Author of the Month: Lynn Marie Foy

When you are dealing with the passing of a loved one, the last thing you want to do is write a book about your testimonial highlighting
your loss.

It was the farthest from Lynn Foy’s mind when she suffered back-to-back losses, with the death of her mother Verla to congestive heart failure and then, a short time later, losing her fiancée Terence to murder.

God, however, had a purpose for her grief and guided Lynn to write her pain and healing journey for her first published book, Twelve Days Later.

“This book was all God using me as a vessel,” she states. “When I look back on my writing, I wondered how I found the words and scriptures for the book, so it had to be God wanting people to know how to get through the grieving process. It’s okay to cry and be sad, but also to know that God can bring us through anything.”

Grief Put in Words

When Lynn looks back over all the recent events that have unfolded in her life, she believes that, in some way, God was preparing her for this emotional passage she would take.

“Years before my loved ones passed, I had become more involved in Bible studies because I wanted to know more about God. So once [their deaths] happened, it kind of helped to know that I could turn to God during situations like these. It became more about me building a relationship with God.”

A minister from Lynn’s church came to speak with Lynn’s mother Verla during the end of her battle with congestive heart failure and was later called again to assist Lynn in making sense of Terence’s sudden death. The minister had also been a psychologist for the United States Army.

“She told me to keep a journal of what I was going through at the time,” Lynn recalls.

“[Through those journal entries] God spoke to my heart at that time and said He wanted me to write. I had always talked about writing a book, but I didn’t know what I should write about.”

The idea soon formed to write a book detailing her handling of Verla and Terence’s deaths, written to help others in similar grief situations find hope for future healing.

“Reliving her [Verla’s] sickness and passing away was a trial, but it was kind of therapeutic in a way. I definitely cried, as I explained in the book, about when Terence died. Once I started writing, it started to come together as God helped me with it. That’s how I know that it was nobody but God that made this book happen,” she claims.

Publishing the Hope

God continued to lead Lynn in the publishing of her book when she encountered Xulon Press authors and books three separate times.

She soon contacted Xulon Press and spoke with Acquisitions Representative Eric Sullivan, who discussed with her at length about the publishing process and the goal to have their authors influence others through their books.

“Eric talked to me for two hours and answered all my questions. He didn’t make me feel rushed and to sit two hours on the phone without being agitated, that meant a lot to me,” Lynn fondly mentions.

“The time spent with Xulon Press was good, as everything with publishing was new to me. I appreciate Xulon Press, and I admire them for helping authors publish their books.”

Seeing “published author” attached to her name is still surreal to Lynn, who considers herself a shy person, but she believes what she has experienced was intended by God to give reassurance to others.

“You have to know that God is God, and He is the one to tell you to write the book. It will come to you, because if it is something God wants you to do, He will make sure it happens. I’m just going to trust God with this and the same for those writing a book,” Lynn states.

She looks to 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, which spoke to her heart during her book’s writing process, to empower her again with her next book. The verses from God’s word speak about how God uses ordinary people to bring glory to His kingdom, which Lynn says accurately describes how He transformed her pain into purpose.

“When you rely on God, He can get you through anything that you are facing.”

Get Lynn Marie Foy’s book “Twelve Days Later – Discovery of Ultimate Love” on the Xulon Press Bookstore.