Interview with Carrie Walker

Today, I’m so excited to welcome Carrie Walker to the Brave Blog. Carrie is the author of Emma’s Hero, a brave book that celebrates the value of life. Welcome, Carrie! Let’s jump in.

How would you define bravery? What is it? Where does it come from?
Doing something that is important, even though it may be scary, painful, or hard for you. Even if
you don’t know for sure how it will turn out. I believe true bravery, much like courage, is a virtue
rooted in faith.

So true! What is a book that has really impacted you? How did it change you? What do you think the
author did that made it impactful?
Karen Kingsbury’s “Summer”, which included the thread of the character Ashley giving birth to a
baby with a terminal condition. She really showed the humanity of the characters, and members
of the family loving Ashley and this child despite the inevitable outcome, but she also showed
the struggle of some people not understanding why she would carry this pregnancy to term. In a
story, where she could’ve chosen a happy ending or a wrong diagnosis, she instead wrote the
hard and did it in such a beautiful way.

When did you know you wanted to be an author?
As I was writing “Emma’s Hero” 🙂 This story was placed on my heart and wouldn’t let go, so I
had to put it on paper. As I went through the process of learning how to write, I realized I loved
it and had to keep going.

Do you enjoy drafting or editing better? Why?
When I’m drafting, I love the editing phase more. When I’m editing I love the drafting phase
more LOL. But honestly, if I had to pick I think I like the editing phase more. It’s really motivating knowing that the words are already written, they just need to be cleaned up a bit. That feels less daunting, I think.

Haha! I can relate to that! When do you write, and where?
As a busy mom of 7 kids, I write whenever and wherever I’m gifted a window of time. Many
times I sit in a chair in the living room with a lap desk, but I’m just as often seen with a makeshift
desk in the back of a car while I wait for my kids to get out of their activities.

Love that. As a fellow large-family mom, I concur. What is your author tagline? Why did you choose it?
Stories of Ordinary People Living Extraordinary Love. I chose it because those are the type of
stories I want to write, stories about everyday people who live out love in some extraordinary
way. And I believe that shows bravery in a very real, tangible way. It’s my intention to center
stories around characters many of us might know in our daily lives—a single mom, a social
worker, perhaps a firefighter. I hope by doing some my stories might be relatable and inspire
readers in some way.

What are 3 things about you that we can’t find out from your bio?

(1) I am not a morning person, but life forces me to be at times. And even when it does, I still stay
up late 🙂 (2) I love finding a television series to watch with my husband, but I must have a character I can
root for! (3) I’m what I like to refer to as a “complicated introvert.” Drop me in a crowd of people I don’t
know and you’ll likely find me hiding by a wall, but introduce me to someone or bring up a topic
of conversation that’s meaningful and I’ll talk your ear off.

Do you prefer paperback, eBook, or audiobook? Why?
Paperback!!! Though I have read some e-books and audiobooks and would choose to have those
vs. not being able to read the stories at all, there is something about holding a book in my hands
that I just prefer. Plus its easier to see if there is enough pages left for the author to make the
end turn out how I want LOL

What subject have you done the most research on for your writing?
That’s a tough question because I seem to always choose story lines that have some aspect I
need to learn a lot on. But learning the treatment protocols and risks of semi-lobar
holoproscencephaly (the condition Theo has in Emma’s Hero) probably current holds the lead of
“most research.”.

Where did you get the inspiration for your most recent book?
A young woman that I’d ministered to as a teen gave birth to a baby with the same condition as
Theo. She cared for her by herself, as well. When I visited them in the hospital and set my eyes
on the tiny baby, I knew she’d touched many lives and the seed for this story was planted. I have
some teenage children, and our door is constantly rotating with new faces. At times I would see
a younger person who seemed lost in the world, and that’s when I thought of the idea for a
story about a baby counted out by doctors who changed the life of a teen like that.

I love all of this and I’m thankful you chose to share with us. Readers, you can get your copy of Emma’s Hero here.

“God won’t give me more than I can handle? I’m pretty sure He just did.”

After a year of loss and bad choices distance Emma Reynolds from her lifelong beliefs, she finds herself pregnant and alone at a twenty-week ultrasound, hearing the words “incompatible with life.” When her son, Theo, survives birth, she fights to give him the best care possible. As each day passes, Emma’s love for Theo grows—along with her fear of losing him. She can’t understand why God allows her son to suffer.

Seventeen-year-old blogger, Mason Hughes, feels lonely and worthless after his father left their family years ago. When he ignores his mother’s push to “contribute to society,” she volunteers him to help Emma each week. Wishing he’d applied for any other job, Mason has no choice but to grocery shop and practice his rusty social skills with a mother and son he doesn’t know.

Paramedic Ben Sullivan has earned himself the title of “most eligible” bachelor among his friends as they continually set him up on blind dates. While he’d love to avoid the uncomfortable events, his heart can’t help but seek the one thing missing in his life—a marriage like his parents have. If only he could find the woman himself.

As Theo’s tiny life connects them to each other, their loneliness breaks under the love of community, and they will never be the same.

About the author

Carrie Walker lives in Michigan with her husband and seven children. From her ten years serving as a high school youth minister, adventures around the globe, and raising a family, many stories have been knit within her heart.

As an avid reader she pens what she loves to read, contemporary stories that bring hope to a hurting world. Weaving romance among story lines of characters in struggle, she aims to show God working in all situations. When she’s not playing board games with her husband, shuttling kids in the Walker bus or wishing for snow, Carrie can be found at the keyboard bringing those stories to life.

Carrie’s writing has been recognized in many contests. Her debut novel, Emma’s Hero, placed in the ACFW Crown Award, Monroe Walton Center for the Arts Award, and won the 2020 ACFW First Impressions Contest.