The Stranger: Review and Interview with Joy Margetts

I’m always excited to see a new book from Joy Margetts, who is one of my favourite Christian authors. Joy writes historical Christian fiction with a fantastic kingdom message, and I’ve featured all her books so far on this blog (here’s her previous one, The Bride). Joy’s series of books set in medieval Wales is expanding with her latest title, The Stranger, which is out now. I think The Stranger might be my favourite so far, although each one is hard to surpass, especially The Bride. This new book tells the story of Silas, a monk who is broken by his own perceived failure and the actions of others; the monastery he had pioneered has burnt to the ground along with his hopes and dreams – and, seemingly, his faith. Silas flees his calling and, in a tale of a struggle for basic survival woven in with encounters with people on his journey, finds his way back to himself and to God. The settings throughout the story are powerfully written and evocative, drawing the reader in – the damp mists of Wales are still something we can all relate to! But for me it was the characters who spoke so well of the generosity and grace of God as well as their own kindness and courage. I loved their openness to welcoming a stranger – the widow with her disabled son, who opened her hearth and her home despite having nothing of her own, the charcoal burner who gave Silas room at his fireside, the goldsmith family who welcomed him in for as long as he needed. They all spoke clearly to me of God’s love in action. I love the stranger Silas himself meets later in the book, Cennad – I won’t say too much about him, but do read for yourself, as there’s something special about him…

Silas’ journey spoke powerfully to me, as someone who has sometimes questioned where God is, and as someone who has experienced the depths of what it is to feel failure in ministry. I think his journey would speak to any reader, because he is so very human with his own flaws, but willing to listen to others along the way and, in the end, to open his heart to God once again, realising that He had never let him go. I always find Joy’s books are a place to sink into, to take time with, to allow the Holy Spirit to minister through, and this one is no exeption: I warmly recommend it if you need to encounter God’s kindness in your life, or even if you just want a good story to sink into this winter.

Joy has very kindly answered some questions for me today:

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing.

I live on the beautiful North Wales coast and take much inspiration from the landscapes and ancient sites all around me. I love history, I love the Word of God and I adore my grandchildren! It is a real privilege, at this stage of my life, to have been given the opportunity to write stories, based on my own faith journey, that bring hope to others and speak God’s truth.

Your new book, The Stranger, is part of a series – tell us a little about the other books, and how they link together.

I have written four novels now but I never intended to write a series. What has in fact happened is that each subsequent book has been inspired by the first, The Healing, and by characters that appeared in that book. The Pilgrim went back in time to explore Brother Hywel’s back story, and The Bride is set in a concurrent period to The Healing, and ends at the same place. In The Stranger we meet some of the characters from the other books again, and it is set about 2 years after the end of The Healing.

What gave you the idea for this series of books, and The Stranger in particular?

All of my books, although fiction and set in a different time period, are based very much on my own experiences of walking through life with Jesus. They kind of tell my story. That they are set in the medieval world of Cistercian abbeys and monks is because of my love of history, and some local abbey ruins! The Stranger is very personal. It explores what it feels like to question your faith, to feel that God has abandoned you, in the face of life changing circumstances. I have been there, and I wanted to give hope to anyone else who finds themselves in that place. God doesn’t leave us there.

You’ve published The Stranger through a newer publisher, Broad Place Publishing. Can you tell us a little bit about this publisher and about your experience of publishing with different publishers?

I have had the privilege of working with traditional publishers. It has been wonderful for someone who knew nothing about publishing to be guided through the processes involved, by people who definitely knew their stuff. With this book I decided to go a different route.

Broad Place Publishing was started by two close friends. Their vision is to bring to the world Jesus-Centred, Holy Spirit inspired Kingdom books. They work in partnership with authors, with a level of transparency in terms of financial costs, and author input, that is hard to find in the publishing world. The book has been produced with excellence and soaked with prayer. It has been an exciting ride so far!

What would you love readers to take away from The Stranger?

That God is big enough to take our questions, doubts and fears, and that He will go out of His way to pursue our hearts and gently lead us back, however far we think we have run from Him.

Finally, tell us where we can get hold of a copy of the book, and how we can find out more about your future projects.

The book will be widely available both online and through book stores. It is currently available in kindle form on Amazon.

You can purchase now through the publisher at www.broadplacepublishing.co.uk

And you can purchase signed copies, directly from me at www.joymargetts.com from 22^nd November.

My website has information about all of my books. I also write a regular devotional blog. If you would like to keep up to date with all I am doing, the best way to do that is to sign up to my monthly newsletter, which you can do through my website www.joymargetts.com