

Fellow Abingdon author
Jennifer AlLee has so many fascinating stories to tell, it’s hard to know where to start. She’s agreed to take time away from chewing her nails—she’s awaiting the February release of her novel,
The Pastor’s Wife—to do an interview. I think you’ll enjoy getting to know Jen. I know I have.
RM: Let’s start with your name. It’s not Allee, it’s AlLee. Can you clarify that for us?
JA: Thanks so much for noticing the fine nuances of my moniker. AlLee is my married name, so it’s really all my husband’s fault. The origin is French, and it’s morphed quite a bit over the years. Part of the family spells it like I do. Another part uses two lowercase “el”s. And a third rebel faction spells it with the capital “el” and an accent mark. I know it can be quite confusing. But it sure looks nice on a book cover when they get it right!
RM: I understand that you have had connections with the entertainment world since very early in life. Would you share that story with my readers?
JA: My grandparents met on the vaudeville circuit. Grandma was a dancer and my grandfather was a concert violinist from Hungary: Duci deKerekjarto (how’s that for a last name?) Duci immigrated to make his mark in Hollywood, which is how our family ended up there. He remained friends with another Hungarian performer, an actor named Bela Lugosi. (Yes, the original Dracula. Take that, Edward Cullin!) Bela died before I was born, but my mom remembers being bounced on his knee and calling him Uncle Bela.
My own minor brush with fame came on the day I was born. Michael Landon Jr. and I were in the same hospital nursery in neighboring basinets. My Aunt Karen nearly passed out when she realized proud father Michael Sr. was standing at the window next to her!
RM:
The Pastor’s Wife isn’t the first thing you’ve had published, not even your first novel. What else have you written?
JA: Early in my writing journey, I sold a few short stories. Later on, I had the honor of being recommended for a project at Concordia Publishing House. My pastor at the time writes for them and he thought I’d be good for a book of skits they were putting together. I did that, which led to other projects including writing for their My Devotions series. To date, I’ve written over 100 devotions. My other book is
The Love of His Brother, a contemporary inspirational romance for Five Star. You can read more about it on
my website.
RM: Would you give my readers a preview of
The Pastor’s Wife?
JA: I would love to. Maura Sullivan never thought she’d see Granger, Ohio, again. But when circumstances force her to return, she must face all the disappointments she tried so hard to leave behind; a husband that ignored her, a congregation she couldn’t please, and a God who took away everything she ever loved.
Nick Shepherd had put the past behind him. At least he thought he had, until the day his estranged wife walked back into town. Intending only to help Maura through her crisis of faith, Nick discovers his feeling for her never died. Now, he must face the mistakes he made and find a way to give and receive forgiveness.
As God works in both their lives, Nick and Maura start to believe they can repair their broken relationship and reunite as man and wife. But Maura has one more thing to tell Nick before they can move forward. It’s the thing that finally drove her to leave years earlier, and the one thing that can destroy the fragile trust they’ve managed to rebuild.
RM: Before you began writing the book, did you have any special insight into the life of a pastor and his family?
JA: I served as a church secretary for many years, which definitely gave me a unique perspective on the lives of a pastoral family. I worked at two different churches. One was a large denominational church, the other much smaller and non-denominational. But the lives of the pastors were quite similar. There’s always another meeting to go to, or one more person that needs counseling. People feel very possessive about their pastors. This usually manifests itself in positive ways, but sometimes it crosses a line. You have to watch out for that. And the pastoral family faces challenges no one really thinks about. They basically live in a glass house and are expected to be active members of every church activity, whether they’re interested in it or not.
When I was working on the original concept for this novel, I thought about the pastors’ wives I’ve known over the years. They’ve handled themselves with amazing grace under pressure. But what if another woman couldn’t? What if a young woman thinks she knows what she’s getting into, but the reality of losing who she is and becoming a “pastor’s wife” is more than she can handle? What if some other tragedy pushes her over the edge? Would she run? And what would happen if she had to return to the scene of her heartbreak years later? All those questions eventually became
The Pastor’s Wife.
RM: You also speak to various groups. I notice that one of your subjects is journaling, an activity in which I engaged after the death of my first wife, resulting in my book,
The Tender Scar: Life After The Death Of A Spouse. What got you interested in journaling?
JA: I’ve kept journals since I was in high school. I have a big plastic storage box full of notebooks I can’t bear to part with. But when I realized the healing aspect of journaling was about 16 years ago after my son was born. I went through a bout of post-partum depression, although I didn’t know that’s what it was at the time. I would lie in bed at night wanting desperately to sleep but not being able to. My head was such a jumble of emotions and confusion I wanted to scream. One night, I picked up a notebook I kept next to the bed and started writing. All these feelings just poured onto the page. It didn’t matter if it made sense or if the writing was pretty, I just needed to get all this stuff out. I did that every night for at least a month until the depression finally took off. Journaling helped me hold on to my sanity. That, and
I Love Lucy reruns.
RM: What’s your next project? Is there another book on your hard drive right now?
JA: Oh, Richard, there are so many books on my hard drive! All are in various stages of completion, but I hope to find a home for each of my babies one day. I have a completed manuscript that’s in a publishing competition right now. By the time your readers see this interview, I’ll know whether or not it won. If you want to know more about the fate of
Vinnie’s Diner, come on over to
my website or
blog.
RM: And finally, any last words for my readers?
JA: Thanks so much for having me here, Richard. And thank you, readers, for going on this journey with me. One of the best things about being a writer is meeting new people. I’d love to keep in touch. Here are some places you can find me:
My WebsiteMy BlogOn TwitterOn Facebook And last but not least, check out
The Pastor’s Wife book trailer on YouTube:
Be blessed!
Jen, thanks for stopping by Random Jottings. I’m looking forward to reading
The Pastor's Wife. For my readers, here's
a link where you can find out more about the book and pre-order it at a substantial discount.