Interview with Jennifer Rodewald #2

About the Author

Jennifer Rodewald is passionate about the Word of God and the powerful vehicle of story. The draw to fiction has tugged hard on her heart since childhood, and when she began pursuing writing she set on stories that reveal the grace of God.
Jen lives and writes in a lovely speck of a town where she watches with amazement while her children grow up way too fast, gardens, and marvels at God’s mighty hand in everyday life. Four kids and her own personal superman make her home in southwestern Nebraska delightfully chaotic.
She would love to hear from you! Please visit her at https://www.authorjenrodewald.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorjenrodewald or email her at [email protected].

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The Interview

​1. What inspired the idea for the novella Ordinary Snowflakes?  What do you want readers to take away from reading your novella?
Honestly, after I finished writing Red Rose Bouquet, which was a heavier book, I needed a break. I prayed for something lighter, fun, and something that would remind me of the joy of writing (not that RRB wasn’t a joy, but like I said, it was heavy, and it was a hard book to write). Ordinary Snowflakes was God’s answer to that prayer. I didn’t expect to be served a lesson in it, but God did, and I am so delighted. I hope my readers find what I found—that God sees. He loves. He smiles down on us, even though our lives may seem painfully ordinary. We are crafted and loved by an extraordinary God.
 
2. What is your current WIP?  What can you tell us about it?
Oh boy… well, I started NaNo today (it’s Nov 1 as I write this), and that WIP is tentatively called Evergreen. It is book three—and the final book—in the Grace Revealed series (Blue Columbine and Red Rose Bouquet). Foster care, marriage stress, and perfectionism all factor into that story. I’m taking a deep breath…
 
Also, I’m working on a YA dystopian series, which I hope to have out the first book early next year. We’ll see about God’s timing on that one. J
 
3. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?  Did becoming an author ever cross your mind?
Interesting question…what I wanted to be and what I thought I could do weren’t the same thing. I wanted to be a writer—didn’t think that was a “real” option, though. So, I became a teacher, which interestingly enough, I loved. I stopped teaching when my second daughter was born, so I’ve been out of the classroom for about 13 years, but I still love teaching, and interacting with kids, via Awana and Jr. High Sunday school.
 
4. What period of history interests you the most?  Why?
I’d have to say probably WWII, because I am always trying to wrap my head around how evil so quickly and effectively took over so much of our globe. It also seemed to be a point in modern history that shifted how most people viewed life. With regards to that, though, I’d have to say the Reformation period also commands my attention—so interesting to see light battle darkness, and a reminder that our fight is not against flesh and blood.
 
5. As this is a holiday novella, what is your favorite holiday tradition?
Well, that’s an interesting one too, because right now my favorite tradition is actually for Thanksgiving, not Christmas. A few years back, my family served with a group at our church on Thanksgiving Day. We served over 150 people in our community a full-fledged Thanksgiving meal. That really redefined what Thanksgiving is for us, and now we are in charge of that annual meal. We love it. It’s hard work, and it takes a lot of people pulling together, but being a part of our community, serving people, and understanding that Thanksgiving is an action, not a call to gluttony, has really sharpened our focus on the kind of people God has asked His disciples to be. It reminds me from that day forward, into the next year and beyond, that compassion and service are a pair of the most powerful tools Jesus left His people for His kingdom work. 

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