Why I Wrote The Wild... and What it Means to Me
Most of the time, my ideas come to me when I’m in the shower with nothing to write on. Sometimes they come in dreams, and other times, when I’m sitting at a red light people watching. The Wild was more intentional than any of my other ideas. Bits of it came the usual ways, but most of it came with purposeful planning, and if you know me, you know I am NOT a planner when it comes to writing. However, with this story, I wanted God to shine through more than any of my other works, so that took time, understanding, and patience—three things I often find myself lacking.
I wanted to show the life of a Christian, how we stumble and fall, and how putting our faith in the Father brings us closer to all of those things. Wren is my favorite female main character of all time, which is saying something since I have a lot of favorites. She far surpasses Eiagan (Eiagan’s Winter) in many ways, not because Eiagan’s struggle is any different. In many ways, it is very similar to Wren’s. Both seek counsel from God, though Eiagan is farther from submission than Eiagan. Both also suffer from self-doubt, questioning God, and wondering if their lives really make a difference in the world.
Through faith, Wren learns to follow her path, but it isn’t without hardships. Many hardships, in fact, but her steadfastness is contagious and impacts more lives than she knows. Wren isn’t your typical rear-end-kicking fantasy leading lady, either. In fact, she’s quite gentle and humble, quiet and courteous, and often puts herself last or in positions that are uncomfortable for her for the sake of others’ well-being. Make no mistake, though, she takes on the power of a mother bear when necessary but never forgets that God made her a woman. With that comes the understanding that she is out of her depth and can only survive and thrive when she puts her full faith in Him.
Writing The Wild was a faith-testing and building experience for me. I’ve written clean fiction for a long time, most always with a Christian worldview and morality, but I found I often slipped into worldly points of view while trying to be “acceptable” in a genre. More recently, I’ve felt convicted to bring God more into my writing—after all, it’s with His blessing that I have a skill I can hone, to begin with. While most of my work might not be as overtly Christian as The Wild, I still intend to let Him lead. My fantasy worlds have never contained “false names” for God. When I say God, I mean God, not the cauldron or the maker or the this or that. To be clear, I don’t condemn others for doing so, not in the least, but for me, it is more authentic to simply say what I mean. I also know that not everyone believes in God as a Christian, so they use varied names. I’m not shaming anyone but clarifying my own stance on my work.
But MJ, you’re still marketing to the secular world as well as Christian readers. Isn’t that going to anger some readers? Possibly. I do my best to write my blurbs so you know what you’re getting—something all authors should do. Notice how sometimes you pick up a book expecting one thing but get another? *Ahem* spice in young adult books when the blurb seems innocent and sweet? My intention is not to “fool” readers into reading Christian fiction. My intention is to offer a Christian worldview to whoever wants to read it. When I market only to Christians, I miss my mission as a Christian, which is to spread the gospel wherever I can. That also means not delegating my book to the dark recesses of Amazon categories “for Christians only.” If a reader cares to read my blurb, they will easily see the message intended, but I know that is still going to frustrate some people. I’ve heard it before. “If it has Christian God in it, it should only be allowed to be in Christian categories.”
Really? I haven’t heard that about other religions. No one says Islam should be delegated only to Islamic categories. Hinduism to said category. In fact, those categories don’t even exist as options on most publishing platforms. I wrote a fantasy with Christian themes… it’s still a fantasy.
So I suppose you could say this about The Wild… it’s my here I am, take it or leave it book. It’s my intentional thanks to my Creator for so many things, and I’m not about to be quiet about it. I hope you all like it and see the messages woven through it as applicable to life, even if you are not Christian. Further, if you’re not and want to chat, I’m available for civil discourse and love talking with my readers. You can always email me at mjpadgett@mjpadgettbooks.com or find me on social media!
