About the Author

Joy Margetts combines a life-long love of history and a deep passion for the Word of God to write stories, inspired by her own faith journey. She lives on the beautiful North Wales coast, amidst abbey ruins and ancient pilgrim paths that inspire her Christian Historical Fiction.

Welcome to our blog, Joy! Can you tell me more about yourself and where you live?

I live in a most beautiful area of the UK, on the coast of Wales, surrounded by a stunning landscape of mountains, forests and sea. This is an area that is not only stunning in its natural beauty but also rich with history; castles, abbeys, old churches, and ancient pilgrimage routes. These things inspire my writing, which is why my books are set in medieval Wales, and feature abbeys, monks, knights and maidens. No dragons though! And no murders!

Some years ago now my life was forever changed when I became unexpectedly ill, from what was later diagnosed as Chronic Fatigue. Months of being able to do very little turned into years. Years where I lost much including my job and career, experiences with my children which I will never get back, and my role in ministry.

Wow, that sounds so hard. How did that affect your faith?

Through this time, I questioned all that I had known of God. I had followed Jesus all my life but when things got really tough, it felt like He had abandoned me. I didn’t know if I could trust Him any more, if He really cared, if all that I had once believed was actually true. Over time, God pursued me, revealing His love for me in unexpected ways, using others to display Himself, helping me to rediscover my faith and choose to trust Him again.

So, why did you start writing?

In writing my books, I wanted to tell my own story through the fictional lives of characters living centuries ago.

The Healing, my first novel, told my story of healing and redemption, and no-one was more surprised than I when the book was published. But God had given me a gift to write, and He wasn’t finished with one book.

The Stranger, published by Broad Place Publishing, is actually my fourth novel and the most personal in many ways. The central character has to navigate what it feels like to question his faith in the face of devastating disappointment. I think this is something that many Christians can equate with. The story follows him as he tries to turn his back on his God, and discovers that God does not give up the pursuit of those He loves.

So The Stranger is based on your experiences?

Yes, it is my story. God pursued me and would not let me go. He is the lover of my soul and has proved faithful. I want my books to carry hope, and to glorify Him.

I love the Word of God. It has been my place of comfort and strength through tough times. My books are littered with scriptural truth, and I make no apologies for that. It is the truth, and believing in the truth, that sets us free.

What’s next for you?

I’m currently focused on heading up the team at Kingdom Story Writers, which is a support network for those, like me, who are writing God-honouring, faith-building, Holy Spirit-inspired fiction. I also have a lent devotional coming out this year. I’m not sure when I’ll write my next novel, but I’ll be sure to keep you posted!

Thanks so much for joining us, Joy!

Inspired by Joy?

At Broad Place Publishing, we operate on a partnership model where we ask people like you to partner with us to support our authors in their ministry. We don’t believe they should have to pay thousands of pounds to bring amazing God-honouring content into the world, but sadly, that’s the reality with most publishing models in these challenging times. If you want to support Joy with a regular or one off donation, you can do so by joining her VIP club here. If you want to pray for Joy, you can sign up to Joy’s prayer team here.

Interested in The Stranger?

You can also support Joy by purchasing her books. We give a higher royalty percentage back to our authors than most publishing houses because, quite frankly, they deserve it! Writing a book takes hundreds of hours of work, and you get to benefit for just a few pounds (similar to a cup of coffee and slice of cake).

While you’re considering that, why not pray about someone who could benefit from the message of The Stranger, and buy them a copy as a gift too?

Read more about The Stranger here.

Purchase The Stranger here.

Then enjoy!