Author Interview: Marshalee Patterson & Life’s Journey our Greatest Test

Posted August 25, 2022 by meezcarrie in Author Interview, Christian, contemporary, Marshalee Patterson / 4 Comments

Please join me in welcoming author Marshalee Patterson to the blog today to chat about her new novel, Life’s Journey our Greatest Test!

Marshalee Patterson is a Christian Fiction Author of life-changing books that have spiritual warfare and romance. Her goal is to see her readers gain the advantage of how to be victorious against Satan’s tactics and exposes some of the devices he uses.

She is a lover of nature and its tranquillity. She finds nature refreshing and peaceful. She loves different cultures, especially Spanish, which she feels make us learn to appreciate ours a little more in areas where we have been ungrateful or unappreciative. She loves salsa music very much and dances it well too. She is a proud Jamaican.

You can connect with Marshalee on her website, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

LIFE’S JOURNEY OUR GREATEST TEST by Marshalee Patterson
GENRE: Inspirational Contemporary Fiction
RELEASE DATE: October 3, 2021
PAGES: 341

When Brady lost his brother, John, he felt his entire world crumble. All their plans went up in smoke, and soon his life took a turn for the worst; one he had not seen coming.
When his uncontrollable rage landed him in the Lexington Prison, he lost all will to live. However, his grandmother Ruth, being the devoted Christian woman that she was, never gave up on him and kept praying for him.
Walking around town shortly after his release from Lexington, Brady was pleasantly surprised when he stumbled upon Sara in a partially burnt abandoned building. Thinking that being a good Samaritan to her, could help him make right with God for all the wrong he had done in his life, he later discovered Sara was more of a blessing to his tortured life than he was to her.
Will this unlikely union bring them peace and seeing God’s promises fulfilled in their lives?

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Hi Marshalee! Welcome to the blog!

Marshalee: I used to love coffee until I had a terrible experience when I felt as if I could not breathe. I find tea to be very soothing and most nights I have to have a cup before bed.

Carrie: I am starting to sorta like tea – with a lot of sugar lol.

Marshalee: I love music but audiobooks are my go to choice when I want to clear my mind and de-stress. Laying in bed, closing my eyes and letting myself go on a journey with the characters helps my mind to relax for a couple hours.

Carrie: I wish I found audiobooks relaxing, instead of like nails on a chalkboard lol – i would get so much more reading done that way!

Marshalee: Sandwiches anytime. Soup was something we grow up on in Jamaica drinking every Saturday but I could eat sandwiches no matter what time of day even when I have no appetite for heavy meals.

Carrie: Sandwiches are good for that quick, light meal and sound appealing in any season.

Marshalee: I am old fashioned and love the smell of printed books to ebooks. I always love being able to organize my books on my shelf and they are better on your eyes too. I think a physical book is a treasure worth investing in.

Carrie: My house (and all its books) agrees with you. I love print books for owning & displaying… ebooks for reading, though. It’s easier on my eyes because I can increase the font size.

Q: Around here I like to say that reading is my superpower. If YOU had a superpower, what would it be?

Marshalee: Mine would be cleaning and organizing. I can’t stand seeing mess even a small one. I feel restless and unable to focus well if I don’t have everything around me clean and organized. I even have to make my bed before I go into it. Yeah it’s like that.

Carrie: Feel free to come clean and organize my house haha!

Q: Other than the Bible, what are five of your most cherished books?

Marshalee: These books are my favourite because they let you take from the story good values that you can adopt to your own. First, I would say is: A Tale of Two Cities because it teaches about true sacrifice through love, Jane Eyre taught me about forgiveness, Les Misérables showed me mercy, grace and forgiveness. The Count of Monte Cristo showed me how God turns up when we least expect him and the Phantom of the Opera just captivated me.

Carrie: i love your choices – and the reasons for them 🙂

Q: If I sneaked a peek in your purse right now (which I would never do, I promise!), what would it tell me about you?

Marshalee: It would tell you that I’m always prepared. You would find an umbrella, a pen, ID document and a lip gloss.

Carrie: my purse has all. the. pens. and zero umbrellas…. even though I usually need an umbrella and rarely need a pen when i’m out lol

Q: Which character in Life’s Journey our Greatest Test was the most difficult to write?

Marshalee: I would say the main character-Brady. He had so much issues to deal with. I had to put myself in his shoes many times to feel what he felt.

Carrie: i bet that would be emotionally draining!

Q: Do you have the whole plot outlined before you start writing, or do you let the characters dictate what comes next?

Marshalee: I would say my characters dictate what comes next. I don’t usually know how it’s going to end or what direction the book will go until I am in the process of writing. It’s a partnership me and the Holy-Spirit have when I let him guide me with the direction.

Carrie: letting Him guide is always the best option ♥

Q: What do you most want readers to take away from Life’s Journey our Greatest Test?

Marshalee: That being a victim of drug abuse or rape doesn’t mean that you have to stay in that place of isolation and feeling rejected. God sees you and is with you and he used me to write this book to bring you healing. It was not an easy book to write, took me to emotional places I didn’t know, as my deceased husband was a drug addict at one point in his life too and I was there through that.

Carrie: He IS the God who sees and He restores to us the years the figurative locusts have eaten ♥

Thank you so much for taking time to talk with me! 🙂