Interview with Rachel Dodge, author of The Secret Garden Devotional

 

Welcome to the Blog Tour for The Secret Garden Devotional by Rachel Dodge, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: The Secret Garden Devotional 

Author: Rachel Dodge 

Publisher: Barbour 

Release Date: December 6, 2022 

Genre: Devotional

Devotional Inspiration from Mary Lennox's Beautifully Mysterious Secret Garden

The Secret Garden Devotional offers lovely inspiration that explores the themes of faith, family, contentment, wisdom, and joy in the classic Frances Hodgson Burnett novel, cherished by generations of readers. 

Each reading corresponds with a chapter from the book and invites you to embrace God’s guiding hand in your life as you are becoming His new creation. With themes of growth, spiritual nourishment, God's love and care, and His transforming power, this beautiful chapter-by-chapter devotional includes original artwork throughout. Each reading includes examples from the novel, scripture, life application, and prayers perfect for groups, book clubs, or personal reflection.

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rachel Dodge is the bestselling author of the award-winning Anne of Green Gables Devotional, The Little Women Devotional, and Praying with Jane: 31 Days Through the Prayers of Jane Austen. Rachel's newest book is The Secret Garden Devotional! Rachel teaches college English classes, gives talks at libraries, teas, and book clubs, and is a writer for the popular Jane Austen's World blog. She is passionate about encouraging and equipping women to grow closer to Jesus through prayer and the study of God's Word. A true kindred spirit at heart, Rachel enjoys books, bonnets, and ball gowns.

Connect with Rachel by visiting racheldodge.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

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TOUR GIVEAWAY

(2) winners will receive a signed copy of The Secret Garden Devotional and a hardcover illustrated copy of The Secret Garden along with a bookmark and stickers.

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight November 30, 2022 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on December 7, 2022. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

Thanks for following along with the blog tour for this book! Rachel kindly agreed to join us for an interview to discuss The Secret Garden Devotional. Welcome, Rachel!

FEH: One of my favorite things about all your devotionals is the way they changed my thinking about the so-called "secular" books I love; each of them now has the opportunity to become an encounter with God. Do you think the authors of these particular books (The Secret Garden, Anne of Green Gables, and Little Women) intended this, or is it something you foster in all the books you read?  
RD: I don’t personally think the faith lessons and themes that I focus on in my devotionals were necessarily planned out by these authors, but I do believe each author purposefully wove beautiful lessons in and through their novels. Unlike didactic literature that’s meant to teach young people moral lessons, the lessons in these novels are subtle and natural; it never feels preachy. The stories are relatable and the characters are just like you and me. They have fears and failures, dreams and successes, and loves and losses.   Personally, I always see another layer (or two or three) in everything I read, whether the author put it there on purpose or not, so that’s probably why writing devotional books based on classic novels is my favorite thing to do. I love to analyze books and find ways to apply lessons from them to my own life. I believe there’s a link to the Gospel in almost every story, even if the author didn’t put it there on purpose. I love to find that link and share it with others.  

FEH: Is there a specific scene or character in The Secret Garden that most speaks to your own faith?  
RD: The “robin who showed the way” is so special to me because of how he helps Mary blossom and learn to play and run like a child. He is her first friend! Then he shows her the key to the garden… and finally the door to the garden. I see such a parallel between the robin and the people in my life who showed me the way to knowing Jesus personally and mentored me and encouraged me in my faith. My “robin” was a girl named Joy I met my freshman year in college. She and several other older girls showed me the way to Jesus and I’ll always be thankful. The seeds they sowed and the example they set made all the difference in my life as a young woman, and there has been lasting fruit in my life, in my work, in my marriage, and in my children’s lives because those senior girls taught me the “good way” and showed me how to walk on God’s paths. (Proverbs 22:6; Jeremiah 6:16)  

FEH: This question is just for fun! I've been reading lots of Jane Austen lately, and I know you share my love for her stories. If you could give your book to any of her characters, who do you think would need or appreciate it the most?   RD: I’m sure Mary Bennet would really enjoy the religious aspect of my books and possibly read them out loud to the family in a very serious, monotonous tone. Everyone listening would yawn and Lydia would probably make a snide remark! But in all seriousness, I think Elinor Dashwood, Fanny Price, and Anne Elliot would enjoy my devotionals. They tend to be interested in personal growth and take their faith seriously.  

FEH: As you wrote this devotional in a chapter-by-chapter format, was there any chapter in which you struggled to find a connection to faith? Or was there one in which you wished you didn't have to limit yourself to word count?   RD: The chapter when Mary explores the house on a rainy day was a bit hard for me to figure out at first, but I realized as I prayed that the chapter was all about Mary’s loneliness and her desire for companionship and family, which fits perfectly with the Biblical picture of God’s family when we become children of God. I wrote about how we were made for companionship and fellowship, and how there’s a reason we long for closeness with others. Later in the novel, when Mary and Colin explore together, I was able to come back to that topic and talk about how our rainy days in life don’t have to be lonely days when we are part of God’s family in the Body of Christ. I always love to see how God leads me when I can’t figure out the theme of a chapter! He comes up with the best ideas!  
As for a chapter where I had lots and lots to say, I probably could have written about the parallels between the key, the door, and the garden and the Good News of Christ for several days. It’s just so neat to think of how we are separated from the “garden” of eternal life with God by our sin (the locked door), but the good news is that the key of faith in Jesus opens that door into the kingdom of God forever. Wow!! Even now, I feel like I could go on and on. It’s a really beautiful concept!  

FEH: I heard you say that you never envisioned yourself as a writer. How did you stumble into this vocation?  
RD: I’ve always had a passion for writing and have always written—whether it was papers for English class, letters, journal entries, articles, web site and marketing content, Bibles studies, and so forth. I can’t seem to help but write. I’m built for it. Words tend to flow out of me. I feel weird when I don’t write. But as far as being an author, I said I would never try to publish a book. I guess God had other plans!   
I did always have a heart for devotional writing and for classic books, but my journey toward being an author is all God’s doing. I asked the Lord to consecrate my writing to be used for His glory about 10 years ago, without even knowing what that might mean or where it would lead. A few years later He opened the door to write devotional books based on my favorite classic novels through a series of really fun God stories.   
I of course work really, really hard at writing, but I have seen God do things I could never ever do in my own strength. It’s been a dream come true because I never planned to write these lovely books, but it’s become my favorite thing to do! Only God can truly bring out in us the dearest desires of our hearts—because sometimes we don’t know what they are until He shows us.  

FEH: Do you have any other devotionals based on classic books in the works?  
​RD: To date, I’ve written Praying with Jane, The Anne of Green Gables Devotional, The Little Women Devotional, and now The Secret Garden Devotional. I would love to write more devotional books based on classic books if God wants to open the doors to do more! I have a few projects I’m currently working on that are very dear to my heart.  
​This spring, I can’t wait to share the audiobook versions of The Anne of Green Gables Devotional, The Little Women Devotional, and The Secret Garden Devotional. I had the great pleasure of narrating them myself, and I hope readers will enjoy hearing me read to them!