A Conversation with Jacquelin Thomas, Author of The Ideal Wife

Q. You start off The Ideal Wife with a scripture passage from Esther 1:8–12. Why did you choose this particular passage and how does it relate to the story?

A. There isn’t a whole lot on Queen Vashti in the Bible, but she inspired me to write The Ideal Wife. The scripture reference sets the tone for the story. Here is a man proud of his wife’s beauty and he wants to show her off to the men in his court, much like Lawrence does with Jana. Only Lawrence takes it a step further—he wants his wife to sleep with other men.

Q. Y our novel discusses the difficulty women might face when trying to juggle a modern marriage and their faith. What inspired you to write a novel that addresses such an issue?

A. I was inspired by Queen Vashti, but also by conversations I’ve had with other women. There are women who want to know just how far to go when it comes to satisfying their husbands, and hopefully this novel will spark open conversation between couples.

Q. Forgiveness plays a big part in The Ideal Wife. Was this intentional? What message are you trying to convey to your readers?

A. I think forgiveness comes into play in any Christian novel, but yes, it was intentional. In order to move forward with your life, you have to forgive past hurts. If you don’t, you run the risk of bitterness setting in.

Q. You wear so many hats as a writer—romance author, Christian fiction author, young-adult author. How do you decide what to write next? What are the differences, if any, in writing for different genres?

A. I love writing, and God has given me so many stories I find it’s hard to keep up at times. I love romance and I’m married to my very own Hero, so writing romance is just a celebration of love. With writing Christian fiction, it’s more of a ministry for me, and with YA, I have a heart for teens so I wanted to write books that spoke to their issues. There really isn’t any difference between them as I always strive to tell a good story. The teen books are geared toward ages twelve to eighteen. None of my books have profanity or graphic sexual situations.

Q. Can you walk us through your writing regime? Do you have a set outline that you follow, or do you go where the narrative takes you?

A. I write from an outline, which changes from time to time, but for the first draft, I tend to keep it close to my initial notes. The rewriting phase is when I really flesh out my scenes and let the characters tell me where to take the story.

Q. How important is it to incorporate your faith into your work? What does your faith bring to your life?

A. It’s very important as my writing is a gift from God. I didn’t just decide to be a writer—it is what I was born to do, and I truly believe this. God wants us to use our gifts to glorify Him and that’s what I want to do. Without Him, none of this would be possible.

Q. What would you like readers to take away from The Ideal Wife?

A. That it’s important to search the Word of God for yourself. You can’t just lean unto someone else’s interpretation of what the scriptures say. People will twist scripture to suit their purposes. If you’re doing something that is not in the will of God, He will convict your spirit.

Q. What can we expect from you next?

A. My next book will be a modern-day adaptation of Samson and Delilah’s story.