Guest Writer: Author Alice J. Wisler

Characters in Grief by Alice J. Wisler 

An elderly missionary was asked to sum up his life which had been filled with sorrow and anguish.  His words shocked many, especially those who were expecting something more profound.  “Jesus loves me, this I know,” he said.  Then he sat down.


Once upon a time, I wrote happy. As a little girl of ten, I wanted everything to turn out well. I thought that if you ate your vegetables and said your prayers life would be grand. I conveyed this in my writing. I also planned to save the world, although that was a bit later in life. 

When my four-year-old son died, I could not write happy. Like the words in many of the Psalms, my tears were my food; despair filled every ounce of me. Writing helped to get the sad out, and pretty soon, I wanted to live again and had hopes for my fiction.

There is no surprise now that my novels depict both happy and sad, joy, light-heartedness, distraught, and confusion. My goal is to write real.

When I created Monet, the three-year-old in my first novel, Rain Song, some questions arose. Why was this child so loud and naughty? Was it the case of poor parenting? Her mother took her to many doctors to try to find out why she was the way she was, and while there was some conversation about autism, I never said that was Monet’s diagnosis. Yet, some readers were quick to label her with that and their reviews showed it.

Whether you like Monet in the novel or not, to me, she is the symbol that things are not always neatly-labeled in life. Everything is not black or white. My son was not immediately diagnosed with cancer. The doctors gave him other labels first and eventually he had to go through a surgery and a biopsy. A lot of waiting was involved.

I believe life in novels should mimic life in reality. I don’t have all the answers, and neither do my characters.  They don’t get over grief, they heal a little. They might overcome some adversity, but they still have wounds.  Mentally-challenged Jonas, in How Sweet It Is, will never be a scientist or a professor, yet he has the qualities of a humble man that surpass most scholars. We don’t know why God made Jonas the way he did, but we like him.

Can we live with not knowing everything? In our lives and in our novels? Is grappling with our faith okay? Is it acceptable to some days barely hang onto the hand of the God? I believe that creative ways to show our characters have not yet arrived are necessary in our stories.

Just like in my life. And in yours.

Sometimes when our days are a blur of uncertainty, when the future looks dismal, when our spirits have been crushed, what comes from our feeble lips is both simple and profound, “Jesus loves me, this I know.” It is a sacrifice to say it, and yet, it rings true. 

Alice J. Wisler is the author of Rain Song, How Sweet It Is, Slices of Sunlight, Down The Cereal Aisle, and Hatteras Girl (releases Oct. 1st).

Website: alicewisler.com
Blog: writingtheheartache.blogspot.com
Twitter: @AliceWisler
Facebook Fan Page: Alice J. Wisler



God bless!
~Grace

Interview With Author Alice J. Wisler

Alice J. Wisler writes Christian fiction and she has two books out: Rain Song and How Sweet It Is. Look for her new book, Hatteras Girl, which comes out this year.

I recently got to do an interview with Alice J. Wisler and it was such fun putting it together. Alice is a great author, and I highly recommend her book, Rain Song, to everyone! It's a beautiful story - overflowing with witty humor and simple elegance. I wrote a book review for Rain Song and you can read it here: newreleasetuesday.com

You lived in Japan for 18 years. What was it like living there?

• I loved my childhood in Japan--crowded train rides to school, buying octopus and seaweed treats from the street vendor, soaking in an ofuro (large, hot bath), eating bean paste ice cream bought at the corner store, sailing on Lake Nojiri every summer, and riding the cable cars up and down Maya Mountain. My parents were Presbyterian missionaries, so we went to church a lot!

When did you start writing?

• Long before they put a man on the moon, before everyone had a color TV, and when PCs were not even a glimmer in Bill Gates' eye.

What is Writing the Heartache? How did it get started?

• This is the grief-writing course that I teach both online and in person. The online course last five weeks (more info is at my website: www.alicewisler.com) and when I teach it as a workshop at a conference, it can be condensed to fit smaller time slots. Writing was beneficial and healing for me right after the death of my 4-year-old son, Daniel, in 1997. I believe it is a God-given gift for health, healing, and hope. Therefore, I encourage others to write through their pain.

Your two cookbooks, Slices of Sunlight and Down the Cereal Aisle, are dedicated to your son, Daniel. Did it help writing about what happened?

• The two cookbooks hold recipes and memories of children who have died, including my son Daniel. Compiling both books was therapeutic. There are some great recipes in there for toffee bars, spaghetti, shrimp creole and even frog-eye salad.

For my birthday last year, I received your book, Rain Song. I found it to be one of my favorite books! Can you tell me how it came to be?

• I'm so glad that you were given a copy of Rain Song! Rain Song (which was originally titled--The Kimono Lady Sings) was a work-in-progress for a few years. I kept going back to it because the story-line intrigued me. I used to grow bored with my stories, so the fact that Rain Song kept me wanting to write, was amazing. Rain Song takes place in Mount Olive, NC, and has a Japan connection, like I do. I enjoyed flavoring the novel with bits of Japanese culture.

You have a new book, Hatteras Girl, coming out this year. When does it release? Could you give us a glimpse of what it’s about?

• Hatteras Girl, my third novel, makes her debut in October. Jackie, the main character, wants to own a bed and breakfast in Nags Head, NC, as well as meet the right man, but obstacles get in her way. Even so, as these obstacles are dealt with, Jackie gets closer to her dreams coming true. Rain Song is about taking risks, How Sweet It Is (second novel) is about forgiveness, and Hatteras Girl is about waiting for, and believing in your dreams.

I heard you have another novel in the works. Since your other novels take place in North Carolina, would I be correct in assuming the next one does as well?

• Yes! A Wedding Invitation takes place in Winston-Salem, NC, and is about second chances. I used to work at a refugee camp in the Philippines, and this novel will borrow from that part of my life, with flashbacks to the main character's days there.

When you’re not writing, what do you like to do in your spare time?

• During the summer months, I enjoy riding on our powerboat named Rain Song. I also like to cook, plan novel-related parties, and travel.

What advice do you have for people who want to become writers?

• Don't give up! Learn the craft well. Improve your grammar and vocabulary. And practice, practice, practice!

Alice, thank you so much for doing this interview with me. I look forward to reading more of your books.

Website: alicewisler.com
Blog: alicewisler.blogspot.com
Twitter: @RainHow
Facebook Fan Page: Alice J. Wisler

God bless!

~Grace Thorson