Today’s the first day of November. I love November with its boisterous wind, colorful leaves, and yes, even the rain. I can look toward Thanksgiving, when our family will gather for the traditional turkey dinner before the busy Christmas season begins. When I write my blogs this month, I want to focus on thankfulness.

I’ve been promoting my first book this past month. It’s been in print now for seven years and I believed some people who hadn’t read it might benefit from it. I even got it out and re-read it myself to make sure it was still relevant now as when I wrote it. I found it was! In one of the promotions, one of the reviewers did an interview with me. I’m going to share it with you:

Meet Shirley Mozena

Second Chances by Shirley Quiring Mozena

1. What is your prayer for your readers as they dive into Second Chances At Life and Love, With Hope?

That the reader will be encouraged and know there is a God who cares about them while reading my story.

2. Tell us about a favorite book from your childhood.

I absolutely loved the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and read them again and again. Until I was twelve, we did not have an in-house library, but a bookmobile. When we moved to a new location, our school had a library. I was so excited I could check books out daily, instead of waiting for every other week or so.

3. Got any good book recommendations?

I think reading and even reading again good literature helps my writing. I’ve enjoyed Jan Karon’s  Father Tim series. She does such great character studies, dialogue and description. I’m also reading On Writing Well by William Zinsser—it’s especially for non-fiction writers—which is what I do.

4. Tell us about the Biblical truth that inspired this book.

That God is real. He cares about the individual—and I believe He has a heart for widows and orphans. I learned God is a Comforter in time of deep loss—and actually all of the time. When I sign my book, I include Romans 15:13. God is a God of hope and that verse encourages me constantly and hopefully the reader.

5. Give us a snapshot of your writing process.

When I got my first draft down, I shared it with a mentor at Mt Hermon Christian Writers Conference. She encouraged me to tell more of the story, which I did. That meant writing again. Then I joined a writers group and shared each chapter with them. I worked with an editor who helped so much. After six re-writes, it was done. Of course you can edit forever, but I’m pleased with the result. It was a finalist in Oregon Christian Writers Cascade Awards.

I believe the answer to the question, What is the Biblical truth that inspired this book?  really says it all:

 God is real. He cares about the individual—and I believe He has a heart for widows and orphans. I learned God is a Comforter in time of deep loss—and actually all of the time.

You might not have experienced loss as a widow, but I’ll bet you’ve experienced other kinds of loss. It could be death. Health.  A scary diagnosis. Financial downturn. Disappointment in a choice a loved one has made. Fear for a friend or family member. A broken friendship. Broken trust. Job loss. Injury. Depression. I could go on, but you can probably relate to at least one item on the list. And when you’re experiencing it, it feels big. Really big. And when you’re in one of those places, you might not believe it, but I can tell you, God is there. He really is. All of the time.