Spotlight on Michelle Stimpson and Trouble in My Way

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MICHELLE STIMPSON, a bestselling author, has penned several works, including Boaz Brown, Divas of Damascus Road (Essence® Bestseller), Breaking Bondage to Biscuits, and her young adult novel, Trouble In My Way. She also publishes short stories through her educational publishing company, Right Track Academic Support Services, LLC. Michelle serves in the Creative Tyme Ministry at her home church, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, and is currently pursing her ministerial license. She ministers to women through her online newsletter: www.womengrowinginchrist.com. Michelle lives near Dallas with her husband and their two teenage children.

TROUBLE IN MY WAY
by Michelle Stimpson
Published by Pocket Books (Simon & Schuster)

THE GOOD STUFF
by Michelle Stimpson
Published by Pocket Books (Simon & Schuster)

ABOUT THE BOOKS

Trouble in My Way - It's all Karis's mom's fault.

If she hadn't snooped into Karis's diary, she never would have known about Karis's unauthorized activies. Now, Karis is grounded indefinitely with no modem, no iPOD...and no cell phone. There's just no way Karis can survive being cut off from the world. Add a "shiesty" potential stepmother, a dangerous relationship with a self-proclaimed bad boy, and the constant pressure to cover her sneaky tracks – the combination makes a perfect recipe for high drama. Will faith in God help Karis get through, or has she pushed grace, and her mother, too far?

The Good Stuff - Sonia and Kennard have the "perfect" life: they both have successful careers, beautiful twins, and a charming house. But despite the fact that Kennard is a faithful breadwinner, his emotional distance from the family makes Sonia believe that a good marriage must be more than in name only.

Adrian couldn't love her husband, Darryl, more if she tried. He's the one person who's shown her what real love means. But when it seems that Darryl's more interested in making money than making babies, Adrian wonders what marriage is for? And when a devastating secret from Darryl's past emerges, it seems that their vows may truly break.

The two women are heartbroken and on the verge of divorce when a common friend, Miss Erma, invites them to a prayer group. Between the prayers come stories of marriage - the good and the bad, the happy and the sad. Sonia and Adrian discover that marriage is more than wedding dresses and happily ever after. It is compromise, sacrifice, and patience - the good stuff.

Buy Your Copy of Trouble in My Way and The Good Stuff today!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

1. What gave you the inspiration for this story?

Trouble in My Way was inspired by my experiences as a teen. I've been keeping a diary since I was twelve, and the stuff recorded on those hundreds of pages is hilarious - to say the least. I remember feeling like my mother totally against me, my friendships were the most important thing in my life, and every cute boy held promise. I just wanted to share some of the lessons I learned the hard way with readers.

For The Good Stuff, I wanted to encourage husbands and wives to work through their issues rather than run at the first - or even the second - sign of trouble. This is somewhat of a testimony of what God did in my own 15-year marriage.

2. How much of your own experiences influenced your characters? What aspects became traits that are theirs and theirs alone?

I'm a little ashamed to admit that there's a "whole lotta" teenage-me in the main character of Trouble In My Way - Karis Reed. She's fun, she's naive, and she has a way of twisting everything to make herself look good. What separates her from me, however, is that Karis has the added issue of being the daughter of a single mother who doesn't want her Karis to make the same mistake of getting pregnant at 16.

The wives in The Good Stuff (Sonia and Adrian) are different from me because of their family dynamics (one is the mother of twins, the other has no children). But we have the same heart. We both wanted our families to "work" but wondered if it was worth all the work.

3. If one of your characters were an ice cream flavor, what would he/she be and why?

Karis would be sweet cream with nuts. She's mostly nice and sweet, but she's also crunchy sometimes.

Sonia would be Rocky Road because she a tough one.

4. Are there any themes in Trouble in My Way and The Good Stuff that you hope the reader sees? Are there any themes that weren't overt but developed as the stories progressed?

Trouble In My Way is all about integrity. Karis is growing into the knowledge of what it means to be a godly young lady, and that's what I hope readers will take from this novel. One thing that kind of "jumped out" with this story as I wrote it was how Karis felt about being the big "oops!" in her mom's life. Though her mother loved Karis, she wasn't aware of how it made Karis feel when the mother referred to the pregnancy as a "mistake."

The theme of The Good Stuff has to be surrender. Marriage is tough, and it calls for a complete surrender to God's sovereignty. It calls for great faith in yourself, in your mate, and most importantly in God. Marriage is where 1 Corinthians 13 comes to life.

5. What were your most difficult parts to write? Your favorite?

The most difficult parts for Trouble In My Way was the ending. I wasn't quite sure how to end it so that I could resolve a sub-plot between Karis and one of her best friends - Tamisha. Karis was dishonest about a romantic relationship, which caused tension in this friendship. I wasn't really sure about how I wanted it to end. I wrote 2 different endings and picked the one I thought worked best.

The toughest thing with The Good Stuff was how to totally "write" the miracle that God performed in these marriages. But when I looked back on things, I realized that the miracle was in the process of surrender. It wasn't a big one-time event, it came as they walked. This was something that I had to really work with because novels always have a climax. It was a tough thing.

6. When is your next book coming out and what is the story?

I'm working on a fun, light book that I believe will encourage newer Christians to keep growing in their walk with God. No publication date - just writing it now!

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Thank you, Michelle, for being in the spotlight with us.

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