Made of Honor Blog Tour

Marilynn Griffith is mom to a tribe of kids, wife to a very handsome deacon and blessed to be friends with some wonderful writers. She loves to read, write, speak and all things communication related.

She's the person at the family gatherings who is always either telling a story or listening to one! Before realizing she was a writer, life was a bit confusing. She tried everything from secretary to math tutor (that actually worked out pretty well). These days it's family, friends and church activities that keep Mary busy when she's not writing. And blogging.

Keep reading and find out more about Mary's book, Made of Honor. Sign my guest book for a drawing for a free book!

RH: Tell us about your current book?
MG: Dana Rose pledges to say "I won't" the next time she's asked to be in a wedding. Her weak will has turned her closet into cemetery for satin gowns from periwinkle to Pepto pink. After ten stints as bridesmaid, Dana thinks she's seen it all. Then she's fired, forced to turn her hobby into a business and faced with her prodigal brother, back-stabbing sis and Mr. Practically Perfect, the ex who not only married someone else, but opened the business of her dreams—across the street. There's that Maid of Honor thing too… And this time she can't say no. Will wedding #11 show Dana what's she's really made of?

RH: What inspired this story?
MG: I used to own a seasonal bath and body business. Steeple Hill rejected my first manuscript but they liked my voice. They asked my agent about me doing a chick lit. I didn't know what that was exactly, but the prospect of writing in first person sounded interesting, so I tried it and loved it. I also have had a lot of wonderful single friends over the years.

RH: What would you like your readers to take away from your book?
MG: I'd love for readers of MADE OF HONOR to come away from the book knowing that they are fearfully and wonderfully made and that God delights in them and loves them in an intimate way, despite whatever mess riddles their pasts. Christ stands waiting to embrace them as His bride.

RH: How do you balance writing with your "every day life?"
MG: I don't. LOL Really. I've long since given God that job. He called me to be a wife and mother and a writer. Sometimes (like a deadline week) that doesn't always look like I think it should, but God graced me with the family I was supposed to have. I try to keep the Word first place and keep the lines of communication open so that when things get off balance (too much work, not enough work) we can talk about it. When I try to stop writing to be Super Mom, my kids are like,"Go write something. You're cranky!"

RH: As a Christian Fiction Writer , what is the spiritual truth your book carries thematically?
MG: MADE OF HONOR is about seeing what you're really made of and knowing that God loves you anyway. This book is about a woman discovering that everyone, including herself, isn't quite what she thought and realizing that God still loves them all. Dana knows how to love, but she has to learn how to let her self be loved...both by God and the other people in her life.

RH: If someone said, "What blurb could I put on a t-shirt that would encapsulate the feel and tone and plot of your novel?"--how would you respond?
MG: MADE OF HONOR--Girlfriends, God and all the giggles in between!

RH: What is the one, all-encompassing, totally-vindicated secret of good writing that you made sure to employ in writing MADE OF HONOR?
MG: Secret? I don't know any. When you discover one let me know! LOL I just fell in love with the characters and tried to fall deeper in love with Jesus. Somewhere along the way, we got a book.

RH: Who are your three favorite writers, and will you be sending them copies of MADE OF HONOR?
MG: Well, many of those folks are dead and probably wouldn't have been interested, but there are many writers who I respect who endorsed the book like Sharon Ewell Foster, Lisa Samson and Kristin Billerbeck.

RH: How can readers learn more about your books and get in contact with you?

MG: I can be contacted at marilynngriffith@gmail.com or through comments at my website http://www.marilynngriffith.com/.

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