A Single Bead really drives home the power of prayer in such a compelling way, one that is entertaining and organic to the story and gives us that big-picture glimpse of what many of us know intellectually about the efficacy of prayer but rarely recognize in daily life. Did you know from the start how that theme would permeate the book or did it develop as you wrote?
To really answer that question, I have to share the story of how I came to write A Single Bead in the first place. Having consecrated myself to Jesus through Mary in early October of 2013, I found myself feeling renewed conviction to write a Bible study on the Rosary. By mid-October, I was researching publishers and came across Pauline Books & Media, who said they were specifically seeking Catholic young adult fiction. That single sentence set bells ringing in my head, as if the Holy Spirit were saying, Stephanie, pay attention to this! I had never even considered writing fiction, though, so I said out loud, “God, if you want me to write Catholic young adult fiction, you’re going to have to
give me the idea. Because I’ve got nothing!”
A few days later, someone sent a tweet to me, commenting on my old Twitter handle and blog name – A Few Beads Short, (I’m “a few bead short of a full Rosary,” like some people are “a few fries short of a Happy Meal.”) This person said, “@aFewBeadsShort, have you ever thought of the power of a single bead?” I responded with, “Great point! I’ll have to write a blog post on that!” And mentally filed it away for future blog material.
A few hours later, when I was with my family in the car, I got what I would call a “download” of the first chapter of A Single Bead. I knew that there would be a girl whose grandmother had died in a plane crash. I knew she’d wander away from her family as they prayed the Rosary at the crash site. I knew that she would find a bead from her grandmother’s rosary – a bead bearing her own initials. I knew she would discover that others had found beads as well, and that they had miraculous/mystical events associated with them, and that she would begin to search for more beads. I didn’t know what the conflict would be, or who it would be with, but I knew that it was a book I was meant to write.
So, in answer to your question, yes. I did know that the central theme of the book would be the power of prayer, and of the Rosary, in particular. But no, I didn’t know how, per se it would permeate the book . . . only that it would.
How do you think the power of story can uniquely reach readers when the Rosary is commonly presented in nonfiction books and instructional pamphlets?
When I started writing A Single Bead, my thought was, Really, God? I want to write a Bible study for you, and you’re having me write frivolous fiction? But, once I’d gotten a little deeper into the process, I realized that fiction speaks to us in ways that nonfiction typically doesn’t. We come to know, love, and sympathize with the characters. We want them to grow and learn, and we grow and learn with and through them. When we finish the book and return it to the shelf, those characters remain with us, like a friend we’ve lost touch with. We continue to think of them occasionally, wonder how they’re doing, and wish we could meet up for coffee.
In A Single Bead, the reader meets Katelyn as a girl who wants little to do with her Catholic faith. She knows there’s a God, but doesn’t really see how He could operate in her life. In her opinion, the Rosary is boring and holds no special power. Over the course of the book, she witnesses miracles that have occurred in the lives of others, and is forced to admit that there must be something supernatural behind them. Moreover, she experiences emotional and spiritual changes in herself wrought by the Rosary. The reader travels through that experience with her. If they’re already a
believer in the power of prayer, they’re rooting for her all the way through. If the reader is more like Katelyn, and doubts the power of prayer, they find themselves joining her in the journey to come to believe and rejoice.
This unique power of fiction has been expressed to me countless times when parents, or kids themselves, have reached out to tell me they’re now praying the Rosary, when they had never or rarely prayed it before. These were not people who would have picked up a nonfiction book on the Rosary, but they were lured in by the power of story to read and believe.
As a convert to the Catholic faith, is the Rosary something you took to easily or was it a challenge to accept, and how do you think that has helped or hindered your effort to spread this devotion?
I prayed the Rosary for the first time with my RCIA class, and I remember thinking that it seemed pretty boring and repetitive, and not something I really wanted to do on a regular basis. But, when I joined the Catholic Church, I felt convicted that I was called to live out her teachings and devotions as fully as I possibly could. So, whether or not I really wanted to, I picked up my rosary occasionally and prayed it – just because that was what “good Catholics” did, and I wanted to be a “good Catholic.”
My first experience with the power of the Rosary occurred when I had had an argument with a family member. I was angry, hurt, frustrated, and confused, and then I prayed the Rosary. About midway through I began to recognize a change in myself. My heart rate had decreased. My muscles were no longer tense. The adrenaline was no longer pumping through my veins. By the end, I was peaceful, resolute, and ready to make amends with the family member. After that experience, I was a believer in the Rosary’s power, and I’ve tried to pray it daily ever since. During the best periods of my life, I’ve even managed to pray fifteen decades each day.
I believe that which we have to struggle for becomes more precious and meaningful to us. I think I appreciate my Catholic faith more than many cradle Catholics because I had to study my way in, grapple with the Church’s teachings, and confront long-held misunderstandings. I had to turn my back on the “faith of my fathers” to gain the “Faith of my Fathers,” and that was no easy or lighthearted feat. In a similar way, I appreciate the Rosary that much more for having had to fight an internal fight against its foreignness, the unfounded whispers of idol-worship, and the baseless accusations of senseless babbling.
I fully understand what precious gifts our Catholic faith and Our Lady’s Rosary are, and am most content when I’m encouraging others to understand and love them as much as – or more than – I do!
Can you say a little bit about the power of the Rosary in your own life?
There’s no doubt but that the Lord works miracles in response to our prayer of the Rosary. But I think the most immediate, most accessible miracle of the Rosary is the power it has to change the way we look at our circumstances, thereby completely turning around our lives. When I entered the Catholic Church, I knew nothing of “dying to oneself,” “redemptive suffering,” or “joy amidst crosses.” Such things were complete anathema to my way of thinking! Yet, through regularly praying the Rosary and thereby meditating upon the life of Christ, my thinking slowly evolved. When trials and tribulations came, my knee-jerk reaction of seeking the least painful path or asking, “Why me, Lord?” changed to “Not my will, Lord, but Thine,” and “Be it done unto me according to thy Word.”
Thanks to this evolution, I met unexpected pregnancies with joy, financial troubles with peace, and even the near-death and subsequent brain injury of my husband with a firm trust that God would provide, God would be glorified.
He has! What greater gift could one ask?
Your book for children, Bead by Bead: The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, begs for sequels in the form of the other mysteries of the Rosary. Are those books forthcoming?
AGGGHH! Yes! Unfortunately, I’m a bit of a perfectionist. I learned some lessons in publishing The Sorrowful Mysteries – namely that I should have published it in paperback – which I want to correct before moving on to the next book. I’ve been so busy with other projects that I haven’t gotten around to doing so. Thanks for the gentle nudge – I’ll get to work on it soon, and hope to follow with the other mysteries of the Rosary shortly after that!
So far, your books have been inspired by the Rosary, which is perfectly on-brand with your tagline “a few beads short.” Do you envision writing on other themes?
Yes. In particular, I would love to explore fiction centered around the Eucharist. I’ve started a couple of different stories, but, when I didn’t feel that same inspiration I had for A Single Bead, I ended up setting them aside. At some point in the not-so-distant future, I hope to finish at least one of them. The world desperately needs an increased belief in the presence of Christ in the Eucharist!
You’ve also been helping others to tell their own stories. How do you do that?
My official “nine-to-five” is now as a personal historian. My clients hire me to write their stories, or – more typically – those of their parents or grandparents. I spend time interviewing the individual or couple, and then use the material from the interviews to craft an entertaining story of their lives. I then work with a book designer to add photographs and a lovely cover design, and we produce a hardcover book that the family can enjoy for generations.
It’s an incredibly fun and rewarding process, and I’ve learned from the stories of each person I’ve had the pleasure of writing about. I feel extremely blessed to get to earn a living doing the thing I enjoy the most!
What are you working on now?
I’m really excited about a novel I’ve been commissioned to write which is the fictionalized story of a young woman whose trust in God the Father strengthened her through terrible abuse and neglect. I’m currently doing some heavy editing and very pleased with what is emerging.
I also have a graphic novel in the works for the “reluctant reader” group – those pre-teen boys who don’t love to read. Based loosely off the characters in my own family, twelve-year-old Mac will get into all sorts of trouble as he tries to get back the video games that his mom has taken away for the summer. My kids and a few beta readers have read the first draft and assure me it will be well-loved!
"This unique power of fiction has been expressed to me countless times when parents, or kids themselves, have reached out to tell me they’re now praying the Rosary . . . " @SEngelmanauthor #authorinterview Click To Tweet
Stephanie Engelman is a wife and mother of five, and the author of A Single Bead – an award-winning young adult novel about the power of prayer. Stephanie is also a public speaker who loves to talk about the Rosary, trusting God, and her personal experiences of peace and joy amid crosses. Stephanie and her family live in Indianapolis with their rambunctious mutt and rescued cat. In her free time, Stephanie loves to walk the dog, hike, mountain bike, and garden.
Links:
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