Marbeth Skwarczynski's Blog, page 2

Writing My Own Heroine

Writers learn from their characters. We only give them their looks and a general trajectory, but their lives are their own. Sometimes, their stories take us to places we never planned to write about, and sometimes they clarify our own situations.

That happened to me when I wrote Twists, Turns, and Curves. I started the rough draft one year during a week-long spring break. For my part, I created a plus-sized teacher who was attempting to do her best at a job she never really wanted.

I was writing what I knew. At the time, I was a history and literature teacher at our Christian school. There were things I enjoyed about my career. I had several bright and friendly students, and I loved the subjects I taught. Unfortunately, I also had some students who hated the school and were intent on making everyone as miserable as they were. Then, some had severe learning or behavior issues that our tiny staff couldn’t address. We were aware of our limitations and would encourage parents to have their struggling children tested to pinpoint how we could best serve them. A few parents did just that. Some ended up putting their children in other schools where their students could flourish with specially trained instructors. Other parents became infuriated that we’d insinuated that something was “wrong” with their child and flatly refused any testing. Watching those kids continue to struggle was heartbreaking.

The worst thing, though, was the lack of support. Administration tended to be on the side of the students and parents. Even if we were eyewitnesses to students breaking rules, we were second-guessed, and the students were given the benefit of the doubt. Students quickly realized they only had to protest their demerits to get them thrown out. That meant teachers had no real authority in their classrooms.

The staff was discouraged from talking to each other, and we did not have much time to fraternize. Most of us worked 11-hour days and were on campus 6-7 days a week. Because our church ran the Christian school, we were also required to participate in a “ministry” (teaching full-time wasn’t ministry enough) and attend every service.

It is easy for me to see the toxicity of the situation now, but when I was in the middle of it, I was busy trying to survive. It was one of those circumstances where I knew things felt off — felt wrong — but I was a head-down, do your work, and maybe everything will finally work out in the end kind of person.

I wrote during school breaks. The rough draft of my first novel was written during summer vacation, and the second (as I mentioned before) started during spring break.

I opened the action of Twists, Turns, and Curves with my main character in her pastor’s office the day before spring break starts, learning that her teaching career of five years will be over in June. Of course, she’s expected to stay and teach until then. Immediately after the meeting (during which she never talks), Caroline retreats to the bathroom to cry and wonder what more she could have given to the ministry. What else could she have done to be worthy of respect and acceptance?

That’s where Caroline’s story started. I took her through the heartbreak of losing her church home, job, and apartment. I gave her the opportunity for a beautiful friendship that turned into more. And I allowed her to leave her toxic situation behind for something so much better.

But here is where things get weird: It took years of rewrites to realize Caroline was IN a toxic situation.

Why?

Because I didn’t know that I was.

I believed that if something felt “off,” it must be because I was wrong. I wasn’t smart enough or spiritual enough to understand. It was easy to believe. No matter how hard I worked or tried to prove myself, I always fell short. It’s been a lifelong curse.

After quitting my job, I began writing full-time. After publishing Plague of Lies, I began another round of rewrites of Twists, Turns, and Curves. That’s when it finally hit me. Caroline’s situation wasn’t just uncomfortable or “bad.” It was abusive and toxic. I explored Caroline’s experiences with labor, economic, and emotional abuse, rounding it out with systemic sizeism and sexism. The book was compelling. Caroline escaped a toxic job and church, began her new life with a man she loved, and started working at the career she always wanted. Of course, living a new life didn’t mean the memories of her old one didn’t intrude.

It wasn’t until I was ready to publish that the truth of Caroline’s story finally broke into my consciousness. Yes, she’d been in a spiritually abusive church, but — so had I. Now that I had stepped back from the constant busyness of the ministry, I could see the systemic problems at the church I attended. All of the things I was encouraged to overlook kept me blind to many of the real problems and encouraged my silence. Even when a truly disturbed individual became a church leader, I allowed myself to be silenced when I should have shouted.

Caroline stood stronger than I did. She not only showed me the truth about spiritual abuse, but she also got to escape and speak her mind. Caroline became my heroine — in more ways than one.

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Published on March 16, 2024 10:08

Women’s Words

I love reading fiction, but I usually have a non-fiction book in my reading pile as well.

This week, I’ve finished several books written by women who exposed systems that not only create victims of spiritual abuse but also engage in criminal coverups.

What draws me to these types of books?

Research.

I write contemporary Christian fiction about spiritual abuse. Only a few people in the fiction market write about that specific subject, and almost all of us are indie writers. Some publishing houses are just beginning to explore the subject but are still a few years behind the times. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KG9WQFW?binding=kindle_edition&ref_=dbs_s_ks_series_rwt_tkin&qid=1710005738&sr=1-1

Non-fiction writers started bringing this subject to the forefront years ago. Readers have made it clear that they WANT to hear these stories.

In 2008, Jeri Massi burst on the scene with damning words about the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement long before there were podcasts and databases to support her. She backs each accusation with court records, news articles, and eyewitness testimonies. Later, in 2014, she updated the book to include newer cases. Her book, Schizophrenic Christianity: How Christian Fundamentalism Attracts and Protects Sociopaths, Abusive Pastors, and Child Molesters, is a powerful treatise on how a corrupt system led by unethical leaders can destroy the lives of those who were genuine in their desire for a church home where they could grow spiritually.

The usual names are there: J. Frank Norris, who accused more than one religious organization of being too modern and too worldly before starting his own “fundamental” Baptist church with John R. Rice as his key evangelist. There’s also Bob Jones, Sr., who created a ministry under the banner of fundamentalism and started a college in 1927. Eventually, these early leaders weren’t willing to share power, and their infighting caused the group to splinter. That brought the second generation forward. Lee Roberson founded Tennessee Temple, Lester Roloff created tortuous “children’s homes,” Jack Hyles set up Hyles-Anderson College, and Jerry Falwell started Liberty College. These organizations — churches, colleges, and troubled teen homes — became mechanisms for abuse.

Jack Hyles was not only unfaithful to his wife for decades, he covered up his son’s sins and crimes, even when those crimes included the murder of David Hyle’s stepson. The Hyles used First Baptist of Hammond and Hyles-Anderson College to preach outward purity and righteousness while covering secret sin.

Liberty College (later Liberty University) has a history of not taking reports of sexual assault seriously. The leadership was more interested in political power than in protecting the students on its campus.

The Lester Rolloff homes are described in this book as “concentration camps for children.” It’s an apt description. Unfortunately, it has spawned hundreds of troubled teen homes where thousands of children are still being housed by abusive caretakers.

Schizophrenic Christianity is a must-read for anyone curious about the history and inner-workings of the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement.

Jeri Massi followed up her first book with two others:

In 2015, the world was shocked to learn that a prominent doctor of the USA Gymnastics team, Larry Nassar, was under investigation for molesting multiple girls at his medical office and in his home. One of those girls was Rachael Denhollander. She came forward, allowing her name to be used in the courts and the press.

One of the first things people ask abuse victims is, “Why didn’t you report it right away?” Many victims indeed remain silent, sometimes for years (the average age of reporting childhood sexual assault is 52 years old). But there is also the often overlooked reality that many victims DO report soon after their trauma. They go to a parent, a teacher, a coach, or a pastor only to be told that they are confused, bitter, or gossiping and that they need to shut up and get over it.

Once Rachael Denhollander realized that Larry Nassar had abused her, she spoke out. She let her mother know that something about her treatment wasn’t right, and she didn’t want to go back. Due to the nature of the treatment, neither Rachael nor her mother knew exactly what to do or if they misunderstood what was happening. Still, Rachael knew she never wanted to return and didn’t want any other girl to experience what she had been through. A few years later, when Rachael heard that a girl she was training had an appointment with Nassar, Rachael went to the lead coach and told her exactly what she’d experienced. The coach told her police officer boyfriend, but the two never officially reported Rachael’s claim.

As an adult, Rachael began to research the therapy she assumed Larry was using, only to discover that he was not only unqualified for performing such therapy but also that everything he had done to her was nothing like that legitimate therapy. Rachael made herself an expert in pelvic floor therapy as well as in the methods used by pedophiles and child molesters to groom their victims.

Rachael’s testimony helped put Nassar in prison and opened the door for dozens of victims to come forward and regain their voices.

In 2019, Rachael Denhollander took all the research she’d gathered over her lifetime and wrote a remarkable memoir. She details the abuse and punishment of Larry Nassar — including his using the Bible and his “spiritual” walk to convince his colleagues, friends, and the judge that he was a good man who was being persecuted. He attempted to groom the court the way he’d groomed everyone else in his life. But, this time, he failed.

Because of Denhollander’s testimony, the truth of Larry Nassar’s evil deeds came out in a way that no one could claim ignorance ever again.

In 2020, Diane Langberg, an internationally recognized psychologist and counselor with forty-seven years of experience, wrote Redeeming Power: Understanding Authority and Abuse in the Church. The book explores the source and purpose of power and how it can be abused. The fact that so many religious institutions are abusing power is something that needs to be examined and stopped. Instead of finding power in the leadership of humans, Langberg encourages the power of healing through redemption.

Langberg shows how emotional abuse is used to control people. If people do not perform how their leaders want them to, their pastors might suggest that their lack of success is linked to their lack of spiritual growth or sincerity. The power of a pastor is amped up because their congregations might see their reverend as a mouthpiece of God Himself. Instead of leading a church as a shepherd, the pastor declares himself as “God’s anointed” and revels in the title “Man of God.” It is a recipe for abusive power.

Today’s churches are constantly in the news as several pastors are caught committing economic, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse against their church’s members.

When I connect with others who write Christian fiction books highlighting abuse, we discuss how these stories are needed. The more we point out the red flags, the easier for others to recognize them and protect themselves.

Abuse scenarios are beginning to pop up in other Christian fiction. I recently finished Through Thorny Paths, an excellent Christian romance novel where a family suffers due to their father abusing his position as a local church pastor. He stole money from the congregation and was having an illicit affair — all while demanding his daughter live according to his double standards of “purity.” The mess the man leaves behind when he runs off with his mistress adversely affects three generations of his family. It is a minor storyline but is powerful in its delivery.

When I started writing, people I was close to questioned whether this subject was appropriate for a book. After all, our churches have been training us for years to “forgive and forget and move on.” If victims still dare to come forward, they are accused of bitterness and gossip.

And then readers started reaching out to me. They recognized the scenarios in my novels. Some had experienced similar circumstances. Many had experienced worse. Reading about the abuse allowed them the freedom to step forward to speak their own truth — and to help others avoid ever having to experience the same thing.

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Published on March 09, 2024 10:40

Women’s History through Contemporary Fiction

Contemporary fiction is the genre I write in, and it’s one of my all-time favorite genres to read. I know that some people like to define that term as “books written recently,” but that’s a little vague. I prefer pinning it down to meaning that the setting of the stories takes place when the author is writing. One of the incredible things about contemporary fiction is how writers weave the socio-political realities of the world around them into their stories.

In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen isn’t just writing an “enemies to lovers” romance novel. Sense and Sensibility is more than a “split and reunion” or “mutual pining” story. Jane Austen uses these romantic and engaging classics to explore issues like:

How the class system harms womenThe utter lack of security available to a woman when she must depend on the men in her family for her financial support.The push for very young women to “present” themselves as available for marriage and the very real fear of women who are not chosen during “the season.”The cultural acceptance of marriage arrangements that smack of low-key prostitution.

Anne Bronte wrote only two novels but used her works to demand the reader question the accepted cultural standards of her day. In Agnes Gray, she punches giant holes in the idea that the noble class was morally superior to those in the “lower classes.” It was very much a “prosperity gospel” lifestyle where the noble family who hired Agnes Gray as their governess believed they were not wrong in their behavior simply because of their position in the class system. Of course, Miss Gray, as an outsider, could mourn over the family’s casual cruelty, the spoiling of their children, and their lack of empathy for anyone not in their social circle.

Anne Bronte’s second book, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, went several dozen steps further with issues like:

The frustration of guardians pushing for marriage to a wealthy widowed man over twice a girl’s age because he was “kind to his first wife.”The danger of agreeing to marry someone you met just months after meeting them during “the season” when you did not have enough time to get to know them.Men’s “real” (dishonorable) reputations are covered up by other men in society as they arrange marriages among their wards, sisters, and daughters.Rampant alcoholism and gamblingObligation sexPhysical, emotional, sexual, and economic abuseInfidelityInescapable marriages (no life-saving divorce)Mocking Christian living

At the turn of the 19th Century, Grace Livingstone Hill set the standard for Contemporary Christian Romance. She, too, put what she observed in the world around her into her books, giving us today a glimpse into that historical world.

Growing up, one of my favorite GLR books was Rose Galbraith. In Rose Galbraith, the MFC reconnects with an old school chum, Gordon, just as she’s about to leave the US to live with her aunt and uncle in Scotland. Rose had planned to make the trip with her mother, but her mom suddenly passed away. Hearing this, Gordon goes out of his way to offer her the support she needs as she packs up her life and boards the ship. The two begin to write, develop their friendship, and grow into loving relationships. However, within this bittersweet love story, Grace Livingston Hill points out the devastating effects of:

Women’s poverty (due to lack of job opportunities/low-wage jobs)Having to depend on a man for economic security.Feeling prompted/forced to marry for money.

Contemporary Christian fiction is currently in its hey-day and, like the contemporary books that have come before, important topics from the current culture are being addressed in its pages. Some of these issues are interior:

Depression or discouragement.Disease and health issuesBody issues and acceptance

But many of the books, even those who address the interior issues, also lend a critical eye to the Christian worldview and how it’s stated purpose might differ from its’ practice. As a result, we see the following issues addressed:

The shift away from Biblical teaching toward human preferenceUnrealistic or constantly changing standards of dress or behavior.Cultlike tendencies creeping into established churches.Ministry povertyHuman traffickingUnpaid labor (especially that of women and children)Spiritual/church/religious abuse, which may present themselves in the following forms:PhysicalEmotionalTimeEconomicSexual

Praise God that authors of contemporary Christian novels add those layers to their stories because they spark thought, conversation, and, hopefully, the demand for change where change is needed.

Look deeper at your favorite contemporary Christian novels. You may discover that while the author is crafting a sweet story about the love of a couple trying to work out how to accept their mutual attraction and grow into a love relationship, they may also be addressing a cultural problem or two.

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Published on March 02, 2024 14:57

What’s in a Name?

The problem of choosing character names is a big one in the writing community. Writers talk about it, joke about it, and even make memes about it.

We have developed some interesting techniques to create names that fit our characters. A historical novelist like Carol Ashby may have multiple folders on her computer with lists of names based on country, historical time frame, and the societal ranks within that culture.

Then you have authors of contemporary fiction (like me) who pluck names from pop stars whose videos are on YouTube.

Though I rarely use them personally, I know that many of my fellow authors see baby name books and websites as goldmines.

I can be honest enough with myself to acknowledge that sometimes my name choices are influenced by my twisted sense of humor. The name of the true villain in my first book was a play on the name of a villain I knew “in real life.” I did the same thing with a couple of not-so-trustworthy pastors in my second book. And for a lawyer in my fifth book.

For book five of The Rose Collection (in which the lawyer was featured), I was heavily invested in a former boyband turned reunited “man band” (is that a thing?), Take That. No, I’d never heard of them either. I’d heard them mentioned on Miranda (a silly and wonderful British sitcom that is guaranteed to make me smile when I’m feeling a bit down). In a later episode, the lead singer, Gary Barlow, was a surprise guest — and I had no clue who he was, so I looked him up. When his autobiography showed up on my Kindle Unlimited feed, I took a chance. It was well written, but I was lost when it came to the music, videos, and concerts he mentioned. Enter research mode and YouTube music. It turns out Take That was pretty huge in Europe, and for good reason. Their second wave of music is brilliant (I am not such a fan of their boyband era, but I’m in the minority there).

In Wise and Mighty (book 5), the males of the Taylor family are named for Take That band members. The restaurant where they eat breakfast is Barlow’s Diner. That’s where it all started. As I added side characters, I stayed with the theme of pop and rock stars. The lawyer in question became “Dr. Barry” (Thank you, Bee Gees!).

I let the main character from book six choose her own name. She changed it from Libby Warner to Ginger Douglass. She adopted the last name of Frederick Douglass since she read and reread his autobiography throughout her younger years. As for Ginger? Straight up Gilligan’s Island reference. It was one of the few shows she was allowed to watch growing up. Libby would say that her favorite character was Gilligan because he was funny, but the truth was, she admired Ginger’s self-confidence and style (two things Libby never had). But what Libby loved the most about Ginger was how all the men appeared afraid of her. Libby wanted that kind of power (and the safety it promised).

Not every character’s name is rooted in backstory. That’s when IMDb comes in handy. I can choose a television show (reality shows are great for this) with a mix of common and unusual names and peruse the cast list.

I discovered this week that non-writers weren’t aware that most writers don’t have every name chosen before they start writing. Personally, I don’t know how that would work. I’m a pantser, so sometimes characters show up without warning.

If the writing flows and an unscheduled character arrives, I’ll add a *** as a placeholder and keep writing the action and dialog. I’ll go in later and replace the *** with a name. Sometimes it’s a generic name from IMDb, but even then, I’ll choose a villain from the cast list for the villain in the story.

Because the NAME is everything.

When Catherine Brusk introduced “Kip” in her first novel, she didn’t have to say, “Oh, by the way, he’s a self-confident preppy womanizer”— I mean, she eventually did, but she didn’t have to. The name said it all.

When Chautona Havig’s novels feature characters like “Milton” and “Anne Montgomery,” the reader knows to be on the lookout for classical references.

But the BEST author to wink at the importance of names was The Bard himself.

Years ago, whenever I would break down the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet for my students, I would start with “Wherefore art thou Romeo,” explaining that she wasn’t asking WHERE Romeo was. She was asking WHY he was. It is one of those common misunderstandings that completely changes her little rant. (And yes, it IS a rant, and just once, I’d love to see the balcony scene played out as if Juliet is having an honest-to-goodness tween meltdown).

Poor Juliet has spent the first thirteen or fourteen years of her life completely sequestered so that her father could sell her off to the highest bidder—oh, sorry, I meant MARRY her off to the most eligible bachelor. At her first party EVER, she meets a boy and develops her first crush, not on the grown man her father has chosen for her, but on a guy just slightly older than her. And then, it turns out that her crush happens to be the heir apparent to a rival family.

During her monologue (ranty-rant), Juliet has an imaginary conversation with the boy. After rhetorically asking why he had to be Romeo Montague, she suggests he go no contact with his family and change his name. If that doesn’t work out, but he swears to be Juliet’s love forever, and ever; she’ll sacrifice her own name and no longer be a Capulet. Then, she utters the famous line, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet …”

Shakespeare gave her that line, and it sounds so perfectly reasonable, but the names DRIVE THE PLAY. If it wasn’t for the feud between the Montagues and Capulets, there would be no conflict for Romeo and Juliet to so poorly “overcome.” Of course, as the author, Shakespeare knew this, so he gave innocent and ignorant Juliet this most iconic and ironic of lines.

Sometimes, though, I wonder if when Shakespeare was writing his plays, he used a placeholder for the names of his various side characters while writing his first draft. Did he get inspiration for character names while eating in his favorite pub? Was there a waitress named Juliet? A merchant who’d just arrived from Rome, complaining about his wife Rosaline while attempting to flirt with the waitress? Was someone at a nearby table planning to visit Paris?

In other words, did he work like every other writer?

How many pieces of parchment went up in smoke because he couldn’t get a scene “just right.” How many times did he catch people staring at him because he was making facial expressions based on the action he was writing? How often did he freak out his friends when he went into detail about murder weapons and the efficacy of certain poisons?

And before anyone snobbishly says, “You’re comparing yourself to Shakespeare now?” let me state unequivocally that NO, I am not. I have nowhere near his talent for taking a folk story or myth and turning it into a play that generations of people can relate to. My point is he was a writer and AS a writer, he likely faced the same issues and used some of the same tricks that writers still use today.

But without the benefit of IMBd.

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Published on February 24, 2024 10:32

News From A Pantser

I’m a pantser. In writer-speak, it just means that I write by the “seat of my pants” rather than by following an outline. Outline followers are called “plotters.” Writers tend to live and let live regarding how we work. As long as we produce dynamic characters and develop plots, the process doesn’t matter.

But as a pantser, I’m dependent on my characters and how they choose to progress. If they decide to take some time off, I can either work on a different project or go back to the beginning of the book and start a rewrite.

I’m working on an initial draft/rewrite for book 7 of The Rose Collection. I started the novel with a character I’ve featured in other novels, Sylvie Stade. In book 6, The Art of Persisting, she loses the only home she’s ever known when Camp Galilee is sold, and she relocates to her parent’s hometown of Rhodes, California (the setting for much of book 1, Plague of Lies).

Sylvie also registers at a new school—the same Christian school her parents had attended. Since Sylvie had homeschooled while she lived at Camp Galilee in Crystal Falls, she was used to setting her own schedule and enjoyed the protection of parents who knew that just because someone was in ministry, it didn’t necessarily mean they were trustworthy. At the first real school she’s ever attended, Sylvie confronts bullying for the first time.

Sylvie’s voice is strong, and I love writing about her, but halfway through the novel, I realized I was missing a voice. This happens to me a lot as I write. I have a second story demanding to be told. In this case, I knew exactly who needed to speak — Sylvie’s mother, Denise.

Denise is special to me. She first appeared in book 1 and reappeared in book 3, No Longer Invisible, when she shared her story with the FMC, Julia Rose Williams. Denise is fearless. She speaks openly about her past victimization and her determination to keep any other teen ever experiencing abuse by a trusted church leader. She’s become a success as a businesswoman who uses her economic freedom to help abuse victims and provide for her family.

Her husband, Topher, is taking over the pastorate of the church they used to attend — and the scene of the crime committed against Denise. The goal of the couple is to change how the local church views women while exposing the dangerous teachings that enable abuse. When the family arrives to join the ministry, they discover that a church split has reduced the number of members. And not all who remain welcome change. Denise discovers that bullying doesn’t only occur in schools.

Even though I’m in the early stages, the emotional weight is already evident in the story. The issues surrounding women serving in the church are not new, and those matters begin to take root early in a young woman’s life. Sylvie’s Bible teacher and her coach go out of their way to treat their female students as inferior to their male students. Denise faces nearly the same struggles as she establishes her place as a staff instructor at the new church.

It is hard to stand up to what has “always” been accepted as church teaching. It is even more difficult to be overlooked, unheard, and even despised simply for being a woman longing to serve in the local church.

I’ve got about ten more chapters to write (by the seat of my pants, of course), and then the months of rewrites and begin. Denise and Sylvie will say their piece and reflect the stories of other women who want nothing more than to exercise the gifts God has given them.

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Published on February 17, 2024 16:47

Starting to Listen

This week, the internet was in uproar over an article where a now-adult woman accused a church leader of grooming and molestation when she was only 14 years old. She shared her experience after reading the testimony of one of his other victims and realized that their stories were eerily similar. That’s one thing about groomers — they tend to have a pattern. Another thing about them? They rarely have only one victim.

Two victims, unknown to one another, coming forward with nearly identical stories and witnesses of the man’s behavior toward them SHOULD be enough to disqualify him from any ministry leadership position. After all, he was not subtle. According to Tammy Woods, he would visit her at school, hanging out at her locker and leaving her gifts. Those who watched his behavior thought it odd but gave him a pass BECAUSE he was a youth minister. He used his influence and title as tools to groom young teen girls into accepting his inappropriate advances.

Outwardly, he was viewed as a church leader who cared and who went the extra mile to show the kids from his church that they were loved and valuable in the eyes of God. In private, he manipulated little girls into going against their own consciousness and convictions in order to please him as a prophet and a “Man of God.”

It took her until adulthood for Tammy Woods to realize exactly how she was manipulated by him, and when that understanding came, she spoke up. https://julieroys.com/breaking-woman-claims-mike-bickle-sexually-abused-her-when-she-was-14/

And, of course, that triggered the usual response by those who are willfully ignorant about the issues of abuse, “Why didn’t she speak up sooner?” Usually, that phrase is accompanied by the observation that “if it bothered her so much, she would have mentioned it when it happened” or “she’s putting all the blame on him without taking any responsibility for her own actions.”

As a novelist who researches spiritual abuse almost daily, this knee-jerk reaction sickens me.

First of all, the average age of someone coming forward after experiencing childhood sexual assault is 52. The statute of limitations for CSA does not reflect the traumatic impact of the abuse on the victims, so by the time they can finally step forward to speak about the crime committed against them, it is usually too late for them to obtain legal justice. Abuse victim advocates are working to get those statutes of limitations for CSA abolished in all 50 states.

Secondly, a person being manipulated to act against their own convictions by their spiritual leader is often confused and mentally fatigued. Disassociation becomes part of their lives. Many teen victims glom onto whatever “normal” behaviors they can (going to church, talking to friends, attending events with their youth group) in order to mentally survive the abuse.

Thirdly, assuming that a teen is in a “relationship” with an adult is never appropriate. If an adult is referring to a teen as their “girlfriend/boyfriend,” that adult must be confronted immediately (even if nothing has happened). The Preacher Boys Podcast recently released an interview with Sadie Carpenter, who shared her experiences with a man well-respected within her church’s circles. He was in his 80s and would jokingly say that she (as a preteen) was his girlfriend. It was laughed off by the adults in their circles, but he was writing her letters and sending her gifts, and at one point, when he took her family out to dinner, he began calling those dinner dates and requesting that she dress in ways that pleased him. At exactly what point was this tween girl “responsible” for this creepy old man’s inappropriate attention toward her? At what point does the man who is actively pursuing her take the blame for HIS actions?

https://youtu.be/9pnWbFKyB3g?si=LD3toZT3z_e_-hLm

Even when a young victim comes forward within the statute of limitations, it doesn’t mean that people will listen. Instead, they will be instructed to remain quiet, will be called names, and will be told that they need to forgive and forget. And if a victim doesn’t go quiet? In some instances, people will actively campaign against them.

A recent sermon made the rounds where a pastor completely reframed a victim’s experience to make it look like she was the manipulator. He did this by claiming to “know the truth” but then lying outright to his congregation (and outs himself as sympathetic to rapists in the process).

According to him, the victim was molested, the police investigated, found no evidence, and her molester moved to a different state. But then, he called her and asked her to come help his wife, who had just given birth. At this point, the pastor pointed out that IF she’d been molested, there was no way she would go, but the victim willingly went to him. She then accused the man of raping her while she lived in his home. https://x.com/BadSermons/status/1734003814275948816?s=20

Now for the truth. The victim was molested, but because her attacker was her teacher and a respected youth leader, he manipulated her into silence. He was asked to resign due to “inappropriate behavior” with another girl. He was given a letter of recommendation by church leaders and “encouraged” to move out of state.

The victim never told her mother or church leaders what he’d done to her, so when the man called her mother and asked if she could send her daughter to his new home to help his wife (who had just given birth), the mom was proud that her daughter was so highly thought of and responsible enough to be of help. She gladly sent her daughter to live with the family that she assumed was safe. The victim was repeatedly raped during that period. It wasn’t until her older sister came forward to tell their mother that SHE had been raped by the same man that anyone knew the victim was in danger.

As soon as the truth was revealed, the victim’s mother went with her to tell the church leadership what had happened. They instructed her to remain quiet and to forgive the man for his “mistakes.” That wasn’t a good enough response for the mother, so she and her daughter went to the police and filed a report. The district attorney believed that of the two cases, the out-of-state rape would get him more time, so he didn’t prosecute her molestation. The man was convicted for rape but served only two years of his five year prison sentence.

When the victim, Ruthy Heiler, was an adult and facing her attacker’s release from prison, she approached the DA about the original charges of molestation. The DA reopened the case, and the man was convicted. His sentencing reflected how he used his position of authority to manipulate and victimize her. He ended up being sentenced to more time for the molestation than he did for the rape.

It’s not at all the same story that was told from the pulpit, is it?

You can watch Ruthie’s story for yourself on MAX in the documentary Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals. https://www.max.com/shows/let-us-prey-a-ministry-of-scandals/ca01f963-90fe-4028-9d3c-deb127d48f34

The thing is, the pastor who lied so openly from the pulpit claimed to have watched the documentary featuring the victim’s story. He saw the pictures of this girl at the age when she was molested and later raped. He witnessed the trauma the victim experienced even years later. He saw the victim as a grown woman standing up in a court of law to read her impact statement at her molester’s sentencing.

So why would a pastor lie? Why would church leaders and members assume that young teens would lie about molestation and rape? The excuse I’m familiar with is the desire to “defend the ministry.” Too many church organizations have become backslidden businesses that care more about protecting the criminals in their leadership rather than supporting and aiding their victims. Even if members of their congregations (or even of their leadership) protest, they are overwhelmed with pressure to remain silent. They may try to change things from the inside, but they know that their community, family ties, and careers are at risk.

In the case that harmed the ministry I was involved in, a man on the run from a bench warrant joined our church. The church leaders had no idea the man was wanted and were excited to have him join the congregation since he’d come so highly recommended by several leaders in other churches of our circle. The man eventually pled guilty to molestation, and our church leadership decided that he had already “paid his debt” to society and could remain at our church under their supervision. I watched that man consistently wrangle his way into leadership positions despite having disqualified himself from ministry. Because he’d gone through his probation, the employees who knew about his background (myself included) were told we had no right to object to his presence at our church. After all, the leadership was “keeping an eye on him.” But leadership was also willfully ignorant of how molesters work — despite our protests and pleas that they study the methods pedophiles use to groom not only their victims but everyone around them.

After years of conversations, emails, texts, and letters, my response to not being heard was to quit my job and start writing novels. My subject of choice is church/spiritual/religious abuse and its long-term effects on the victims. My characters deal with trauma and triggers as they attempt to find normalcy in life away from predatory people and organizations. It’s my way of speaking out. https://thelitlady733988438.wordpress.com/

But something else happened this week. After Tammy Woods shared her story, dozens of women began sharing pictures of themselves when THEY were 14. Why? To disabuse the oft-told lie that the victim was somehow “mature for her age” and “looked like an adult.” Adult women presented pictures of themselves at their most vulnerable age when they followed boybands, dealt with pain from their braces, and fought with jammed school lockers. They posted their pictures with hashtags reading #IStandWithJaneDoe and #IStandWithTammyWoods. Women are speaking out, demanding justice, and insisting victims be acknowledged and supported.

When former victims step forward to expose their abusers, it breaks the silence they worked so hard to maintain. As Kathy Durbin said at the end of Let Us Prey, ”It’s almost like every time you speak out, you’re grabbing the hand of someone who needs to come forward.”

That’s what happened when Tammy Woods began to support Jane Doe. As of this morning, a third woman has come forward. She stated that Wood’s story was too similar to hers to be a coincidence. https://julieroys.com/third-woman-says-mike-bickle-groomed-sexually-abused-her-beginning-at-age-15/

Things are changing, but it won’t be easy. Some religious leaders are still pushing the idea that the molesters and rapists in their organizations are maligned “Men of God” who were tempted and “made a mistake.” Their excuses and explanations aren’t as effective as they once were. People are finally starting to listen.

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Published on February 10, 2024 13:12

Refusing to Listen

This week, the internet was in uproar over an article where a now-adult woman accused a church leader of grooming and molestation when she was only 14 years old. She shared her experience after reading the testimony of one of his other victims and realized that their stories were eerily similar. That’s one thing about groomers — they tend to have a pattern. Another thing about them? They rarely have only one victim.

Two victims, unknown to one another, coming forward with nearly identical stories and witnesses of the man’s behavior toward them SHOULD be enough to disqualify him from any ministry leadership position. After all, he was not subtle. According to Tammy Woods, he would visit her at school, hanging out at her locker and leaving her gifts. Those who watched his behavior thought it odd but gave him a pass BECAUSE he was a youth minister. He used his influence and title as tools to groom young teen girls into accepting his inappropriate advances.

Outwardly, he was viewed as a church leader who cared and who went the extra mile to show the kids from his church that they were loved and valuable in the eyes of God. In private, he manipulated little girls into going against their own consciousness and convictions in order to please him as a prophet and a “Man of God.”

It took her until adulthood for Tammy Woods to realize exactly how she was manipulated by him, and when that understanding came, she spoke up. https://julieroys.com/breaking-woman-claims-mike-bickle-sexually-abused-her-when-she-was-14/

And, of course, that triggered the usual response by those who are willfully ignorant about the issues of abuse, “Why didn’t she speak up sooner?” Usually, that phrase is accompanied by the observation that “if it bothered her so much, she would have mentioned it when it happened” or “she’s putting all the blame on him without taking any responsibility for her own actions.”

As a novelist who researches spiritual abuse almost daily, this knee-jerk reaction sickens me.

First of all, the average age of someone coming forward after experiencing childhood sexual assault is 52. The statute of limitations for CSA does not reflect the traumatic impact of the abuse on the victims, so by the time they can finally step forward to speak about the crime committed against them, it is usually too late for them to obtain legal justice. Abuse victim advocates are working to get those statutes of limitations for CSA abolished in all 50 states.

Secondly, a person being manipulated to act against their own convictions by their spiritual leader is confusing and mentally fatiguing. Disassociation becomes part of their lives. Many teen victims glom onto whatever “normal” behaviors they can (going to church, talking to friends, attending events with their youth group) in order to mentally survive the abuse.

Thirdly, assuming that a teen is in a “relationship” with an adult is never appropriate. If an adult is referring to a teen as their “girlfriend/boyfriend,” that adult must be confronted immediately (even if nothing has happened). The Preacher Boys Podcast recently released an interview with Sadie Carpenter who shared her experiences with a man well-respected within her church’s circles. He was in his 80s and would jokingly say that she (as a preteen) was his girlfriend. It was laughed off by the adults in their circles, but he was writing her letters and sending her gifts, and at one point, when he took her family out to dinner, he began calling those dinner dates and requesting that she dress in ways that pleased him. At exactly what point was this tween girl “responsible” for this creepy old man’s inappropriate attention toward her? At what point does the man who is actively pursuing her take the blame for HIS actions?

https://youtu.be/9pnWbFKyB3g?si=LD3toZT3z_e_-hLm

Even when a young victim comes forward within the statute of limitations, it doesn’t mean that people will listen. Instead, they will be instructed to remain quiet, will be called names, and will be told that they need to forgive and forget. And if a victim doesn’t go quiet? In some instances, people will actively campaign against them.

A recent sermon made the rounds where a pastor completely reframed a victim’s experience to make it look like she was the manipulator. He did this by claiming to “know the truth” but then lying outright to his congregation (and outs himself as sympathetic to rapists in the process).

According to him, the victim was molested, the police investigated, found no evidence, and her molester moved to a different state. But then, he called her and asked her to come help his wife, who had just given birth. At this point, the pastor pointed out that IF she’d been molested, there was no way she would go, but the victim willingly went to him. She then accused the man of raping her while she lived in his home. https://x.com/BadSermons/status/1734003814275948816?s=20

Now for the truth. The victim was molested, but because he was her teacher and a respected youth leader, he manipulated her into silence. Because of a different instance, the man was asked to resign, but not before he was given a letter of recommendation and “encouraged” to move out of state. The victim never told her mother or church leaders what he’d done to her, so when the man called her mother and asked if she could send the victim to his new home to help his wife. She’d just given birth and needed help. The mom was proud that her daughter was so highly thought of and responsible enough to be of help and gladly sent her to live with the family. The victim was repeatedly raped during that period. It wasn’t until her older sister came forward to tell her mother that SHE had been raped by the same man that anyone knew the victim was in danger.

As soon as the truth was revealed, the victim’s mother went with her to tell the church leadership what had happened. They instructed her to remain quiet and to forgive the man for his “mistakes.” That wasn’t a good enough response, so they went to the police and filed a report. The district attorney believed that of the two cases, the out-of-state rape would get him more time, so he didn’t prosecute her molestation. The man was convicted for her rape and served **** years in prison. But when the victim was an adult and facing her attacker’s release from prison, she approached the DA about the original charges of molestation. The DA reopened the case and the man was convicted. His sentencing reflected how he used his position of authority to manipulate and victimize her. He ended up serving more time for the molestation than he did for the rape.

It’s not at all the same story that was told from the pulpit, is it?

You can watch Ruthie’s story for yourself on MAX in the documentary, Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals. https://www.max.com/shows/let-us-prey-a-ministry-of-scandals/ca01f963-90fe-4028-9d3c-deb127d48f34

The thing is, the pastor who lied so openly from the pulpit claimed to have watched the documentary featuring the victim’s story. He saw the pictures of this girl at the age when she was molested and later raped. He witnessed the trauma of victim experienced even years later. He saw the victim as a grown woman standing up in a court of law to read her impact statement at her molester’s sentencing.

So why would a pastor lie? Why would church leaders and members assume that young teens would lie about molestation and rape? The excuse I’m familiar with is the desire to “defend the ministry.” Too many church organizations have become “backslidden” businesses that care more about protecting the criminals in their leadership rather than supporting and aiding their victims. Even if members of their congregations (or even of their leadership) protest, they are overwhelmed with pressure to remain silent. They may try to change things from the inside, but they know that their community, family ties, and careers are at risk.

In my case, a man who had pled guilty to molestation had already “paid his debt” to society, joined our church, and consistently wrangled his way into leadership positions despite having disqualified himself from ministry. Because he’d gone through his probation, the employees who knew about his background were told we had no right to object to his presence at our church. After all, the leadership was “keeping an eye on him.” But leadership was also willfully ignorant of the ways molesters work — despite our protests and pleas that they study their methods.

My response to not being heard after years of conversations, emails, texts, and letters was to quit my job and start writing novels. My subject of choice is church/spiritual/religious abuse and its long-term effects on the victims. My characters deal with trauma and triggers as they attempt to find normalcy in life away from predatory people and organizations. It’s my way of speaking out. https://thelitlady733988438.wordpress.com/

But something else happened this week. After Tammy Woods shared her story, dozens of women began sharing pictures of themselves when THEY were 14. Why? To disabuse the oft-told lie that the victim was somehow “mature for her age” and “looked like an adult.” Adult women presented pictures of themselves at their most vulnerable age when they followed boybands, dealt with pain from their braces, and fought with jammed school lockers. They posted their pictures with hashtags reading #IStandWithJaneDoe and #IStandWithTammyWoods. Women are speaking out, demanding justice, and insisting victims be acknowledged and supported.

When former victims step forward to expose their abusers, it breaks the silence they worked so hard to maintain. As Kathy Durbin said at the end of Let Us Prey, ”It’s almost like every time you speak out, you’re grabbing the hand of someone who needs to come forward.”

That’s what happened when Tammy Woods began to support Jane Doe. As of this morning, a third woman has come forward. She stated that Wood’s story was too similar to hers to be a coincidence. https://julieroys.com/third-woman-says-mike-bickle-groomed-sexually-abused-her-beginning-at-age-15/

Things are changing, but it won’t be easy. Some religious leaders are still pushing the idea that the molesters and rapists in their organizations are maligned “Men of God” who were tempted and “made a mistake.” Their excuses and explanations aren’t as effective as they once were. People are finally starting to listen.

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Published on February 10, 2024 13:12

Music and Happiness

My social skills didn’t kick in until I was a junior, and I started hanging with other girls at my Christian school. It was the 80s, so most of our conversations centered around music. I wasn’t allowed to have secular music at home, but whenever my parents were out of the house on Saturday, I was tuned in to Casey Kasem’s American Top 40. I had to listen to my favorite music secretly but could talk about it with my friends.

My siblings had listened to “worldly” music until the Satanic Panic commenced in the late 70s. The infamous JTC Chick comic book series The Crusaders had an issue devoted to rock music and its devilish influences based on the “real life story” of John Todd, a self-proclaimed former Satanist. Like most parents of the era, mine panicked and believed everything special speakers said about the “rock music of today.”

I went to many of the “rock seminars” that popped up as evangelists jumped on the “anti-rock” bandwagon, and I remember clearly that none of the music those men discussed could be classified as being “of today.” They were all between 10 and 20 years out of date, and I hadn’t heard of most of the bands they were attempting to expose.

Any conviction I felt about the music I listened to was second-hand at best. I was raised to believe that pastors and evangelists were specially chosen to speak for God. However, I loved music. I enjoyed listening to the radio and watching MTV, and I felt frustrated about the constant warnings from traveling evangelists that I was somehow faithless because I liked U2 and Billy Idol. I learned to keep my interests from my parents. They believed the worst of any band, song, or video, and there was no room for discussion.

Once I left home, I could enjoy music at my leisure, and the topic didn’t come up again until I became a parent.

I knew I wanted my children to attend a Christian school since I’d had such a great experience attending a Christian high school (I had struggled in public school before that). We joined the only church with a Christian school in our area and started volunteering. By the time our oldest started kindergarten, my husband was driving a bus, and I was teaching Sunday school.

Then, one Sunday, the Sunday school superintendent gave each teacher a covenant agreement to read and sign. It was a guideline of standards and behaviors we were to follow — not just while at church or in our classrooms but also in our personal lives. The dress standards were something I was used to. Not going to the movie theater wouldn’t hurt so much since we couldn’t afford it anyway. And then I saw that music had made the list—no rock music.

I gave it up. It was the least I could do, according to church leadership — the least I could sacrifice — to serve the Lord at my church.

I replaced my favorite bands with CDs of classical music. Our church sold cassettes of college groups that came through and sang special music, so we had a few of those as well, but I hated them with a passion. They were childish and cringy, but I put up with them because I wanted my children to be exposed to what the pastor labeled “good music.”

I eventually became a teacher at my church’s Christian school and thought I was on the right track. My parents said they were proud that my husband and I were “serving the Lord.” My kids were being raised in church. My husband was a leader in the congregation.

And I was following the motto, “Fake it ‘till you make it.”

I got up every morning, went to work, taught my students, went home, made dinner, and hung out with my family on the couch as we watched television together. But while I had good moments, I was struggling with depression.

Actually, “struggling” makes it sound better than it was. I was drowning.

My only moments of comfort were when I was being squished by my kids as we watched a show or movie together on the couch. The rest of our days were spent giving our all to a ministry in our attempt to serve God. I wasn’t exactly joyful, but according to the preacher, that was okay. God never called us to be happy. He called us to work. So, I worked. Our whole family did. We spend most of every day at church and school.

It went on for years.

During all of those years, I had a robust prayer life and read my Bible through every year. I struggled at church, though. The teachers didn’t have much fellowship with each other. We were all busy and separated in our individual classes. The sermons didn’t have any depth. Even special speakers talked more about their past experiences than the Bible. I taught a 3-6th grade Wednesday night class, determined to teach ONLY from the Bible. I had faith and love for God but felt like Snow White in her glass coffin — present in the world but unable to interact fully.

I can’t remember where I heard or read it, but I latched onto the idea that I needed to reconnect with something that made me happy from a time outside of my depression.

One day, I left school right after teaching my last class and drove to Barnes and Noble to pick up a book I’d ordered for a student (I had a “library” in my classroom). While at the store, I spent a little time in the music and video department and purchased a CD of Duran Duran’s Greatest Hits. They had been my favorite band in high school. I listened to their music on the way home. It brought me joy. A few weeks later, I bought Def Leppard’s Vault. Those two albums saved my life — or at least my sanity. The music became a stop-gap until I discovered that the root of my depression was an easily treated chemical imbalance.

But I was back to keeping my music secret. I knew my kids would disapprove. After all, they’d been raised to believe that rock music was wrong. I’d even taught in my history classes how “rock-n-roll” was a euphemism for sex, although later, I admitted that word usage could change over time.

When the covenant agreement was updated to allow full-time employees to choose their own entertainment, I became more open about my music. I played it in the car, and my husband and I sang along while on family outings. I had concluded that this music wasn’t as bad as I’d been taught. I wanted to show my kids that I’d changed my mind — that we could enjoy our lives. Music didn’t make me want to leave my husband and have an affair. It didn’t make me want to turn away from God. I wasn’t tempted to use drugs or worship the devil.

It wasn’t until I left teaching and fully accepted that my love of music was not a mark of weak faith that I came across an article about John Todd, the man JTC Chick used as his inspiration for Spellbound. I’d collected most of The Crusaders comic books while in Jr. High and read them repeatedly. JTC Chick had a reputation among the churches I was raised in. He was seen as a fearless truth-teller, exposing the dark underbelly of modern culture. One of his primary sources for things like satanism, music, Dungeons and Dragons, and the Illuminati was John Todd. Supposedly, Spellbound included Todd’s testimony based on his unusual background as both a high-ranking satanist AND a former record company insider. It turned out that as early as 1979, Todd had been exposed as a conman. All his information about how the music industry worked and how it was completely devoted to Satan came from his own diseased mind — as did his plethora of other conspiracy theories. The man even served 30 years in prison for molestation and rape, and yet Chick Publishing still sells several comics and tracts based on the man’s “testimony.”

I spent a large chunk of my life avoiding music that brought me joy because a cartoonist promoted a conspiracy theorist — and I cringe to admit I ever let these men have any influence over my life.

I’m also angry that Todd’s evil behavior was kept quiet for so long. His story incited fear, so it remained a teaching tool despite being completely falsified. I still hear echoes of his voice when pastors claim that Satan is in “the beat” or claim curses abound within syncopated rhythms. I remember reading Spellbound and puzzling over the ending when the church comes together to throw books and records into a bonfire. Even as a preteen, I thought that was extreme. Now that I’m in my 50s, I see those public bonfires as a way for pastors who thrive on conflict to get a little notoriety. https://thelitlady733988438.wordpress.com/2022/03/21/the-vanity-of-bonfires/

Despite years of belonging to a denomination that continuously steered me away from joy and a deeper relationship with the Lord, I still love God — we talk all the time. I also still love music. It’s a gift of happiness.

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Published on February 04, 2024 14:19

Bringing Truth to Fiction

The first Christian fiction book I bought for myself was Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke. I was sixteen and working my first job at a summer camp. I went on to purchase the sequels as they became available. I’d grown up loving the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, so the Love Comes Softly series was a natural extension of that appreciation.

For the next few decades, though, I read just a few Christian fiction books each year. I had nothing against most of them but struggled to find new authors or genres I loved.

I was also teaching literature and history, so much of my reading was preparing for classes. If a textbook mentioned an influential work, I made it a point to read it. It wasn’t always easy. While I understood their relevance, I didn’t exactly find The Federalist Papers or The Wealth of Nations riveting. The books I read for literature class were much more entertaining. I spent years reading and rereading favorites like The Epic of Gilgamesh, Beowulf, and The Scarlet Letter.

When I first started writing, my focus was Biblical fiction, but I wanted it to read in a modern style with fluid conversation and realistic motivations. It foreshadowed my desire to write contemporary Christian fiction and started developing The Rose Collection.

Because I didn’t have much experience with that genre, I contacted reading groups online and was flooded with suggestions. I was familiar with some of the books, some great, some—problematic.

I’d read them at a time when I was more willing to give a pass to objectionable materials if the author was labeled Christian or if the book was a “retelling” of a biblical story. Much of my attitude at the time was due to my being deep in an organization that promoted female-to-male submission, idolized church leaders, and provided no protection or routes of escape for abuse victims.

Now that I’m six books into my series that spotlights religious abuse and its long-term effects, I am less likely to give a pass to damaging messages hiding under the label of Christian fiction.

I have no problem with novels addressing difficult issues. They can be a genuinely helpful tool—IF the subjects are handled correctly.

No Christian novel should glorify marital abuse. When the Bible talks about believers suffering for the cause of Christ, it is speaking about the pushback that may come when standing up for what is right. It is NOT about encouraging spouses to put up with domestic violence, alcoholism, adultery, or porn addiction. It’s frustrating that this misapplication of Scripture is being used to keep people in dangerous relationships.

A Christian novel where a husband leaves his wife, sleeps with another woman, uses his children as weapons, and confesses that the entire reason for his choices is that he’s tired of being married, should NOT be leaning toward what the WIFE can do to fix the marriage. And vice versa if the genders are reversed.

One of the best novels showing the complexities of a Christian marriage facing extreme difficulties is What Strength Washed Up by Catherine Brusk. She doesn’t shy away from the hard subjects facing many marriages today (overscheduling, drifting apart) but then she ratchets up the conflict when a drunk driver blinds the couple’s daughter. The stressful situation highlights the weaknesses already in their marriage and forces them to decide if they (INDIVIDUALLY) will trust God to get them through (AS A COUPLE). Each person is responsible for their OWN spiritual growth, not their partner’s.

When I began writing Wise and Mighty, I wanted to explore a married couple’s relationship with different opinions concerning how their denomination treated its members in the name of God. Issues of submission, trust, dress standards, and dangerous teachings are all addressed. To explore each of these aspects, I spent a great deal of time in the Bible, going so far as writing a sermon for the MMC, Pastor Jason Taylor. It was a learning experience, to be sure, but I loved how strong my characters became in their convictions.

I would never tell a reader not to read a book just because I don’t care for it (or its message), but I will encourage readers to read books that they see as problematic books with a sharp focus on what the Bible teaches—and a pencil. Make notes and study out the issues. If Scripture is provided, read the entire context for yourself. Seek out the truth in fiction.

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Published on January 27, 2024 15:27

LaDelle & Jubilant by Cathy McIlvoy

LaDelle & Jubilant by Cathy McIlvoy is a Christian historical novel that follows the lives of an aunt and her nephew as they are thrown together after a family emergency.

LaDelle’s whole life is one of maintaining her sense of control. A confident and self-assured career woman and proud homeowner, Ladelle is also the head librarian at Tuskegee University. One of the big motivations for her move to Alabama after the tragic death of her husband was her admiration for George W. Carver.

Jubilant is the preteen son of a reverend. After losing his mother, Jubilant and his dad only have each other, but where the pastor is beloved by his congregation, the son is labeled a lazy, incompetent disappointment. When the reverend has a heart attack, the women of the congregation convince him his recovery will go faster if he doesn’t have to worry about his son. Arrangements are made for Jubilant to spend the summer with his Aunt LaDelle–and with Mr. Carver himself.

A sweet and homey novel that explores the pain of family expectations, loss, and growth. I came to love LaDelle and Jubilant as I joined them on their spiritual journeys.

About the Book

Book: LaDelle & Jubilant

Author: Cathy McIlvoy

Genre: Historical Fiction/Christian Fiction/Southern Fiction/Black/African American Historical Fiction

Release Date: August 14, 2023

Set in the 1930s, this Southern feel-good novel about a controlling widow and the troubled nephew she’s asked to care for invites you on a journey of faith and surrender while weaving in the amazing true-life character, George Washington Carver.

LaDelle Harris, a fiery 51-year-old widow and head librarian at the Tuskegee Institute, likes things her way: orderly and predictable. So, the last thing she wants is to take care of her 12-year-old nephew, Jubilant, for the summer— or maybe forever. But when her estranged brother, the Reverend Ashton Bartley, suffers a heart attack and she’s asked to look after his son, she can’t say no.

While LaDelle focuses on doing all she can to keep Jubilant from creating chaos in her well-ordered life, it seems Abel Fisher, the manager of the Piggly Wiggly, is taking an interest in her. Amid all that’s happening, Jubilant is bent on returning to Huntsville to be with his daddy.

Can a menopausal woman with a need for control and a troubled pre-teen boy make peace with God and each other as they struggle with their fears and issues? Some gracious neighbors and Professor George Washington Carver may be able to help.

Click here to get your copy!About the Author

LaDelle & Jubilant is Cathy McIlvoy’s first published work of fiction and was initially inspired by her admiration for George Washington Carver. Her interest in him and Tuskegee grew as she taught her sons about this genuine man of faith. She especially wanted her two youngest, bi-racial sons to know about this scientist with his impressive accomplishments and commendable character, who looked like them.

Cathy’s desire to learn more about Professor Carver put her on a plane from California to Alabama, where she soaked up all she could and enjoyed more than one unforgettable meal of catfish, grits, and sweet tea. Her time spent on campus at Tuskegee University, including several visits to the George Washington Carver Museum located on campus, fueled ideas for LaDelle & Jubilant and continues to be a highlight in her life. Cathy was also fortunate to receive an endorsement for her book from Dana Chandler, Archivist at Tuskegee University.

Today, Cathy and her husband make their home near one of their sons in Louisville, Kentucky where she writes, and they minister to pastors, leaders, and missionaries through Standing Stone Ministry. In addition to having four grown sons, Cathy and her husband are blessed with amazing daughters-in-law, a growing brood of grandchildren, and—though calling them a blessing is a matter of debate between her and family members—two persnickety cats.