This week we’re hanging out with my sweet friend and amazing Author, Rene Gutteridge. The first book of hers I read was a book entitled My Life as a Doormat: In Three Acts. It was laugh out loud funny and I couldn’t put it down and I knew I would love this girl! And love her I have come too. She has been my roomie and our annual writer’s retreat and she has become my precious friend. Her gift for story-telling is enchanting and her new book Never the Bride was my favorite pick for summer. I’ve asked her to hang out with us for a while and tell us a little bit about herself and her book. I know you’ll love her as much as I do.

Since you are married, what impacted you the most in the journey of this young single woman?

First I loved the character of Jessie Stone. She made me laugh. I loved who she was on the inside. Secondly, I was attracted to the notion of surrender. Even though I am married, I have many things I have not yet surrendered to God, or things I keep taking back.

What do you want your readers to leave with when they close this book?

I never like answering this question directly
because I like how God can minister differently to each person through the pages of a novel. One person takes away hope. Another truth. But I do desire that each person knows how much God loves them, which is one of the central reasons I was attracted to this story.

You also write suspense novels. Is it hard going from one genre to the other? Granted being single can be scary, but I’m just saying….

It is difficult. I have to completely adjust my mindset. I had been in comedy for a couple of years and had to transition into a suspense recently and that was extremely difficult. For me comedy writing is harder, so it’s nice to go into suspense, but I have to change the way I approach the story, and sometimes that is easier said than done.