Jessica Bowman left Claremont six years ago, with a tiny secret. Now she has returned to her hometown, with her son Nathan by her side. What Jessica doesn’t realize is that her first love, Chad Martin, is also back in town … with a secret of his own. In Her Valentine Family, Renee Andrews spins a love story steeped in forgiveness and grace.
WHAT LED YOU TO WRITE HER VALENTINE FAMILY?
Everyone has a time in their life that they would like another chance to live, a “do over” if you will. In a lot of cases, these pivotal moments occur when you’re in those adolescent years, you’re still building your faith and you often let impulsivity take over before stopping to think … should I be doing this? I wanted Her Valentine Family to focus on one of these times and how one choice affects a young girl’s life, as well as how many other lives are impacted by her decision.
STARTING OUT, WHO WERE THE AUTHORS WHO INSPIRED YOU? WHO INSPIRES YOU NOW?
I’m always reading, and there are so many amazing authors that inspire me that I couldn’t begin to list them all. I’m very partial to Karen Kingsbury, Francine Rivers and Dee Henderson.
HOW DOES YOUR FAITH INFLUENCE YOUR WRITING?
My faith is the strongest influence in my writing, primarily because I’m praying to God the entire time I write to help me glorify Him through my words and hopefully touch my readers spiritually.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN YOU WANTED TO BE AN AUTHOR?
I suppose the fact that I told my first grade teacher that I would be a writer when I grew up probably means I’d already harvested the idea by the age of six.
WHAT DO YOU MOST HOPE THAT READERS GET FROM READING YOUR WORK?
I hope that readers can truly relate to the characters, be drawn into their world and connect not only with the characters but with their faith. My books may end with a happily ever after, but even the house built on the rock had to face the storm. Life is no different, and my books are no different. I hope that readers will find encouragement to face life’s storms with faith and will all find their physical and spiritual happily ever after.