He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

As soon as I saw the title for Trish Ryan's new book, He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not: A Memoir of Finding Faith, Hope and Happily Ever After, I knew this was a book I had to read! I quickly emailed her and begged her to let me review it here on my blog and do a giveaway. I was thrilled when she agreed to do it! This book was so, so good. I didn't just read it-- I devoured it. I couldn't put it down. I love reading memoirs. (Perhaps because I am nosy, but then that just sounds negative.) And this memoir certainly didn't disappoint. Trish's journey through New Age philosophies and searching for God in all the wrong places is written in such a way that you can't wait to see what happens next. Her life has taken many twists and turns-- and yet, God clearly had His hand on her the whole time.

I would especially recommend reading this book if you know someone who is into different schools of thought or is "exploring alternatives" to God. Trish's writing offers great insight into what people that search for God through other alternatives might really be thinking and feeling. She puts a human, real face on who these people are that believe in crystals and feng shui and horoscopes. And she made me realize that they are a lot like me-- wanting to be loved, wanting to connect with others, and wanting something more out of life. I felt like this book equipped me to better love those people and to have compassion for them instead of criticizing them for what I tend to dismiss as just crazy beliefs. I know that God wants us to love them and reach out to them. And I see what happened to Trish when people began to do just that.

Check out her book-- I think you will love it as much as I did!

And now, here is her interview-- you can see what a delight she is and get to know her a bit. If you would like to try to win the book, please leave me a comment. I will draw a winner on Mother's Day.

Hi Trish, thanks for joining us! How long have you been writing? Do you speak as well?

I’ve loved writing since high school, when I realized that an A in English could balance out an algebra grade that came from a different part of the alphabet. I always hoped writing would be part of whatever profession I landed in, but I never thought I’d get to write books for a living—it’s such an incredible honor, and such fun. I’ve had so many other jobs where I was just putting in time, and this is entirely different.

My speaking career started in high school also (sort of a formative time for me, now that I think of it!) I love connecting with an audience—seeing the reaction in real time. It’s a great counterpart to all the solitude of writing.

How do balance your relationship with your husband and your passion for writing (and speaking)?

We’re still on the front end of figuring that out! When we were first married, we heard a wise piece of advice about prioritizing: put God first, then your spouse, then your family. Work comes after that, because you need to support all those people you love! And then your service to the church or community. It’s tough sometimes when I’m on a deadline or our schedule gets hectic, but it really helps to have a pre-made decision about putting our relationship ahead of all the other things competing for our attention.

What advice would you give a writer who is seeking publication?

Read widely.
Seek wise counsel and listen to what trusted people tell you—especially if it’s not flattering.
Ask God how you should move forward. I wrote for months and never submitted anything to anyone because I couldn’t get a clear sense when I prayed about whom to send it to. There were thousands of agents, and I needed help to figure out where to start.

How did this book come about? How did you choose the memoir format (which totally works for this!) versus a standard women's trade nonfiction book?

I wanted to share my experience of finding faith without the suggestion that I was an “expert,” or that there was any pressure on readers to come to similar conclusions. I hadn’t seen a story like mine when I was combing bookstores for spiritual options, and this seemed the best format to describe the unique path I took to happily ever after.

What project are you working on currently?

My next book picks up where HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT leaves off, describing how our happily ever after has gone so far—both in terms of figuring out what it means to be a wife, and what it looks like for us to follow Jesus here in New England, where that’s not a very common thing.

Thanks, Marybeth for having me!!!