We’ve got an exciting new feature on the blog today: my first-ever author interview! My sweet friend Emily Conrad is getting ready to release her debut novel, Justice (which is amazing, by the way!), and she agreed to be my guinea pig.
Justice is a work of contemporary romantic women’s fiction, with inspiration taken from the Biblical account of Mary and Joseph. Here’s the blurb…
Jake thought he was meant to marry Brooklyn, but now she’s pregnant, and he had nothing to do with it. Brooklyn can’t bring herself to name the father as she wrestles with questions about what her pregnancy means and how it will affect her relationship with Jake. If Harold Keen, the man who owns the bookstore across from Jake’s coffee shop, has anything to do with it, the baby will ruin them both.
Doesn’t that sound great? Justice releases March 9 and is available for pre-order and purchase in e-book format from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Welcome, Emily, and congratulations on your debut!
Thank you! It’s great to be here.
Jesus doesn’t shy away from facing the ugliness of life head-on, so I always rejoice when Christian novels are willing to confront it in a similar manner. What inspired you to address the issue of sexual assault in the pages of Justice?
I don’t remember what inspired me to write about sexual assault—I started my first draft of the story that would become Justice seventeen years ago—but that’s really just the inciting incident, and from there, the story goes on to focus on things we all have to deal with: revenge versus forgiveness, people failing us, and conflict in the church. These show up in my fiction because they’re in my life, too. Believers are forgiven, but still flawed, and I think it’s important for fiction to reflect that.
Which character was the easiest for you to write, and why? Which character’s head was most difficult for you to get into, and why?
I had an easier time writing Jake. Parts of Justice were inspired by the biblical account of Mary and Joseph. One thing that’s said of Joseph is he’s a just man, so naturally, Jake is committed to justice. However, if he did everything right all the time, there would be no story. Jake’s struggle is when a desire for justice in the name of protecting what’s most important to him inches toward a quest for revenge.
As for difficulties, it was pretty late in the drafting process that one of my critique partners brought up weaknesses in Brooklyn’s character arc. What was her internal struggle? When (and how) did she overcome it? Up until my critique partner raised those questions, I’d written the book thinking Brooklyn had enough on her hands healing from a rape. With that prompt, however, I reconsidered and realized she had a flaw that had been interfering with her life long before the attack and complicated her healing process afterward: perfectionism. Once I pinpointed that, her story came together in ways I hadn’t anticipated.
Justice is your debut novel. Could you tell us briefly about your journey to publication?
In brief, it was long. I have been writing fiction for about twenty years. I started querying agents in high school. In college, when one of my professors praised another student by saying she thought he’d be published by age twenty-five. Jealous, I thought, Why aren’t you saying that about me?
I must’ve internalized publication by age twenty-five as a goal, because my twenty-fifth birthday was depressing for me, largely because I was unhappy with where I was on the path to publication.
I turn thirty-five later this month, and looking back, that publication-by-twenty-five kick sounds immature, but I confess that I can still relate. I still tend toward having my own timeframe and wishing God would stick to it, but of course, that’s not how He operates.God’s ways are not my ways—they’re better. Life experiences and connections built in the writing world over the last twenty years have helped prepare me to launch my first novel. Whatever further delays, frustrations, or setbacks I face, He will use for good.
What lessons do you hope readers will take away from Justice?
That God is in the midst of our trials, even when things are at their blackest. He is in control, He is present, and He is good. Zephaniah 3:5 is the verse that probably best sums it up.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
I walk my two dogs every day. On is a black and tan hound mix, and the other is a pit bull mix. Also, we have an international student living with us this year, and I’ve been enjoying learning to cook Chinese.
What question are you dying for someone to ask you about Justice, but no one has? Go ahead and ask yourself that question, and then give us the answer.
One question I’ve never been asked is this one: “You’ve said you borrowed some inspiration from the account of Mary and Joseph. How closely does Justice mirror their story and what did you learn writing the story this way?”
I think it’s important to first point out the differences: Justice is a contemporary novel, so the setting and time are different. Also, Justice deals with the aftermath of a rape, which is of course a completely different circumstance than what Mary and Joseph faced.
However, both couples do face the scandal an out-of-wedlock pregnancy they didn’t cause.Running with that, the book is full of nods to Mary and Joseph. For example, many of the names of characters were inspired by the Biblical account, including the main characters’ names: Jake Davidson and Brooklyn Merrill. (Davidson/son of David and Merrill/Mary.)
Some of the plot elements, location names, and character traits were also inspired by what we read in the Bible, and I hope it’s fun for readers to keep an eye out for those, taking note of similarities and differences (as I said before, there are plenty of differences!).
Throughout the process of writing Justice, I learned some trivia. For example, Nazareth is on a hill, and that’s how I came to name Jake’s coffeeshop Hillside. But on a more serious note, borrowing inspiration from Mary and Joseph’s lives reminded me that we serve the same God today. God is present and active in our lives, He provides for us and gave His son in order to redeem us. With Him, all things are possible, and we are never alone in any trial we face.
Wow! I totally missed the Davidson/David and Merrill/Mary when I read it. I’m going to have to reread and see how many more of those hints I can pick up on!
One last question, Emily. How can we pray for you?
Oh, wow! I haven’t gotten that question in an interview yet! I would appreciate prayer for discernment regarding my writing career. There are decisions at every turn, and I want God’s wisdom and not my own impatience or worry or ambition at the helm. I would love to hear readers’ prayer requests in the comments so I can lift them up, too!
Thank you so much for being here today, Emily! I hope you are as blessed as we are to have you!!
Emily Conrad lives in Wisconsin with her husband and two rescue dogs. She loves Jesus and enjoys road trips to the mountains, crafting stories, and drinking coffee. (It’s no coincidence her debut novel is set mostly in a coffee shop!) She offers free short stories on her website and loves to connect with readers on her website, Facebook, Twitter,and Instagram.