book encourages readers to recognize the value of their lived experiences and share them in engaging and fun ways.

What Bible passage or story best describes your personal journey of faith?

Once I was blind, now I see. (Now…) In Him I live and move and have my being.

Two fun questions…

When the words aren’t flowing—or when you want to celebrate if they are—what is your favorite comfort food and why?

Pizza! I saw a quote a long time ago, “Pizza is good even when it is bad.” In my long life, pizza has always been my favorite food. We enjoy it every Saturday night as you can read about in Chapter Four, “Storytelling at the Stove.” It is available everywhere and always satisfying!

In the story that is your life, are you the strong, female lead; the girl next door; the mysterious woman behind dark glasses; the superheroine; or the little girl trying to walk in high heels?

I have been all of those in different seasons of my life. Currently, I would choose “strong female lead” as I want to finish my race at the top of my game. Hope there is a long way to go!

Thanks, Tish! It’s nice to have you as a guest at Divine Detour.

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For more information about Tish, visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

To order A Legacy of Days, go to —

Becca Kinzer lives in Springfield, Illinois, where she works as a critical care nurse. When she’s not busy taking care of sick patients or using up all the storage on her phone with pictures of her dog, she enjoys making up lighthearted stories with serious laughs.

She is the author of multiple titles including Dear Henry, Love Edith, which won the 2024 Carol Award for debut novel. First Love, Second Draft is her third novel.

You can learn a lot of other fun facts about Becca on her website.

If someone asked you to describe yourself with one word, what word would that be?

Loyal. I like to think I have the personality of a Golden Retriever.

Mentors are important to every writer. Who are some of your mentors, including those you’ve met and those you haven’t? What did you learn from them?

When I joined My Book Therapy back around 2019, Susan May Warren, Rachel Hauck, Tari Faris, and Lisa Jordan all became mentor figures to me as I gleaned everything I could from their knowledge about story-telling and publishing. And while he doesn’t know it, I consider Allen Arnold a mentor of sorts simply because of the wisdom and guidance he provides to those with creative hearts. He signed one of his books for me at a writers conference years ago, and the message he inscribed has always been a huge source of encouragement to me on my publishing journey.

Let’s talk about First Love, Second Draft (Tyndale House, April 2025). Why did you incorporate the struggle of infertility into the story?

I needed a reason why two people head-over-heels for each other would push each other away and end a marriage. My motivation for making infertility part of Gracie and Noah’s reason stems from an awkward interaction I had running into an old friend years ago shortly after I had my first baby.

There’s a long version to that story, but the short version is my eyes were opened to the unique sort of grief and frustration that those struggling with infertility face. By putting myself in the heads of my main characters, especially Gracie, I developed even more empathy, which is the whole reason I think we need sensitive topics like this in our fiction.

Gracie and Noah are divorced. What was it like exploring the complexities of divorce in the book?

I think part of what makes divorce complex, even in fiction, is we want to choose a side. So one tricky aspect in this story was trying to make both characters equally endearing to readers despite how much these two characters hurt each other in the past. I don’t want any reader to be Team Gracie Parker or Team Noah Parker. I want readers to just be Team Parker.

How does faith play a role in the story?

The faith element goes right along with the hope element. Because Gracie’s faith in God wavered, so did her hope. When she pushed God away, she pushed away her reason to hope too. The story is about her learning to recapture both.

On a personal note, please tell us about your goldendoodle, Bonnie.

Oh, Bonnie. She is the best of times, she is the worst of times (especially when she’s chasing after every squirrel she sees during our walks). But I absolutely love her. Growing up I always assumed I’d have a dog in my life as an adult, but between my nursing schedule and then having a son with dog allergies, I resigned myself to thinking it would never happen. So when things lined up for me to be able to go part time with my nursing job right when a local litter of goldendoodle puppies were going to be born, a breed that doesn’t seem to trigger my son’s allergies, we went for it and got our Bonnie. We’ve had her for three years now, and I’m not kidding when I say my phone’s photo library is ninety-nine percent Bonnie pictures.

Thank you, Becca! It’s nice to have you back at Divine Detour.

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For more information about Becca, visit her website and follow her on Facebook , X and Instagram .

To order First Love, Second Draft, go to –

Cathy Gohlke is the bestselling, Christy Hall of Fame, and Carol and INSPY Award-winning author of twelve novels that have been translated into several languages and enjoyed by readers around the world. She has also worked as a school librarian, drama director, and director of children’s and education ministries. 

Cathy and her husband, Dan, have been married forty-two years and divide their time between Northern Virginia and the Jersey Shore, where they share time with their grown children and three grandchildren.

Let’s talk about your grandmother, who used to read books to you and your brother. “Books are not made by magic. Real people write books,” she told you. What did, or would, your grandmother have to say about your long writing career?

Grandma might tilt her head at the wonder of it all. Dimples would etch her cheeks as she smiled, her hazel eyes twinkling. She’d likely say, “Well, now, that’s fine.”

Fine meant grand and well done to Grandma. She’d read every word of every book then share my books with others. There’d be no fanfare, no boasting, but she’d take it in stride, knowing this was the thing the Lord had placed in my hand for this season of life.

We’d sit and share our hearts over a steaming pot of English Breakfast tea, maybe discussing a line or two from a particular book. She’d relate with a story from her long ago past and I’d come away feeling rich, content, and unconditionally loved with inspiration for another book.

Mentors are important to every writer. Who are some of your mentors, including those you’ve met and those you haven’t? What did you learn from them?

Growing up I learned unconditional love and the joy of reading from my grandma; determination, persistence and a strong work ethic from my mother; the joy of writing from my older sister. As an adult I learned writing skills from teachers and correspondence writing programs. I learned by experience the truth of the proverb posted outside my office—”Those who move mountains begin by carrying away small stones.”

In my thirties I learned to believe that God loves me through a pastor’s book and a vision the Lord gave me in a near death experience. Once I fully believed that, I could believe in God’s gifting and that He might truly open doors for me. In more recent years the late Lucinda Secrest McDowell was a wonderful mentor to me as a woman, a writer, a speaker, and an encourager of others.

As I’ve written about them, I’ve been inspired and mentored by men and women from history: Corrie ten Boom by her faith and in extending forgiveness; Dietrich Bonhoffer by his courageously standing against injustice and serving our Lord regardless of the cost or opinion of others; Charles Sheldon by his first asking what would Jesus do?; Oswald Chambers in his staying focused and giving our best for God and others each day.

While all of these have blessed me, Jesus Christ is by far the greatest mentor of my life, teaching me more about living and using the gifts He gives for His glory and for the good of others.

I’ve been blessed beyond measure with the marvelous mentors God has brought into my life.

Please tell us about your new novel, This Promised Land (Tyndale House, April 2025).

When she ran away as a young war bride, she was cut off from her family forever . . . or so she believed. Decades later, maybe the only way to move on is to go home.

Ginny Pickering Boyden can’t wait for her last day of work, when she’ll be free to pursue a lifelong ambition through a master gardener apprenticeship. But an unexpected letter brings shocking news: Ginny has inherited her family’s Christmas tree farm, a dream she’d long ago given up.

Facing a past laced with memories and lies she’s tried hard to bury, a furious nephew who thought the land would be his, and a failing farm with a mountain of debt, Ginny returns to New Scrivelsby, Virginia, determined to sell. But when her younger nephew, a Vietnam vet, appears with demons of his own and three young children in tow, Ginny isn’t sure what to do. Too much of their story reminds Ginny of her own. She has little hope, however, that three generations of warring Pickerings can set aside their differences to restore all that’s broken, both on the land and in their hearts.

Set against the beautiful and rugged landscape of the Blue Ridge Mountains, This Promised Land is the story of a daughter’s longing to make sense of the past and of the unbreakable bonds that bring prodigals home.

What was the catalyst behind this story?

My brother loaned me his copy of Timothy Keller’s book The Prodigal God. Reading it may have been the first time I recognized myself in the role of the wayward and desperate Prodigal Son, as well as the older, jealous, judgmental, and unforgiving son from Jesus’ parable in Luke 15. Keller’s book woke in me the realization that we all hold traits of both brothers, and a desire to remain neither.

I determined to face and own my mistakes seen in the extremes of both sons by better understanding how each had failed their loving father, how each came to take the path he’d chosen, and how each stood on the threshold of response to his father’s entreaty and love. The questions ultimately became: Can I repent and accept my heavenly Father’s welcome and forgiveness? Can I live joyously within my Father’s house as an obedient and treasured daughter without judging others?

The realization that we, like Ginny, Curtis, and Mark, are all at one time prodigals who’ve “left home” and are in desperate need of returning is the first and primary focus of my story. Ginny’s dawning realization that she’d also lived the role of the older judgmental son in her feelings toward Curtis, Harold, and Luke helps her realize she wants to change. In helping Mark and his children, Ginny finds not only a second chance for herself but an opportunity to grow, following in the steps of the Running Father.

A few months ago, you welcomed a new puppy into your home. Please tell us about Maggie.

Maggie is a red/apricot mini-golden doodle we adopted at eight weeks of age. She’s fun and funny, extremely energetic, and full of puppy antics. Potty training has gone more slowly than I’d like. We’re blessed to still have fingers and toes considering her penitent for chewing everything in sight. Hurdles aside, we’re totally in love with her. She’s affectionate, smart, and a great little car traveler. At four months she’s begun to reveal her very definite opinions and personality. She’s never met a stranger she doesn’t love—two legged or four legged. While it’s doubtful she’ll ever become a watchdog of note she’s bringing abundant sunshine into our lives. We can barely remember life before her and can’t imagine life without her.

Thank you, Cathy! It’s nice to have you back at Divine Detour.

Thank you so much, Kathy, for having me. It’s always a great pleasure. God bless you!

~ ~ ~

For more information about Cathy, visit her website and follow her on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .

To order This Promised Land, go to –

Author photo by Jodi Sheller ©2022. All Rights Reserved.

Jamie Ogle is a writer in the pre-dawn, a homeschool mom during the day, and a reader by night. Inspired by her fascination with the storied history of faith, she writes historical fiction that is infused with hope, adventure, and courageous rebels. Her most recent title, As Sure as the Sea, released from Tyndale Fiction this month.

A Minnesota native, Jamie now lives in Iowa with her husband and their three children, She can usually be found gardening, beekeeping, and tromping through the woods.

If someone asked you to describe yourself with one word, what word would that be?

Purposeful.

This is your second book. What did you learn during the writing process?

This book was the most difficult thing I’ve ever written. It was the first time I had to write a full novel under a deadline and that was a lot of new pressure in itself, but I wasn’t expecting all the other fears and pressures that came along with it. Of Love and Treason had been pretty well received up to that point, so as I was trying to write I was struggling with the fear and worry that this new story wouldn’t be nearly as good and I would let everyone down. I’m learning both to do my best, but also to rest in the knowledge that God has called me to do this, and He will guide and equip me for it. It’s a daily journey of trust and surrender.

I started this story with a pretty firm idea of what I thought it was going to be about, who the characters were, and where the story would end, but as soon as I started writing, the story grew legs of its own and started racing in a direction that terrified me. It felt too big and too dark, and I didn’t want to go there. I tried so hard to wrestle it back into a place where I felt more comfortable, and that resulted in a very messy story (and then add in all those fears and pressures I mentioned before), and I wasn’t sure I knew how to write anymore. That this story is here, in its current state, is a testament to God taking me by the hand and drawing me into the dark, scary places of this story to illuminate them with hope and truth. I could not have done this on my own.

Let’s talk about As Sure as the Sea (Tyndale House, February 2025). Who is your favorite character in the book and why?

Nikolas was fascinating. Before researching, I used to think of him as a boisterous, larger-than-life character, but looking at his stories, I found a rather quiet man who seemed more concerned with living the gospel and “doing,” rather than talking about it or leaving any written records. (The fact that he got in trouble as an 80-year-old man for dealing with heresy with his fists rather than words, really seems to confirm this for me.) I loved digging into and imagining the possible backstories that motivated his dangerous and courageous generosity.

He’s a lot different than the Saint Nikolas we heard about as a child.

When we hear Saint Nikolas, a lot of us probably picture a jolly man in red, surrounded by reindeer and mounds of snow. The fact that he lived on some of the most beautiful beaches in the world during the worst persecution in Christian history doesn’t sound quite so jolly. But it was such a fascinating and powerful story to research, especially when his famous generosity is placed against the backdrop of such violence and danger. All of a sudden he’s not just some nice guy, giving out of his excess, he’s a man of insane courage and faith, doing everything he can to protect and provide for the people around him—both inside the church and out—and putting his own life at risk to do so.

What was your research process like for this story?

As I did in my last book, I started with the legends of Saint Nikolas of Myra. I had to untangle his story from that of another Saint Nicholas of Sion who lived some 200 years later. Their stories were melded together over time, creating a sort of “super” Saint Nicholas. Once I knew which stories I was working with, I researched what was happening in the world around him and wove the two together with fiction. This makes the process sound a lot easier and smoother than it was—there was a lot of rewriting involved.

You’ve now written about Saint Valentine and Saint Nikolas. What other historical figures are you drawn to?

I’m keeping an ever-growing list of story possibilities. My favorite thing is when people come up to me and say, “Have you heard the story of….” and then go on to tell me about some historical figure in church history. That’s actually how I got the idea for the story I’m working on now, which is about a female gladiator who is forced to fight in the last gladiator games in Rome.

Do you have a writing hero or mentor?

In the very beginning, when I was trying to figure out how to do this writing thing—and feeling pretty overwhelmed and out of place—God was so gracious to put people in my path to encourage me to keep going. Those simple emails and social media messages from other authors meant so much me and felt like hands reaching back to pull me up alongside, to welcome me into this writing/authoring space. Those women left such a profound impact on me and really modeled what it looks like to be a Christian writer.

What advice would you give to aspiring novelists?

It’s so important to establish early on why you’re writing in the first place, and to know for certain that God wants you to do it. Because writing doesn’t get easier once you have an agent, or contract, or book in the world (I mistakenly thought it would). The process of obedience, trust, and surrender is ongoing—as are the fears and pressures. We can’t do this alone, and I’m so grateful for the encouraging friendships and community of other Christian writers.

Thank you, Jamie. It’s nice to have you back at Divine Detour.

  ~ ~ ~

For more information about Jamie, visit her website or follow her on Facebook or Instagram. To purchase, As Sure as the Sea, go to –

The daughter of Mennonite farmers, Joan M. Hochstetler grew up in central Indiana and graduated from Indiana University cum laude with a degree in Germanic Languages. She is an award-winning editor and author of historical fiction.

​Her American Patriot Series is the only comprehensive historical fiction series on the American Revolution. Her contemporary novel One Holy Night was the Christian Small Publishers 2009 Book of the Year and a finalist for the American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Award.

Joan enjoys spending time with her husband, Jay, a retired United Methodist pastor, and with her children and grandchildren. She and Jay are members of Brenneman Memorial Missionary Church in Goshen, Indiana.

Writing is hard work. What kept you on your writing journey when life tried to get in the way?

I don’t think most readers know how hard writing a good story is! I started writing—not with any intent to be published—back in 1977. My first book released in 2004. During that period there were many times when I laid writing aside and went on with my life, but the Lord kept bringing me back to it. Even since my first books were published, I’ve gotten so discouraged at times that I’ve told the Lord, if it’s your will, I’ll give it up and do something else. And every time He gave me half a dozen or so intriguing characters and plots that dragged me back to the computer! I’ve learned not to do that anymore. I’m in for the long haul whether my books get huge sales or not. It’s a calling, and we’re commanded to be faithful.

What’s your writing schedule like? Do you write seven days a week? Morning, afternoon, night?

I’ve made it a habit for a long time not to write on Sundays. I might jot down an idea that flits through my brain so I don’t forget it, but I try to keep Sunday as a day to focus on worship, family, and rest. I also try to reserve Saturday for housecleaning, but I tend to get on the computer for a while anyway. Writing is always more fun than cleaning house!

Late morning and afternoon are the best times for me when it comes to writing. By around five p.m. my brain isn’t going to come up with anything coherent, so there’s no point in making the attempt. Forget nights altogether. In my younger life I used do some writing when I woke up in the middle of the night and really could not go back to sleep. Nowadays I can only spend so many hours in front of a computer, and that’s during daylight. If ideas spring to my mind at other times, I just jot them down on any scrap of paper at hand … and hope I can read my scribblings in the morning and figure out what in the world I meant to say!

P l e as e tell us about your new book, A Season for the Heart (November 2024, Sheaf House).

A Season for the Heart is set in central Indiana during the last summer of WWII, between Germany’s surrender in May and Japan’s formal surrender in September. Just graduated from high school, Ellie Hershberger is eager to escape her plain Mennonite life. She earned a scholarship to go to college in the fall to become a teacher and plans to discover all the world has to offer.

Jude Mast grew up on the farm across the road from the Hershbergers, and home is the very last place he ever intended to return to. Abused by his father, he ran away as soon as he turned eighteen and joined the Marines. Then the war began, and he ended up in the South Pacific confronting horrors he’d never imagined. Now, left scarred and crippled from wounds suffered on Iwo Jima, he has no choice but to return to his widowed mother in the farm community he thought he’d left behind forever—and the church from which he expects nothing but condemnation and rejection.

As Ellie and her family help Jude and his mother work their farm, she and Jude are increasingly drawn together. But when she suffers a shattering attack, and then the boyfriend who walked out of her life without explanation months ago drops back in, she wonders what God’s will is for her life. Meanwhile Jude fights to hold a defensive line against the neighbors whose daily acts of grace threaten to break his hardened heart. Can he and Ellie find their way home to the land, to the Lord—and to each other?

What was the catalyst for the story, the setting, the character, and/or the plot?

A Season for the Heart was inspired by my parents’ story in WWII. They were both raised Amish, Dad in Michigan and Mom in Indiana. Dad never joined church, and when he was drafted, he went into the Army in March 1941 for a one-year enlistment. After Dec. 7, of course, he was in for the duration. He and Mom met in July 1942 when he was on furlough home just before he shipped out to the South Pacific. They wrote to each other all during the war, and a month after he came home in October 1945, they married. Mom had joined the Mennonites by then, and he ended up joining as well. I was raised Mennonite on a farm east of Kokomo, Indiana, in a community that was heavily Mennonite and Amish.

In A Season for the Heart I wanted to explore themes that arose in that setting: growing up in a conservative, plain Christian home and church; having a father who had joined the Army and gone off to war in violation of church doctrine; the outer world’s lure through friends at school and contact with the wider community; the consequent longing for things opposed by the church’s teachings; trying to find one’s own place in the world, and so on. Ellie reflects me somewhat, and Jude is based on my Dad, though Ralph really reflects his personality more. Irma is definitely based on my Mom, especially in the frank discussions she has with Ellie!

What’s next for you?

I’m not certain yet, so I’m taking a break until the new year before I begin seriously pondering it. I think it’s going to be a project that has been in my mind for a while titled Darke Valley. I’d be returning to an early American setting in Ohio during or right after the Northwest Indian Wars. The hero is Major Alan Darke, a disgraced officer who returns home from the war to his father’s Ohio estate only to discover that his father died and the woman who holds his heart married his younger brother–who’s also in possession of the estate since Alan was believed to be dead. Beyond that—well, I have a lot of research and story plotting to do! I’m estimating that it’ll probably take me a couple of years to research and write.

A few fun questions in celebration of the season… What’s your favorite Christmas song?

It’s a tie between “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” and “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.” Both speak very deeply to my heart about the coming of the Messiah to live among us.

What’s your favorite Christmas comfort food?

Piping hot cinnamon rolls right out of the oven covered with a creamy vanilla glaze. Yum!

Which is your idea of a perfect Christmas tree: a lush blue spruce decorated with the latest couture; a shaggy cedar covered in homemade ornaments and strung with popcorn; a vintage aluminum tree with shiny glass bulbs; or a palm tree adorned with pink flamingos?

While I’m highly tempted by the palm tree with the pink flamingos, I have to go with the cedar covered with homemade ornaments. I’d probably forgo the popcorn string in favor a string of cranberries, though, or to be more practical, red wooden beads.

H a v e you ever had an unexpected or unusual Christmas celebration? Perhaps one that has now become a tradition?

One tradition I used to have when my little girls were still at home came about unintentionally. For a couple of years on Christmas Eve, after they were snugly in bed, I hung candy canes on our tree as if Santa had put them there. Then one year, thinking they wouldn’t miss them, I didn’t bother buying any. But on the morning of Christmas Eve, I overheard my oldest daughter reminding my youngest that they would know that Santa had come because he always hung candy canes all over the tree. Well, you bet I got to the store and bought candy canes! And I’ve hung them on the tree ever since, even now that my girls are all grown up and gone. The tradition evokes a sweet memory of the wonder and delight in my little ones’ eyes when they got up Christmas morning and discovered that Santa hadn’t forgotten them.

Merry Christmas, Joan! It’s nice to have you back at Divine Detour.

Thank you so much for inviting me, Kathy! I miss getting together with my Tennessee writer friends, and it’s a delight to reconnect. Christmas and New Year’s blessings to you and your family!

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For more information about Joan, visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram. To purchase A Season for the Heart and other books by Joan, go to —

I See Myself: Musings & Memories of a Blessed Life

A REVIEW & CELEBRATION OF A LIFE WELL-LIVED

We were “all kids,” his words, when we started working together. We were, in fact, in our twenties, and from the beginning he was a builder.

Of people.

Always seeing your good side. Your potential. Encouraging you to achieve your best. To grow. Just as he challenged himself.

He was the author of eleven published books. And two unpublished novels. He was a songwriter. A late-blooming banjo player. And a gentleman farmer. He loved to mow his fields and reflect on God’s Creation.

Quite the philosophical mind. But far from highbrow. He was a city boy who grew to love the country. A would-be street gang member in his teens who found Jesus early on and couldn’t stop talking about Him for the rest of his life.

Jesus Christ, his family, his friends, and his cats were central to his life. And he made them central to ours through his books and his X posts. He was renowned for both.

In his final memoir, entitled I See Myself: Musings & Memories of a Blessed Life (Fidelis Publishing LLC, November 2024), he shared all the above and so much more.

~ Kathy Harris

For more information about Joe, visit his website or check out his X posts. To order I See Myself: Musings & Memories of a Blessed Life, go to –

by Emily Assell 

Writing was a dream I had as a little girl, something I did in high school before I cared about grown-up things like paying bills or affording a house. I wrote poetry for special events and distracting crushes. My creative writing teacher was amused by the short stories I scratched into being during the study hall period before they were due. But when talk of student loans and serious plans came around, I was steered toward more practical careers. I became a nurse and a wife and a mom. I forgot about writing, forgot the feel of my pen sliding over paper like an ice skate on a freshly smoothed rink. But God didn’t forget.

Due to bad decisions and a bad economy, my husband and I declared bankruptcy and foreclosed on our house. For two years, we lived in my in-laws’ basement while my husband went back to school. But God rescued us down in that basement and taught me the power of His Word. I wrote out verses on notecards and stuck them all around. When I walked by our mirror in the basement, I read out loud and agreed in my heart with verses like, “Those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land” (Psalm 37:9, niv).

Eventually a chain of events got the rest of my student loans paid off, and we bought a double-wide trailer (we’ll save the discussion of humility for another time). We were on food stamps and WIC coupons while we both worked part time and tried to make it another six months until Matt finished school. I declared, “My [Father] will provide all my needs [and pay all my bills] according to His riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19, author’s paraphrase). And He did; He was meeting our physical needs and impacting our visible situations, but then came something even harder.

I began to realize that I had a real problem with anger. I hated myself for it, but I couldn’t control it, and it slowly began taking over my life. That’s when our Father showed me that the same Word that had power to change my situation had the power to change me.

Second Corinthians 10:5 (niv) says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” As I put this verse into practice, I saw God change and transform me as I took every thought captive, took up the Word of God, and chose to make my thoughts obedient to Him. His Word changed my situation and my heart.

Now, I promise I haven’t lost the plot here. Stick with me; we’re getting to the writing part.

One day I was lying in my bed, thinking about the baby shower I was throwing for my youngest brother-in-law. I remember thinking, Lord, I know the power of Your Word; I have seen the faithfulness of Your promises. I don’t want to give this baby just another blanket or stroller. I want to give him something more. I want to give him everything You died to give him. I want to give him everything your Word says he can have. And I sensed the Father telling me, “Em, I want that for all my kids.” And I knew He wanted me to write a book.

God said, “Write.” But Google said, “Impossible.” Unfortunately, I listened to Google for another six months until, during a period of fasting, God told on me to my husband. I remember the place in our trailer my husband was standing, when he turned to me and said, “God says He wants you to write a book?”

I finally gave in. One step at a time, I wrote the book, asked a woman (who later became my sister-in-law) to do the illustrations, figured out how to get an ISBN, registered all the self-publishing paperwork, used the down payment we had saved up for a house to buy books, and then built a website to sell them. My kids and I became best friends with the lady at the post office. We sold the books at farmer’s markets, consignment sales, and craft shows.

Then one day, I showed up to a local church’s Christmas shopping event with other vendors selling Mary Kay, LulaRoe, Norwex cleaning supplies, and a booth selling Tyndale books. I sold over 75 books that day, and when it was over, God told me to take one of our books to the Tyndale booth. I tried to explain to God, “This is not how publishing works. This is just the girl at the book table. I don’t have an agent. I don’t have a book proposal.” But He didn’t seem to hear my any of my protests.

I heard God whisper, “If nothing else, Em, have I not taught you obedience and faith in my words?” So, I took my thoughts captive and made them obedient. I asked if she would take my book and was shocked when she said she would.

Three days later, the head of children’s publishing at Tyndale House Publishers emailed me. We ended up signing a contract for a three-book deal, and today I have two more coming out in spring of 2025. God did not forget my dream or the talent He had given me, and I continue to write and declare His Word over the thousands of lives our books have touched.

About the Author

Emily Assell is a bestselling children’s book author and speaker. She believes dry shampoo, snacks, and the Word of God can solve almost any parenting problem. She and her husband, Matt, started Generation Claimed in 2017 to self-publish her first book, You Are. A year later, Tyndale House Publishers released the book, which has gone on to sell over twenty-five thousand copies.

When not writing, Emily homeschools her three children, volunteers at LoveMoves.Us (a nonprofit for foster and adoptive children and families), or gets lost reading someone else’s book. Emily has spoken at many parenting conferences, schools, mothers’ groups, and special events, and she has been a featured guest on multiple podcasts, teaching and encouraging all ages about the power of God’s Word. But don’t worry, her three kids are her own personal slang dictionary and keep her down-to-earth despite her best efforts to be cool. Emily’s most recent books, When It Hurts (a board book for kids ages 0–4) and Wherever You Are (devotions for moms), will release from Tyndale House Publishers in spring 2025.

For more information about Emily, visit her website and follow her on Instagram. *Author photo taken by Lindsay Chan Photography, copyright © 2018. All rights reserved.

To purchase When It Hurts, go to –

After graduating with a Journalism degree from the University of California, Berkeley, Janet McHenry worked as a newspaper reporter and high school English teacher. She and her husband eventually settled in the Sierra Valley in northern California.

Janet looks for ways to serve leadership and others when she speaks at retreats and conferences. She also serves as prayer coordinator at The Bridge Church in Reno, on the advisory council of First Place for Health, and on the state leadership team for the National Day of Prayer. The practice of Looking Up! has saved her life—lifted her from depression and fear, changed her marriage, and given her tools to walk confidently and purposefully every single day … tools she loves sharing with others.

She and her high school sweetheart husband, Craig (aka The Rancher), raised four children and live in a county without a single stoplight. They love sharing the outdoors with their nine grandchildren.

What originally started you on your writing journey ?

I have a journalism degree and had been working for a daily newspaper when we moved to the remote Sierra Valley. I tried a little magazine freelancing for a time, but without success. Then when I was attending a women’s retreat near Lake Tahoe, the speaker said, “I want you to find a rock, sit on it, and wait until God speaks to you.” While I struggled a bit with that directive, I did go out into the forest and sat on a rock. I should not have been surprised when I did hear a word from God within minutes: I want you to write for Me.

Because I’d failed miserably at freelance writing, I knew I needed help getting started on this calling to write for God. A short time later I saw a little ad in Decision magazine for the Billy Graham School of Christian Writing near Minneapolis. My husband Craig said I should go, so I did … and learned I still had a LOT to learn! So I kept going to Christian writers’ conferences and began writing articles, personal experience stories, and devotions for various publications. It took several years before I even began to imagine I could write a book. I’ve now written twenty-seven traditionally published books, and the ideas keep coming.

The Author and Creator of our lives often writes in a twist that blesses us more than our original plan. Have you ever experienced such a “Divine Detour”?

Oh yes. In December 2001 my rancher hubby was charged with seven felony animal abuse charges relating to the deaths of six calves and an old bull in a two-day blizzard here in the Sierra. The case took four and a half years to get to the two-week trial, which we figured was something we’d just have to live through to get to the other side of that stressful season.

But the judge seemingly decided Craig’s guilt ahead of time and orchestrated what the jury would see and hear. He wouldn’t allow Craig’s auction records to be admitted as evidence—proof he got top dollar for his cattle. The judge also harassed all the defense witnesses—which included two local large animal veterinarians, cattle experts, and even me. When I was testifying about how Craig brought newborn calves into our home to warm them up during cold winter nights, the judge said, “Who do you think you are, Virginia Woolf, that you go on and on like this?” The worst manipulation was that he would not allow our chief witness to testify: a professor from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Science—a man who’d never testified at a trial but was considered the foremost beef expert west of the Rockies.

So … my husband was convicted of six felony animal cruelty charges. We handled the appeal ourselves and won the reversal of the case at the California Court of Appeals two years later (very few win at appeal). Our divine detour was that the six years of struggle brought about a healing to our struggling marriage. While I wouldn’t want to go through all of that again, I am thankful God showed each of us how important the other person is.

Let’s talk about your new devotional, Looking Up! (Our Daily Bread Publications, November 2024). What inspired you to write it? Please tell us about it.

I have been reading through the Bible since a friend and I challenged each other about twenty-five years ago. For the last eleven years I have been involved in and now lead a Facebook group called Bible Girls, which helps women find encouragement daily as they read through the Bible in a year. Each day I look for that one piece of joy that could lift someone up and give her the help she needs. After doing this many years, it occurred to me to put together a daily devotional book that could help others pace themselves through the Bible—finding the joy and hope they need each day.

The subtitle is Finding Joy as You Read and Pray through the Bible, and I pray it helps many experience the power and strength God’s Word can give them when they consistently study the Bible. Each one-page devotion (shows) readers how to pray through the Bible by providing the daily reading assignment, an inspirational verse, a personal reflection with a teaching point and application, a prayer based on the scripture, and an aphorism that challenges the reader to live out the reading.

A few fun questions…

When the words aren’t flowing—or when you want to celebrate if they are—what is your favorite comfort food and why?

Oh, I love Mexican food. We have a couple great Mexican restaurants near us, and I love chicken fajitas, tortilla soup, veggie quesadillas, street tacos … I could go on and on, LOL! I love Mexican food because it just seems celebratory. The colors and tastes are happy.

What Bible passage or story best describes your journey of faith?

I could say my early adult years were Noah-like. When I was a senior in college, I knew God was calling me to go into campus ministry after college. I had the application all filled out and ready to mail when I began to fear the process of seeking support. So I didn’t follow through. I am thankful that God kept pursuing me. He didn’t ask a whale to swallow me, but I had a whale of doubts, fears, and struggles before finally submitting my life to his lordship just a couple months before he called me to write. I love that about God—that he keeps pursuing his love relationship with us and doesn’t give up, even when we want to.

In the story that is your life, are you the strong, female lead; the girl next door; the mysterious woman behind dark glasses; the super heroine; or the little girl trying to walk in high heels?

My brothers call me Bossy Big Sister, so I’d say I’m the strong, female lead. I’m the Choleric of the Greek temperaments and the Organizer in the LINKED system of personalities. In my Praying Personalities Quiz (prayingpersonalities.com), I’m the Problem Solver. I love taking care of business and checking things off my to-do list.

Thank you, Janet! It’s nice to have you as a guest at Divine Detour.  

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For more information about Janet, visit her website and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or check out her Sierra Valley Writers Retreat.

To order Looking Up, go to ­—

Caroline B. Cook moved to Nashville in 1992 to attend Vanderbilt University — and never left. She met and married her husband, West, and together they are raising their four children, while maintaining careers. He builds luxury homes and she sells real estate.

Over the last eight years Caroline has also been teaching a Bible study for young mothers in her home. She and her mother, Trisha Bridges, an artist and illustrator, work together on Caroline’s children’s books.

What started you on your writing journey ?  

HI Kathy! Thank you for allowing me this opportunity! I first wrote all three of The Virtue Series (Joy Is, Kind Is, Still Is) on a winter getaway with my husband! I have always loved writing and being creative — but I finally had the time on this little trip to Mexico!

I found myself sitting… and remember as a mom of four I wasn’t used to that! So, I said to myself… this is what still looks like… what a concept! And in my head, I heard, “Still is being quiet, still is humming a tune… and the rest is history! I had brought a journal and some colored pencils on this trip, because I had learned my husband really loved being quiet on these trips we would take (we called them save the marriage trips) — I had to find something to keep me busy! HAHA

Just as all good novels include a plot twist, the Author and Creator of our lives often writes in a twist that ultimately blesses us more than our original plan. Have you ever experienced such a “Divine Detour”?

Goodness my life is one big detour — isn’t all of ours?! I never thought I would still be living in Nashville, I never thought I was the one to have kids at such a young age, I never thought A LOT of things!! But that is the beauty of trust! It is really fun to know that God is in control, and we are not! What a relief!

Let’s talk about Joy Is, Kind Is, and Still Is in The Virtue Series (Fedd Books, September 2024). Please tell us about the series and how it came about.

Well, I guess I kind of answered this in the first question! We first put these books out in paperback — not even a real binding — about twelve years ago! And honestly, they were so darling and simple — we had an amazing calligrapher do the text… they were so precious. But now these books have sort of grown up!

Esther Fedd and Danielle Casey with the Fedd Agency said that we had done it all wrong! So now we did it ALL right! Just think how well they will do now they said! We are really excited about getting them out into the world! I really do believe they are classics!

I understand that you have a very special collaborator for the project.

Absolutely! My MOM!! My mom is an incredible artist — even though she is her biggest critic! My whole house feels like one big gallery of her art! I am so lucky! We had so much fun working on each book — and we have more in the works! We teach an art class together at The Next Door Recovery for women here in Nashville — it is so cool to collaborate on lots of things together!

A few fun questions…

When the words aren’t flowing—or when you want to celebrate if they are—what is your favorite comfort food and why?

Well, I guess this isn’t quite a food — but there is really nothing that coffee cannot solve! So, a midafternoon cup of coffee and maybe a biscotti or two is always a great way to keep up the creative flow!

What Bible passage or story best describes your journey of faith?

Oh gosh! Love this question! I would say that I am like the little lamb that Jesus just talks about in Luke 15 — how He leaves the 99 to go and get the one! He just keeps coming after me! When I was in my eating disorder… He loved me too much to let me stay there! When I had a real idol in my heart about wanting to live in Texas with my family — He showed me that I needed to let that go! Family is a great thing — but sometimes we can allow good things to be idols! He continues to show me time and time again that He is the only thing I can really count on in this life. It allows me to place good things in their proper order! My marriage, my kids, my friends, my passions — they are GREAT! But ultimately, they will not satisfy my ultimate longing for heaven.

In the story that is your life, are you the strong, female lead; the girl next door; the mysterious woman behind dark glasses; the super heroine; or the little girl trying to walk in high heels?

I would say the strong female lead! I loved acting — still do! And I love the stage — LOL I used to cry myself to sleep at night…  I wanted to be on Broadway so much! I am a strong personality — a lot of times I have to really try and calm down! But I really have two modes — one or off!

Thanks, Caroline! It’s nice to have you as a guest at Divine Detour.

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For more information about Caroline, visit her website and on Facebook and Instagram.

To order Joy Is and the other books in The Virtue Series, go to –

T.I. Lowe is an ordinary country girl who loves to tell extraordinary stories. She is the author of twenty novels, including the bestselling Indigo Isle, the #1 international bestseller and critically acclaimed Under the Magnolias, and her debut breakout, Lulu’s Café.

She lives with her husband and family in coastal South Carolina.

If someone asked you to describe yourself with one word, what word would that be?

Creative.

Let’s talk about your new book, Lowcountry Lost (Tyndale, September 2024). Please tell us about it.

It’s about one woman who feels like a ghost town—barely existing and all but forgotten—while taking on the task of bringing life back to an actual ghost town. Avalee will face her own revitalization while working on this town, uncovering a past that needs to be dealt with once and for all.

That’s a beautiful analogy. What inspired the story?

During my pregnancy with my daughter, I was told I was miscarrying. I was beyond devastated, but then they found a heartbeat! That affected me intensely and gave me more empathy for those who do not find a heartbeat. This story is me trying to pay my love and respect to those who have lost a child.

What role does faith play?

We don’t understand why things happen in this life, but having faith in God is such an important part of surviving tragedy. We cannot lean into our own understandings. We must lean on God, seeking Him through prayer and His Word. I think it’s okay to question God, to be honest about our grief and anger, to ask Him to guide us through the dark times.

A few fun questions…

I read on your blog that you have no formal training in writing. What is your best advice for someone who feels called to write but doesn’t have formal training?

Read a lot! Not so you mimic another writer, but to understand how to structure a story. Then write a lot! The more you write the easier it will become.

You write from a deep place. Which comes first for you, the characters or the plot?

The plot or the theme I want to understand better.

Thanks, Tonya! It’s nice to have you back at Divine Detour.  

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For more information about Tonya, visit her website and/or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Photo Credit: Author photo by Jordyn Strickland, copyright ©2019. All rights reserved.

To order Lowcountry Lost, go to –