About the Book
Book: The Necessity of Kindness (The Rose Collection Book 7. It can be read as a stand alone.)
Author: Marbeth Skwarczynski
Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction
Release date: October 21, 2024
“Be ye kind” is a simple command, so why is it so hard for people to follow?
When the Lord opened the door for Denise’s husband, Topher, to Pastor the beleaguered Rhodes Baptist Church, she agreed to return to their hometown. Opening a bakery, supporting Topher in his ministry, and volunteering at Sylvie’s school aren’t nearly as challenging as trying to dismantle the harmful teachings that have taken over the church. Ideas masquerading as ‘biblical truth’ and ‘traditional Christianity’ resulted in spiritual bullying and a dwindling congregation. Denise is determined to help Topher guide the church toward the love and kindness of Christ.
Sixteen-year-old Sylvie is angry at being ripped away from the only home she’s known—and from her church, friends, and boyfriend, Owen. She pretends that moving to Rhodes is an adventure and admits she’s looking forward to attending a “real” school and making new friends. She’ll help her parents with their church and work at her mom’s bakery, but this isn’t the life Sylvie wants. Everything is different now, and it isn’t fair.
Sometimes, it feels like the bullies are winning.
Click here to get your copy!
About the Author
Though born on the east coast, I spent most of my life in the American Southwest, eventually settling in California where my husband and I raised two sons. Later we welcomed two fantastic daughters-in-law and four grandchildren into our family. After teaching history and literature for eighteen years, I resigned to write full-time. That new career move was paired with a physical move to beautiful Nevada, where I continue to write happily.
My preferred genre is Christian contemporary fiction. I keep my characters grounded in the real world and the real problems that Bible believers face today. While they grow, learn, and find possible solutions to their issues, my characters must also deal with the detritus of the past. Living well today doesn’t mean that yesterday is erased. I write what I know, either first-hand or through close observation, injecting the joy, happiness, and humor that comes with spiritual freedom and love.
More from Marbeth
No one warns you that some bullies grow up to be—bullies.
But some people go from victim to victorious. They stand up for others, leading them away from preferences used to bully others into submission and toward the freedom of God’s love.
Interview from the Author
1)What does success as an author look like to you?
From a purely monetary standpoint, I always said I’d like to make enough money to pay my rent and keep publishing my books. I may have undershot there, but I just wanted to be a contributing household member. We’ve always survived, so relieving some financial pressure sounded good. From an emotional and spiritual standpoint, however, my idea of success is much more profound. I want to connect with my readers and reflect their lives in my novels. Even if they haven’t gone through the conflicts my characters have, most people have witnessed spiritual abuse—even if they didn’t recognize it as such at the time. What I didn’t expect was the number of women who came forward to relate their experiences with spiritual abuse in its many forms (physical, emotional, mental, sexual) and were relieved to know that they were not alone. Knowing my work was part of their healing journey became my benchmark of success as an author.
2)Which character did you connect to best in this book?
I have two main characters—a mother and her teen daughter. I relate to the mother who has to leave her home for nearly two decades to support her husband’s ministry/job. She is frustrated at leaving behind the life she’s built but is ready to create a new life for her family in her old hometown. Unfortunately, her hometown is where she faced some tough times as a teen, so everything brings back those memories. She focuses on creating a home and new business and is excited that her husband wants her to join him in his ministry—not as an unpaid helper, but as a partner. Like Denise, I’ve moved households for my husband’s job and had to create a new life from scratch. Unfortunately, unlike Denise, I’m not a businessperson. I wish I had her talent and confidence, especially when dealing with bullies at the church. Like Denise, I’ve had to deal with people who use human standards and Bible verses pulled out of context to establish positions of power. I relate to Sylvie as a teen because she’s thrown into situations where she must make friends despite her nerves, but she also creates a lovely nest for herself in her new house. I let Sylvie explore her creativity when decorating her room and discovering what she likes. It gives her a comfortable place to reflect on her new life as she deals with her own bullies. Unfortunately, almost every school has them.
3)Which part of the book was the most difficult to write?
Most of my books contain rip-your-heart-out scenes of conflict, but that didn’t fit in The Necessity of Kindness. This is a cozier book than my usual fare, so it took a few rewrites to let the quiet conflict of subtle bullying take center stage. I came away from writing the novel convinced that bullying IS abuse and refusing to see it as such among children and teens allows it to go unchecked among adults. Kindness isn’t a complex concept to grasp, and it’s a key component of Jesus’ teachings, but it’s often seen as a weakness even in Christian circles.
4)What inspired this book?
While every book in The Rose Collection stands alone, many of my characters will “visit” the other novels. Denise has been part of the overarching timeline since the first book, so I wanted her to get a chance to continue her story in her own novel. The theme of bullying wasn’t a difficult one to choose. More and more religious leaders are being exposed as bullies who care more about their power than about the teachings of Christ.
5)Which author influenced the you most?
David Eddings. It’s a strange choice for an author of contemporary Christian fiction, I know, but Eddings’s series, The Belgariad, changed how I read fiction. His characters inhabited a fantasy world and yet were some of the most realistic (smelly, exhausted, limited, and potentially great) characters I’d ever gotten to know. My rereads of his books made me feel like I was revisiting old friends.
6)What is your favorite Bible verse or life verse?
Micah 6:8. Justice, mercy, and walking humbly with God is my greatest aspiration.
7)What is your vacation spot?
Anywhere I can enjoy time with my family. I love playing games and watching movies with them.
8)What are you reading right now?
I’m reading a Teresa Driscol novel called Close Your Eyes and a CC Warrens novel Dragonfly Ashes. Both women are brilliant authors.
9)Describe your view as you’re sitting in your writing chair.
I’m sitting in an adjustable bed in what used to be my sister’s guest room. My husband and I moved in a couple of months ago, so now it’s our permanent quarters. Her décor is still in place, though. I’m surrounded by Native American prints and sand drawings on two walls and a selection of our late mother’s artwork on another.
10)If you could have one book or piece of art or music on a deserted island, what would it be and why?
Ugh! Just one? Okay, I’ll say Bible, BUT, one with gigantic margins and unlimited pens, so I can create some biblically inspired stories and studies. Include some legal pads and I’ll write a novel or two.
Blog Stops
Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 7
Vicky Sluiter, February 8 (Author Interview)
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, February 9 (Author Interview)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 9
Simple Harvest Reads, February 10 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 11
For the Love of Literature, February 12 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, February 13
Tell Tale Book Reviews, February 14 (Author Interview)
Locks, Hooks and Books, February 15
Blossoms and Blessings, February 16 (Author Interview)
Artistic Nobody, February 17 (Author Interview)
Stories By Gina, February 18 (Author Interview)
Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, February 18
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 19
Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, February 20 (Author Interview)
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Marbeth is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a paperback copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.