Novels that Navigate the Unexpected with Grace and Faith

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What’s the inspiration behind Before You Came Along?

I didn’t set out to write another pro-life story having done so three times before, but the Lord dropped this book idea into my lap while watching an especially heartbreaking episode of TLC’s show “Unexpected” (think of it as their version of “Sixteen and Pregnant”) and it so strongly captured my heart that I had no choice but to write it! And while you might think I write pro-life fiction to change the hearts of pro-choice readers, I don’t (although it is an added bonus if this does happen). I write pro-life fiction to cultivate empathy in my Christian pro-life readers. Too often I find that what’s missing in the pro-life movement as we encourage mothers in unexpected pregnancies to “just choose life” is compassion. We view this issue in very black and white terms forgetting that unexpected pregnancies are often steeped in trauma. With Before You Came Along, I wanted to place a staunchly Christian, pro-life warrior [who’s also] a pastor’s wife and director of a local pregnancy center into a situation that forced her to really put her money where her mouth is [regarding] her pro-life beliefs when her own son finds himself in need of the pregnancy center’s services. As she helps her son navigate this unexpected detour, Jill is forced to admit that it’s far easier to hand out advice when it’s not your life that’s falling apart at the seams. I hope it makes my pro-life readers stop and consider how they would respond in a similar situation, and how they can love and serve young mothers in unexpected pregnancies.

So, who’s your favorite character in Before You Came Along?

Hands down, Toby. [He is] the son of my main character Jill and the love interest of the other main character Tessa. This is a dual perspective novel so you’ll experience Toby in two very different ways—as a hormonal teenager bucking against his mother and asserting his independence for the first time and as a sweet, romantic boyfriend who would move heaven and earth to support his girlfriend and new baby. Toby’s sweet romantic side reminds me of my husband. In fact, many of his qualities are modeled directly from his. We had a high school romance like Toby and Tessa did (minus the unexpected pregnancy) so it was incredibly fun revisiting those earlier days as I penned Tessa and Toby’s love story. While far from perfect, I think Toby is an extremely likable character that readers will root for from the very beginning while maybe wanting to shake him a few times too!

Were there any Bible scriptures that helped you during the writing process?

It’s very important to me that my books reflect a Biblical worldview, so you’ll find quite a bit of scripture in each one of my books. [However], because my main character Jill wrestles so strongly with control in Before You Came Along, struggling to release her son into God’s hands so He can do the work He needs to do in Toby’s life, I kept coming back to [this verse]:

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” – Ephesians 6:4

Jill also struggles to trust her husband as he seeks the Lord and attempts to make impossible decisions in a way that honors Him, so I forced Jill to wrestle with Ephesians 5:22 as well, which says:

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.”

I think all mothers and wives will be able to relate to Jill’s struggle to trust the Lord and her husband. If readers find themselves nodding along with Jill, I hope the scriptures I’ve included [as well as] the intentional dialogue between Jill and [the] mentors I’ve placed in her life, will encourage them to seek out the Lord and wise counsel from other believers too.

Who would enjoy reading Before You Came Along?

Just like my other three books, [Before You Came Along] is filled with heartbreaking situations. As a social worker, I don’t shy away from tough topics! This isn’t a fluffy, too-good-to-be true story. I strive to make all my books as realistic as possible by writing characters who make terrible choices, allow fear to drive their decision making, and just all around make a mess of their life. So, readers who enjoy a true-to-life story with characters who feel like real people will want to jump into [reading] this book. 

Name one thing you want to accomplish as a Christian novelist?

For me, publishing has always been about two things: [my] love of writing and spreading the Gospel [by] encouraging my readers to read the books, pass them along, and pray. I want readers to join me in my mission to “illuminate the darkness one book at a time”. Success to me means never losing my passion for the writing and staying the course by publishing gritty stories about broken people with shattered hope and a redeeming God who rewrites all of our stories for our good and His glory.

You can support Christian indie author Sara Whitley’s work by purchasing a copy of Before You Came Along here!

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