I met Jennifer Slattery at a writer’s conference and I’ve been impressed by her determination and energy. She writes soul-stirring fiction for New Hope Publishers, a publishing house passionate about bringing God’s healing grace and truth to the hopeless. She also writes for Crosswalk.com, Internet Café Devotions, and the group blog, Faith-filled Friends. When not writing, Jennifer loves going on mall dates with her adult daughter and coffee dates with her hilariously fun husband.
I hope you’ll enjoy reading about Jennifer and her latest novel, Intertwined. It’s definitely on my “To Be Read” list.
Jennifer, tell us a little personal info about yourself first.
Sure. I can be goofy, especially when I’m around friends. I’m the one searching for every silly photo op, along with a stranger to snap the shot. I tend to bob and bounce about when I write, which can be a bit embarrassing in public. I love hanging out with my friends, but I’m also perfectly content to spend long periods of time by myself. I’m fiercely addicted to coffee (the sweet, flavored kind), and am deeply in love with my husband of 20 years. He’s absolutely hilarious and the sweetest, most generous and selfless man I know. And I love to read, almost anything.
I love the title of your new book, Intertwined, and the story line sounds interesting. Both of your main characters have suffered through divorce. Is that something you’ve experienced or observed at close hand?
I’ve never gone through divorce, but my husband has, and the aftermath really hurt him. And yet, God is good, there’s redemption, and in Christ, each day is a chance to begin—and love!—again.
Your heroine is an organ procurement coordinator for a hospital. How did you come up with that job?
A friend who was working in organ procurement at the time suggested it. At first I thought… “Um, no!” But then one morning, I woke with Tammy Kuhn’s story unfolding in my brain. I’ve been writing for Christ long enough to know when that happens, the story likely comes from Him, so I told Him I’d write it. Then I called my friend, Ami Koelliker, and asked if she’d help me, because I knew there was no way I could write the story without her!
Did you learn any interesting tidbits while doing research for this book that you can share with us?
I did. I learned there’s a mathematical process behind donation that involves complicated algorithms. I learned, on average, 21 people die each day while waiting for an organ. And I learned there are a LOT of myths regarding donation, myths that keep people from donating and result in lost lives.
Describe the type of person you think would be most interested in reading this story.
I recently received an email from a man who’d read the novel, and he shared how deeply it touched him. He lost a wife, and his wife was a donor, so he was able to watch his wife’s legacy live on. That was so touching!
I’d say women who like women’s fiction from Gina Holmes or Karen Kingsbury and novels that go a bit deeper, relationally. Those who are interested in medical dramas will find Tammy’s job interesting, and those who like romance novels will enjoy the romantic thread woven throughout the novel. It’s not a light-fluffy read, although it does have a fair amount of humor. But it will probably initiate tears as well.
What message do you hope readers will take away from this book?
That God can turn all things to good, and that joy, healing, and peace come from trusting and resting in Him. I also wanted to show the importance of fathers. I’ve watched so many women alienate their ex-husbands, saying harsh things about him in front of or to the children, and it breaks my heart. Kids need both parents, divorced or not.
I also wanted to show how much we need each other. Tammy and Nick discover their lives are critically intertwined, and yet, Tammy also comes to realize she needs a woman she, initially, would do anything to avoid. And that woman needs her. God intends us to live interconnected.
You can visit with Jennifer online at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud.com and connect with her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/JenSlatte
Now here’s more about Intertwined:
Abandoned by her husband for another woman, Tammy Kuhn, an organ procurement coordinator often finds herself in tense and bitter moments. After an altercation with a doctor, she is fighting to keep her job and her sanity when one late night she encounters her old flame Nick. She walks right into his moment of facing an unthinkable tragedy. Because they both have learned to find eternal purposes in every event and encounter, it doesn’t take long to discover that their lives are intertwined but the ICU is no place for romance….or is it? Could this be where life begins again?
Intertwined, part of New Hope Publisher’s contemporary fiction line, is a great reminder of how God can turn our greatest tragedies and failures into beautiful acts of love and grace. Readers will fall in love with the realistic characters and enjoy the combination of depth, heart-felt emotion and humor that makes Jennifer’s novels so appealing. Readers will be inspired to find God in every moment and encounter in their own lives!
You can find Intertwined at CBD, Amazon, and Barnes&Noble.
Thanks for visiting with us, Jennifer!
