Michele Chynoweth

Jun 29

11 min read ⭑

“I was born and raised Catholic, but with all the trauma I went through due to alcoholism, divorce, and loss, I fell from my faith for a time. But now, I see the ways God helped pull me through in my writing, and I want to help others through my contemporary biblical novels that get across God’s messages in a modern-day way for people struggling with their faith today.”

Michele Chynoweth’s story sounds a lot like Job’s when you hear it. She lost her marriage, her business, her kids (or so it felt), and her health. But also like Job’s story, God brought Michele out of that dark season and gave her so much more than she could’ve hoped for. She’s now a full-time author, speaker, and book coach whose novels give Old Testament stories a modern twist.

In this interview, Michele is getting honest about her painful past, her recovery from addiction, and the daily spiritual habits that help her know and love Jesus better.

QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT

There’s much more to food than palate and preference. How does a go-to meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind the web bio?

I'm a born and bred Baltimore, Maryland, girl, so of course, my favorite meal is sitting down and cracking open a bushel of steamed blue crabs with family or friends! I grew up eating these Chesapeake Bay delicacies (crab meat is super expensive these days, so I appreciate it even more) and love all of the dishes made from them ... crab cakes, crab Imperial, soft crab sandwiches, crab-stuffed shrimp, oysters, or anything really.

I remember eating my first crabs (we just call them crabs here in Maryland where I still live today) at the age of 5 on my aunt and uncle's farm on the Eastern Shore. It's a different world down there ... slower paced, rural, warm, and friendly. Some would call it a little backward, but I called it home for several years, working in my 20s as a news reporter on-air for a local TV station and the Baltimore Sun. I would often go crabbing with my father and grandfather on the tributaries that stem from the bay. Ah, that was the life.

Today, my family still gathers around an outdoor picnic table and we roll out brown paper as a table cloth. Then hot crabs are dumped from a bushel basket loaded with Old Bay seasoning. We usually have steamed corn with butter (and Old Bay rubbed on), rye bread and butter, hush puppies, and watermelon as sides—a meal fit for a king! I've heard even Oprah lists crab cakes as one of her "favorite things." Could it be because she, too, originally worked as a news reporter in Maryland? Small world!

QUESTION #2: REVEAL

We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activities do you love and help you find spiritual renewal?

The place where I find my greatest spiritual experience (besides church)—and where I always find God—is swimming outdoors in the ocean. Just feeling the sun on my face as I do the backstroke, looking up at the clouds in the vast blue sky, the cool water underneath me spraying up as gentle waves roll, the exhilaration of being at one with the sea, nature, the universe—I feel profound sense of peace, freedom, and joy.

I grew up going to the beach with my family every summer in Ocean City, Maryland. I'm told by my mother that on our first family trip to the beach at age 4, I wandered off to seek the ocean on my own. I got lost for several hours, causing my mom a whole lot of stress and heartache, even back in those days. The police finally found me with two teenage girls who had taken me to a donut shop, chocolate frosting all over my face. My mom said she didn't know whether to spank me or hug me (she did the latter). I guess I was a thrill seeker and somewhat of a "free spirit" back then, too.

These days, my husband and I go several times each summer to nearby (and less crowded) Rehoboth Beach, now my favorite spot in the world. My husband proposed to me there and we got married in the same spot on the beach in 2010 as the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean. Our blended family of five kids, ages 12 to 20, was our wedding party!

QUESTION #3: CONFESS

Every superhero has a weakness. Every human, too. We're just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite and how do you hide it?

I am a recovering alcoholic. We in 12-step programs say we are recovering, not recovered, because we are never permanently "cured" of our addiction to alcohol. I am actually proud to say I've been in recovery as of this writing for 18 years—one day at a time. I guess you'd call alcoholism a weakness and a strength since we work a spiritual program to maintain our sobriety. The 12-step program is spiritual in nature. We strive for progress, not perfection, but it is a lifelong journey.

Fortunately, while we have to work at our recovery by attending meetings, reading literature, helping others by sponsoring them, answering late-night calls, and doing service work, it also brings us closer to God and is a very God-centric program. So I’ve actually benefitted from it even though it's been hard at times. I believe the emphasis on progress goes way down deep and can rise up as anxiety and depression if I get too busy, don't attend enough meetings, and get out of whack or out of balance.

This happened recently as I was striving to get my latest novel done on deadline. I pulled a few all-nighters and didn't go to a 12-step meeting for three weeks. That may not sound like too long, but trust me, for those of us who are recovering alcoholics, it is—and I was miserable, stressed to the max, and feeling like I had an emotional hangover. Fortunately, I knew the answer: work the program and get reconnected to God. They say in the rooms of recovery, "It works if you work it." So true!

QUESTION #4: FIRE UP

Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your obsession? And why should it be ours?

I'll never forget the moment I was called to write what I call Modern Day Bible Stories, contemporary suspense novels that reimagine Bible stories. I was driving down the road and was in a dark, despairing place. I was losing my marriage through a bitter divorce, my ad agency business was failing due to the recession, and I felt like I was losing my kids, who were becoming teenagers. As I looked up and saw a neon sign that read, "Used Books and Bibles,” I heard a still, small voice say, "Michele, you should write a modern-day novel based on the book of Job."

Fast forward to today. I look back and see that was God calling me. That first novel, which took eight years to write, became The Faithful One. It was based on Job, the guy who had everything, then lost it all and asked, "Why me?" God brought me through those Job-like trials and I ended up sober, remarried to a great man, having a great relationship with our five kids, and living my dream of being a full-time author, speaker, and book coach.

I went on to write The Peace Maker based on David and Abigail, The Runaway Prophet based on Jonah, The Jealous Son based on Cain and Abel, and my newest novel, The Wise Man based on Solomon. People tell me my books have changed their lives as well—not only people of faith but also people who have lost their faith or are struggling. They escape in my action-packed, suspenseful plots and end up relating to the characters and discovering God's message.

QUESTION #5: BOOST

Cashiers, CEOs, contractors, or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?

People sometimes ask, "Where do your ideas for your books come from?" I always say they come from God. How else can I explain that I never sought to write contemporary suspense novels based on Old Testament stories in the Bible? Or that I still sometimes struggle with writing them today, just like Jonah did with going to Nineveh (or my modern-day Jonah character, Rory Justice, resists going to Las Vegas to work with the FBI to investigate an underground terrorist group? There's a little of me in each of my books, I guess. But as the saying goes, “Write what you know.”) As I write, I try to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide my work. When I do this, I usually have a good day without writer’s block.

I also help other writers become authors through my book coaching services. Sometimes I pray the "Prayer of Jabez" in the Bible, and when I do, clients come pouring in. And so do what I call God connections. But I've realized that I have to seek, ask, and knock—and meet God halfway. For example, I called author and pastor Chris Whaley to ask how he won Best Picture for the film based on his book, The Masked Saint at the International Christian Film Festival. Chris was presenting that year and got me a ticket. I met several famous stars, got some glowing endorsements for my novels, and then pitched them to TV and movie producers. One of my books is now being considered for film production.

QUESTION #6: inspire

Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied actions that open our hearts to the presence of God. So spill it, which spiritual practice is workin' best for you right now?

It is morning. I sit in my morning room or step outside to my back patio. I live in a house with woods behind it, and my husband has hung a few bird feeders. I love watching the birds and gazing at the trees throughout the seasons (we see all four here in Maryland). Before my day takes off in all its busyness, I try to take a half-hour to do my readings, write in my journal, and do a little prayer and meditation. When I don't, the day usually doesn't go as well as when I do.

My sponsor gave me a Daily Kairos journal. Each day, it guides me in writing down a Bible verse that comes to mind, three things I'm grateful for, a prayer on my heart, and an intention for the day. During this time, I read from two devotionals, Daily Reflections and Courage to Change, meditate on a thought from each, and write in my journal. When I do this, I feel like I am at least touching base with God, asking him to guide me through the day to do his will. I believe when I start the day with humility, acceptance, and gratitude for what I already have, I won't be anxious or depressed about what I don't have. I can stay in the day, be peaceful, and make space for all the good God has in store for me. And this is the only way creativity and imagination can occur.

QUESTION #7: FOCUS

Our email subscribers get free ebooks featuring our favorite resources—lots of things that have truly impacted our faith lives. But you know about some really great stuff, too. What are three resources that have impacted you?

I went through an emotionally raw time after divorcing my first husband, who was abusive to my two sons. I only got 50% custody, so the kids were with their father for the first time that weekend and I went to church without them. The final song in the Mass was "Here I Am, Lord." I sat and cried. This song still resonates with me as I face fear or doubts such as imposter syndrome. When I’m tempted to think, “Who do I think I am to reimagine God's Word in modern times?” this song gives me courage.

During the height of COVID-19, I became isolated and was a workaholic, replacing one addiction with another. I lost my sense of balance, peace, joy, and even love, and I was miserable. My sponsor then gave me the book Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist. In it, Shauna writes about being in the same place I was. She learned to come out of it by saying no to doing too much and allowing herself time and space to enjoy people, places, and the everyday moments of life that made her joyful and reconnected her with God. That lesson helped me through a difficult time.

My novel, The Wise Man, a modern reimagining of the story of Solomon, is about a U.S. Supreme Court judge who is hearing a case between two women fighting over custody of a baby born alive from a failed late-term abortion. In researching it, I watched the movies, Unplanned and Roe v. Wade, and they really strengthened me to have courage in my pro-life stand.

We all have things we cling to to survive (or thrive) in tough times. Name one resource you’ve found indispensable in this current season—and tell us what it’s done for you.

When troubled, I try to recite (or at least paraphrase) the Prayer of Saint Francis, which is known to those in recovery as the "Step 11 Prayer." I start by saying, "Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace."

QUESTION #8: dream

God is continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?

I believe with each book I write I am called to be more courageous than ever before. My latest novel, The Wise Man, based on the story of Solomon is about US Supreme Court Justice Finn Mitchell, who must cast the swing vote in a Roe v. Wade overturn appeals case much like the one in the headlines. I received a strong endorsement from actor Kirk Cameron, this year’s March for Life keynote speaker. I struggled with whether to take a stand and promote this, not wanting to alienate half my readers. But as John tells us in Revelation, we should not be “lukewarm” in our faith, so I did and the feedback from readers has been amazing. It’s my fifth novel, but the first time I’ve ever had people offer to support me and my book through prayer groups!

What’s ahead? I’m mulling over whether to write my next contemporary biblical novel as a science fiction fantasy based on Noah where the ark is a spaceship. But I also have a memoir on the shelves that I might dust off after all these years, loosely titled Still Catholic. I have to do more praying about this but will let you know when I hear the answer!

Meanwhile, I’ll continue to work with many other Christian writers to help them get their wonderful works out into the world!

Addiction is no small problem. A National Institutes of Health survey found that 10% of American adults have struggled with a drug-use disorder at some point in their lives. Add to that the nearly 15 million Americans aged 12 and older who have an alcohol-use disorder, and you can begin to see just how widespread addiction really is.

Thankfully, there are programs and rehabilitation centers out there that help addicts recover. And studies show that around 75% of people with addiction go on to live full lives, especially if they receive quality treatment.

As Michele points out, however, addiction isn’t something you just “get over.” Recovery isn’t a one-and-done process like beating the flu or healing a fractured bone. It’s a lifelong process, a daily choice.

But it’s not a journey you have to make alone. Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29, ESV).

Rest for the sinner. For the broken. For the recovering addict trying to say no every day. That’s the good news.

Michele Chynoweth is the bestselling, award-winning author of several Modern Day Bible Stories, contemporary suspense novels that reimagine Old Testament stories in the Bible including her latest book, The Wise Man, based on the story of Solomon. Michele is also a renowned inspirational speaker, professional editor, book coach, and the founder of Your Book Done Right Master Class & Elite Coaching, helping writers become authors through her writing, editing, publishing, and marketing services. To learn more, visit her at michelechynoweth.com.

Justin Camp