About the Book:
Would a God who truly loves you allow things to get this bad?
Lapsed Catholic Erin Rafferty has the life she always wanted. Or at least she did, till the moment her fiancé of five years announces he’s leaving her for another woman. Heartbroken and humiliated, a further devastating development leaves her wondering if she can ever live a normal life again.
Mark Ashcroft is a devout Catholic looking for an equally devout Catholic wife. A chance encounter with Erin leaves Mark completely captivated, yet deeply unsettled, knowing Erin is not in a place to accept him, nor is she the model Christian woman he’d hoped to start a life with.
A tentative friendship begins, and Erin finds herself questioning her long-held rejection of her faith, while Mark finds himself healing from memories of his own wounded past.
But as love grows, further tragedy in Erin’s life threatens her burgeoning faith and her hope for a future with Mark.
What follows is a difficult journey of love, surrender, trust, and faith in the ultimate knowledge that Christ is always in the midst of our sufferings.
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My Review:
A Channel of Your Peace is a strong debut in my favorite little sub-genre: Theology of the Body fiction. Don’t let that put you off if it sounds heady or unfamiliar. A Channel of Your Peace is an honest look at the lies we tell with our bodies when we live in a way that doesn’t honor God’s design for marriage, family, and self-sacrificial love.
The author captures the heroine’s journey in a genuine, nonjudgmental way, allowing the reader to witness her heartache, suffering, and conversion in a gradual, natural way.
No matter how far we stray, God waits, right amidst the suffering and the joy, and welcomes us with open arms.
I enjoyed the Australian setting (with a slice of Mexico as well).
Interview with the Author:
This is your first novel. What inspired you to write a Catholic novel?
When I was ten, I wrote a story for my school’s ‘Book Week’ writing competition. I worked hard on it, and remember feeling quite thrilled and exhilarated when I finished it. I handwrote the title page before stapling it together — putting my story title, name, and a copyright symbol for good measure, and decided that one day I wanted to be published for real!
But as for writing something specifically Catholic, Ellen Gable’s early books were what inspired me. I always thought it would be unlikely I could ever publish the type of fiction I wanted to write. I didn’t realise it was possible to publish Catholic stories in our day and age. The first books of Ellen’s that I read were Emily’s Hope and In Name Only, and it wasn’t until then that the idea to write a Catholic story – one that focused on the Church’s teachings on marriage and family – started to form.
Tell us about A Channel of Your Peace in two sentences.
A Channel of Your Peace is a story about love — not only the love that can exist between a man and a woman, but also, and more importantly, the love of God for each and every one of us. It is also about that wonderful virtue of hope; hope that God can, and will, draw good from evil if we put our trust in Him.
How much of you and your husband are in the characters of Katrina and Emilio? Did you base the characters of Katrina and Emilio (Erin’s sister and brother-in-law) on yourself and your husband?
While I didn’t base Katrina and Emilio on myself and my husband Pablo, I did draw a bit on the experience of our life together which made them easier for me to write — it’s something that I know. When I was in the early planning stages of the story, I knew Erin would need some convincing to make a long flight to Mexico. Having her family help her along seemed like a good way to get her there.
I really didn’t base Katrina on myself, but when I was choosing a profession for Emilio, I did draw on Pablo’s expertise – he has a PhD in philosophy. It was fun to give Emilio a position as a university lecturer in philosophy!
Your descriptions of the Cathedral in Mexico and the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe are so well done. Have you been there before and what has been your experience visiting there?
Thank you! Yes, I’ve been to the basilica four times, back when Pablo and I lived in Mexico when we were first married. We were very blessed to live only about three hours’ drive from Mexico City, so we used to make our own little pilgrimages. While I never experienced anything as obviously miraculous as Erin did, I can honestly say that each time we went the experience was most touching. Notwithstanding the crowds and tourists (on weekends and feast days it’s standing room only!) I always experienced a wonderful peace and joy in the basilica and found myself drawn irresistibly to the image of Our Lady. She really is present there. I always wanted to get as close as I could, so I would go back and forth on those travelators again and again.
It’s true that even the authentic replicas don’t quite do the original image justice. Seeing the real tilma is really quite an experience in itself, if you have faith. I think that’s what draws so many people there every year. In addition, I’ve always found it fascinating that this Marian apparition site is unique among her other apparition sites. At Guadalupe, Our Lady left something of herself behind on Saint Juan Diego’s tilma; that piece of fabric made from a cactus plant which shouldn’t have lasted more than a few years. And yet, here it still is, almost 500 years later. Extraordinary!
How would you describe your target audience for this book?
When I started writing the novel, I set out with young women in mind as my target audience, more or less around the age of my lead character Erin, who is about 27. It’s a love story, in large part, and we girls love a good romance! Although, it’s my hope the book may reach a wider audience. I was surprised at the positive reaction I received from the men who read the manuscript prior to publication, ranging in age between 30 and 80. The story carries a strong theme about the freedom we experience on embracing God’s teaching, which is essentially for everyone, even if the book may not be everyone’s preferred genre.
Tell us more about yourself and your family.
My husband Pablo and I have been married for 14 years. Pablo is Mexican, and we lived in Mexico for three years when we were first married and had our first child there. We now live in Canberra, Australia (my home city) and have three children; two boys and a girl. Pablo is an academic – he has a number of degrees and completed his PhD by way of multiple publications which appeared in journals all over the world. In terms of formal education, I’m the exact opposite to him as I never attended university. But our joint love of writing, albeit different forms of writing, is something that has been a lovely common ground in our marriage. I’m sure I would never have finished my novel if he hadn’t been cheering me on.
Our family life is pretty busy — anyone who has raised a family, or is in the midst of raising one, knows how intense a job this is! It seems to get more intense with each passing year as the kids move further along in their studies and interests. We have a fairly interesting, culturally-mixed family life and all our children are bilingual. I still don’t speak Spanish, but I do understand a lot of what I hear around the house; enough to be able to join an exclusively Spanish conversation – speaking in English, of course. It makes for entertaining listening (downright hilarious, actually, if I misunderstand something!) Pablo and I combined the names of our countries early in our marriage and often refer to our home as ‘Mextralia’!
The one thing that transcends all the cultural intricacies and differences is our faith. Weekly, or more-than-weekly Mass, regular Confession and the daily Rosary are pillars in our family life. Pablo and I try to present to the children the perfect example of the Holy Family of Nazareth as the one we should all be striving to imitate each day – though some days are definitely better than others! We’re just muddling through the best we can, just like everyone else. Which is all any of us can do, I think. ☺
The Blog Tour:
March 2 Ellen Gable, Plot Line and Sinker
March 3 Sarah Reinhard, Snoring Scholar
March 4 Ellen Gable, Plot Line and Sinker (listed as part of Open Book)
March 5 Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur
March 6 Carolyn Astfalk, My Scribblers Heart Blog
March 7 Ellen Gable, Plot Line and Sinker
March 8 Steven McEvoy, Book Reviews and More
About the Author:
Born and raised in Australia’s capital, Canberra, Veronica published her first work at age eleven when a Christmas poem she wrote was printed in the local newspaper.
Growing up, her two main focuses were her Catholic faith and music. After tireless efforts in these endeavours, Veronica is now resigned to being a deeply flawed though fairly devout Catholic, and a less-than-mediocre pianist.
She married her husband in 2005 and lived with him in his native Mexico for three years till they moved back to Canberra. After returning to Australia, Veronica ran her own one-woman resume and copywriting business for a few years till she decided she’d rather write fiction instead. The fruit of this labour is Veronica’s first novel A Channel of Your Peace, which was published by FQP on February 14, 2020.
Veronica and her husband Pablo have three beautiful children. She is a full-time homeschooling mum who enjoys reading and photography, hearing about her kids’ adventures in Minecraft, and spending some quiet time with her husband, preferably when they’re both awake.
Read more about Veronica at the FQP website.
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I was wondering what I was going to read next. Now I know. Thanks for posting such an informative review!
Thanks, Donna! I hope you enjoy it.