Life

#WCW – Francine Rivers: From Romance Novelist to Christian Novelist

Francine’s Statment of Faith – Redeeming Love


What happens when an established romance novelist receives Christ?

That’s the Love and Faith turnaround story of Francine Rivers!

Francine Rivers, born to a police officer and a nurse, has always wanted to be a published author. She attended the University of Nevada, Reno where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Journalism. After her graduation, she spent time as a newspaper reporter, writing obituaries and human interest stories.

Rick (Husband) and Francine Rivers

Rick (Husband) and Francine Rivers

After getting married, her mother-in-law lent her several romance novels, Francine decided that she would try to write in that genre. Her first manuscript was sold and became published in 1976. For the next several years she wrote historical romance novels, from 1976 to 1985, she had a successful writing career in the general market and her books were awarded or nominated for numerous awards and prizes.

In 1986, however, she became born-again. Although she had been raised in a religious home, Francine did not truly encounter Christ until when she was already a wife, mother of three, and an established romance novelist. Three years after becoming born again, she had difficulty finding plots for new novels.

This was as a result of the conflict between what she was used to and what she now believed. Guess what she decided to do?  She spent her time instead studying the Bible!  What better way to get clarity and assurance? The result of this was Redeeming Love; it was released in 1991.

She describes Redeeming Love to be her statement of faith and the book is now considered a classic work of Christian fiction and continues to be one of the Christian Booksellers Association’s top-selling titles; it has held a spot on the Christian bestseller list for nearly a decade. Redeeming Love is a book which till date has blessed and is blessing many.

The way Francine Rivers writes her books is what makes the difference between a story and an experience. She doesn’t just give her readers a story, she allows them experience the lives of the characters in a special way.

This I believe comes from the in-depth study and meditation she gives to the word (The Bible). She brings her passion and her skill to bear in her Christian faith and blesses so many in doing so.

Francine Rivers In An Interview

Francine Rivers In An Interview

She says she wants to “illustrate Christ and the Christian walk, to address difficult problems and write realistic stories.” What better way to put Christ at the center of it all? Since Redeeming Love, Francine has published more than 20 novels with Christian themes – all bestsellers- and she has continued to win both industry acclaim and reader loyalty around the globe. 

Her Christian novels have been awarded or nominated for several awards including the Holt Medallion in Honour of Outstanding Literary Talent. In 2007, the feature-length film version of her novel The Last Sin Eater was released in theatres by Fox Faith.

In March 2010, Francine officially became a New York Times bestselling author, when Her Mother’s Hope debuted at #12 on the hardcover fiction bestsellers lists. The sequel, Her Daughter’s Dream, debuted at #12 on the same list just 6 months later, in September, 2010. 

Francine’s novels have been translated into nearly thirty different languages and she enjoys best-seller status in many foreign countries including Germany, The Netherlands, and South Africa.

#WCW - Francine Rivers

#WCW – Francine Rivers

I bet there’s no need telling why Francine Rivers is our WCW this week, but in case you need to be super sure, well we see in her a heart that’s truly ready to put Christ at the center of it all, we see a person who isn’t ashamed of her faith.

It takes a heart that has fully discovered life in Christ to readily sacrifice the recognition, fame and success Francine Rivers already had in her career. She decided to forget it all and start afresh, making Christ the focus.

What’s your skill? What’s your career path? Is Christ the focus? Are you ashamed to let people in your office know you’re a Christian? You’ve never shared your faith with a colleague or friend?  I’ll just say take a leaf from our WCW.

More profoundly is Francine’s life being the reward for unapologetically showing Christ. I believe she has achieved more success than she sacrificed.

We don’t live for Christ or do the things of God with an expectation of earthly reward but we know that even in natural laws, diligence will definitely be rewarded.

Be totally convinced of what you believe, be unashamed about who you are, you’ll never regret it.

Below is a long list of books by Francine Rivers. We decided to pull up this list, in case, you are an addict to Francine’s book and you need to tick off some you’ve read and plan buying others you haven’t. Or, maybe, you fall into the category of people that never heard of, or have heard of, but never read Francine Rivers books yet; here’s a big opportunity for you!

Mark Of The Lion Series

Mark Of The Lion Series

  • Mark of the Lion Series: (1993–1995)
  • A Voice in the Wind (1993)
  • An Echo in the Darkness (1994)
  • As Sure as the Dawn (1995)
  • The Scarlet Thread (1996)
  • The Atonement Child (1997)
  • The Last Sin Eater (1998)
  • Leota’s Garden (1999)
  • The Shoe Box (1999)
  • Lineage of Grace Series (2000–2001)
  • Unveiled (2000)
  • Unashamed (2000) 
  • Unshaken (2001)
  • Unspoken (2001)
  • Unafraid (2001)
  • And the Shofar Blew (2003)
  • Sons of Encouragement Series: (2004–2007)
  • The Priest (2004)
  • The Warrior (2005)
  • The Prince (2005)
  • The Prophet (2006)
  • The Scribe (2007)
  • Bible Stories for Growing Kids (2007) (Written together with daughter Shannon Rivers Coibion)
  • Marta’s Legacy Series: (2010)
  • Her Mother’s Hope (March 2010)
  • Her Daughter’s Dream (September 2010)
  • Bridge to Haven (2014)
  • Earth Psalms (2016)

Join Francine Rivers on Facebook on https://www.facebook.com/francinerivers

Or visit her website; www.francinerivers.com 

Kindly read all previous WCW articles  CLICK HERE;

HEATHER LINDSEY, The 360 Degree Woman
#WCW – Jackie Hill Perry: In Search For “love”, She Found Love…

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About author

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Tolulope Oludapo is a young Christian who lends his voice through the media by sharing practical wisdom for everyday living in the most experiential and simplified fashion. This has fetched him the direct followership of over 30,000 users on his blog, lifegiva.com. A blog he founded. He loves to write on varying subjects that affect life, faith, relationship...everyday living.
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