Writing a contemporary novel based on a biblical character is no easy job! I felt God leading me to tell this story although there were times I wanted to give up! Many thanks to my two amazing editors, Anne Goldsmith Horch and Christina Boys, for their meticulous work over the past two years and for helping me make this novel the best it can be.
It can be so hard to feel peaceful when everything around you is in turmoil. In the middle of difficult times, if you invite God to take charge of the situation, you can trust this: What happens in the end will be for good.
At the end of this story in the Bible, Hannah says a prayer. She says, “My heart rejoices in the LORD; in the LORD my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.”
Know this: If you seek peace from Jesus Christ and not from the world around you, you will be like Hilary and Hannah. You will always be able to boast over your enemies. You can rejoice and delight in the Lord.
I love to hear from my readers. You can e-mail me at [email protected]. Check out my Web page at www.deborahbedfordbooks.com or join us on www.facebook.com (Deborah Bedford and/or Deborah Bedford Fans).
Delighting and rejoicing right along with you,
Deborah
Group Discussion Questions
Read 1 Samuel 1:4–20. Name three ways that Hilary’s story in His Other Wife differs from the story of Hannah. Name three ways that Hilary’s story resembles Hannah’s story. Why do you think these similarities jumped out at you? Why do you think the author chose these similarities?
At the beginning of the book, it is easy for Hilary to be grateful to God for her husband, her job, and her son. But when Hilary’s life changes it becomes harder for her to be faithful. Do you think God allows difficult things to come into the lives of his people? Why?
Near the beginning, the author shows Hilary counseling her friend Julie as Julie goes through a divorce. Julie is hurting; Hilary speaks as though she’s come through to the other side. Why do you suppose the author chose to show Hilary doing well before she showed Hilary floundering?
Who is most to blame for Hilary’s pain? Is it Pam? Eric? Seth? Is it Hilary herself? Explain.
During the course of the story, Seth writes an essay about his mother and father taking him on a rafting trip to the Grand Canyon. Why do you think Seth would make up something that wasn’t true? What was Seth trying to say when he wrote the essay? Why do you think he would submit the essay in class but not talk about the idea to his parents?
On page 102, Alva asks her daughter, “How long has it been since you’ve listened?” When Hilary doesn’t understand Alva’s question, Alva continues. “Christians stay so busy trying to think what they should say, what they should do. But they don’t always think how they should listen.” What is Alva trying to tell Hilary? Discuss ways that you’ve found to listen to God.
After Laura’s accident at the party, Hilary wants “the sort of faith that made her expect something beautiful to come from broken places.” In chapter 14, what questions does Hilary ask God as she stands clutching the pew? Do any of these questions relate to what Alva said to her earlier? How? What is the answer that God whispers to Hilary at the hospital? Why do you think this message is difficult for Hilary to hear?
How do you think Pam’s relationship with her own father and sisters affected her relationship with Eric? With Seth? Discuss Pam’s point of view. She obviously has faith, too. So why would she choose to have an affair with Eric? Why do you think she feels like she has to compete with Hilary?
Hilary and Seth are on a sailboat together when the captain tells Hilary, “Being a sailing captain makes you understand certain things. Makes you understand how even though you can’t always see the wind, it’s still there to propel you forward with power.” Was the man talking about the wind or was he talking about something else? Explain. What is it about the man’s words that makes Hilary begin to see herself differently? Why do you think Hilary’s heart is open to this message now when she couldn’t hear it before?
A major theme in both Hannah’s story and Hilary’s story is woundedness, how God can encourage someone who is being continuously hurt by another person. Hilary was wounded by Pam’s actions. Toward the end of the book, Hilary’s circumstances don’t change, but she changes. Can you think of a specific moment in the book when Hilary began changing? Why is this significant? Is there an area in your life that resembles Hilary’s struggles with Pam? Do you have an idea of how you might change? If you feel comfortable, share this with the group.
Praise for the novels of Deborah Bedford
Remember Me
“Bedford wraps the reader in the bittersweet magic of love and loss. She opens hidden doors of the heart to reveal truth and beauty in unlikely places. [A] splendid read.…”
—Romantic Times
A Rose by the Door
“A ROSE BY THE DOOR is a compelling page-turner, a sure-fire winner from Deborah Bedford.”
—Karen Kingsbury, bestselling author of the Women of Faith Fiction Club debut A Time to Dance
If I Had You
“Bedford plucks the heartstrings with this unusual page-turner. She guides readers through layer by layer to a satisfying, sighful resolution.”
—Romantic Times
When You Believe
“The joy of this contemporary novel of faith lies in Bedford’s calm, competent voice as she spins a turbulent tale of love, sexual misconduct and divided loyalties. Bedford… shows her veteran writing experience throughout the book by laying false trails, creating multifaceted characters and keeping her descriptions vivid but succinct.… [T]his is a well-told tale that should appeal to readers of faith who enjoy an inspirational love story wrapped around deeper issues.”
—Publishers Weekly
Other fiction by Deborah Bedford
A Rose by the Door
Remember Me
The Penny (co-authored with Joyce Meyer)
When You Believe
A Morning Like This
Any Minute (co-authored with Joyce Meyer)
Available from FaithWords wherever books are sold.
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Epigraph
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Author’s Note
Group Discussion Questions
Praise for the novels of Deborah Bedford
Other fiction by Deborah Bedford
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2011 by Deborah Bedford
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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First eBook Edition: February 2011
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The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
ISBN: 978-0-446-54430-6
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