Welcome to a moving, powerful conversation with my friend Tina Akridge! Tina has journeyed through impossible circumstances (a health crisis, the loss of her husband, children who have battled addiction and wandering) to discover that God remained and sustained her through it all.

Tina and I chat about what it's like to be painfully shy, the perpetual new girl, and what she thought the first time she met her husband (not exactly love at first sight lol). Our conversation shifted to Tina's journey through Mark's cancer diagnosis and all the angst and mercy that chased her afterward--from watching her children battle through pain to discover healing and redemption--to grasping God's best plan, even when we don't understand it.

Also in this episode...

Who decides life and death, the ripple effects of cancer no one considers, playing the cancer card, worshiping through pain, overcoming addiction, glorified emotions, what not to say to someone in grief, and how to live a life out of balance for what matters most.

Links:

https://www.tinaakridge.com/

www.TaraJohnsonStories.com

Another episode of This is My Story is zooming your way! Today, I sit down with the uber-talented, mom, wife, and author extraordinaire Paula Scott!

Paula and I chat about the setting of her beautiful novel River of Mercy, and Paula delves deep into the inspiration behind it, as well as her process of writing to heal. We discuss how art often imitates life, and how her first inspirations were John Wayne and Where the Red Fern Grows. While reminiscing, Paula recalls the very first story she penned at age 10: The Puppy Without a Tail.

Also in this episode...

Pantsers versus plotters, revivals, rejection, forgiveness, book boyfriends, the Oxford comma, and the crazy misunderstanding that made Paula the most popular girl in school.

Links:

Home - (paulascott.com)

River of Mercy - Kindle edition by Scott, Paula. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Amazon.com: Farming Grace: A Memoir of Life, Love, and a Harvest of Faith eBook : Scott, Paula: Kindle Store

Amazon.com: The Mother Keeper eBook : Scott, Paula: Kindle Store

www.TaraJohnsonStories.com

Welcome to This Is My Story! Today, I sit down with my brand-new friend, the brilliant Emma Fulenwider! Emma and I met at the Vision Christian Writers Conference and I was immediately intrigued by her insight and thoughts on motherhood.

Emma and I dive into conversation about re-childing, toy purges, and moms versus martyrdom. Emma shares about her transformation from stressed out do-it-all mom to becoming the person she wants to be while raising her kids.

Also in this episode...

Mindset shifts, parenting yourself, stories from lava rock, postpartum, memoir writing and how I screamed at my kids while studying fruit of the Spirit.

Links:

Emma's website: https://thelifestorian.com/

Free Guide to Family Interviews: https://www.subscribepage.com/savethestory

Find a GAB (Guided Autobiography) group: https://guidedautobiography.com/gab-network

Tara's Website: www.TaraJohnsonStories.com

Come meet my talented friend Rachel Dodge! Rachel and I chat about Southern hospitality and colloquialisms, as well as all things Jane Austen. (Rachel is a Jane Austen expert and prefers the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. I knew there was a good reason why we clicked!) We chat about our earliest story inspirations--Little House, Anne of Green Gables, Little Women and Jane Eyre--and how God led Rachel into writing devotionals based on these beautiful classics.

Also in this episode...

Regency etiquette, time travel, how writing is like surgery, life lessons from The Secret Garden, being loved into faith, chaos versus peace, and the Vision Christian Writers Conference.

Connect with Rachel

Website: www.racheldodge.com

Instagram: @kindredspiritbooks

Today, I sit down with my sister from another mister...the multi-talented, multi-genre driven Sarah Bennett! (aka S.E. Clancy)

Sarah and I reminisce about the first time we met in a comedy writing class...and boy, did the instructor's words make us snicker! We chat about how a sarcastic momma survives raising teens, the lack of quality stories for young people, reader expectations, and the power of failure. Sarah shares the authors that first thrilled her heart (Jane Austen and L.M. Montgomery) and what it was like parenting a child with dyslexia.

Also in this episode...

Overcoming perfectionism, Rahab, Ruth, Abigail, suicide in the church, and Victoria Grace the Jerkface.

Links:

www.seclancy.com

@authorseclancy

www.TaraJohnsonStories.com

Another episode of This is my Story is rolling your way!

Today, I chat with writing buddy and award-winning author Sarah Sundin, who has penned dozens of heart-stirring stories set during World War 2. (And she's a mean line dancer as well.)

We start by chatting about Sarah's recent Christy award win for Until Leaves Fall in Paris, as well as her upcoming release The Sound of Light, which is available for pre-order on Amazon: The Sound of Light: A Novel: Sundin, Sarah: 9780800736385: Amazon.com: Book. Sarah shares some of her most fascinating research, like the Olympic rowing champion who rowed Jews to freedom in Denmark during World War 2.

Also in this episode...

Killing our characters, how flaws give hope to readers, evoking conflict for a higher purpose, and what to do when an author's child hates to read.

Quotable: "My identity is not what I do." ~Sarah Sundin

Links:

www.TaraJohnsonStories.com

www.SarahSundin.com

Join me for some quick thoughts on what it means to truly be thankful with special help from one of my heroes...Corrie Ten Boom!

Links:

www.TaraJohnsonStories.com

Twitter: @TaraMinistry

Facebook: (5) Tara Johnson | Facebook

Instagram: @TaraJohnsonMinistry

Welcome to Tara's favorite episode ever!

Today, Tara sits down with mother, grandmother, author, baker, all-around-creative, and drone flyer...the incomparable Marci Seither!

The ladies start by talking about recipes and Marci's love of preservation, which quickly flows into a conversation about hospitality, showing love through meals, and being present in the everyday tasks of raising a family. Marci shares what first inspired her love of stories (her grandparents) and the power of curiosity. The women discuss how families grow by creating in the kitchen together and how God's fingerprints are all around us.

Also in this episode...

Drone flying over Little House, Lakeside Retreat, holding stories with respect, Pearly Monroe, fear of failure, and the importance of never exchanging cheap entertainment for authentic adventure.

Links:

www.marciseither.com

www.TaraJohnsonStories.com

Buy Lakeside Retreat and more of Marci's books here!

Lakeside Retreat: Life-Giving Devotions from a Restful Shore: Seither, Marci: 0031809025550: Amazon.com: Books

Stay tuned for Marci's upcoming podcast: Preserving More than Jam!

Tara sits down to laugh and chat with her writing friend extraordinaire Robin Pearson!

This show is all about family--from homeschooling and watching kids fly away into independence--to walking out faith, especially during the hard times. Robin shares about her transition for 'doing things for God' to having a relationship with God, and her earliest influences in Christian fiction (Karen Kingsbury and Francine Rivers), along with her least favorites (We're looking at you Moby Dick). She tells Tara about how her transformation from writing great books to writing stories that ministers. The ladies delve into the torment of imposter syndrome, family secrets, and recovering people pleasers.

Also in this episode...

The different forms of fear, The Grumpy Christian podcast, and roasts gone wrong.

Links:

www.RobinPearson.com

www.TaraJohnsonStories.com

Today Tara chats with her sweet friend Jean Shepard who is a speaker, pastor's wife, and first-time author of Worthy to be Loved!

The ladies talk about the dangers of comparison, women's conferences, and what's it like to feel like you never measure up. They discuss bullying, knowing our worth in Christ, and the enemy's lies.

Also in this episode...

Failure, inadequacy, Washington D.C. traffic, losing children, The Grand Ole Opry, and hope for the hurting.

Buy Jean's book here:

WORTHY TO BE LOVED: BY MYSELF AND OTHERS: Shepard, Jean Branson: 9798813901874: Amazon.com: Books