Another Glimpse from Chris Fabry's Window - June Bug

Chris Fabry's work is powerful. Dogwood left a profound impact on me. I've interviewed Chris one other time, and thus after reading June Bug I had yet a few more questions. Please read my initial interview here, and then see what Chris had to share about his latest novel, June Bug. It is apparent that God is using Chris in a mighty way to create powerful pictures of God's grace. I am honored to have had another brief visit with him.

Where on earth did you find your inspiration for this story? How did your heart stand the pain of writing so honestly about such brutal reality in the lives of so many?


Kim, you picked up on the pain part. This was written during the biggest turmoil of our lives, moving out of our house, losing our two dogs, leaving with nothing but the clothes on our backs. So it was pretty easy to put myself in that situation where they were losing all and seeing life change so drastically.


Who do you hope to reach with this story?


I’m always trying to write the best story I can and I let the person who is touched be touched. That said, I really wanted to target the female reader who feels aimless and who feels abandoned by God. I really hoped people would see God’s grace poured out through the story.


Do you feel some will be turned off because faith isn't presented in a "pretty" package?


I’m sure some would like it depicted much more cut and dried. I don’t feel that way. Faith in the midst of reality is what I appreciate, and it’s what I see in scripture. Not that my writing can be compared with the Bible, but when I read about David, his life is not sugarcoated. He makes mistakes. He sins grievously. There are consequences but God still loves him and uses him. I want that to come through with each story.


Do you think many miss out on God's blessings because they don't want to help others find hope inside their hopelessness? Don't want to reach out and make the difference in the life of a child?


I think we don’t make a difference because we’re so busy, we’re so focused on what we’re focused on. And those can be really good things. To live outwardly, you have to be willing to open your eyes and see what’s right in front of you. For me, that’s my family and their needs and then those I come in contact with. We don’t have a lifestyle of willingness to get messy with others’ lives. It’s just too hard. And yet, that’s where the real hope and joy comes from, I think.

Thanks again, Chris for sharing your heart. Thank you for writing such powerful stories of redemption and grace. We all look forward to watching where God leads your writing career from here!