Stacey
is a member of The Word Guild in Canada and has authored two fiction books. She
is finishing up a short Christmas Novella, is waiting to hear back from her
publisher on a romantic suspense submission, and is outlining a fourth novel.
Stacey’s
debut novel, The Builder’s Reluctant
Bride, released in 2016 and was named Best Christian Romance in 2017 at The
Word Awards.
He Wants a
Second Chance. She Says There’s No Going Back. Ten years ago,
a public disgrace sent Jenna Jenkins running from her hometown. Now, the
success of her professional future hinges on joining her hometown church
restoration project. Her partner and team leader on the job is William
Scott—expert renovator, volunteer fireman, and the ex-flame who ruined her
life. William is in crisis, facing the tightening screws of personal and
professional failure. When the interior designer on the church renovation
project turns out to be Jenna, William sees it as a chance to make amends. But
Jenna wants nothing to do with him. How much will William sacrifice to redeem
his mistakes and prove his love? Can Jenna protect her heart this time or will
William break her for good?
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What
inspired you to write The Builder’s Reluctant Bride and what do you hope the readers
takeaway from The Builder’s Reluctant Bride?
I
wanted to write a story about the messiness of real life. Too often, following
the Lord Jesus Christ is portrayed as a simple fix to our troubles. But
Scripture teaches us something quite different. Turning to Jesus does not
guarantee a removal of our troubles. In fact, it is more likely to increase
them as we walk in opposition to the world. Following Jesus is not easy. We are
commanded to do things that are impossible in our flesh, but they become
possible as we depend on the Holy Spirit’s power and live in submission to
God.
My characters struggled with
forgiveness because I want my readers to see that forgiveness is easy to speak
but much harder to live. That’s truth. I also challenge a misconception I hear
frequently that forgiveness is free. Forgiveness is never free.
Timothy Keller wrote in The Prodigal
God: Recovering the heart of the Christian faith, “Mercy and forgiveness must be
free and unmerited to the wrongdoer. If the wrongdoer has to do something to
merit it, than it isn’t mercy, but forgiveness always comes at a cost to the
one granting the forgiveness.”
Christ
freely extends forgiveness, but it cost Him much – his life. He loved us too
much to withhold forgiveness. He died for us while we continued to sin. Someone
always pays for forgiveness. I want my readers to consider that truth. Christ
paid for their forgiveness. Perhaps it is their turn [the reader’s] to absorb
the cost and extend forgiveness to someone in their life. I wanted to illustrate God’s call on
believers to set aside their rights as they seek Him, so in The Builder’s Reluctant Bride Jenna must
do the hard work of cultivating a heart that forgives those who don’t know,
appreciate, or understand how their actions have affected her, and she
struggles with it.
With
the help of meddling community, a matchmaking brother, and an ex-flame that
refuses to be extinguished, she learns that Christ died for the sinner who
wronged her and died for the sinner that is her. He loves them both.
I asked Stacey to describe herself in her own
words:
I am
from the play-until-the-streetlights-turn-on and come-when-your-father-whistles generation. I’m a
cool-off-in-the-sprinkler, drink-straight-from-the-hose, and fish-off-the-pier
kind of girl. I’m loyal even when others are not. I’ve wrestled with brothers, played Barbie with neighbors, and
stayed up too late reading just one more chapter. I’m
from BIG Sunday dinners, steaming hot tea, and Saturday
morning coin-sized pancakes. I grew up with Tupperware, paper bag lunches,
Yorkshire pudding, and mashed potatoes. Lots of mashed potatoes. My
family is a finish-what-you-start, bargain shopping, home cooking, and
respect-your-elders kind of family. I am one of four children framed in
memories on a wall. I jumped off docks, endured eight-hour trips that took
twelve, and sat in the middle bench seat of the family sedan. I am a wait until you enter the house before driving away kind
of mom. I boil the kettle in a crisis, and I know that a job worth doing is
worth doing right. I am a fixer of old things, painter of everything,
cleansed and forgiven child of God.
I believe that nothing matters more than the Lord Jesus Christ and who I
believe He is.
Can you direct us to where
readers can find you?
Website: www.staceyweeks.com - I post weekly
devotionals and regular home renovation projects and crafts under the blog tab.
You’ll find links and information on all of my books.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/writerSWeeks - This is where
I post questions to readers and collect feedback for projects. It’s also where
you’ll find the most up to date information.
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cZgDb9 The newsletter is emailed once every spring, summer, fall,
and winter and is full of information, deals, and opportunities available only to subscribers.
Thanks for being with us and sharing about this book, Stacey!
All you avid readers out there, check this one out!
