FAY ROWE | ChristianAuthor - About the Author

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Short Bio

Award winning author Fay Rowe was born and raised in Shearstown, a small Canadian town on the east coast of Newfoundland. As an adult, she lived in St. John's on several different occasions, as well as on the west coast in Victoria, British Columbia, and the not-so-far-east coast in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She also spent several years in the United States while her husband attended university in College Station, Texas. Now Fay is happy to have settled in London, Ontario, where she lives with her husband, Glenn, and their adopted barn cat, Casey.

Among Fay's greatest loves are Casey, Italian food, anything chocolate, the sound of the waves in Hawaii, hubby Glenn, daughter Gillian, and son-in-law Ryan, although not necessarily in that order!

As a teacher of fourth graders and junior high students, and in settings such as Sunday morning church services, Wednesday night Bible studies, and various women's club and conference events, Fay has shared powerful insights with people of all ages. In her first book, What's In A Name, and her second, the award winning Keepers of the Testimony, she communicates, with simplicity, candor, and a dash of humor, ageless truths that have empowered a great many lives.

Fay is now working on two books, her third non-fiction and a novel, as well as a compilation of devos.

In her books, Fay invites her readers to join her on a journey of discovery. She believes that a personal "chase for truth" is an exciting and worthy endeavor, and this quote from What's In A Name tells why:

"Not settling takes the courageous and committed heart of a truth chaser because although truth may reach the mind by casual hearing, it doesn't settle into the heart and become functional and fruitful without personal engagement."

Paraphrasing Ralph Waldo Emerson, the corn we grow ourselves nourishes best.

Word Alive Press Author Spotlight November/December 2009

Interview with Fay

1. Why do you write?

I love to write! At least I do now. It wasn’t always the case, though. Before I began to write What’s in a Name, my husband would often ask me to edit his academic papers and I would do it, but not with any great enthusiasm. In fact, although I enjoy writing now, I wrote my first book because the words had been in my heart for a long time, and I wanted to “get them out of my heart and onto paper”—if that makes sense? As a speaker, I would sometimes refer to Psalm 138:2—the verse the book is about—but I never could adequately explain what I saw there. Eventually, I just had to put the words on paper.

2. There are many books out there about the names of God. What’s different about yours?

I love to study the names of God, but my book isn’t about that. It is about the name of God.

There are so many references in the Bible to the name of God—in His name, for His name’s sake, exalt his name, trust in His name. Many of those phases went right over my head—or, at least, I didn’t quite grasp the full intent of the verses—until, in response to Psalm 138:2, I studied the different aspects of any man’s name. After that, those phrases meant much more to me than they did before. So did worship songs like: “How Excellent is thy Name in all the Earth” or “Great is Thy Faithfulness” or “How firm a Foundation”. Because of my study of “the name” and what it entails, I became more aware of how firm our foundation really is!

3. You’ve written this book in journey format. Why?

That seemed like the only way to do it! I wanted the reader to experience what I experienced, so I took them on the same journey I went on. I guess I thought of it as the difference between being told about someone’s trip to Paris, and going there oneself. Personal experience is beyond words.

4. What about Keepers of the Testimony? Where did it come from?

I wrote Keepers because when I was researching my first book I saw something in Psalm 78 that caught my attention. Actually, it amazed me. God said, and I’m paraphrasing: “Tell the children my stories so they’ll hope in me.” That scripture took me back to when I was teaching fourth grade in Texas, and I thought, “Oh, that’s what was happening back then!” (That Texas Terror story became the first chapter of the book.) From Psalm 78 I saw the purpose and power of our stories, and as a teacher—and, really, as an observer—I realized that we often try to pass on “the faith” to our children in many ways that are ineffective, when God has already shown us His way.

5. Who is Keepers for? Who did you write it for?

I wrote Keepers of the Testimony primarily for parents and grandparents. But really, anyone who has ever lived a God story—or heard one and wants to live one—should find something empowering in this book.