Interview with Marilynn Griffith

Today I have the great pleasure of interviewing Marilynn Griffith, author of Made of Honor.

DM: Hi, Mary. It’s great to have you here. I understand Made of Honor is your first book to be released but not the first book you’ve sold.

MG: Right. It’s a little confusing, but I actually sold Pink first. Due to scheduling changes, Made of Honor will be released first even though it was contracted second. Does any of this make sense? Sometimes it doesn’t to me.

DM: Made of Honor is a chick-lit. What is it that you like best about this genre?

MG: The chick. It’s nice to really see into a woman’s head and realize that she’s not perfect. She runs her pantyhose and envies her friends and loves God. She’s not perfect but she’s trying. I love those types of characters. I feel like they could be my friends, too.

DM: For this story, what came to you first, the storyline or the characters?

MG: Hmmm…the characters, I think. I know they both came at different times.

DM: Now, your first book’s in print and due to be released December 27th. What has been your favorite part of the journey from unpubbed to published writer?

MG: Each little development meant a lot, the galleys, the cover, the cover flats, my author copies. All of it. I cried when my author copies arrived and I realized what they were.

DM: Least favorite part?

MG: The waiting, revising, waiting, revising again, waiting… You get the idea. It’s a part of publishing though.

DM: The spiritual journey your characters undertake, did you draw upon your own experiences and growth, both past a present? And how does "living" this journey with them affect you now?

MG: Dana’s journey was the journey I was going through while writing Made of Honor and to an extent, the journey I’m still on. It’s a woman who has to learn how to let God love her. She knows how to love God, but she’s having to learn how to let God love her. All that juicy beloved stuff can be really overwhelming, but it’s good.

DM: I know sometimes our characters can do things to surprise us. Did this happen for you and can you share one without giving away too much of your story?

MG: This is hard to explain without giving too much away, but let’s just say that Dana wasn’t supposed to do something, but when the time came, she looked at me and said, “Girl, please.” And she went for it, leaving me huffing and puffing behind her.

DM: So what’s next on the horizon? What new releases can we be waiting for?

MG: Let’s see. Pink is next from Revell in February. That one is about a fashion designer who has to make a million dollar wedding dress for the woman who stole her fiance’. Then there’s Jade in June from Revell. That one is about another designer at Garments of Praise fashion design. She’s caring for her mother and has no time for love, but it finds her anyway. If the Shoe Fits, the follow up to Made of Honor, will release sometime in late 2006 from Steeple Hill Café. It’s about Rochelle, a shoe designer and Dana’s single mom friend. She got pregnant in high school and hasn’t really dated since. She signs up for a Christian dating service with some pretty hilarious results.

DM: What would you like your readers to know about Made of Honor?

MG: Made of Honor is a funny story, but there’s lots of other stuff in there too. It’d make a great gift for a group of friends, a wedding party, sisters or well, anybody! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. You are fearfully and wonderfully made!

DM: Thanks for sharing with us, Mary. It’s been such a pleasure having you here!

Be sure to leave Mary any comments you’d like her to get. I’ll forward them on to her. And if you do comment, you’ll be entered to win a copy of her book, Made of Honor, at the end of the week. You can also visit her website at www.MarilynnGriffith.com. Thanks for joining us!