Composing Amelia (42 page)

“Awesome. Everyone is in for Wednesday-night rehearsals, and apparently there are at least three people who wanted to come tonight but couldn’t. Incredible.”

Marcus kissed her cheek and nodded to the books. “Want to trade and I’ll take the baby?”

“No, that’s all right, I’ve got her.” Amelia adjusted her hood to shield herself from the rain and draped a blanket over the carrier. They walked out to the parking lot, and Amelia let out a sigh. “The air smells delicious, doesn’t it? I love the smell of rain.”

“You used to hate the rain in California.”

“I know. Funny, huh? I love it here.”

Marcus froze. “What did you just say?”

Amelia snorted and punched his arm. “I meant I love the rain here.”

“Ah.”

“But …” She shrugged. “I guess I wouldn’t be lying if I said that I maybe, sorta, kinda liked it here now.” She set the car seat into its base in the backseat and winked playfully at Marcus. Then she shut the door and let herself into the passenger’s seat.

Marcus leaned over and kissed her. “I’m so glad.”

Amelia smiled, relishing the unexpected feeling of contentment her little family gave her as Marcus drove them home. She was far from completely healed, far from confident that she wouldn’t still mess up this new role of mom and ministry wife.

But she had hope.

… a little more …

When a delightful concert comes to an end,
the orchestra might offer an encore.
When a fine meal comes to an end,
it’s always nice to savor a bit of dessert.
When a great story comes to an end,
we think you may want to linger.

And so, we offer ...

AfterWords—
just a little something more after you
have finished a David C Cook novel.
We invite you to stay awhile in the story.

Thanks for reading!

Turn the page for ...

• Reader’s Guide

• Author Interview

R
EADER’S
G
UIDE

Spoiler Alert!

1. At the beginning of the story, Amelia and Marcus both are “stuck” in dead-end jobs. Have you been in a similar place? How did you respond?

2. Do you think Amelia holds too tightly to her career dreams? Why or why not?

3. How do you handle decisions in important relationships? Do you agree with the “inaction until unity” concept?

4. Do you think Marcus was justified in accepting the job in Nebraska, breaking his promise to Amelia? How would you have reacted?

5. Was Dane’s suggestion that Amelia stay in LA when Marcus moved to Wheatridge a wise one? Why or why not?

6. Why didn’t Marcus confront Amelia right away about her suicide attempt? What would you have done in his place?

7. Kristine tells Amelia she’s not a Christian because of what it “does” for her. What do you think of this idea?

8. Marcus learns that it is not his responsibility as a pastor to “make” the congregation participate. Do you agree with this? What is the proper role for a pastor?

9. Both Marcus and Amelia struggle with wounds from their parents. How does this impact their sense of identity? How can they help each other in the healing process?

10. What is the big difference between how Amelia and Marcus view their roles as parents?

11. After Hope is born, Amelia still wonders what the “right” religion is. How do you deal with similar doubts?

12. Do Marcus and Amelia strike you as being truly compatible as a couple? What is it that keeps them together?

A
UTHOR
I
NTERVIEW

1. Where did the inspiration for
Composing Amelia
come from? Do you remember when you first had the idea?

My best friend/roommate in college developed bipolar disorder our junior year. She became a Christian at the end of our freshman year, so her faith was really young—but those two years had been filled with trials that had strengthened it, which I think really helped when she was deep in her depressions. The way other Christians handled it, though, when she told them what was wrong, really made both of us angry. There was a lot of, “You’re just not praying hard enough for healing” and “This is punishment for something; you need to confess your hidden sins.” The experience made me want to write a book about Christians and mental illness, and I still have an outline for a nonfiction book for the loved ones of people with BP that I started back when we were in the thick of her disease. When I started writing
Composing Amelia,
I envisioned it dealing a lot more with those kinds of issues, but it turned out God’s vision was a little different. Maybe someday I’ll write that other book, though!

2. Were there some alternate endings of the story? How did you settle on this one?

There was an entire alternate
book,
actually! My first draft of the story was very different from this one—Amelia went to Wheatridge at the same time Marcus did, the parishioners of the church played a much bigger role and were very unaccepting of Amelia and her artistic ways, and the whole baby Hope subplot was entirely different. But I was really pushing my agenda, wanting the book to focus more on how misinformed the people at the church were about BP, and it was clear I was forcing the story to be something other than what God wanted it to be. My developmental editor, Nicci Hubert, walked me through a total rewrite that got the story to about 90 percent of what the final version is. It was a tough job, letting go of what
I
wanted the book to be about, but in the end it’s not my book to write, it’s God’s to dictate, so I had to step back and allow Him to guide the story.

3. Tell us about the writing process. Did you have a favorite spot to go to or certain music you listened to as you wrote?

In an ideal world I’d spend my writing time in a café or the library. But my reality is that I’m a work-at-home mom, and because of my girls’ ages—my youngest one, especially—it’s difficult for me to be away from home for the four to five hours I work every afternoon. So my writing spot is my home office, which I can’t complain about too much, since the view of the Rockies is downright gorgeous. (I have to situate my computer away from the window or else I spend way too much time daydreaming as I stare at the view!)

Because I was writing a character with a classical-music background, I spent some time listening to piano-driven classical “hits” to give me some ideas for songs Amelia could play in certain situations. I can’t write and listen to music (or anything, really) at the same time, so I’d set aside blocks of time to just sit and listen to the CDs I found with piano compositions. It was so nice to have an excuse to just chill and listen to this beautiful music! I thought readers might enjoy hearing those pieces too, so I’ve posted a playlist on my website of all the songs mentioned in the book. Check out
http://www.alisonstrobel.com/coam
for this and other “backstage” content.

4. Amelia and Marcus travel to some pretty dark places emotionally. How did it feel to enter into that?

God has blessed me with a weird ability to shield myself from getting too involved in my characters’ emotional tumult. I don’t have the luxury of hiding away to process difficult emotions because I go straight from writing to taking care of my family. If I got wrapped up in the darkness of my characters’ lives, I wouldn’t be able to function! And it probably helps that I’m not a person who is prone to dark thoughts—which is odd, in a way, because I write them all the time!

5. What do you hope readers learn from Amelia and Marcus’s relationship?

Marriage isn’t easy, and society’s cavalier attitude toward marriage and divorce has eroded the expectation that spouses fulfill the “for better or for worse” part of their vows. Obviously there are times when divorce is necessary—in matters of abuse or abandonment, for example—but too often people think a marriage can’t be saved when, in fact, God is fully capable of restoring even the most broken of relationships.* Amelia assumed there was no way she’d ever be happy in her marriage again, given the resentment she felt toward Marcus for moving them to Wheatridge and how uneven their faiths were. But God grew both her and Marcus, and was able to bring healing to a marriage that could easily have dissolved. If both parties of a struggling relationship are willing to turn to the Lord for help, I do believe He will answer those prayers.

*However, just because He
can
doesn’t mean He
will,
and I am not advocating that anyone remain in a marriage with a toxic person who is unwilling to change.

6. Amelia obviously loves her piano. Are you a musician?

My two favorite things to do have always been writing and singing. I was a choir geek through high school and helped lead worship in all the various churches I was involved with through college and after graduation. I took piano for a few years but it never seemed to stick—but I’m going to give it a shot again soon so I can at least play Christmas carols and hymns for family worship and teach my girls the basics.

7. What role do you think art—music, writing, or something else—should have in a Christian’s life, especially as a wife and mom? How do you find that balance?

I think interacting with art is a vital part of a Christian’s walk. God is the ultimate artist, the source of all creativity, and we’re missing out on a major facet of who He is when we neglect it. But, that being said, it doesn’t have to be some formal, complicated, or time-consuming thing. Just taking time to really look at the flowers in your garden or switching over to the classical station in the car for a while can give you a new connection to God. And, as a mom, those little moments are a great way to teach my girls about how God is involved in our world on that level—how the sunsets, the harmonies, the tints and shades of a Renaissance master’s painting all find their start in Him.