Jenny Erlingsson Wants Women to Remember Who They Are in Christ
On her website, author Jenny Erlingsson doesn’t hesitate to share her love for God. In fact, the first thing you’ll see under her bio is that her goal is to be a daughter first…a daughter of God through Jesus Christ. Out of the overflow of that, she considers her writing to be her fingerprint of worship to God and where she gets to connect the most with readers.
From writing stories about her Barbies as a child to including Biblical fiction in her nonfiction, words have been a constant in Jenny’s life. “My favorite thing to do since childhood is to read, and although I don’t get as much time to do so as I used to, it is a joy to get to write non fiction and fiction books.” Today, through both romantic fiction and creative nonfiction, Jenny encourages readers of every age, stage, and season to grow deeper in their faith.
The wife, mother of four, author, and speaker, who considers both Iceland and Alabama home, recently released her latest novel, Almost By Design. In the conversation that follows, Jenny shares the story behind the novel, the people who inspired it, the Christ-centered identity that continues to shape her characters, and the hope she wants readers to walk away with.
The people closest to us often leave the biggest mark on our stories. Who inspired Almost By Design, and when did you realize Kenya’s story was one you wanted to tell?
I was inspired to write Almost By Design by my daughter, my husband, and my sister. My sister is such a vibrant, incredible person and, while pursuing her PhD, has also worked in event planning. She gave me a lot of insight into the career that my main character, Kenya, has.
My husband and daughter both have the gift of dyslexia, and I am fascinated by how they overcome their learning differences in various ways and meet challenges with perseverance. I wanted my character to have similar struggles, and also to show what a gift it can be to see the world in a different way.
The spark of this book actually came decades ago. I was working on another story idea way before I was published, and in that story there was a younger sister being pushed to attend an event by her vibrant big sister. Kenya was that big sister, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the family I had written about. So my debut novel, Her Part to Play, featured Kenya’s cousin Adanne, and Almost By Design features Kenya.
As readers spend time with your books, your faith is hard to miss. What role does your relationship with God play in shaping your stories?
I want the themes I write about to not just be woven into the words on the page, but to be organic to the heart of the story. That comes out of me seeking God for what and how to write the story. I usually have a verse that serves as the foundation to keep me anchored as I write.
I’ve really been passionate about Christ-centered identity for women, and that seems to permeate my characters as well. Although there are different plots, there is typically an underlying theme of a woman remembering who she is and not basing her identity just on what she does. That’s something God has cultivated in my life over the years, and I love getting to explore that through the characters on the page.
Every author hopes readers take something with them after they finish a book. What do you hope stays with them after reading Almost By Design?
I want readers to walk away entertained, encouraged, and feeling like the characters are close friends. I also want readers to come away with a sense of worth and be reminded that what they’ve seen maybe as a weakness or a delay, or even just something mundane in their life, can actually be a gift. God can use all these things for His glory if they are just willing to surrender their own plans and designs to Him so that He can complete His ultimate design in their lives.
So many women are carrying a lot in this season of life. As you wrote Almost By Design, what encouragement did you hope women would find in its pages?
This is so true. I find myself in that same season of trying to balance so many things. But for me, I try not to strive toward balance anymore. I just really want to be anchored well, to abide well, and from there I want to be really intentional about stewarding what God has placed in my hands in the moment.
There are some seasons, like when my kids are in school and playing basketball, where there is no balance because I’m on those bleachers cheering, helping with homework, and so much more. Or when we were living in Iceland and I wasn’t full time in an office, ministry was our everyday, all day organic activity. There wasn’t balance necessarily, but I did my best to stay anchored, to listen well, and to find margin.
So that’s what I hope women are encouraged by as they read this story. That the goal is not to superficially strive toward an outcome, but to filter what you do through what God says because He will remind you what your portion is, what to focus on, and also where He wants you to get rest.
Almost by Design
You’ve shared a lot about different seasons of life. What does living with purpose look like for you today?
Living with purpose to me is living as a woman on assignment. I think that word assignment has been more prevalent in my vocabulary over the past few years.
When we moved back to the States after living in Iceland for six years, I was confused for a season because I thought that was where we were called to remain. But my core call is to be in relationship with Jesus. So my purpose has to come out of the overflow of that, and I’ve got to be intentional about what my assignment is for the moment and the season.
If I get out of alignment by going my own way, I need to be quick to get back to abiding and listening well so that I can remain on His assignment for me.
Before we wrap up, is there anything else you’d like readers to know about Almost By Design?
I’m really excited for readers to jump into this story. My characters are so fun, and the love story is clean and sweet, but they’ll also have the opportunity to get a taste of Nigerian culture and some of the struggles those with learning differences walk through.
To learn more about Jenny Erlingsson, purchase Almost By Design, or connect with her online, visit JennyErlingsson.com.
