Editor’s note: The authors used pseudonyms instead of their real names when publishing their books The Rose Garden and the Ring and Faith in the Midst Study Guide.
Two Plant City women are making the best out of a bad situation.
Penned under pseudonyms Lynn and Christine, the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World residents co-authored and published two books about martial infidelity. The most recent book came out a little over a month ago and is the study guide supplement to the first book.
The first book, The Rose Garden and the Ring, was published in 2013. The 23-chapter book follows the separate journeys of the two authors as they dealt with the knowledge of their husbands’ affairs and their struggles to move past it.
The co-authors are currently working on a sequel about spouses who have had more than one affair.
“Our husbands have both had multiple affairs,” Christine said. “(Lynn) and I live on the same street and our kids would always play together. I feel like the Holy Spirit led us to write it down. The study guide can be used for any issue, but it goes with the book.”
The first book ties Lynn and Christine’s reactions to the first affairs to scripture. The co-authors decided to publish the accompanying study guide after it was suggested by a focus group who read The Rose Garden and the Ring.
“It’s not a ‘God can do anything’ book,” Christine said. “It’s not ‘slam the men.’ It’s what we really felt at the time. Basically, it’s very real and raw but it always comes back around to healing.”
It’s OK
When Lynn and Christine were going through their first affairs, they sought out self-help books. Many failed to cover a major part of how the women were feeling: angry.
“Christian people can have harsh thoughts,” Christine said. “It’s OK to express yourself when you’re going through this. What I needed to hear was, ‘This is a normal thought process.’ And then you come to terms and you move on.”
The women wrote separately and then put their accounts together to create the book. Prayers are included at the end of each part of the book. Cut-and-paste prayers readers can put around their home are also at the end of the book.
“Talking and writing together was therapy,” Christine said. “We knew the entire time that we were being led by the Holy Spirit. Holding it in is not beneficial to anyone. If people are going through this, they can come together and talk about it honestly.”
“God is there in that book,” Lynn added.
The women discovered how their journeys varied too.
“We discovered how our personalities are extremely different,” Lynn said.
One author allowed her kids to read the book and one didn’t. One husband stayed; one didn’t. Lynn was a more logical writer while Christine described herself as more flowery. But by writing, they were able to help each other get through it. Their children, too, give their own accounts in the book.
Helping Others
After their husbands had the first affairs, some things started to turn for the positive. Lynn’s husband built her a rose garden. Christine’s husband got her a new wedding ring.
After the first book came out in 2013, the authors began working on the accompanying study guide. Called Faith in the Midst Study Guide, it was released in 2016 and can be used alongside the co-authors’ original book or on its own.
The study guide uses scripture to tackle issues like personal crises, unfaithfulness and loss of control. Each chapter of the book is supposed to be used once a day day for six weeks, with four days per week. It also includes a section for children.
While the women were writing, Christine’s husband asked her what the point of the book was.
“The point was to help people,” Christine said. “To speak to people and help them. I think God was just orchestrating for it to come out.”
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.