Tell us about Unhaling: On God, Grace and a Perfectly Imperfect Life

Unhaling: On God, Grace and a Perfectly Imperfect Lifeis a collection of essays that celebrate the funny, and the spiritual, in the most unlikely everyday moments. These are snapshots of my cluttered, wildly disorganized, very full life as a church worker, actress, writer and mom of five. I’ve learned that God’s grace can be found everywhere: in burned dinners, bungled piano lessons, forgotten appointments, and overgrown yards. God was right there when the kids broke out in chicken pox (all at once), when various offspring went skydiving, studied in Thailand, entered the Naval Academy, performed their music in concert, and took a first solo bus trip to Boston. And I believe God gently and lovingly encourages a certain perpetually nervous fifty-something (that would be me) to unclench, relax and “unhale.”

In the book I try to challenge readers to look at their own experiences with new eyes, and recognize the One who stands with us all, with all our flaws and our failures, throughout our perfectly imperfect lives.

So what genre would you say it is?
Is humorous spiritual non-fiction a genre? If so, that’s what it is!

You’re the writer; it’s a genre if you say it is! What kind of readers do you expect this book to attract?
Unhaling has been read and enjoyed by folks ages 7-87 (literally). I think my book will appeal to that wide age range, maybe especially to parents (young and old), because so many of the stories involve my kids. The essays are brief, perfect for reading in the car pool line, at the playground, or in bed for the 5 minutes you have before sleep overtakes you. In each story, I emphasize the funny side of life, but there’s also, I hope, a deeper aspect to the essays, glimpses of God at work in all of us.

How long did it take to write
Unhaling? I always say it took 8 years, but that’s because the stories were originally published as monthly articles in my church newsletter. When I decided to compile them into a book, it came together quickly – which was good, because my family was sick and tired of hearing me talk about people at church who urged me to write the book, but then never doing it!

What was the most challenging part of your creative process?
I can usually find something to write about, so subject matter is not much of an issue. However, I am distinctly more creative at some points of the day – and those are often the hours I’m at work and can’t write. So timing is a real challenge. I also challenge myself to create effective pieces that are only a couple of pages long, but still express what I want to convey to the reader. I don’t have the attention span to write (or even to read) long novels, so I keep things short and (hopefully) sweet.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
For many years I wrote and performed in children’s theatre with my husband’s company, Family Stages. I was getting just a tad old to be pulling off the role of Cinderella, so at age 45 I switched gears and became Director of Spiritual Formation at a Lutheran church just outside of Philadelphia. I still have that job, in addition to my freelance writing (I write a regular column in a Philadelphia newspaper and have had work published in other newspapers and magazines as well.) I am the proud mom of five pretty terrific kids who are now all grown up, but still provide me with plenty of material!

Have you got a blog where readers can keep up with your work?
Absolutely! My blog, called Working Title, is a series of 500 word (exactly) posts about me, my family, work, etc. As always, I try to make the blog funny, but with a point. I post weekly, so there’s always something new to read quite often.

Where can we buy your book?
My books are available on Amazon ( US, UK) , Barnes and Noble and through Lulu, the publisher. Autographed copies can be purchased by contacting me directly through my website.

What’s next?
Well, I have another book out, Underway: Reflections On Everyday Grace (another collection of essays in the same spirit as Unhaling). I’m about half-way through Book #3, and then I will have a trilogy!