November 15, 2024 • 40 mins
In this episode of the Christian Book Blurb podcast, host Matt McChlery speaks with author Joanne Gilchrist about her journey into writing children's literature, the importance of Christian resources for children, and her latest book, 'Why Did God Make Me?'. They discuss the challenges and joys of writing for children, the role of illustrators, and the impact of the God for Kids app. Joanne shares insights on engaging with children during school visits and offers advice for parents on discussing faith with their children. The conversation highlights the significance of nurturing spiritual conversations in early childhood and the evolving landscape of children's literature.
Links
Help keep this podcast on the web by simply buying me a coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattmcchlery
Thanks to the sponsor of this episode sarahgracepublishing.co.uk
Visit Matt McChlery's website mattmcchlery.com
Visit the God For Kids App website
Takeaways
- Joanne's writing journey began with a word processor on her dad's Amstrad computer.
- Her first books were a children's devotional and a personal testimony.
- The children's devotional has evolved into a series and an app.
- Writing for children requires understanding their developmental stages.
- Christian resources for children are crucial for fostering open conversations about faith.
- Joanne aims to engage both children and the adults in their lives through her writing.
- The process of writing simple stories can be challenging but rewarding.
- Collaboration with illustrators is key to bringing children's books to life.
- The God for Kids app provides a platform for reaching more children with Christian teachings.
- Joanne encourages parents to have faith conversations with their children without fear.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Christian Book Blurb 00:28
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Christian Book Blurb 00:28 Joanne Gilchrist's Journey into Writing 04:55 The Evolution of Joanne's Books 08:33 The Importance of Christian Literature for Children 11:19 Crafting Simple Yet Impactful Stories 13:58 Exploring 'Why Did God Make Me?' 18:24 The Collaboration with Illustrators 20:34 The God for Kids App and Its Impact 24:23 Reflections on Growth and Future Plans 27:59 Engaging with Schools and Children 28:54 Advice for Parents on Discussing Faith 29:56 Getting to Know Joanne Gilchrist 36:59 The Holy Spirit's Guidance in Joanne's Life 37:28 Upcoming Projects and Future Aspirations
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
This is Christian Book Blurb brought to you by author and songwriter Matt McChlery Get abehind the scenes glimpse into the lives of some of your favourite Christian authors, hear
about their books and faith.
Also, why not check out my website, mattmccleary.com
This episode is sponsored by Sarah Grace Publishing.
(00:21):
So go and visit their website saragracepublishing.co.uk
Hello and welcome to this episode of the Christian Book Blurb podcast where we like toencourage you in your discipleship one book at a time as we meet some amazing Christian
authors and learn about their books, their lives and their faith.
(00:42):
I'm your host, Matt McChlery.
Thanks for joining me today.
And on today's show, I'm going to be chatting with the author, Joanne Gilchrist.
Hi, Joanne.
Hi, Matt.
Really excited to be here.
Thank you so much for joining me.
It's great.
I haven't had children's authors on the show for quite a while and it's like the buses.
(01:06):
Now I've had two or three all sort of fairly close together, but it's really good to haveyou.
It's great.
How did your foray into writing begin?
Well, I imagine that like many authors out there, it probably started at a very, veryyoung age.
My dad had a
Amstrad computer and I was born in the 80s.
(01:29):
So we were quite advanced technically that we had this computer and it had a, it had asoftware, I guess on it that was a word processor and the word processor, had to put like
a special B in front of characters and then a special B afterwards to make it bold.
Like it was really, really, I guess, prehistoric in terms of computers.
(01:51):
But that was where I started writing poetry.
was on my dad's Amstrad computer.
And I loved to write as a child.
I always wanted to be just like Enid Blyton.
then, but it sort of wore off as I got older.
I think I didn't have a great experience in secondary school.
went from, I went to a grammar school and suddenly instead of being like the best atEnglish, I was just mediocre, which wasn't very motivating.
(02:19):
And
As a young adult, remember thinking, I just don't really have anything to say.
And so I didn't really write and I pursued other avenues.
did a degree in PR and I joined Y-whammers and Mishme and did communications and that sortof thing.
But then about 10 years ago, I went through quite a difficult period in my life and I wasin church one day and I was, you know, when you are singing worship songs and
(02:45):
You're in such a tough place that you're like crying as you're singing.
It was one of those days.
I think we were singing 10,000 reasons and I was just sobbing and, I could say a friend.
mean, a we grew up, a kid I grew up with, I don't really know very well, came up to meafterwards and just said, I've got a word for you.
And the word was that these dry bones will live again.
(03:10):
And it was such a meaningful word.
me at the time because I did feel like a pack of dry bones wondering if God you know wasever going to use me again or if I was ever going to be the person who I used to be again
and so when the opportunity came to write when God started to speak to me about writingagain I felt like yeah that's the dry bone that's something that I used to be good at as a
(03:31):
kid that I used to love and I used to write all the time.
And I haven't for a really long time.
It's very definitely pack a droid base.
And I thought, I think God is saying it's time to write again.
So they started writing.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I remember when I was really young, this is dating both of us, isn't it?
(03:53):
We had a computer, it was one of those BBC micros with like some of that greenish kind ofscreen on it.
Yes.
Different shades of green.
Yes.
And the printer had sort of these perforated holes on either side of the paper.
it kind of, I don't think it used ink or it had like an ink ribbon, I think.
(04:15):
And then it kind of punctured holes through the sheet.
Anyway, very, very, very, very ancient these days.
You see them in museums these days.
I mean, some of the stuff we had as kids, it's a bit worrying really.
That ages you, doesn't it?
When you go to a
And you're one of the exhibits, yeah I know.
Anyway, good.
So, since you started writing again, what titles have you written since then?
(04:40):
Because I know there are several now.
Yes.
Well I started with two ideas that were quite different.
The first was a children's devotional based on the character of God, which is something Iused to really enjoy.
studying and teaching about when I was with Wai Wham.
And then the other is a book called Looking for Love, which was my testimony of when I wasa single female Christian and very dissatisfied with my single status and some of the
(05:11):
things that God did in my heart, transformation really that he did in my heart and in mylife during those single years, bringing me to a place of wholeness and I guess
satisfaction in him, which is
not a small achievement.
So I had these two very, very different books, almost like twins, like I had twins at thetime.
(05:32):
And I suppose one for a while, the Looking for Love book took up most of my time and theChildren's Devotional was just a little thing.
But over time, the Children's Devotional has become bigger and bigger and bigger andbecome the main thing.
it became an app.
and now a series of books.
And The Looking for Love is just this book I wrote once upon a time.
(05:55):
You know, it's sort of in this bit of history now.
Yeah.
It's interesting, isn't it?
How as authors we get ideas, but that can be quite different in terms of, you know, you goto a publisher or something and the target audience or the style or whatever, you know,
they say, well, we like this one because this fits our
style or this fits, you know, what we do.
(06:16):
But then the other one is like, well, no, we don't do children's books or we don't dobooks for adults or, whatever it is.
So you end up, you end up kind of traipsing all around the place, finding different,different people who actually are interested in that little bit of thing that you do
anyway.
so with the two different audiences with those books.
(06:39):
Do you still write books for adults or is it mostly child-focused these days?
It's mostly child-focused, but I always have the, I suppose the adults in the child's lifein mind, whether that be parents or grandparents or children's workers or teachers.
I always have them in mind when I write, I suppose a bit like the way Pixar manages towrite animations for children with bits in that are funny for adults.
(07:06):
try to include
bits of wisdom because I know that it's the adults who are often reading the books to thechildren.
you know, they also possibly have questions that, but they've stopped asking by the timethey get to adults and children are asking, but they can't understand the answers.
And by the time we can understand the answers, sometimes we've stopped asking thequestion.
(07:27):
So I try to think of adults and children together.
And I do have a blog for the adults.
So the idea was that if
If what I'm writing for children makes the adults think or want to find out more, they cango to the blog and, and learn for themselves as well.
That's really good.
That's really interesting.
(07:47):
Why is it important to have Christian books and resources for the age group?
Cause when we talk about children, even within that, you know, you've got sort of youngadults, you've got sort of teens, you've got sort of, sort of upper end of primary school
level.
But your books are younger, is that right?
Yes.
(08:07):
It's yeah, when it comes to children, it's quite, it is quite specific.
A book for toddlers is very different to a book for picture books.
I've written mostly picture books, which I guess are four to eight year olds.
And then, and a book for a nine year old plus is quite different again.
And a book for 12 year old plus is quite different.
So if you're writing for a child, you have to pick an age group.
(08:31):
Yes.
And mine are the,
four to eight age group, which is key stage one really.
So a bit too old for toddlers.
But yeah, key stage one, which is why I've started going into schools and doing assembliesand RE lessons and things.
I'm looking forward to chatting about that a bit later, but why is this age groupimportant to have Christian books and resources for?
(08:56):
This age group, I think is so important because they haven't yet learned
the whole don't talk about religion and politics to be.
They don't know that yet.
They just have questions and they just have, they just say what they see.
And if someone's talking about God, then they'll just talk about God and they don't haveany qualms about it and it's not to be.
(09:18):
And they're more than happy to share their thoughts and ideas and ask questions andlisten.
They are like sponges.
They will absolutely listen.
If you want to have a spiritual conversation, I can't think of an age group.
that it's more fun to have a spiritual conversation with than with a four, five, six,seven year old.
They're just delightful.
They are open to it.
And it's so easy.
(09:39):
I was always taught in parenting courses when my children were little that what you dowith them, the things that you plant, the seeds that you sow at that age are the ones that
will ripen when they're teenagers and when they're young adults.
And it's such an important age to
just have these conversations to make it part of normal life, talking about God, that wetalk about God, that's fine.
(10:03):
It's not taboo.
It's not anything to be ashamed of.
It's great fun and we can have some really quite deep conversations actually.
Children's books.
my goodness.
It's like, I I taught in primary schools for almost two decades and some people who don't
understand primary schools think, well, you're just doing a babysitting service.
(10:26):
You're not really teaching them.
But then you get those who actually know what's going on and they go, well, I don't knowhow you do it.
It's amazing what you do.
it's a similar thing with children's books, I find, because yes, in one, at one level,some of the stories are really simple, but it's so difficult.
(10:49):
to write a simple story, to say what you are trying to say in such a understandable andconcise way using words that a young five-year-old can understand.
How do you do it?
Do you find it really difficult to consolidate your thoughts down into this sort of reallysimple language, but then still get the message across?
(11:19):
Honestly, no, I really don't.
I find it comes quite easily, quite naturally.
find.
Wow.
Well done.
I just think it's, I just think it's must be part of a gift that God's given.
I find it difficult to get like the meter right and the right, you know, like I spendhours and hours and hours making, trying to make sure that the meter is right, you know,
(11:41):
with poetry and right, cause it's all in rhyme.
It's all rhyming.
sort of almost Julia Donaldson type sort of that kind of, it flows and has a rhythm and apattern.
Yes.
And I have to say that I've probably worked harder on this book in terms of getting thatright than on any of the others, which is I think why each book is better.
And it makes me want to go back and redo all the first ones to do a better job.
(12:07):
putting the ideas, I think I'm quite a concrete thinker.
I'm not, I'm not sort of very simple, intuitive, like, yeah, I'm quite literal and I'mquite concrete.
And I think children are like that at that age.
So I, I, maybe I just have the mind of a child.
No, it's amazing what you do because I've read, books aimed at children, from a couple ofdifferent authors.
(12:34):
won't, I won't say who they are.
but.
You think to yourself, you read the book, you think, my goodness me, you know, you can seethat the book is clearly aimed at a seven year old or maybe an eight year old, but the way
it's written, the words being used, huge, big chunky paragraphs and all sorts of things.
And you're thinking, my goodness, a 12 year old might even struggle to read this, youknow, as an adult, you know, I've, I've got through to the second page and I already, I'm
(13:03):
losing the will to carry on reading it.
And, know,
It's really difficult.
Some people give it a go, but man, you've got to have that ability.
I do have to give great thanks to my editor who actually helped me make them much, muchbetter.
So I say, yes, it comes easy to me, but actually some certain things come easy, likeputting the complex thoughts into a simple way.
(13:29):
But I have had a lot of help from my editor.
Vicky Howie, Vicky Howe, who has taught me to be a better writer just by editing my books.
Editors are amazing.
And yeah, some people starting out writing, think, no, you know, I don't need, but mygoodness me, you need an editor.
Even editors, when they write a book, know that they need an editor.
(13:51):
So yeah, it's a really important thing.
We've mentioned your book and your new book, but we haven't actually said what it's calledyet.
And it's called, why did God make me a fantastic, huge question that little people and bigpeople ask.
So can you tell us what, why did God make me is all about?
(14:14):
Well, it's the fifth in a series called the animals of Eden Valley series.
And the animals of Eden Valley originally were just seven avatars for my app, God for Kidsapp.
that you could select to kind of accompany you on your journey through the app.
And a friend of mine, Fiona Walton, saw these business cards that I had printed where I'dgiven each avatar a question.
(14:35):
And I just thought of the top, just random questions off the top of my head that peoplemight ask about God.
And she said, I think you should write books and these questions should be the titles.
And so together we started writing a series of books based on these questions that kidsask.
And we've done four so far and this is the fifth one.
(14:56):
This is Paul's question.
And I think I have asked this question a lot as an adult and the children have asked methis question sitting on carpets in churches.
Why are we all here?
And I have to think, do you mean why are we sitting on this carpet in this hall?
No, no, they mean why are we here in the world?
Why has God made us?
(15:17):
And
And you need to have an answer.
It's not good enough to just be like, I don't know, we'll change the subject or deflect.
Because if we don't address children's questions seriously, they're going to stop askingquestions.
They're going to assume there isn't an answer.
And I'm a big believer in that if we have the ability to ask questions, then we have theability to understand some kind of an answer.
(15:40):
I'm not saying we can.
there's quick answers or easy answers or we can understand it all completely.
But I believe God's given us a mind to ask the questions and to understand the answers onsome level.
So we ought to be exploring and if we don't know the answer, keep asking and keepexploring.
Don't give up.
yeah, so this story Paul's, wasn't actually what you asked me.
(16:01):
This is Paul's story.
That's great.
He plays football.
It's a game of football.
He's playing football and he can't play, he's rubbish at football.
All the other animals seem to be good at it and he's no good.
And it just makes him feel all despondent and sad and all, I'm no good at football.
There's grass on my chest and why did God make me?
I'm not like the rest.
And then he gets the knock on the door from the little character called Roo, whorepresents the Holy Spirit in all of the books.
(16:28):
And Roo points into the Bible and opens the Bible up to Jeremiah.
29 verse 11 to 13, that is a very, very famous verse.
And then I sort of have that in rhyme.
God knows you and loves you inside you and out.
He made you on purpose of that, there's no doubt.
And it gives him the confidence to try again.
(16:49):
So he's like, right, okay, if God loves me, he's got a good purpose.
Let's give it another go.
And he turns up to the football pitch and all of the animals are...
is in chaos.
One's got a black eye, one's hiding, so the other's across, another one's crying.
It's all gone to pop because they didn't have a referee and that's where Paul finds hisplace.
(17:09):
He's like, well, I'm not very good at football, but I am good at keeping the peace and Iam good at listening.
And he finds his place as the team's referee and he pulls them together.
And without him, you know, they can't, they can't do what they're meant to do.
They can't use their skills.
They can't play a game of football, but with him, all taking their own.
place, you know, they can, they can play a game.
(17:31):
I guess it's about finding your place in unexpected when it might not be what you expect.
And that's been my experience, I suppose, in life.
That's really good.
It feeds into all sorts of things.
Just listening to that is just, you know, you know, being all different parts of the bodyand you need different parts to function and what they're good at and compliment the other
(17:53):
parts to, and without the other parts, can't
do your bit and we all rely on each other and yeah, it's fantastic.
Really good, really good story.
Lot packed into there.
Lot packed in, that's good.
So the genre of your books mean that they are bright and colorful and that you need towork with an illustrator.
(18:14):
So what is the process like for you?
I always find this a fascinating question when I speak to children's book authors, becausethe answers are always very different.
So.
What's the process like for you working with an illustrator?
Well, that's interesting.
Yes, because I'm not traditionally published, which means I have had to work withillustrators quite closely.
(18:36):
And because my first illustrator illustrated God for Kids app, I just approached him withwriting the books and he illustrated the first book, a guy called David McNeil.
and I self published it to begin with.
So I paid him and, and, and then self published the book and he was quite interesting towork with because he was very quick.
(19:00):
So I had to have all my ducks in a row.
I had to have all my thoughts lined up.
because once he illustrated it, he set aside, you know, a week or two, and then he justdid it it was done.
And then if you want changes, you have to pay for the changes.
you had to, you know, you had to think.
in advance of what you wanted quite clearly.
But he was very gracious actually at working with me.
(19:20):
But he only did the first book because then when I signed with Malcolm Downe, Sarah GracePublishing, which is the children's imprint of Malcolm Downe Publishing, he asked for a
different illustrator.
But he was really happy and really gracious for us to continue with the style.
And the new David.
is quite happy.
They're both called David, which makes it easier.
He's much different.
(19:42):
He's really happy back and forth.
And I actually really enjoy giving him as few instructions as possible.
So I give him some instructions on each page, but actually the more, the less instructionsI give him, the more his creativity has room to flourish.
So I'm always really interested to see what the illustrator comes up with.
(20:02):
And if I give too many instructions, I feel like it dampens that a little bit.
so I really do enjoy, I really do enjoy seeing what they come up with.
And then there'll be a bit of back and forth, until we get it right.
Hmm.
That's interesting.
In preparing for this interview, had a little look at your website and there's a lot goingon.
(20:24):
So tell me about Ruach Resources and the God for Kids app.
Why have you made an app and not just stuck with the books?
What else does the app give you that the books don't?
Well I started the app because I realised I would reach a lot more children that way.
If I...
(20:44):
it was difficult finding a Christian publisher in the UK who would publish a children'sdevotional to begin with, there were very few who would, and I realised it would have a
very limited reach.
I can't even remember which friend it was who said to me, why not an app?
So I did some research into that and we had some savings from a sale of our house when weleft New Zealand and we just felt that it was right to invest that into creating an app.
(21:14):
But what I didn't know is that an app is not like a book.
Once it's published, once it's out there, that's not the end, it's not done.
It's the beginning.
Yeah.
And I know that when you write a book, it's the beginning of the marketing and selling andpromoting process, but with an app, it never ends.
It constantly needs improvements and upgrades and testing and adjustments and new content.
(21:36):
it, it just needs constant investment all the time.
It's a business.
And it got to the point where, it needed to be bigger than just me.
It wasn't enough to just.
be operating on my own as a sole trader.
That wasn't healthy.
It wasn't fun.
And so I started making some partnerships.
I made a partnership with another app called SunSchool and their tech team do all of mytech support now, which is amazing.
(22:03):
But then I also just formed a charity, which I really am denied about for years and yearsand years because I thought this is such a big step forming a charity and I don't know if
I can do it.
I've never done it before.
I don't know what to do.
don't know what I'm doing.
then when I finally had some help from the Lions, which is an organization that championsChristian entrepreneurs, they helped me form the charity.
(22:26):
And the acceptance letter from the charity commission was the fastest that this chap atthe Lions had ever seen.
And he started about 40 charities.
And he said, this one came through quicker than any he's ever seen before.
think within 10 days, we had an email saying, yep, you're a charity.
And he said, sometimes that process can take months and months and months.
(22:47):
And it was a real confirmation from God that this was the right thing to do was to start acharity.
That didn't mean I knew what I was doing.
So it's been nearly three years.
When do we ever know what we're doing?
Yeah, exactly.
So I'm very much learning on the job and I've got a fantastic chair of trustees now who'sreally helping me to just take it to that next level.
(23:08):
But for me, it's very much a step by step learning on the way.
Yeah.
And so what does the app have on it?
So it's got devotional materials.
What does that look like?
Yeah, different to the books.
It's completely different material to the books.
I keep thinking I ought to publish the book version of what's on the app at some point,but I haven't had time.
(23:29):
Yeah, it's a devotional based on the character of God and there's four adventures.
One's an introduction to God and then the other three are based around the Trinity.
So one is based around Father characteristics, Jesus characteristics and Holy Spiritcharacteristics.
It's quite influenced by Alpha.
used to run a lot of Alphas and I would have mums come with children who were brand new tofaith or weren't even Christians yet.
(23:54):
And they had children and they were thinking, how am I supposed to pass this on to mychild when I'm just learning?
And so that was on my mind as I was writing the material was for children who know nothingand parents who know nothing and are starting from
almost no knowledge of the Bible or church or anything.
(24:16):
Like what is an introduction to God?
at the very basics.
good.
And did you ever think this project would get as big as it is?
Cause looking at the website, you've now got a lot of people involved.
It's not just you as a sole trader.
There's all sorts of people on the team.
And there's all sorts of other things going on.
(24:38):
There's loads of resources.
Yes, there's an app, but there's books and there's school visits and there's all sorts ofother things going on.
Did you think it would ever get this big?
You say that, but it doesn't feel big enough.
All I ever Not big enough.
All right.
Watch out.
Watch out.
She actually can.
All I can think of is what I'm not doing.
All I can think of is what I'm yet to do.
(24:59):
I'm such an ideas person.
I'm filled and buzzing with ideas all the time.
And I struggle to reflect and appreciate how far I've come when all I can see is what Ihaven't done yet.
So that's been actually something that being a charity has been really helpful because Ihave to write trustee reports.
which forces me to pause and reflect on how far I've come.
(25:22):
And that's been really beneficial for my own personal mental health, I think, to actually,yeah, you you're right.
I have come a long way.
It's not just me on my own.
There is a team.
There is lot more than just an app now.
It is, I'm staggered and amazed, but at the same time, all I see is the big what's not onthere and what I'm yet to do.
(25:46):
You also mentioned you do school visits.
What can you tell us about that?
What do they look like?
And if someone in a school is interested in getting in touch, how do they reach out?
Well, I've started just going to assemblies and reading assemblies because collectiveworship is the name used for assemblies that, you know, it's still in the law that you're
(26:08):
supposed to have collective worship every day.
Although most schools, if they do do it, just do it once a week.
And in that,
you there is a prerequisite where you're supposed to take a moment to think about a higherbeing or something bigger than yourself.
So it's a really great opportunity to read a book to them and then just give children afew moments to just sit and reflect and think about what the message of the book sort of
(26:36):
might mean to them.
And it's been a I didn't really look for this privilege because
It's quite scary, actually, I think, going into schools.
But it's been really helpful because otherwise I'm just sat in an office thinking ofideas, whereas actually, you know, face to face with children, watching their reactions,
listening to their questions is just amazing.
(26:57):
And I've started one school asked me to come and run a prayer club every Friday breaktime.
it's just that.
that actual contact with children other than my own is inspiring and wonderful and scary,still scary, I have to say.
I'm still petrified every time I have to go into a school, but I just take that as becauseit's such a privilege.
(27:23):
I don't take that lightly.
Each one of those children is a unique person made in the image of God with thoughts andfeelings and their own journey that they're on.
And I just feel so privileged to be able to read my stories to them.
So yeah, if a school wants to book me, they just have to go to the website,Godforkidsapp.com and send me an email and we'll sort something out.
(27:48):
Yeah, great.
Wonderful.
And just before the break, if there are any parents or grandparents listening to thispodcast and they would like to talk with their children about faith, but don't
quite know where to begin, what advice would you give to them?
The first bit of advice would be to just encourage them that they already have everythingthat they need to have a conversation about faith with their children.
(28:17):
They don't need to go and get a degree.
They don't need to read 20 books.
They don't need to do a whole lot of research because
It's just having a conversation with your child and you've got thoughts and they've gotthoughts and God's given you that child or put that child in your life because he trusts
(28:40):
you with them.
just try not to feel too scared and just give it a go because at the end of the day, youcan always say, there's an app for that.
There's lots of apps.
Really good.
Thank you.
We'll be chatting more with Joanne Gilchrist after these, so do join us in just a moment.
(29:02):
I just wanted to say a really big thank you to the sponsors of today's episode, SarahGrace Publishing.
Indeed, they published Joanne Gilchrist's book, Why Did God Make Me, as well as many otherwonderful books for children.
Their aim is to
print and publish dyslexia-friendly books for personal development and spiritual growthfor every reader.
(29:27):
do go and check out their website sarahgracepublishing.co.uk.
If you enjoy listening to this podcast, you can help keep it on the web.
All you've got to do is buy me a coffee.
Head over to buymeacoffee.com slash Matt McChlery to make a donation.
There is a link in this episode's show notes.
(29:50):
So go on, buy me a coffee today and help this podcast to keep supporting Christian booksand authors.
Hello, welcome back to the Christian Book Blur podcast.
I've been chatting with author Joanne Gilchrist about her new book, Why Did God Make Me,as well as all sorts of other things and also her God for Kids app.
So this part of the podcast, Joanne, we like to get to know the author a little bitbetter.
(30:14):
And so here are some questions more about you rather than about your books.
What are your favorite things to eat?
my favorite things to eat.
That is quite a cruel question because I'm on Slimming World right now and have been sinceApril.
(30:35):
So I'm just hanging out for Christmas when I'm going to have a break.
I love chocolate and I love chips.
I love chips.
Chips with salt.
I absolutely love chips and I love chips.
Vinegar, yes or no?
Do you know, I do like them with vinegar.
But not too much.
If they're chippy chips, then yes, lots of vinegar on chippy chips.
(30:58):
Okay.
interesting.
What about the curly, whirly ones?
Yeah, they're all right, but they could have been proper chips.
Yeah.
Okay.
Fair enough.
A lot of effort into making it fancy and it's not...
I love alphabites.
You know, the letter, the chips in shape of letters.
Love them.
right.
Okay.
I haven't come across those.
Really?
Okay.
You have to go to your local supermarket.
(31:20):
Even Aldi sell Alphabites.
Not obviously the branded Alphabites, their own version.
that's so nice.
Interesting.
Is it like alphabetti spaghetti that you get in America?
Yeah, I guess so.
Yeah.
Well, obviously that's It's like spaghetti hoops in the shapes of alphabets.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And you spell your own name with your, with your nice.
Okay.
good.
And what do you do for fun?
(31:42):
What do you like to do when you are having some downtime?
Well, I love to read a good book, obviously, like most writers.
We love reading.
I do love to read a really good book.
I love reading fiction.
I love, I love watching movies with my family, with my kids.
I love curling up on the sofa under a blanket, watching the movie together and havingsnacks.
(32:02):
I love having coffee with friends.
And I love spending time with other people.
I just really enjoy having coffee with friends and doing things with my friends and withmy family.
Yeah.
And I do a bit of cross-stitch, although I have to say I haven't done much this year.
I do like cross-stitch.
Okay.
nice.
Good.
And we've spoken quite a bit about the charity and the app and writing and things.
(32:28):
Does that take up most of your time?
Yes.
So when I first started, I was very much full-time mum with Earth.
five year old and a three year old.
And basically anytime my kids are in school, I'm working on it.
Yeah.
And so I'm still part-time officially about 30 hours a week.
But anytime they're in school, I'm getting on with it.
(32:50):
And more now to be honest, because there's quite a lot of weekends after school work, butI try to keep that to a minimum because my family's still my main thing.
Because you're a writer of children's books,
I do ask this to some of the other authors as well and get some mixed responses, but Ifeel I'm obligated to ask this question to children's authors in particular.
(33:12):
If you were a cartoon character, who would you be and why?
Okay.
There's a lot of cartoon characters out there.
I feel like Roger Rabbit comes to mind.
You know, Roger Rabbit and he's married to Jessica Rabbit.
And I just think...
I would want to be Jessica Rabbit.
I would want to be this cool, beautiful, stunning person who's like bell of the ball andeveryone thinks is amazing.
(33:35):
But in reality, I'm probably the annoying, loud-mouthed one who keeps messing up andgetting into trouble.
But when you really get to know him, when you really get, you know, he's, he's the lovablehero of his own story.
So I feel like that's probably more like me.
Wonderful.
Wonderful.
Thank you.
What is the Holy Spirit saying?
(33:56):
to you in your life at the moment.
Wow, from the ridiculous to the sublime in one question.
I actually feel like the Holy Spirit has been really challenging me over a number of yearsto just step up and own it, to step into what he's called me to do.
(34:17):
I have spent many, many years
saying actively on a daily basis, I can't do this God, what you're asking me to do, Ican't do it and it's too much.
And sometimes not just saying it, but screaming it out loud, the top of my voice.
And I feel like God is getting me into a place where that's just not, I am doing it.
(34:39):
I have done it.
This is where he's put me here in this place.
doing this thing for a reason and I need to embrace it and own it and step into it.
And that's really difficult.
It's really difficult to do, especially I think as a Christian, possibly from what I'veheard, it might even be a female thing, but I don't know for sure.
(35:02):
But we just have this inclination to say, well, I will decrease so that he may increase.
In actual fact, God has made us to be a light to the world and to set that light on ahill.
And he says, why would you put a basket over the light?
That's not what he wants us to do.
If he's given you a message to say, or he's given you a role to play, he wants you to doit wholeheartedly and be that shining light for him.
(35:32):
And that's really difficult to do, especially in the world we live in, where it just seemslike one wrong tweet.
can rain a whole heap of trouble on you if you're not careful.
It can be quite scary to stick your head above a parapet and to let your light shine.
think it's scary, but I think it's a false humility to not do that.
(35:54):
And you know the story of the boy and the mole and the horse and the, you know that one?
Charlie Mackesy.
Yeah.
There's a bit in there where the horse says, I can fly, but I've hid my wings becausepeople were jealous of me.
But if he didn't say that, they all would have, you know, they would never have reachedtheir destination and they would have died in the cold.
(36:20):
When he finally owned the fact that he's been given wings to fly and he's been given it,there's a responsibility actually that comes with that.
And I feel like
That's something God's been saying to me that I've given you wings to fly, stop hidingthem, own it.
And actually there's a responsibility that comes with that because he's given you a giftand there's a responsibility to use that gift for his glory and not to hide it.
(36:49):
And I say this in all trepidation because it's scary, but it's very much what he's beensaying to me.
Wonderful.
Thank you for sharing that with us.
Have you got anything coming up soon?
I know you've just released Why Did God Make Me, but you know, it doesn't have to bebooks.
It can be other projects or other things just about to happen on the app or anything likethat.
(37:12):
Anything coming up soonish?
Well, we've actually just released translations into German and Serbian and Hungarian andUkrainian and I think Russian in the app.
We've just released the, which we've been working on for years and they're not perfectyet.
So,
We've released it so that we can test it and get some feedback on them.
So that's kind of an ongoing thing.
(37:34):
At the moment, I'm not writing anything new.
I'm just focusing on trying to get the charity to a point where we can actually hirepeople, more people.
And for me personally, the big thing on my horizon is I'm taking a trip back to NewZealand next
year, which is where I used to live and it's where two of my children were born.
(37:57):
So in my mind, I'm trying not to do too much next year because I know I'm going to have amonth in New Zealand, which I'm really excited about going back and seeing all my friends.
Sounds good.
Sounds good.
And where can we find you, Joanne?
If people want to get in touch with you or if they want to follow you on social media, ifthey want to buy a book, where can they do that?
(38:19):
The best place is godforkidsapp.com.
because all of the sales through that website, all the money goes back into the charity,which goes into creating new resources, including the app and including other digital and
printed resources.
And so that is the best place to go.
Obviously, you can buy our books on Amazon and on Eden.
And maybe at some point, the secondhand ones floating around the place too.
(38:42):
But if you buy them from our website, it really helps.
It really helps.
It's a massive support to the charity and helps us to continue creating new resources andtaking them into schools and churches.
Great.
So I'll put a link to the God for Kids app website, in this episode's show notes.
So you just need to click on that and it'll take you over there.
(39:04):
Where can people get the God for Kids app in their app store on their phones?
Yes, the app store and Google play.
That would be great.
hopefully.
You'll get a few more downloads of your app after this goes up.
We'll wait and see.
We'll wait and see.
Yeah, good.
So thank you.
Thank you so much for joining us, Joanne.
(39:24):
It's been great chatting with you.
Thank you.
It's been really good chatting to you.
I feel like it's like therapy.
I've been asked these deep questions and bit of soul searching going on.
That's been fantastic.
Thank you for being with us.
And thank you also to the sponsor of today's episode, Sarah Grace Publishing.
go and visit their website saragracepublishing.co.uk.
(39:48):
And thank you as well for listening to this episode of the Christian Book Blurb podcast.
Don't forget we have a new episode coming out on the 1st and the 15th of every month, soit won't be long and I'll be back again chatting with another fantastic Christian author
about their books, their lives and their faith, so do join us again then.
(40:09):
Please hit that subscribe button, you know you want to, go on.
And yeah, that just leaves me to say thank you for listening and I look forward to thepleasure of your company again really soon.
Thank you and goodbye.
Thanks for listening to Christian Book Blurb with your host, Matt McChlery.
Do give it a like, give it a share and let your friends know all about it.
(40:31):
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This is Christian Book Blurb brought to you by author and songwriter Matt McChlery Get abehind the scenes glimpse into the lives of some of your favourite Christian authors, hear
about their books and faith.
Also, why not check out my website, mattmccleary.com
This episode is sponsored by Sarah Grace Publishing.
(00:21):
So go and visit their website saragracepublishing.co.uk
Hello and welcome to this episode of the Christian Book Blurb podcast where we like toencourage you in your discipleship one book at a time as we meet some amazing Christian
authors and learn about their books, their lives and their faith.
(00:42):
I'm your host, Matt McChlery.
Thanks for joining me today.
And on today's show, I'm going to be chatting with the author, Joanne Gilchrist.
Hi, Joanne.
Hi, Matt.
Really excited to be here.
Thank you so much for joining me.
It's great.
I haven't had children's authors on the show for quite a while and it's like the buses.
(01:06):
Now I've had two or three all sort of fairly close together, but it's really good to haveyou.
It's great.
How did your foray into writing begin?
Well, I imagine that like many authors out there, it probably started at a very, veryyoung age.
My dad had a
Amstrad computer and I was born in the 80s.
(01:29):
So we were quite advanced technically that we had this computer and it had a, it had asoftware, I guess on it that was a word processor and the word processor, had to put like
a special B in front of characters and then a special B afterwards to make it bold.
Like it was really, really, I guess, prehistoric in terms of computers.
(01:51):
But that was where I started writing poetry.
was on my dad's Amstrad computer.
And I loved to write as a child.
I always wanted to be just like Enid Blyton.
then, but it sort of wore off as I got older.
I think I didn't have a great experience in secondary school.
went from, I went to a grammar school and suddenly instead of being like the best atEnglish, I was just mediocre, which wasn't very motivating.
(02:19):
And
As a young adult, remember thinking, I just don't really have anything to say.
And so I didn't really write and I pursued other avenues.
did a degree in PR and I joined Y-whammers and Mishme and did communications and that sortof thing.
But then about 10 years ago, I went through quite a difficult period in my life and I wasin church one day and I was, you know, when you are singing worship songs and
(02:45):
You're in such a tough place that you're like crying as you're singing.
It was one of those days.
I think we were singing 10,000 reasons and I was just sobbing and, I could say a friend.
mean, a we grew up, a kid I grew up with, I don't really know very well, came up to meafterwards and just said, I've got a word for you.
And the word was that these dry bones will live again.
(03:10):
And it was such a meaningful word.
me at the time because I did feel like a pack of dry bones wondering if God you know wasever going to use me again or if I was ever going to be the person who I used to be again
and so when the opportunity came to write when God started to speak to me about writingagain I felt like yeah that's the dry bone that's something that I used to be good at as a
(03:31):
kid that I used to love and I used to write all the time.
And I haven't for a really long time.
It's very definitely pack a droid base.
And I thought, I think God is saying it's time to write again.
So they started writing.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I remember when I was really young, this is dating both of us, isn't it?
(03:53):
We had a computer, it was one of those BBC micros with like some of that greenish kind ofscreen on it.
Yes.
Different shades of green.
Yes.
And the printer had sort of these perforated holes on either side of the paper.
it kind of, I don't think it used ink or it had like an ink ribbon, I think.
(04:15):
And then it kind of punctured holes through the sheet.
Anyway, very, very, very, very ancient these days.
You see them in museums these days.
I mean, some of the stuff we had as kids, it's a bit worrying really.
That ages you, doesn't it?
When you go to a
And you're one of the exhibits, yeah I know.
Anyway, good.
So, since you started writing again, what titles have you written since then?
(04:40):
Because I know there are several now.
Yes.
Well I started with two ideas that were quite different.
The first was a children's devotional based on the character of God, which is something Iused to really enjoy.
studying and teaching about when I was with Wai Wham.
And then the other is a book called Looking for Love, which was my testimony of when I wasa single female Christian and very dissatisfied with my single status and some of the
(05:11):
things that God did in my heart, transformation really that he did in my heart and in mylife during those single years, bringing me to a place of wholeness and I guess
satisfaction in him, which is
not a small achievement.
So I had these two very, very different books, almost like twins, like I had twins at thetime.
(05:32):
And I suppose one for a while, the Looking for Love book took up most of my time and theChildren's Devotional was just a little thing.
But over time, the Children's Devotional has become bigger and bigger and bigger andbecome the main thing.
it became an app.
and now a series of books.
And The Looking for Love is just this book I wrote once upon a time.
(05:55):
You know, it's sort of in this bit of history now.
Yeah.
It's interesting, isn't it?
How as authors we get ideas, but that can be quite different in terms of, you know, you goto a publisher or something and the target audience or the style or whatever, you know,
they say, well, we like this one because this fits our
style or this fits, you know, what we do.
(06:16):
But then the other one is like, well, no, we don't do children's books or we don't dobooks for adults or, whatever it is.
So you end up, you end up kind of traipsing all around the place, finding different,different people who actually are interested in that little bit of thing that you do
anyway.
so with the two different audiences with those books.
(06:39):
Do you still write books for adults or is it mostly child-focused these days?
It's mostly child-focused, but I always have the, I suppose the adults in the child's lifein mind, whether that be parents or grandparents or children's workers or teachers.
I always have them in mind when I write, I suppose a bit like the way Pixar manages towrite animations for children with bits in that are funny for adults.
(07:06):
try to include
bits of wisdom because I know that it's the adults who are often reading the books to thechildren.
you know, they also possibly have questions that, but they've stopped asking by the timethey get to adults and children are asking, but they can't understand the answers.
And by the time we can understand the answers, sometimes we've stopped asking thequestion.
(07:27):
So I try to think of adults and children together.
And I do have a blog for the adults.
So the idea was that if
If what I'm writing for children makes the adults think or want to find out more, they cango to the blog and, and learn for themselves as well.
That's really good.
That's really interesting.
(07:47):
Why is it important to have Christian books and resources for the age group?
Cause when we talk about children, even within that, you know, you've got sort of youngadults, you've got sort of teens, you've got sort of, sort of upper end of primary school
level.
But your books are younger, is that right?
Yes.
(08:07):
It's yeah, when it comes to children, it's quite, it is quite specific.
A book for toddlers is very different to a book for picture books.
I've written mostly picture books, which I guess are four to eight year olds.
And then, and a book for a nine year old plus is quite different again.
And a book for 12 year old plus is quite different.
So if you're writing for a child, you have to pick an age group.
(08:31):
Yes.
And mine are the,
four to eight age group, which is key stage one really.
So a bit too old for toddlers.
But yeah, key stage one, which is why I've started going into schools and doing assembliesand RE lessons and things.
I'm looking forward to chatting about that a bit later, but why is this age groupimportant to have Christian books and resources for?
(08:56):
This age group, I think is so important because they haven't yet learned
the whole don't talk about religion and politics to be.
They don't know that yet.
They just have questions and they just have, they just say what they see.
And if someone's talking about God, then they'll just talk about God and they don't haveany qualms about it and it's not to be.
(09:18):
And they're more than happy to share their thoughts and ideas and ask questions andlisten.
They are like sponges.
They will absolutely listen.
If you want to have a spiritual conversation, I can't think of an age group.
that it's more fun to have a spiritual conversation with than with a four, five, six,seven year old.
They're just delightful.
They are open to it.
And it's so easy.
(09:39):
I was always taught in parenting courses when my children were little that what you dowith them, the things that you plant, the seeds that you sow at that age are the ones that
will ripen when they're teenagers and when they're young adults.
And it's such an important age to
just have these conversations to make it part of normal life, talking about God, that wetalk about God, that's fine.
(10:03):
It's not taboo.
It's not anything to be ashamed of.
It's great fun and we can have some really quite deep conversations actually.
Children's books.
my goodness.
It's like, I I taught in primary schools for almost two decades and some people who don't
understand primary schools think, well, you're just doing a babysitting service.
(10:26):
You're not really teaching them.
But then you get those who actually know what's going on and they go, well, I don't knowhow you do it.
It's amazing what you do.
it's a similar thing with children's books, I find, because yes, in one, at one level,some of the stories are really simple, but it's so difficult.
(10:49):
to write a simple story, to say what you are trying to say in such a understandable andconcise way using words that a young five-year-old can understand.
How do you do it?
Do you find it really difficult to consolidate your thoughts down into this sort of reallysimple language, but then still get the message across?
(11:19):
Honestly, no, I really don't.
I find it comes quite easily, quite naturally.
find.
Wow.
Well done.
I just think it's, I just think it's must be part of a gift that God's given.
I find it difficult to get like the meter right and the right, you know, like I spendhours and hours and hours making, trying to make sure that the meter is right, you know,
(11:41):
with poetry and right, cause it's all in rhyme.
It's all rhyming.
sort of almost Julia Donaldson type sort of that kind of, it flows and has a rhythm and apattern.
Yes.
And I have to say that I've probably worked harder on this book in terms of getting thatright than on any of the others, which is I think why each book is better.
And it makes me want to go back and redo all the first ones to do a better job.
(12:07):
putting the ideas, I think I'm quite a concrete thinker.
I'm not, I'm not sort of very simple, intuitive, like, yeah, I'm quite literal and I'mquite concrete.
And I think children are like that at that age.
So I, I, maybe I just have the mind of a child.
No, it's amazing what you do because I've read, books aimed at children, from a couple ofdifferent authors.
(12:34):
won't, I won't say who they are.
but.
You think to yourself, you read the book, you think, my goodness me, you know, you can seethat the book is clearly aimed at a seven year old or maybe an eight year old, but the way
it's written, the words being used, huge, big chunky paragraphs and all sorts of things.
And you're thinking, my goodness, a 12 year old might even struggle to read this, youknow, as an adult, you know, I've, I've got through to the second page and I already, I'm
(13:03):
losing the will to carry on reading it.
And, know,
It's really difficult.
Some people give it a go, but man, you've got to have that ability.
I do have to give great thanks to my editor who actually helped me make them much, muchbetter.
So I say, yes, it comes easy to me, but actually some certain things come easy, likeputting the complex thoughts into a simple way.
(13:29):
But I have had a lot of help from my editor.
Vicky Howie, Vicky Howe, who has taught me to be a better writer just by editing my books.
Editors are amazing.
And yeah, some people starting out writing, think, no, you know, I don't need, but mygoodness me, you need an editor.
Even editors, when they write a book, know that they need an editor.
(13:51):
So yeah, it's a really important thing.
We've mentioned your book and your new book, but we haven't actually said what it's calledyet.
And it's called, why did God make me a fantastic, huge question that little people and bigpeople ask.
So can you tell us what, why did God make me is all about?
(14:14):
Well, it's the fifth in a series called the animals of Eden Valley series.
And the animals of Eden Valley originally were just seven avatars for my app, God for Kidsapp.
that you could select to kind of accompany you on your journey through the app.
And a friend of mine, Fiona Walton, saw these business cards that I had printed where I'dgiven each avatar a question.
(14:35):
And I just thought of the top, just random questions off the top of my head that peoplemight ask about God.
And she said, I think you should write books and these questions should be the titles.
And so together we started writing a series of books based on these questions that kidsask.
And we've done four so far and this is the fifth one.
(14:56):
This is Paul's question.
And I think I have asked this question a lot as an adult and the children have asked methis question sitting on carpets in churches.
Why are we all here?
And I have to think, do you mean why are we sitting on this carpet in this hall?
No, no, they mean why are we here in the world?
Why has God made us?
(15:17):
And
And you need to have an answer.
It's not good enough to just be like, I don't know, we'll change the subject or deflect.
Because if we don't address children's questions seriously, they're going to stop askingquestions.
They're going to assume there isn't an answer.
And I'm a big believer in that if we have the ability to ask questions, then we have theability to understand some kind of an answer.
(15:40):
I'm not saying we can.
there's quick answers or easy answers or we can understand it all completely.
But I believe God's given us a mind to ask the questions and to understand the answers onsome level.
So we ought to be exploring and if we don't know the answer, keep asking and keepexploring.
Don't give up.
yeah, so this story Paul's, wasn't actually what you asked me.
(16:01):
This is Paul's story.
That's great.
He plays football.
It's a game of football.
He's playing football and he can't play, he's rubbish at football.
All the other animals seem to be good at it and he's no good.
And it just makes him feel all despondent and sad and all, I'm no good at football.
There's grass on my chest and why did God make me?
I'm not like the rest.
And then he gets the knock on the door from the little character called Roo, whorepresents the Holy Spirit in all of the books.
(16:28):
And Roo points into the Bible and opens the Bible up to Jeremiah.
29 verse 11 to 13, that is a very, very famous verse.
And then I sort of have that in rhyme.
God knows you and loves you inside you and out.
He made you on purpose of that, there's no doubt.
And it gives him the confidence to try again.
(16:49):
So he's like, right, okay, if God loves me, he's got a good purpose.
Let's give it another go.
And he turns up to the football pitch and all of the animals are...
is in chaos.
One's got a black eye, one's hiding, so the other's across, another one's crying.
It's all gone to pop because they didn't have a referee and that's where Paul finds hisplace.
(17:09):
He's like, well, I'm not very good at football, but I am good at keeping the peace and Iam good at listening.
And he finds his place as the team's referee and he pulls them together.
And without him, you know, they can't, they can't do what they're meant to do.
They can't use their skills.
They can't play a game of football, but with him, all taking their own.
place, you know, they can, they can play a game.
(17:31):
I guess it's about finding your place in unexpected when it might not be what you expect.
And that's been my experience, I suppose, in life.
That's really good.
It feeds into all sorts of things.
Just listening to that is just, you know, you know, being all different parts of the bodyand you need different parts to function and what they're good at and compliment the other
(17:53):
parts to, and without the other parts, can't
do your bit and we all rely on each other and yeah, it's fantastic.
Really good, really good story.
Lot packed into there.
Lot packed in, that's good.
So the genre of your books mean that they are bright and colorful and that you need towork with an illustrator.
(18:14):
So what is the process like for you?
I always find this a fascinating question when I speak to children's book authors, becausethe answers are always very different.
So.
What's the process like for you working with an illustrator?
Well, that's interesting.
Yes, because I'm not traditionally published, which means I have had to work withillustrators quite closely.
(18:36):
And because my first illustrator illustrated God for Kids app, I just approached him withwriting the books and he illustrated the first book, a guy called David McNeil.
and I self published it to begin with.
So I paid him and, and, and then self published the book and he was quite interesting towork with because he was very quick.
(19:00):
So I had to have all my ducks in a row.
I had to have all my thoughts lined up.
because once he illustrated it, he set aside, you know, a week or two, and then he justdid it it was done.
And then if you want changes, you have to pay for the changes.
you had to, you know, you had to think.
in advance of what you wanted quite clearly.
But he was very gracious actually at working with me.
(19:20):
But he only did the first book because then when I signed with Malcolm Downe, Sarah GracePublishing, which is the children's imprint of Malcolm Downe Publishing, he asked for a
different illustrator.
But he was really happy and really gracious for us to continue with the style.
And the new David.
is quite happy.
They're both called David, which makes it easier.
He's much different.
(19:42):
He's really happy back and forth.
And I actually really enjoy giving him as few instructions as possible.
So I give him some instructions on each page, but actually the more, the less instructionsI give him, the more his creativity has room to flourish.
So I'm always really interested to see what the illustrator comes up with.
(20:02):
And if I give too many instructions, I feel like it dampens that a little bit.
so I really do enjoy, I really do enjoy seeing what they come up with.
And then there'll be a bit of back and forth, until we get it right.
Hmm.
That's interesting.
In preparing for this interview, had a little look at your website and there's a lot goingon.
(20:24):
So tell me about Ruach Resources and the God for Kids app.
Why have you made an app and not just stuck with the books?
What else does the app give you that the books don't?
Well I started the app because I realised I would reach a lot more children that way.
If I...
(20:44):
it was difficult finding a Christian publisher in the UK who would publish a children'sdevotional to begin with, there were very few who would, and I realised it would have a
very limited reach.
I can't even remember which friend it was who said to me, why not an app?
So I did some research into that and we had some savings from a sale of our house when weleft New Zealand and we just felt that it was right to invest that into creating an app.
(21:14):
But what I didn't know is that an app is not like a book.
Once it's published, once it's out there, that's not the end, it's not done.
It's the beginning.
Yeah.
And I know that when you write a book, it's the beginning of the marketing and selling andpromoting process, but with an app, it never ends.
It constantly needs improvements and upgrades and testing and adjustments and new content.
(21:36):
it, it just needs constant investment all the time.
It's a business.
And it got to the point where, it needed to be bigger than just me.
It wasn't enough to just.
be operating on my own as a sole trader.
That wasn't healthy.
It wasn't fun.
And so I started making some partnerships.
I made a partnership with another app called SunSchool and their tech team do all of mytech support now, which is amazing.
(22:03):
But then I also just formed a charity, which I really am denied about for years and yearsand years because I thought this is such a big step forming a charity and I don't know if
I can do it.
I've never done it before.
I don't know what to do.
don't know what I'm doing.
then when I finally had some help from the Lions, which is an organization that championsChristian entrepreneurs, they helped me form the charity.
(22:26):
And the acceptance letter from the charity commission was the fastest that this chap atthe Lions had ever seen.
And he started about 40 charities.
And he said, this one came through quicker than any he's ever seen before.
think within 10 days, we had an email saying, yep, you're a charity.
And he said, sometimes that process can take months and months and months.
(22:47):
And it was a real confirmation from God that this was the right thing to do was to start acharity.
That didn't mean I knew what I was doing.
So it's been nearly three years.
When do we ever know what we're doing?
Yeah, exactly.
So I'm very much learning on the job and I've got a fantastic chair of trustees now who'sreally helping me to just take it to that next level.
(23:08):
But for me, it's very much a step by step learning on the way.
Yeah.
And so what does the app have on it?
So it's got devotional materials.
What does that look like?
Yeah, different to the books.
It's completely different material to the books.
I keep thinking I ought to publish the book version of what's on the app at some point,but I haven't had time.
(23:29):
Yeah, it's a devotional based on the character of God and there's four adventures.
One's an introduction to God and then the other three are based around the Trinity.
So one is based around Father characteristics, Jesus characteristics and Holy Spiritcharacteristics.
It's quite influenced by Alpha.
used to run a lot of Alphas and I would have mums come with children who were brand new tofaith or weren't even Christians yet.
(23:54):
And they had children and they were thinking, how am I supposed to pass this on to mychild when I'm just learning?
And so that was on my mind as I was writing the material was for children who know nothingand parents who know nothing and are starting from
almost no knowledge of the Bible or church or anything.
(24:16):
Like what is an introduction to God?
at the very basics.
good.
And did you ever think this project would get as big as it is?
Cause looking at the website, you've now got a lot of people involved.
It's not just you as a sole trader.
There's all sorts of people on the team.
And there's all sorts of other things going on.
(24:38):
There's loads of resources.
Yes, there's an app, but there's books and there's school visits and there's all sorts ofother things going on.
Did you think it would ever get this big?
You say that, but it doesn't feel big enough.
All I ever Not big enough.
All right.
Watch out.
Watch out.
She actually can.
All I can think of is what I'm not doing.
All I can think of is what I'm yet to do.
(24:59):
I'm such an ideas person.
I'm filled and buzzing with ideas all the time.
And I struggle to reflect and appreciate how far I've come when all I can see is what Ihaven't done yet.
So that's been actually something that being a charity has been really helpful because Ihave to write trustee reports.
which forces me to pause and reflect on how far I've come.
(25:22):
And that's been really beneficial for my own personal mental health, I think, to actually,yeah, you you're right.
I have come a long way.
It's not just me on my own.
There is a team.
There is lot more than just an app now.
It is, I'm staggered and amazed, but at the same time, all I see is the big what's not onthere and what I'm yet to do.
(25:46):
You also mentioned you do school visits.
What can you tell us about that?
What do they look like?
And if someone in a school is interested in getting in touch, how do they reach out?
Well, I've started just going to assemblies and reading assemblies because collectiveworship is the name used for assemblies that, you know, it's still in the law that you're
(26:08):
supposed to have collective worship every day.
Although most schools, if they do do it, just do it once a week.
And in that,
you there is a prerequisite where you're supposed to take a moment to think about a higherbeing or something bigger than yourself.
So it's a really great opportunity to read a book to them and then just give children afew moments to just sit and reflect and think about what the message of the book sort of
(26:36):
might mean to them.
And it's been a I didn't really look for this privilege because
It's quite scary, actually, I think, going into schools.
But it's been really helpful because otherwise I'm just sat in an office thinking ofideas, whereas actually, you know, face to face with children, watching their reactions,
listening to their questions is just amazing.
(26:57):
And I've started one school asked me to come and run a prayer club every Friday breaktime.
it's just that.
that actual contact with children other than my own is inspiring and wonderful and scary,still scary, I have to say.
I'm still petrified every time I have to go into a school, but I just take that as becauseit's such a privilege.
(27:23):
I don't take that lightly.
Each one of those children is a unique person made in the image of God with thoughts andfeelings and their own journey that they're on.
And I just feel so privileged to be able to read my stories to them.
So yeah, if a school wants to book me, they just have to go to the website,Godforkidsapp.com and send me an email and we'll sort something out.
(27:48):
Yeah, great.
Wonderful.
And just before the break, if there are any parents or grandparents listening to thispodcast and they would like to talk with their children about faith, but don't
quite know where to begin, what advice would you give to them?
The first bit of advice would be to just encourage them that they already have everythingthat they need to have a conversation about faith with their children.
(28:17):
They don't need to go and get a degree.
They don't need to read 20 books.
They don't need to do a whole lot of research because
It's just having a conversation with your child and you've got thoughts and they've gotthoughts and God's given you that child or put that child in your life because he trusts
(28:40):
you with them.
just try not to feel too scared and just give it a go because at the end of the day, youcan always say, there's an app for that.
There's lots of apps.
Really good.
Thank you.
We'll be chatting more with Joanne Gilchrist after these, so do join us in just a moment.
(29:02):
I just wanted to say a really big thank you to the sponsors of today's episode, SarahGrace Publishing.
Indeed, they published Joanne Gilchrist's book, Why Did God Make Me, as well as many otherwonderful books for children.
Their aim is to
print and publish dyslexia-friendly books for personal development and spiritual growthfor every reader.
(29:27):
do go and check out their website sarahgracepublishing.co.uk.
If you enjoy listening to this podcast, you can help keep it on the web.
All you've got to do is buy me a coffee.
Head over to buymeacoffee.com slash Matt McChlery to make a donation.
There is a link in this episode's show notes.
(29:50):
So go on, buy me a coffee today and help this podcast to keep supporting Christian booksand authors.
Hello, welcome back to the Christian Book Blur podcast.
I've been chatting with author Joanne Gilchrist about her new book, Why Did God Make Me,as well as all sorts of other things and also her God for Kids app.
So this part of the podcast, Joanne, we like to get to know the author a little bitbetter.
(30:14):
And so here are some questions more about you rather than about your books.
What are your favorite things to eat?
my favorite things to eat.
That is quite a cruel question because I'm on Slimming World right now and have been sinceApril.
(30:35):
So I'm just hanging out for Christmas when I'm going to have a break.
I love chocolate and I love chips.
I love chips.
Chips with salt.
I absolutely love chips and I love chips.
Vinegar, yes or no?
Do you know, I do like them with vinegar.
But not too much.
If they're chippy chips, then yes, lots of vinegar on chippy chips.
(30:58):
Okay.
interesting.
What about the curly, whirly ones?
Yeah, they're all right, but they could have been proper chips.
Yeah.
Okay.
Fair enough.
A lot of effort into making it fancy and it's not...
I love alphabites.
You know, the letter, the chips in shape of letters.
Love them.
right.
Okay.
I haven't come across those.
Really?
Okay.
You have to go to your local supermarket.
(31:20):
Even Aldi sell Alphabites.
Not obviously the branded Alphabites, their own version.
that's so nice.
Interesting.
Is it like alphabetti spaghetti that you get in America?
Yeah, I guess so.
Yeah.
Well, obviously that's It's like spaghetti hoops in the shapes of alphabets.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And you spell your own name with your, with your nice.
Okay.
good.
And what do you do for fun?
(31:42):
What do you like to do when you are having some downtime?
Well, I love to read a good book, obviously, like most writers.
We love reading.
I do love to read a really good book.
I love reading fiction.
I love, I love watching movies with my family, with my kids.
I love curling up on the sofa under a blanket, watching the movie together and havingsnacks.
(32:02):
I love having coffee with friends.
And I love spending time with other people.
I just really enjoy having coffee with friends and doing things with my friends and withmy family.
Yeah.
And I do a bit of cross-stitch, although I have to say I haven't done much this year.
I do like cross-stitch.
Okay.
nice.
Good.
And we've spoken quite a bit about the charity and the app and writing and things.
(32:28):
Does that take up most of your time?
Yes.
So when I first started, I was very much full-time mum with Earth.
five year old and a three year old.
And basically anytime my kids are in school, I'm working on it.
Yeah.
And so I'm still part-time officially about 30 hours a week.
But anytime they're in school, I'm getting on with it.
(32:50):
And more now to be honest, because there's quite a lot of weekends after school work, butI try to keep that to a minimum because my family's still my main thing.
Because you're a writer of children's books,
I do ask this to some of the other authors as well and get some mixed responses, but Ifeel I'm obligated to ask this question to children's authors in particular.
(33:12):
If you were a cartoon character, who would you be and why?
Okay.
There's a lot of cartoon characters out there.
I feel like Roger Rabbit comes to mind.
You know, Roger Rabbit and he's married to Jessica Rabbit.
And I just think...
I would want to be Jessica Rabbit.
I would want to be this cool, beautiful, stunning person who's like bell of the ball andeveryone thinks is amazing.
(33:35):
But in reality, I'm probably the annoying, loud-mouthed one who keeps messing up andgetting into trouble.
But when you really get to know him, when you really get, you know, he's, he's the lovablehero of his own story.
So I feel like that's probably more like me.
Wonderful.
Wonderful.
Thank you.
What is the Holy Spirit saying?
(33:56):
to you in your life at the moment.
Wow, from the ridiculous to the sublime in one question.
I actually feel like the Holy Spirit has been really challenging me over a number of yearsto just step up and own it, to step into what he's called me to do.
(34:17):
I have spent many, many years
saying actively on a daily basis, I can't do this God, what you're asking me to do, Ican't do it and it's too much.
And sometimes not just saying it, but screaming it out loud, the top of my voice.
And I feel like God is getting me into a place where that's just not, I am doing it.
(34:39):
I have done it.
This is where he's put me here in this place.
doing this thing for a reason and I need to embrace it and own it and step into it.
And that's really difficult.
It's really difficult to do, especially I think as a Christian, possibly from what I'veheard, it might even be a female thing, but I don't know for sure.
(35:02):
But we just have this inclination to say, well, I will decrease so that he may increase.
In actual fact, God has made us to be a light to the world and to set that light on ahill.
And he says, why would you put a basket over the light?
That's not what he wants us to do.
If he's given you a message to say, or he's given you a role to play, he wants you to doit wholeheartedly and be that shining light for him.
(35:32):
And that's really difficult to do, especially in the world we live in, where it just seemslike one wrong tweet.
can rain a whole heap of trouble on you if you're not careful.
It can be quite scary to stick your head above a parapet and to let your light shine.
think it's scary, but I think it's a false humility to not do that.
(35:54):
And you know the story of the boy and the mole and the horse and the, you know that one?
Charlie Mackesy.
Yeah.
There's a bit in there where the horse says, I can fly, but I've hid my wings becausepeople were jealous of me.
But if he didn't say that, they all would have, you know, they would never have reachedtheir destination and they would have died in the cold.
(36:20):
When he finally owned the fact that he's been given wings to fly and he's been given it,there's a responsibility actually that comes with that.
And I feel like
That's something God's been saying to me that I've given you wings to fly, stop hidingthem, own it.
And actually there's a responsibility that comes with that because he's given you a giftand there's a responsibility to use that gift for his glory and not to hide it.
(36:49):
And I say this in all trepidation because it's scary, but it's very much what he's beensaying to me.
Wonderful.
Thank you for sharing that with us.
Have you got anything coming up soon?
I know you've just released Why Did God Make Me, but you know, it doesn't have to bebooks.
It can be other projects or other things just about to happen on the app or anything likethat.
(37:12):
Anything coming up soonish?
Well, we've actually just released translations into German and Serbian and Hungarian andUkrainian and I think Russian in the app.
We've just released the, which we've been working on for years and they're not perfectyet.
So,
We've released it so that we can test it and get some feedback on them.
So that's kind of an ongoing thing.
(37:34):
At the moment, I'm not writing anything new.
I'm just focusing on trying to get the charity to a point where we can actually hirepeople, more people.
And for me personally, the big thing on my horizon is I'm taking a trip back to NewZealand next
year, which is where I used to live and it's where two of my children were born.
(37:57):
So in my mind, I'm trying not to do too much next year because I know I'm going to have amonth in New Zealand, which I'm really excited about going back and seeing all my friends.
Sounds good.
Sounds good.
And where can we find you, Joanne?
If people want to get in touch with you or if they want to follow you on social media, ifthey want to buy a book, where can they do that?
(38:19):
The best place is godforkidsapp.com.
because all of the sales through that website, all the money goes back into the charity,which goes into creating new resources, including the app and including other digital and
printed resources.
And so that is the best place to go.
Obviously, you can buy our books on Amazon and on Eden.
And maybe at some point, the secondhand ones floating around the place too.
(38:42):
But if you buy them from our website, it really helps.
It really helps.
It's a massive support to the charity and helps us to continue creating new resources andtaking them into schools and churches.
Great.
So I'll put a link to the God for Kids app website, in this episode's show notes.
So you just need to click on that and it'll take you over there.
(39:04):
Where can people get the God for Kids app in their app store on their phones?
Yes, the app store and Google play.
That would be great.
hopefully.
You'll get a few more downloads of your app after this goes up.
We'll wait and see.
We'll wait and see.
Yeah, good.
So thank you.
Thank you so much for joining us, Joanne.
(39:24):
It's been great chatting with you.
Thank you.
It's been really good chatting to you.
I feel like it's like therapy.
I've been asked these deep questions and bit of soul searching going on.
That's been fantastic.
Thank you for being with us.
And thank you also to the sponsor of today's episode, Sarah Grace Publishing.
go and visit their website saragracepublishing.co.uk.
(39:48):
And thank you as well for listening to this episode of the Christian Book Blurb podcast.
Don't forget we have a new episode coming out on the 1st and the 15th of every month, soit won't be long and I'll be back again chatting with another fantastic Christian author
about their books, their lives and their faith, so do join us again then.
(40:09):
Please hit that subscribe button, you know you want to, go on.
And yeah, that just leaves me to say thank you for listening and I look forward to thepleasure of your company again really soon.
Thank you and goodbye.
Thanks for listening to Christian Book Blurb with your host, Matt McChlery.
Do give it a like, give it a share and let your friends know all about it.
(40:31):
We do hope to see you again soon on another Christian Book Blurb.
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