Carolyn Wilker: Welcome, Grace, to my blog, Storygal, about life, love and gardening. 

I remember meeting you at a Word Guild gala night at Crossroads in Mississauga when I was a relatively new writer. I have always remembered your humility and how approachable you were, and still are.

Please tell us about your early days of writing, for those who are contemplating beginning or have already begun. Especially the greeting card story. I love that one.

Grace Fox: ‘Way back in 1998, my husband and I were working at a year-round Christian camp on BC’s west coast. I started sensing a nudge to pursue something creative, as in produce a resource of some sort that would provide encouragement for others. Greeting cards seemed to make the most sense so I developed a concept and found a woman who could do the artwork.

I took ten samples to three Christian bookstores on Vancouver Island and asked for the managers’ feedback. They all made positive comments, so I figured I was onto something good. One August afternoon, I googled “Christian greeting card publishers” and up popped a link to the Florida Christian Writers Conference. A writer’s conference? I didn’t even know such a thing existed.

I explored the site and discovered that a DaySpring editor would be there, but the registration cost nixed any thoughts of attending. I tried to put the idea away, but my efforts didn’t work. So I called a friend who worked as a travel agent and asked her to find me an airline ticket — the cheapest one possible.

This friend set to work and phoned me a couple of days later: “Give me your credit card number right now! I found a great deal!”

My round trip ticket from Seattle to Orlando cost about $130! Minutes after she bought it, a message appeared on her screen saying that someone made a mistake. That was the wrong price, but the airline would honour all tickets purchased at that cost.

I went to my first writers conference knowing God wanted me there. DaySpring politely rejected my sample cards, but God used that idea to get me moving in the right direction. I attended all the workshops about writing for magazines and then broke into that publishing field a year later. The rest is history.

 

CW: How far back does your love of writing go? Did you or your parents keep any of those early attempts to look back on?

GF: My love for writing goes back to fourth grade. I enjoyed writing book reports and social studies reports far more than doing math! I also had a pen pal whose name I found in a newspaper listing for kids who wanted to connect with other kids via letter writing. Sadly, I don’t have any writing remnants from my childhood.

 

 CW: How did you make the leap from potential greeting cards to writing your first book?

GF: I attended a week-long YWAM conference in Texas at the invitation of an editor who taught a class on writing books. One of our assignments was to describe what book we wanted to write and then make an outline for it. That’s when I developed the idea for my first book, 10-Minute Time Outs for Moms. I later pitched it to an editor at the FCWC.

 

CW:  Many writers start at a young age and keep going, through marriage, kids and all.  Were you writing when you had young children at home?

GF: When my kids were young, I did the Children’s Institute of Literature correspondence course. It was supposed to take two years, but it took three because I was a busy mom.

  

 CW: How did you get your first break into writing a column or article? Did you query the editor?

GF: My first published article was about the politician Deb Grey, her salvation story, and her calling into politics. Yes, I queried the editor. And guess what? I got paid $50! I was so excited about getting paid that I wanted to give a big thank-you to the Lord for His blessing. I ended up donating the money to a camper scholarship fund.

 

CW: You and your husband Gene have worked on the mission field. Have any of your articles or books been translated to their language?

GF: I’m thrilled to say that my book Moving from Fear to Freedom: A Woman’s Guide to Peace in Every Situation has been translated into Polish and Romanian.

 

CW: When you speak, you sound so warm and natural, just as you are in person. Did you ever take speaker training such as Toastmasters? How was it that you got called on to speak at conferences?

GF: Thank you for your kind words! Truth be told, I’ve never had speaker training. My first conference was at a women’s event at a church in Medicine Hat, Alberta. One of my aunts attended there, and she told the leadership team about my writing. As they considered bringing me to speak, she offered to pay for my airfare. That sealed the deal. Word of mouth spread and continues to spread. I just ask the Lord to take me wherever He wants me to go, and I leave the rest with Him.

 

CW: How do you balance your writing with other household or family tasks?

GF: It’s a challenge, especially because my husband and I travel for missions at least three times a year. But again, I pray and commit my schedule to the Lord. I ask Him to please add or subtract anything He wants from my calendar to make me available for those who need me. Sometimes I stand in awe to see how He orchestrates things.

 

CW: I look forward to hearing your keynote at the Inscribe conference in September. Have you gotten your inspiration yet?

GF: Yes!

Inscribe Fall Conference 

 

CW: Tell us how it is writing on a boat. Maybe first how living on that boat came to be.

GF: My husband and I purged our belongings in 2018 and moved aboard a 48’ sailboat because we sensed God telling us to do so. It fit with my husband’s boating history and skills. I grew up in Alberta, though, so being on the water is quite different for me. But God has given me great joy where we are, and we’ve discovered an unreached people group in the marina. We are here by God’s design to share His love with our neighbors.

Writing on a boat is different than in a house. There’s no space for solitude when my hubby’s on board, and he works from here several days every week. I just have to press through the distractions that come along. I find that I can’t write for as many hours as I could while living in a house because I don’t have a comfortable office chair or recliner. That’s been a challenge. But there are perks. For instance, once a year, in summertime, I get to write from picturesque harbours on Canada’s west coast. Pretty unique!

 

CW: It’s been a pleasure to share the time with you. Thank you for being willing. I wish you well on your current projects and ministries, and those yet to be.

For my readers, here’s a link to learn more about Grace and her writing and ministries. https://www.gracefox.com/

 Anything else you’d like to share with my audience, Grace?

GF: Sure! I want to say that attending a writers conference is a wise investment if you think God is calling you to write. Don’t let the price scare you because He will make a way if you obey Him.

And one more thing – watch for my new devotional scheduled for release on October 4^th. Fresh Hope for Today: Devotions for Joy on the Journey will be available wherever Christian books are sold.