I’m excited to interview Sarah S. Brown for this month’s Chat With the Author. Sarah is a Christian author and speaker who helps Christian women who feel broken rediscover their worth in Christ. Her community, EverBloom, is a place where Christian women can grow and encourage one another in faith with Scripture and prayer. Sarah’s latest book, Even the Ashes Bloom, is part memoir, part devotional, and will teach you how to release shame and find peace. Through reflection, journaling, and prayer, you’ll be able to embrace healing.
Let’s meet Sarah!
What personal experience or research first led you to write this book?
Having experienced betrayal and shame in my first marriage, I prayed God would use my story to help other women walking through seasons of life that bring disappointment and a questioning of faith. I wrote the book from a place of having a healed heart, but I share raw, real experiences I hope readers will find helpful in their own healing process, allowing them to rediscover hope.
Who do you hope will benefit most from your message, and how?
The ideal reader for Even the Ashes Bloom is a woman who loves God but feels shaken by a season she never expected. She’s walking through—or still carrying the weight of—betrayal, divorce, grief, loss, or deep disappointment. Her faith hasn’t disappeared, but it feels tender and uncertain. She’s tired of trying to be “strong,” unsure why healing is taking so long, and secretly wondering if her brokenness has somehow disqualified her from the life God once promised. She isn’t looking for clichés or quick fixes. She longs for honest stories, gentle Scripture, and permission to grieve while still holding onto hope. She wants to know that God is not disappointed in her, that healing can be slow and sacred, and that beauty can still grow from what feels burned and barren. Even the Ashes Bloom meets her right where she is—offering sturdy, grace-filled hope and the assurance that God often does His most beautiful work in the ashes.
What was the most surprising thing you discovered while writing or researching your book?
Perhaps the most powerful thing I experienced in writing my book was looking back at journals I’d written when I first learned of my then-husband’s infidelity and throughout my divorce. I was hesitant to crack them open, thinking they might break open old wounds; however, God used them to reveal His faithfulness through it all. I didn’t shed tears except those of gratitude for seeing clearly how God never left me.
What’s one piece of advice you’d share with aspiring nonfiction writers who want to publish?
I remember when I started my manuscript, fearing there wouldn’t be room for my book on the shelves, questioning what wisdom I could share, and questioning, “Who am I to write this book?” But I came to discover that there is room at the table for everyone. Your experience is unique to you, which means you bring unique wisdom to the conversation. Stories are meant to be shared, and God uses them to bring hope and light to others. Ultimately, what you are writing isn’t about you. It’s about what God has done in and through you. So invite him to lead you as you write, and keep your heart open to what He will teach you in the process.
Fun question: If your book were turned into a documentary, what would the theme song be?
God is in this Story by Katy Nichole & Big Daddy Weave
Where to find Sarah and her books:
Website: https://sarahsbrown.com/ (Sarah also has tons of great resources on her site for you!)
Newsletter: https://sarahsbrown.com/newsletter (Grab Sarah’s free devotional!)
Social Media:
Instagram
Facbook
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Books:
On her website as well as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, and BookShop.org.
