Jenny Hander

Since publishing her book last fall, Jenny has made it her life’s mission to share with others the message of hope, comfort, and everlasting peace that come from learning to have faith in God—no matter what circumstances life may bring.  Jenny thoroughly enjoys writing and speaking to groups about her experience and seeks to motivate others in their walk of faith.  Though she is spends most of her free time writing, Jenny considers her full-time job as a stay-at-home mom to be her greatest blessing of all.  Jenny holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University and resides in North Texas with her husband, two children, and chocolate lab named Mattie.

                                                            Q&A With Jenny Hander

Did you always plan to become a writer?
Never!  I’ve always been more of a math and science person (hence the engineering degree).  Only in my adult years has writing become one of my greatest passions.  I consider it a great honor and a true blessing for the opportunity to share my thoughts with other people through writing.

Was it easy for you to put your career on hold so that you could become a stay-at-home mom?
Yes and no.  I hadn't ever really planned to be a stay-at-home mom, so leaving my career behind was certainly a huge lifestyle change.  Because my surviving twin daughter’s health was still in such delicate condition once she arrived home from the hospital, she and I were essentially on house-arrest for the first two years of her life.  However, after all that we have gone through, I am overjoyed for every moment I get to spend with my children.  My days are filled with diaper changes, nap times, movies about a big purple dinosaur, and little orange crackers in the shape of a fish, and I couldn’t be more thankful for each and every minute of it!

How did you manage to write A Place of Peace?
After my daughter passed away, writing became very therapeutic for me.  I was able to write things in my journal that I might never have had the courage to say aloud.  Seeing my thoughts and feelings on paper allowed me to sort through my grief.  It is my faith in God that gives me the hope I need to cope with the death of my daughter, but it is through writing (and prayer) that I work through my emotions.  Because I wrote such detailed information, I was able to pull most of the book together from what I had written in my journal.  A Place of Peace is truly my personal journey through grief.

What made you decide to publish the details of such a personal experience?
I published my story in hopes of helping and inspiring others.  The grief over my daughter’s death knocked me into what felt like a deep, dark, bottomless pit with seemingly no way out.  Initially I was so hurt that I even shied away from my faith in God; but that left me with no hope at all.  Eventually I learned how to believe and trust in the Lord again.  God is the only One who was strong enough to pull me out of the deep dark pit of grief.  Because I know how difficult it can be to rely on faith during tough times, I wanted to share with others the details of just how I learned to trust the Lord again, even after my daughter’s death.  I want to make others aware of healing that comes from having faith in God through His Son.

How did you publish your book?
I’d read that it can be nearly impossible for a previously unpublished author to get the attention of a big-name traditional publisher so I decided to go the route of publishing myself.  By self-publishing, I retain all rights to my work, I was able to get to market faster, and I am solely responsible for the marketing and promotion of my book.  I hired iUniverse to provide all the services usually performed by a traditional publishing company, such as editing, formatting, cover design, and printing.  iUniverse is in strategic alliance with Barnes and Noble bookstores, so my because my book was designated as a Publishers Choice title by iUniverse, it even appeared in my local Barnes and Noble bookstore for an 8-week test market, and has since been picked-up by my hometown Barnes and Noble bookstore.  Though the marketing and promotion details have been a huge learning curve for me, I rest in the comfort of having God on my marketing team.  I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome thus far, and writing and publishing my own book is an experience that ranks near the top of things that I have accomplished in my life, not by my works, but by the amazing grace of God.

What are your future plans?
I hope to continue teaching and encouraging others to trust God no matter what circumstances life may bring.   Learning to seek and accept God’s plan for my life has allowed me to begin reclaiming the extraordinary life I’ve always dreamed of living.  I hope to someday write another book.  I feel A Place of Peace was just the beginning.  So many blessings have come from learning to seek God first, that eventually I would like to compile my new experiences into a book (I even have a title in mind, but I'm keeping it under wraps for now!).  Oh and yes, Lord willing, we would love to have a few more kiddos!