The Mosaic Collection is an international group of authors dedicated to sharing stories that feature “Families by God’s Design.” Our contemporary novels include mystery and suspense, comedy, romance, and women’s fiction. 

Hannah Conway and I met for the first time at the Mid-South Christian Writers Conference a few years ago. But we’ve been “internet friends” even longer than that.

That smile is as engaging and warm in person as it is in the photo!

Hannah is a military wife, mother of two, former middle school teacher, best-selling author, and popular speaker. Her novels are a deployment experience of their own, threaded with faith, and filled with twists and turns. She’s a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and My Book Therapy. She and her family live in Tennessee. Visit Hannah at https://hannahrconway.com/

Do you have a life verse?

Definitely! Two actually. John 15:17, “This is my command: Love one another”, and Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

John 15:17 helps give me direction and keeps me focused, and Romans 8:28 reminds me of God’s goodness through it all—the ups and downs.

Do you have personal experiences with any of the events in your stories?

Almost all of them—bits and pieces at least. My stories have military service members, and try as I may not to do this, it happens. Deployments, loss, friendship, military wife stuff, redemption…all are things I’ve experienced that pop up in my stories.

But I’d say most authors are that way. They leave little pieces of their life woven in the pages of their story. Not sure if that’s on purpose, but for me it just happens.

What have you learned about the heart of God?

Oh girl, that’s a loaded question.

I’ve learned that God loves me…loves us…no matter what. He’s not mad at me…he loves me. His heart is tender, and forgiving, protective, endlessly kind. It’s the kind of heart I desire. His love for me, for us, is unconditional. It’s not a love I deserve or have earned by my works, but it’s something he freely gives because he loves me. 

It’s difficult to wrap my head around this kind of love. I want to work for it, earn it…but I can’t. And I realize this is the way I should love others. To love others not because they have earned it or deserve it, but because it’s a gift. 

Yes, God’s heart is a heart I desire…I desperately need him to help me be more like him.

What are some healthy spiritual practices you’ve used as you wait on God’s timing?

I’ve learned to simply grow where I’m planted as I wait on God. Meaning, find ways to serve those around you. Plug into church, volunteer, go to a Bible Study or start your own. Find ways to serve, and you’ll grow while you wait…you’ll learn, connect with others, build relationships, and make a lasting impact. 

Tell about a time when God’s hand of provision or protection was especially evident.

One specific time that sticks out to me is during my husband’s first deployment. Stephen was serving in Iraq as an Infantry soldier. We were newly-married but had been apart for almost two years because of deployments and such…although, he came home for a two week R&R and, well…I got pregnant. Giggle. So, he was deployed, I was pregnant, and it was almost Christmas. 

I kept a prayer journal during this time. Sometimes I’d write prayers, and sometimes my prayers turned into letters for Stephen. On Christmas Eve night, I could not go to sleep. I tossed, turned, flopped, sighed—no sleep. I finally asked God to help me sleep, and I felt this overwhelming need to pray for Stephen. So I grabbed my prayer journal and wrote. Prayed, wrote, cried, and finally somehow drifted to sleep. 

It was a few weeks after that night when Stephen was able to call me. There had been casualties and the phone lines were down. And then he told me the story…

On Christmas Eve, they’d been attacked. He was running through the streets in Iraq, had tripped and fallen. Bullets were whizzing by his head, and his comrades had reported him killed in action. But no bullets touched him. In fact, he was completely unharmed. 

Goosebumps, y’all! God protected my husband. God had kept me awake, would not let me sleep, and prompted me to pray for Stephen on the exact same day as the attack. 

To this day, I still can’t get over it!

How has your belief about God’s goodness informed your view of your circumstances?

So, I believe that God is always good…even if he has allowed something “bad” to happen in my life or the lives of those around me. I choose to believe that this event is part of his plan…somehow…and he will somehow turn this into good…use it for his glory. 

You’re invited to join the Mosaic Collection Readers Group on Facebook where you’ll find amazing graphics plus free downloads, including these bookmarks and a Happy Birthday banner, and a community of delightful women whose hearts embrace God’s timeless truths.