While I was a little too old to be the target audience for Robin Jones Gunn’s Christy Miller series, I first fell in love with Robin’s novels when I stumbled across her Glenbrooke series – the original editions – many years ago! With 100 books to her name and over 5.5 million sold, Robin is a beloved name in the Christian publishing world having touched so many lives with her stories. I’m honoured to have Robin chat with us today about her new Haven Makers series, beginning with the just released, Becoming Us. Enjoy this chat with Robin and a peek behind the scenes of her craft!

Thanks to her publisher, Waterbrook Multnomah, we have a copy of Becoming Us to giveaway – enter via the Rafflecopter form below!

From the author of the best-selling Christy Miller and Sisterchicks series comes a refreshing novel that celebrates the gift of friendship.

Five young women, including beloved Gunn characters Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen, gather for a simple Christmas party and soon become unlikely best friends. Told from the viewpoint of Emily, a timid young mom going through a difficult season of life, the regular gatherings provide the much needed community she’s longed for. As the women begin sharing their life stories in Becoming Us they are endeared to each other and find ways to challenge, encourage, and help each other become the nurturing mothers they wished they’d had when they were growing up. They see themselves as Haven Makers and unite to be remembered for what they do and not for what was done to them.

Bookchat with Robin

Please share a little about your character, Emily.

Emily Winslow is an introvert who has an energetic husband, an artistic 10-year-old daughter, a no frills job at a pie shop and has recently moved from North Carolina to southern California. She needs friends but is timid about opening up about what the past few years have been like for her. She doesn’t have a good relationship with her mom and in many ways she feels alone, especially when it comes to raising her daughter. She’s thoughtful and caring and wants to be supportive of Trevor’s new business even though finances are painfully tight.

Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen feature in this series. What have you enjoyed most about revisiting your beloved teen characters as adults?

I feel like Christy and Sierra are old friends so writing about them feels natural. Their distinct personalities were fun to explore now that they are in their thirties. Both characters seemed to come out less guarded than they were in their teen years. They are more accepting, more giving and it was fun to see how they both valued being intentional with their friends.

Our son and daughter are both grown, married and have children. It’s been helpful to be so aware of what our grown kids are experiencing because I can picture Christy and Sierra going through the same issues now that they are in this same season of life.

How important are female friendships as we move into adulthood and our middle and later years?

I read in a study from Duke University that said that 60% more people move away from their hometown now than they did 20 years ago. For more and more women it has become essential to create a new support base and seek out relationships that fill the missing spots that were traditionally filled by extended family and childhood friends.

We were created for community. Yet for the first time in history it’s possible to accomplish almost everything you need by only going online. We can go weeks without having a face to face, in the flesh conversation with anyone outside our homes. It’s extraordinary, really. Even groceries can be delivered to our door. In the years ahead we will discover how our new social order has affected our ability to interact in meaningful ways in face to face relationships.

If we don’t “need” each other now that unlimited data is at our fingertips, how do we create the shared experiences that are the foundation of a relationship? For instance, if a new mom only Googles “teething” and picks out the information she’s looking for, what has she missed by not gaining those insights (and more) from an experienced mom in a face to face conversation? How has content replaced communion between women? It’s something to think about and was at the forefront of my decision to start the Haven Makers Series.

As we become more self-sufficient, there is an emptiness that grows because I believe the human soul needs ongoing, fully present relationships to thrive.

It’s my secret wish that the Haven Maker series will compel readers to be brave and be intentional about initiating those relationships

Robin’s writing chair

Describe your book in 5 adjectives

I pulled these from reader reviews. 😊

Heart-warming, beautiful, emotional, important, engaging

Do you have a core friendship group in your own life like the Haven Makers?

Yes. I am so grateful for the friendships I’ve had over the years. As is often the case, it’s been different circles of friends in different seasons of life. Some friendships overlap from decade to decade and a few very exceptional friends are truly friends for life.

The women I now meet with regularly are a mix of ages. I’m enjoying the variety in the conversations. The women who are older than me are teaching me about what’s next and the younger ones are opening my eyes to the challenges of their generation. It’s so rich to have perspectives from both sides and to feel welcomed and trusted so that we can all speak from our hearts and go deeper in our conversations.

In what practical ways do the women in your story support each other? 

They pay attention to what the others in the group need and come alongside to provide support in practical ways as well as with emotional encouragement. The best part is that they figure out the fine art of how to celebrate together and bring a sense of the sacred into the everyday moments.

What are the major themes in this story?

Friendship, trusting God in a new season when you can’t see what’s next, living a celebratory life and taking risks by being vulnerable in order to gain closeness with others.

Which character did you enjoy writing most?

I really enjoyed writing from Emily’s perspective. I always feel at home with Christy, so I it’s an ongoing joy to see her character grow and change. Emily was a new character and I felt as if I could assign to her some life issues that I’ve gone through and then see how she handled them.  I could relate to her relationship with her mother. I’ve moved a lot so I understand those challenges. I also liked writing about how hard it was for Emily to make new friends.

Which character gave you the most grief?

Interesting question. I found that even though Sierra is a familiar character, I wondered if was writing about her as if she were still in high school.  I became overly critical of her dialog and actions and ended up changing her voice in many scenes so that she would be more reserved.

Then I spent an afternoon with a young mom who is almost 40 who has a personality like Sierra’s. I realized she’s still an outspoken, lively extrovert and she still does things that are embarrassing to everyone else while she just laughs and doesn’t take herself seriously.  That’s when I realized I had it right the first time so I went back and kept Sierra as the spunky thirty-something young mom that she would be.

What emotions did you experience while writing this story?

When I wrote the line about how Emily’s mother’s superpower was withholding approval, I had to stop writing and go have a bit of a cry. That part of the story was close to the bone. It was empowering to write Emily’s feelings and put them out there in words since I related to her so closely. I then had Emily make the same choices I made, and still make, regarding my superpower being to offer love and grace. I felt victorious alongside Emily as she moved into a new season in her relationship with her mom.

In what ways does this series differ to your Sisterchicks series which were also focused on women’s friendships?

The Sisterchicks® novels focused on only two friends in each story and the women were off on an adventure. In some of the eight books in that series the exotic locations, like Hawaii, Paris and Venice, became as much of a character as the two women who were found themselves in those corners of the world. The Sisterchicks® stories drew out the deep issues that surfaced when the women were taken out of their comfort zones and came face to face with who they are and what they believed. They always ended up seeing the world and God’s grace as something more complex and magnificent than they released when they were locked into their everyday small circles.

In the Haven Makers Series the five women who form the “Daughters of Eve” group remain in their familiar surroundings. It’s in the middle of their everyday life and issues where they find ways to move forward. They see the value of the contributions of the others in their group of close friends and as they become more courageous, they find they can more fully become who they were created to be. Those life changes come about as a result of the influence of the other women.

What is in your writing pipeline now?

I just finished the sequel to “Becoming Us”, which will be book #2 in the Haven Makers Series. I loved writing about these women again! The second book is from Jennalyn’s point of view. She turned out to be a more complex woman than I realized, once I started writing her backstory. I found myself crying more than once as I was writing so I have a feeling that Jennalyn’s issues with touch a soft spot with readers as well.

The title and release date haven’t been finalized but as soon as they are, I’ll be announcing the details in my newsletter. Readers can sign up at https://christymillershop.com/

Thank you so much for the chance to share with your followers! I’m honoured to be invited into your circles, Rel.

Aloha, Robin

You are most welcome, Robin – it’s a delight to have you visit!

Robin Jones Gunn, best-selling author of the much-loved Christy Miller Series and co-author of Praying for Your Future Husband, has had more than 5.5 million copies of her books sold worldwide. Her frequent speaking engagements have taken her around the globe. Robin and her husband live in Hawaii and have a grown son and daughter.

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Buy at Amazon: Becoming Us or Koorong

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