Behind the Scenes Core Values: Love by Rebekah Robinson & Anne Hamilton

Today we go 'behind the scenes' as Jeanette (Jenny) O'Hagan interviews the fabulous Rebekah Robinson, co-author of Core Values: Love with Annie Hamilton.

Jenny: Congratulations on the new release Core Values: Love. Is having a new release as exciting as it was the first time?

Rebekah: Yes, absolutely! There’s nothing like holding your new book in your hands. With your first book there’s a sort of impostor sensation – ‘Wow, I’m an author now!’ and with the second it’s more of an eyebrow-waggling, ‘Now there are TWO, and I’m a SERIOUS author now!’

Jenny: It's a joy that doesn't get old. Tell us more about Core Values: Love. What is it about, who do you think will read it, and impact do you hope it will have?

Rebekah: Core Values: Love was born out of one of those revelations that seems momentous and blindingly obvious at the same time. If the Bible talks about the fruit of the Spirit … then the fruit must come from the Spirit … which would mean that the fruit is part of His nature, the way an apple comes from an apple tree! So this volume explores what it must mean for God to be Love, and how that works itself out in His children.

I think this book will appeal to people who want to go a little deeper in their understanding of what God is like. We’ve made it lovely to look through, as well as (I hope) intriguing to read. I’m a graphic designer by trade, so I’m a big fan of diagrams and infographics, and making things beautiful as well as functional. I hope that readers will find their spirits lifting in worship to the Lord as they read.

Jenny:  Wow, that sounds awesome. I believe understanding the heart of God's love is transformative and foundational. You co-authorised this book with Annie Hamilton, a prolific award-winning author with a strong following. How did the idea of working together come about? What have been the joys and challenges of the process.

Rebekah: My mother in New Zealand recommended The Singing Silence, and when I read it I was blown away and wrote to tell Annie so. It turned out we lived on the same side of town, so we ended up meeting for coffee and becoming friends. She hired me (in my graphic design hat) to work on her books. Since they touch on similar subjects, I asked if she would be willing to chime in on mine, and she generously agreed. Annie is a joy to work with. She’s walked me through the industry and helped me look at things from completely new angles and find treasures in the Word. I’ve found it a challenge to have to ‘kill off’ the occasional ‘darling’ phrase, of course, but it’s made my writing stronger.

Jenny: It sounds like God's timing. Your first published book, Someone to Look Up To, is also a non-fiction Christian book. Can you tell us what it is about and what inspired you to write it?

Rebekah: It’s about Christian leadership, written from the point of view of a non-leader. So much leadership theory comes to us from people who are providing it, rather than those of us who are living under it. It’s a friendly and helpful look at how some of these practices and teachings impact the church, and what we might then take into consideration. Since it’s geared toward students and fans of leadership, it also has a Study Notebook for use in classes or small groups.

Jenny: An interesting and helpful perspective. Who are your favourite authors and genres to read and why?

Rebekah: I rip through novels like there’s no tomorrow, but non-fiction takes me a great deal longer, because you have to really chew it as you go. I love speculative fiction & fantasy. My favourite secular author is Lois McMaster Bujold. I adore her space opera series because the characters are so deep and round that it’s hard to believe they aren’t real people, flying around out there. And I love Stephen Lawhead’s fantasy books because the cultural worldbuilding and storytelling is so immersive. Patrick Carr’s books are absolutely brilliant. These are just three names from a huge field of talented realms people.

My favourite Christian writer is Adrian Plass. I find his books an emotional workout, from laughing hysterically to crying unashamedly. They help me un-knot myself when I’m overthinking, and get me back in touch with my Saviour’s love in a complicated world. And I’m a big fan of Michael Frost. He thinks outside the box, and challenges me to live a truer Christianity.

Jenny: Some great authors. I concur, Michael Frost is a modern day prophet as in forth-telling. And as a big spec fic fan, I also love Lawhead and have enjoy Carr's books. I'll have to check out Lois McMaster Bujold.

So far your books have been expositional non-fiction aimed at encouraging people in aspects of the faith and ministry. Have you ever felt the urge to write fiction? And if so what would genre would you explore.

Rebekah: I wrote nothing but fiction and free verse in my youth, but got distracted by songwriting for several decades. I started my first novel years ago with a strong theme but gave up when the plot didn’t come and the characters were all ME! Recently I’ve seen a gap in Christian fiction – or an unmet thirst, if you like – and I think maybe I’m being called to fill that gap myself. So, currently I have three fantasy novel outlines percolating in my head & hard drive. It’s a steep learning curve, because every writing field involves the development of niche skills. My blog and non-fiction books have all been about answering questions, and they come more easily because all you do is explore the Word with God and share your heart in a structured manner.

Jenny: Novel writing is a great deal more complicated than most people realise. I look forward to reading your fantasy fiction in due course :) The hyphenated title of the Core Values: Love suggests that this is book 1 in a series on Core Values? Am I right and if so, what other books can we expect in the future? Do you have any other book ideas bubbling away? 

Rebekah: Core Values: Love is the first volume in an 8-part series on the fruit of the Spirit as the DNA of God. So, there are seven more volumes all at various stages of completion. Originally it was going to be one book, but it became too unwieldy. There are two other books I’m percolating for the Someone series – one on marriage and one on the music ministry – and, of course, the three nascent fantasy novels, which will be very loosely linked and will take some time.

Jenny. So many great title to anticipate. Thank you, Rebekah for taking the time to share about your books and experiences. We wish you and Annie God’s blessing on your new release.

Rebekah: Thank you so much!

Rebekah Robinson loves God and people, and writes about Christian living. A missionaries’ daughter, she was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, and lives in Brisbane, Australia with her husband and two young adult children. Freelancing as a graphic designer, she enjoys singing, songwriting and worship leading, and may have a slight digital scrapbooking addiction.

Rebhekah's Website & Facebook Author Page

You can purchase her books here:

Core Values: Love

Someone to Look Up To

Some to Look Up To - Study Notebook

Write What You Know

Write what you know. Adrian Plass puts this so eloquently. Well, maybe it's more on the comical side, but still ...

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

First you need to understand what's happening. Adrian is on a fast-flowing river boat ride at a theme park in Denmark with his two boys and four year old daughter. The ominously unstable, little round boat overturns and they are all thrown into the water.

Adrian isn't a swimmer, so you can imagine the panic and fear when he finds himself trapped under the water between the rim of the overturned boat and the bank of the river.

It's dark and disorienting under the water. The rising fear of drowning induces panic and confusion, but what of his kids? The two boys are strong swimmers. Hopefully they've been able to swim to safety. Kate, his four year old daughter might not have been so lucky and a deep sadness pulls him down further.

As fear and panic, confusion and sadness press all around him, a small corner of his mind is sitting back and watching the drama unfold. It ponders at the potential of using this situation in some sort of literary context. A magazine article or maybe it could be adapted into a fictional story later in the future.

The little man with a notebook who lives at the back of my head scribbled busily away, noting with interest the various nuances of panic and fear, the exact sensations that accompany drowning, and the emotions evoked by the imminent loss of those whom you love. He was just on the point of starting a new piece under the heading 'First Encounters with God' ...

 Jesus - Safe, Tender, Extreme

Adrian Plass

Everyone I talk to says the same thing. No one ever expected or thought we'd be in a global pandemic. It was one of those ideas in the far-fetched, dystopian/fantasy, world-building category that was way too complicated to even pick up off the floor from where you threw it, scrunched up in a ball.

But now ... isn't that what people say? Write what you know? All you have to do is read the titles of the news articles flooding the stratosphere and the possibilities are endless. New world currency - toilet paper. Gas masks and blind dates. Street-community living and the black-haired, introvert inside number 16.

The light bulb has flared twice for me in the last month with two new stories I'm dying (not literally. I am 100% healthy. No virus for me) to write. Okay, maybe three times with my black-hair introvert who lives in number 16.

Now, I know everyone has experienced something different during this situation. Some good, some not so good. But every experience can be drawn upon and expressed in our writing whether it's a fictional romance, suspenseful thriller or an inspirational, self-help, non-fiction book.

So, tell me, what ideas are brewing in that head of yours? How did you come up with it? Let me know in the comments below. I'm super excited to find out what ideas you've all come up with.

K.A. Hart is a born and bred Territorian who moved to Queensland and had no choice but to stay after her assimilation into Toowoomba’s infamous, collective known as Quirky Quills.

Since then, K.A. Hart has had two short stories published. Stone Bearer, appears in Glimpses of Light and Tedious Tresses, in the As Time Goes By Mixed Blessings anthology. She is currently working on a fantasy novel.