Getting to know Amy Wallace and Healing Promises!

If you have read my review, I know you want to rush out and buy this amazing book! Before you do, check out the Q &A below about Healing Promises, Book 2 in the Defenders of Hope series and the lady herself, Amy Wallace.

Describe your six main characters using only one word each.

Clint Rollins—dependable

Sara Rollins—compassionate

Hanna Kessler—hesitant

Michael Parker—headstrong

Steven Kessler—watchful

Gracie Lang—wise

Which female character most reflects you?

I’ve never thought any of the female characters reflected who I am until I started writing Hanna Kessler. On the surface, we’re nothing alike. My husband is the photographer, runner and good-looking one, and my brother-in-law is a chef specializing in incredible cakes. They’re the people who taught me what I needed to know about those aspects of Hanna. But Hanna’s inside is so much me that it hurt to write her at times.

Are you able to choose a favourite FBI guy from Clint, Steven and Michael? If so, why?

Absolutely not! ;-) That’s too much like choosing a favorite child. There are aspects of each I love because they’re reflections of the best of my husband. But there are also things about each character I’m glad I don’t have to live with, like their jobs, different ways of expressing pride and fear and a few other interesting quirks that make up who they are.

Mmmm...it is definitely a toss up for me but I am edging towards Michael and I haven't even read his story, Enduring Justice, yet - LOL!!

What is the major theme of Healing Promises?

I’d say the theme that encompasses each character’s journey is that of faith under fire and how we respond to God when we aren’t sure if we can or should trust Him at all.

How do you hope Healing Promises impacts your readers?

My prayer is that Healing Promises will provide a page-turning story that goes beyond the senses and into readers’ hearts. I also pray as they read they’ll experience a deeper sense of the goodness and trustworthiness of God, even when life doesn’t go according to plan. I hope readers will see that at the end of ourselves only one truth remains—God is good. What we do with that fact changes everything.

You have achieved that and more with this reader :)

Amy has graciously subjected herself to a RelzReviewz interview twice before so this time we are going to dig a little deeper into Amy's life experiences! It was a lot of fun ~ hope you enjoy learning more about this special lady!

If you could have chosen your own name, what would it be?

I certainly wouldn’t have chosen to be named after Amy March, the bratty sister in Little Women. Other than that, I like my name. It means beloved and is a very cool reminder of my heavenly Father’s love.

Your first pet’s name?

It was Boof, a black, furry, protective little dog that had also kept watch over my older sister who died of SIDS before I was born.

Your best friend’s name in primary (elementary) school?

Linda Foster. She even wrote me letters when my family moved to Germany and kept in touch for a long time.

Did you have a special toy that went everywhere with you when you were young? Please describe.

I had two beloved stuffed animals that grew old along with me and are now resting in my hope chest. One was a brown teddy bear named Jamie, and the other was a silly red monkey with a plastic banana sewed onto its hand. Her name was Judy.

If you could be an animal for one day, what would you be and why?

I’d be a wolf because I love their beauty, grace and untamed power.

If you could meet a famous person, who would it be?

Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman. I’d like to thank them for music that moves me to worship, their example of faithfulness to God and each other and for inspiring so many and doing so much good with their influence.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what one object would you want with you? (Besides your Bible of course)

That’s easy…. Chocolate! ;-) A close second would be my MP3 player.

If you could only have one favorite food to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?

That’s tough. I get bored fast with foods. But if I had to choose one, it’d be a toss up between steak and chocolate—as long as I could have a different marinate or flavor every few days.

Mango and potatoes for me. Separetly, of course!

What's your favorite ice cream flavor?

Strangely enough, it’s not chocolate. It’s Bruster’s birthday cake ice cream. It tastes like cake batter with yummy butter cream icing and sprinkles mixed in.

Well, that's a new one to me! If I ever visit, I'm up for it :)

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A marine biologist. Good thing God pointed me in a different direction because to this day I can’t swim all that well. More on that below in the answer to my most embarrassing moment…

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I’d go back to Berlin and take my family on a tour of memories through the city that stole my heart when I lived there as a young teen.

Or maybe I’d go to this awesome place called Australia and visit one of my dear friends. Yes, I think that’s where I’d go first! ;-)

Yay!!! Let me know when you book that flight! I'm thinking our girls and hubbys would hit it off immediately :)

Besides God, who has influenced you the most?

My children. They’ve stretched my heart far more than they stretched my abdomen. Before my children were born, I had no idea the depth of love, pain and exhaustion I could feel all at the same time. They’ve also shown me in action why God says to come as little children.

What part of your daily routine do you enjoy most?

Bedtime. I love singing and praying with my kids. And then I wake up because I’m a total night owl.

What's your favorite movie?

One of the few movies I’ve watched a number of times and could watch again is National Treasure.

What's your favorite book?

My absolute favorite book is The Restorer by Sharon Hinck. This novel made me laugh, cry, understand myself and then worship God all wrapped up in an incredible story.

I just finished The Restorer's Journey and was amazed by the power, emotion and truth in Sharon's words. Still pondering the spiritual blessings!

Where's the most interesting place you have been?

Wading through a series of dark and wet underground tunnels used during WW2 that were below the radio station where my dad worked in Munich, Germany. The whole building was supposedly haunted and my elementary-school mind dredged up tons of terrifying stories of who used the tunnels along with all the when, why and hows.

What's your most fervent prayer?

That my daughters will walk with the Lord all the days of their lives and not only know, but experience how passionately God loves them.

Oh, yes! Me too :)

What's the bravest thing you've ever done?

Become a mom. ;-) Second to that would be playing Supermom and taking my eighteen-month-old daughter’s place in the ER. She was diving into the sidewalk from our front porch and I managed to get between her face and the hard concrete, ripping tendons in my foot in the process. I dust off that story and my red cape on particularly difficult parenting days. LOL

What gift have you received that you will always treasure?

A very huge and beautiful but fake diamond my husband gave me on our twelfth anniversary. We found it in a gift shop we browsed during our first overnight trip to celebrate our anniversary. It looked almost exactly like the engagement ring picture I’d kept in my hope chest during high school and it crowned a turning point in our marriage—one of healing and hope.

What is your favorite Bible verse (or "one" of your favorites) and what does it mean to you?

I Thessalonians 5: 23-24 “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”

I love these verses because they remind me that God is the One who purifies, grows and keeps me safe.

What was your most embarrassing moment in High School?

Yikes! You mean I have to tell this to everyone? Hopefully no one present on this day I’m about to describe will remember...

I was thirteen and wore thick, coke-bottle lens glasses. Without them, the world was a messy blur. I’d spent the afternoon swimming at a pool in Berlin and wanted to escape the crowd after a particularly bad dive where I thought I was going to drown and the lifeguard asked me never to get on the diving board again. I slunk into the locker room, only to have the same male lifeguard follow me all the way in. I was mortified that he’d followed me into the women’s locker room. Until I realized I was the one in the wrong place. That’s right, I’d walked into the men’s locker room. Thankfully, I saw nothing without my glasses. But after that second scolding from the lifeguard, I retrieved my glasses and never visited that pool again.

LOL!! You poor thing! I endured the whole glasses thing too, although I don't recall ever making that grand an entrance - hehe!

How did your husband propose to you?

We met in February at an interview weekend for missions work. He came to visit me in Kentucky one weekend in March and I drove to visit him for Easter in Georgia. Then, on his birthday in late April, we spent the day at a local park, watched a very cool laser show and then hiked to the top of Stone Mountain. On the way back down, we stopped at an area overlooking the Atlanta skyline. At one point, David got down on his knee and asked me to marry him. I was so thrilled and surprised that I didn’t even see the ring he was holding out until he slipped it on my hand and asked if I liked it. Then he took me out for chocolate cake. He had me forever at the diamond and chocolate combination. ;-)

What a sweetheart!

What was the best advice you received on marriage before you were married?

Don’t expect perfection and be quick to forgive.

What is the best gift your hubby (or someone) ever gave you?

One year, when we had zero dollars to spend on Christmas presents, my husband crocheted me this huge afghan to help me stay warm when I worked on the computer in our chilly basement. Not only did he think about a need and meet it creatively, but he also gave of himself in learning a new skill and getting up before the crack of dawn to work on it while everyone else was asleep.

I'm impressed, David!

Ask each of your daughters one thing they think is special about you and share it with us, please!

Unedited and uncoaxed… ;-)

Oldest (age 10) “She’s able to write really good, detailed books as well as take care of us.”

Middle (age 7) “She loves us and homeschools us.”

Youngest (age 4) “She writes books and takes care of us and loves us forever, amen.”

Thanks, Girls ~ you are treasures! I think your mum is pretty great, too. Amy ~ thanks so much for sharing from your heart :)