Episode 91 - Choosing Joy: Finding Purpose Through Faith and Fiction with Heidi Gray McGill

Date: November 20, 2025 Podcast Show Notes: Interview with Heidi Gray McGill   Story Highlights: In this inspiring episode of The Women Behind the Words, Debbie Dufek sits down with Christian historical fiction author Heidi Gray McGill, a woman whose life reflects perseverance, gratitude, and steadfast faith. After retiring from her role as an ESL program director, Heidi stepped into a new calling: writing Christian fiction that points readers to Jesus through relatable stories of trust and redemption. What began as beta reading grew into a full writing ministry, now known for her heartfelt Discerning God’s Best series. Heidi shares openly about her diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa in 2001, a degenerative eye disease that gradually reduced her vision. Instead of letting loss define her, Heidi made a deliberate, daily choice to choose joy. That decision became her life’s mantra and influences every page she writes. She explains how gratitude reshaped her perspective, helping her focus on what she can still do rather than what has changed. Through adaptive tools like large print technology and customized accessibility settings, Heidi continues to write faithfully and live fully. Her heart for serving God remains central. Whether through storytelling, prayer, or small intentional acts like sending cards, Heidi shows how every season offers new ways to serve. She encourages listeners to embrace fresh beginnings at any stage of life and to trust that it is never too late to follow God’s prompting. Heidi also highlights her Christmas novella, A Place to Belong, a story of redemption, grace, and emotional healing. The novella follows Josephina, a young woman hoping for a second chance after difficult choices. Through Josephina’s journey, Heidi emphasizes the transforming power of letting go of the past and accepting the freedom Christ offers. Throughout the conversation, Heidi shares why Christian fiction is such a powerful ministry tool. Much like Jan Karon’s Mitford series, Heidi’s stories reach women who may feel distant from church but still long for spiritual connection. Through flawed yet faithful characters, she offers hope, restoration, and a gentle invitation to trust God. Heidi closes the interview with heartfelt encouragement: find purpose through service, embrace the gifts God places in your hands, and remember that joy is a choice rooted in gratitude and faith, not circumstances.   About Our Guest (Bio): Heidi Gray McGill is a Christian historical fiction author who began writing in retirement, showing that it is never too late to answer God’s call. Though legally blind, she writes immersive stories that reveal God’s hand in seasons of waiting, hardship, and unexpected grace. Her Discerning God’s Best series follows flawed but faithful characters learning to trust God’s timing and redemptive plan. Heidi’s personal mantra, Choose Joy, is woven through both her writing and her daily life. Whether spotlighting frontier women standing firm in faith or modern women rediscovering their purpose, Heidi’s heart is to show that God’s best is always worth the wait.   Book Highlight: A Place to Belong: Josephine’s Story : A Shumard Oak Bend Companion Christmas Novella (Discerning God’s Best) Pregnant, disgraced, and out of options, Josephina flees Philadelphia in search of a second chance in a snowy Ozark town. She finds unexpected refuge in an unfinished orphanage, a one armed war veteran, and a marriage of convenience that may become something deeper. But when her past reappears, she must decide whether she will finally accept redemption or keep running. A story of grace, resilience, and quiet courage, A Place to Belong explores the kind of love that rebuilds what was lost. She thought she had run out of grace until grace found her on the edge of a snowy town. Some fresh starts begin in silence. Others begin with a baby’s cry.   Connect With Heidi: https://heidigraymcgill.com/ https://Store.heidigraymcgill.com/ https://www.amazon.com/author/heidigraymcgill https://www.instagram.com/AuthorHeidiGrayMcGill/ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20851872.Heidi_Gray_McGill https://www.bookbub.com/authors/heidi-gray-mcgill?follow=true https://www.facebook.com/AuthorHeidiGrayMcGill https://www.youtube.com/@authorheidigraymcgill/?sub_confirmation=1 https://twitter.com/HeidiGrayMcGill https://heidigraymcgill.com/free_book/ https://heidigraymcgill.com/blog/