Talk about “thin places” and how that concept works itself out in The Baker’s Wife.

Thin places is a Celtic Christian idea that there are actual locations in the world where the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds is so thin that you can see through it. So far in my novels, thin places are metaphors rather than locations. (But in my next novel, House of Mercy, I explore a fictional place that might be described as “thin.”) In The Baker’s Wife, the thin place is Audrey’s capacity to help another person through suffering by sharing that suffering. In Christian circles we talk about these kinds of things almost glibly, as though we’re waxing poetic about helping each other out. For Audrey, however, she actually physically experiences the suffering of another person. It’s hyper-empathy, and it’s pretty frightening. But it’s a powerful gift that ultimately saves lives.

How do we see evidence of the supernatural in daily life?

In his wonderful book Rumors of Another World, Philip Yancey writes: “For the Christian, the greatest disorder of the planet is that it disguises the true nature of things. The natural world, so evident to our senses, draws a curtain across spiritual reality. Those who believe in another world keep pointing … and still skeptics cannot see past the surface.” And later: “It does not surprise me … that some disbelieve the reality of an unseen world, especially in an age that excels at mastering the visible world, an age dominated by images. For many, God cannot possibly exist unless he makes himself visible–and God does not perform on our terms.” I see evidence of the supernatural world in my daily life because I believe it exists. I believe this because the Bible is saturated with awareness of God’s active role in the world, and I believe the Bible is not merely a piece of ancient literature. I also believe the spiritual world exists because trying to understand my own humanity, my own human experience, without a spiritual component is impossible for me. It makes no sense. I believe God is still active in our world today, and in my life, and so I look for Him in it. I interpret events in light of the possibility that there might be a supernatural component to them. “Seek and you will find,” Jesus said. My sightings of the supernatural might not measure up as “evidence” in the legal forensic sense that we use today. And it might look different from someone else’s experience with the spiritual world, but for me, none of these things negate its reality.

How do the principles in this plot ring true for you? What lessons can we take away from The Baker’s Wife?

My amazing editor, Ami McConnell, stated the takeaway value of this novel best: “Empathy is a gift; we ignore it at our own peril. We follow it at a cost to ourselves.” I hope readers will find The Baker’s Wife to be a memorable exploration of what it means to love your enemies by sharing in their suffering and experiencing it as your own. In this story, the protagonists avert tragedy and save lives because they are motivated by compassion rather than by the need to be justified. This is a terrific challenge to me. Sometimes I am guilty of “compassion exhaustion” and fail to actively lift the burdens of friends and strangers–they don’t even have to be enemies for me to fail them! So I was writing about compassion that I have often received but have been stingy in giving. I hope my capacity for compassion will only expand.

How do your novels differ from others in this genre?

Many of the supernatural suspense novels today are authored by men, and I hope I bring a feminine intuition to my works that these might not have. I’m interested in layering the exciting elements of adventure, mystery, and paranormal with themes that soften the hard edges: compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and so on.

Your novels tend to have strong female protagonists. Why is that important to you?

I suppose I am working out through my protagonists some aspirations about the person I would like to become: flawed but strong, wounded but resilient, capable of maturing. I think male and female readers alike admire strong women who are transparent about their flaws. Somehow this makes them more godly, more inspirational.

What’s been some of your favorite feedback from readers?

This week I got a phone call from a long-distance acquaintance who was reading The Baker’s Wife. We are friends, but the distance prevents us from frequent contact. She said, “I could really use an Audrey to talk to right now.” (Audrey is The Baker’s Wife’s protagonist, an unusually compassionate woman.) My friend had just lost a beloved pet rabbit to a brain tumor and didn’t know I’d also lost a pet rabbit years ago, as well as other dear animals. I was in a unique position to comfort her and couldn’t help but feel like this was a divine appointment. Since writing The Baker’s Wife I’ve become more aware of opportunities to comfort people, opportunities I might have missed before. It was meaningful to have a reader want the kind of connection a character like Audrey has to offer.

 What advice can you give to aspiring authors?

Succeeding as a novelist isn’t only about writing a great story. These days you must also have business savvy–an understanding of the industry, of the marketplace, of your responsibility to the successful marketing of the book. The publisher’s role is changing as traditional methods of distribution and retail models shift. Audiences are fragmenting and target readers are harder to find. Authors carry a heavier and heavier workload in this Facebook age where they are expected to be accessible and transparent. So while you master the craft of storytelling, master the business too.