Welcome to the marvelous season of fall, my favorite time of year!
In her book Devotions for the Fall (©2020 by Thomas Nelson), Stacy Edwards tells us “There’s something different in the air—a coolness that tells you fall has finally arrived . . . There isn’t anything quite as refreshing as that first fall breeze that announces the arrival of a new season . . . Walking in freedom with Jesus is as stimulating as that first fall breeze. Everything that once weighed us down just falls away, and a fresh beginning is ours for the taking. Everything is brimming with possibility, and the opportunities are endless.”
My guest author shares this same sentiment in the book she will be discussing with us today. Because of the Love of our Creator, He offers us all a fresh beginning, a future brimming with possibility and endless opportunity.
April Graney, author of the children’s books The Marvelous Maker and The Marvelous Mud House, is a busy mom, wife, and speaker who loves “fall and rain and the color mustard.” With our shared interests of books and the season of fall, I thought she would be a great subject for my fall newsletter. I am excited that she has graciously agreed to grant me the following interview.
Welcome, April! My readers may already be familiar with your book The Marvelous Mud House, if they read my March 2021 blog. Today I was hoping you would share some insight into your first “marvelous” book, The Marvelous Maker (©2020 B&H Publishing).
As an English teacher I have always appreciated symbolism and parables in literature. I love books like The Hobbit and King Arthur, whose themes center around heroic sacrifice and good vs. evil. In my opinion, you have portrayed the creation story in a similar way in your book The Marvelous Maker.
To me, this book is a simple retelling of the creation story, the fall of man, and the redemption and saving grace of God.
Q: Your book is called a “creation and redemption parable.” What was your inspiration for writing this book, and how does it fit the classification of a “parable?”
A: When I looked at children’s books about the creation story, many of them ended with the fall of Adam and Eve and them being thrown out of the garden. It’s a dark and sad reality that’s important for children to be able to understand why bad things sometimes happen in this world. But it’s also not the end of the story. I wanted to be able to continue the story to share with children how God came to rescue his children from the darkness sin has caused. So our characters in this story live through the epic narrative of the Bible. Romans 6 talks about how we are all slaves to sin before coming to Christ, and we need to be rescued by the Savior. We then become chosen children of God who are no longer living as slaves to sin but are children of the King equipped to overcome evil in this world. A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. This story illustrates the spiritual transfer that takes place in a believer’s life as they move from a slave to sin to a child of God.
Q: The characters’ clever names sound Greek or medieval to me. Why did you choose these names and not Adam and Eve?
A: All the characters in the story have unique names. Jesus is “The Marvelous Maker.” Satan is “the Tricky Tempter”; and since our characters live through the entire Bible, we could not use Adam and Eve for their names. But I wanted to make the connection with the Genesis story by using names that would represent humanity. Adam “us” represents all of us who are under sin, and Genevi “eve” represents the generations that have lived throughout history. Some adults have questioned the renaming, but I have explained to them that Adam “us” and Genevi “eve” represent you and me!
Q: I am intrigued by the subtle, sometimes almost hidden, scripture references on each spread. How did you choose these particular passages and where to place them on the pages?
A: In the book proposal, I actually had 4-5 verses related to just about every line of the story. There are so many spiritual truths wrapped up in each line, I wanted to be able to unpack all those truths in a simple way that children could understand, but also allow people to go deeper in their study of these concepts in Scripture. Someday, I hope to write a longer study to accompany the book using the verses I included in the proposal. I would have put all of them in the artwork, but there wasn’t time or room to incorporate them all. Children love finding the Scripture references on each page!
Q: Illustrator Monica Garofalo has done a beautiful job of depicting the good and evil, the light and darkness of your story. For example, the monkey and the elephant express wide-eyed fear in the presence of the serpent, and absolute joy exudes from the polar bear and the deer as they see the Maker. What is your favorite illustration, and why does it speak to you?
A: The illustration where the red strings of sin are wrapped around the Maker’s hands and feet as he hangs on the cross is my favorite. Those strings entangle our main characters in the beginning and represent how sin captures and entraps us. So it’s a great way to illustrate the concept of Jesus taking on our sin on the cross. When I speak to audiences, I will use a large roll of red yarn, and wrap a child up in it while talking about how sin entangles us. The expressions on the faces of Adamus and Genevieve as they grieve the Maker’s death are also powerful on that page to me.
Q: Your poetic language also speaks to me as a person who loves words and imagery. What is your favorite passage, and why does it speak to you?
A: The line that has totally transformed my heart is “throw off his lies, and you will see, I’ve made you to be royalty.” The Maker says this to our characters after they become his children, encouraging them to resist the “tricky tempter.” I used to struggle a lot with finding my identity in Christ as a child of God. I had a lot of insecurity, which is something I think everyone deals with. Those negative inner thoughts are not what God wants for us. They are lies from the devil, and as God’s children, we are fully loved and equipped to serve Him. I hope so much that others will hear these words and be transformed through greater identity in Christ as a result as well.
Q: Again, this story is a beautiful re-telling of God’s purpose for us, His children. What do you hope both children and adults will take away from engaging with The Marvelous Maker?
A: My hope is that many children and adults will come to faith in Christ through this book! I pray that through a relationship with their Maker, they will find freedom from fear, the power to resist sin, and the courage to bring light to a darkened world. People need to understand why our world is so dark, and so many bad things happen here, so that through faith in the redemption of Christ, they can work for change and hope for a future eternity with God.
Q: Can we look forward to any other “marvelous” books in your future?
A: Yes! I’m in the process of getting illustrations made for my next book! It’s a book to encourage all of the amazing Christian kids going to school and being light in that darkness! It’s called If Jesus Came to My School and should release August 2023, Lord willing! I’ve also written a sequel to The Marvelous Mud House that tells the rest of George’s story from schoolboy to radio journalist, but I haven’t found a publisher for it yet. Prayers for that!
Q: Where can readers purchase The Marvelous Maker and any of your other books?
A: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, some independent Christian bookstores, and almost anywhere books are sold online. I’m self-publishing If Jesus Came to My School, so that may just be available on Amazon to start with. I have published a short “5-Day Back to School Family Prayer Guide” that is available on my website at aprilgraney.com.
Thank you, April! I am inspired by your faith, and I pray that your books will also offer an inspiration of faith to others.
May we all as readers and believers heed April’s words and “throw off his lies [so that we will see He has made us to be royalty.”]
“Let’s take a moment this fall to watch and learn from the falling leaves. Let’s witness the way they spin and twirl as the breeze carries them far away. May they serve as a reminder to us of the freedom of letting things go. We, too, can experience the lightness that comes when dying things, like bitterness and anger, fall away. Choosing to release our hold on negative thoughts and emotions is every bit as beautiful [and marvelous] as falling leaves.”—Devotion 10 in Devotions for the Fall
If you have not already done so, I hope you will find time this fall to add a devotional to your daily routine. Read a Bible story to your kids or read books like The Marvelous Maker and The Marvelous Mud House and engage them in a discussion about the importance of Christ in their lives.
To help in your discussion, download the The Marvelous Maker word search featuring important words from the book. Ask your kids if they know the true meaning of words like tempter and sin.
To enter this fall’s giveaway, subscribe to my newsletter and comment with your book preference. The giveaway includes one copy each of Devotions for the Fall, The Marvelous Mud House, and The Marvelous Maker. The deadline to enter the giveaway is midnight, CDT, September 24, 2022.
Enjoy this marvelous season and may blessings abound,
The Literary Lyonesse
Joyce, thank you! I thoroughly enjoyed your interview!
Thank you, Susan! Could you comment on FB with which book you’d like to win?
Another good read. Interesting how there are authors that write books to be shared or read by children and are interested in saving their souls.
Yes! This “children’s book” is a thought-provoking read for adults as well!
Thank you, Pete, for always being so supportive of my writing. I do appreciate your comments!