Author Interview | Marie-Rose Fox and Hidden Thorns

Today we have a guest interview with Marie-Rose Fox, author of Hidden Thorns, a memoir which is a finalist in the 2019 CALEB Awards, and which is about forgiving her only child’s murderer. Welcome, Marie-Rose!

Fast Five

Long black or flat white?

Long or short black. However, I much prefer espresso.

Kiwis or koalas?

Koalas, they’re cute and cuddly.

Mangoes or kiwifruit?

Mangoes, love ’em!

Books or TV?

One can learn so much more from a good book, versus watching TV.

Sun or snow?

Sun, I can’t handle the cold anymore.

Getting to Know Marie-Rose Fox

What’s something interesting or unusual about you that not everyone knows?

I’m not a fan of the open sea, so I often opt out from going on cruises. Let me explain: When I was about 2 or 3 years of age my parents took me to the beach for the first time and let me play in the shallow water. Suddenly a small wave caused me to lose my balance, and under I went. I was so frightened I thought I was going to drown. It was fortunate that my dad was nearby, and he quickly picked me up and took me to where my Mum was sitting so I would feel safe again.

Regardless, this memory is still with me to this day. Who would have thought that a little incident like this would have impacted me the way it has for the rest of my life! That said, I’m trying to put it behind me, gradually.

Where are you from?

I was born in Famalicao, a town near the city of Porto in North Portugal. My parents moved to Normandie, France when I was just five years old, so that’s where I spent most of my childhood and where I went to school and completed my studies.

When I was eighteen, my parents decided to immigrate to Sydney, so I now proudly call Australia home. I spent my late teenage years, in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, before moving to the Gold Coast, Queensland after I married and then opted for a tree change to Warwick, a small country town in the Darling Downs region of Queensland. The move was unexpected but was, in all reality the right decision at that time in my life. I go into my real reasons for doing this in absolute detail in my book.

What is your town or city most famous (or infamous) for?

Warwick is famous for its meat products (Angus & Wagyu). Mrs Gina Rinehart officially launched her premium Wagyu Beef Brand here, in 2017.

Then we have the ‘Jumpers and Jazz’ festival held in July, every year, an event worth visiting. Members of the community dress up the trees in town with knitted scarves, jumpers, toys, artefacts and all sorts of decorations like stuffed animals with the intention to out-do one another for the best dressed tree in town. There are jazz bands playing in cafes, malls and in the town’s main park (Leslie Park) during the festivities. It’s great to see the town buzzing with activity and visitors coming from all over Queensland just to be part of the fun.

Warwick is also famous for its beautiful roses and its rodeo, that’s why they call it ‘The Rose and Rodeo City’.

What books are set in Warwick?

The Thomas James Byrnes Memorial, Warwick was added to the Queensland Heritage Register – January 1999.

The early history of Warwick District and Pioneers of the Darling Downs – 2007 Book Edition.

The most recent one of them all – A crime book about Vincent O’Dempsey. This Warwick, born and bred villain was recently found guilty of murdering Barbara McCulkin and her two daughters Vicki and Leanne in January 1974, the year after the Whiskey Au Go Go fires in 1973. Their bodies have never been found – 24/03/2019.

There is also a local author, Deborah Wheeler, whom I had the pleasure to meet not so long ago who has published several books on the history and stories of the Southern Downs including the book ‘I remember in 2015’ which is a collection of stories from Killarney residents (Killarney is 35Kms South-East of Warwick)

About Your Writing

What do you write?

I’ve only written one book to date. It’s a true story, a non-fiction book in the autobiography/memoir category, a genre I relate to and am comfortable writing about because it’s true and we all know that the truth will set us free. In this regard, I was recently advised that my book: Hidden Thorns by Marie-Rose Fox has been chosen as one of three finalists in this year’s CALEB Award!

What an honour. To think that I made it to the top three, is incredible! It can only get better from here, right!

There could be another book in me but in a different category, a book for children teaching them the values of life in a fun way. This seed was planted in my mind many moons ago but God had other plans for my life then. So, who knows, time will tell!

Who or what are your main writing influences?

I’m influenced by other Christian writers, and their stories as there’s always so much to be learnt and benefited from them. As it happens, I had the pleasure of working closely with Jeanette Windle, an American Christian best-selling author and editor, whilst writing Hidden Thorns. Her expertise and skillset brought out the very best of my manuscript. Our collaboration brought together a true and inspiring Australian story that captivates the reader, from beginning to end.

My heartfelt thanks go out to her for being a huge part of my incredible journey. She truly is an extremely gifted writer. I would not hesitate to recommend Jeanette to anyone who is thinking of putting pen to paper and is looking for real professional assistance in them realizing their dream of becoming an author in their own right. I’m glad I did.

Do you have any books published?

Yes, I have, my one and only thus far: Hidden Thorns. I initially went to a publisher but things didn’t work out so I’m now self-publishing, a task I’ve found to be rather challenging in a sense that I didn’t realize there was so much to consider when you’re doing it yourself, for the first time.

There are many obstacles to be dealt with along the way but at the end of the day, it’s worth it because I’ve achieved a goal that I can be proud of! I can now add ‘self-publisher’ to my CV. How cool is that! There’s definitely more than meets the eye when it comes to publishing but nothing gets done without hard work.

In fact, I apply the same attitude to everything I do in life. It’s really that simple, you reap what you sow!

What inspired you to start writing?

My faith in Almighty God inspired me to write my story. I received a word from God (in a dream / vision) urging me to write this book. I believe we are in ‘the end times’ and the world needs to know that God is real and we can depend on Him to conquer our fears, and sometimes face the impossible.

In my case it was forgiving my only child’s murderer. Not an easy task by any means, in reality most people, especially mothers, would say it’s probably impossible. I succeeded not because I’m better than most but because I’m an overcomer. God was there for me every step of the way helping me overcome every obstacle I was facing at that dreadful time in my life. He promised me He’d never leave me nor forsake me, and he fulfilled His promise.

What’s your favourite part of the writing process?

I found writing Hidden Thorns was therapeutically good for me in as much as it helped me deal with my grieving process up to a point. I say up to a point because I’ll never get over it, I know that in my heart. Re-living all the events accurately, was mentally draining and painful for me but I persisted because I’m not a quitter and I’m thankful for this challenge as a fantastic result in the end.

To answer your question and be more to the point, my favourite part of writing is the epilogue because I can look back and ponder over what I’ve written and conclude my story which brings me a sense of achievement, a kind of joy and happiness that’s difficult to describe. Then, I’m ready to move on to the next stage of the process.

What’s your biggest writing challenge?

Writing Hidden Thorns was by far my biggest challenge. You have no idea how many times I put it to one side saying to myself I couldn’t go on and that it was too hard. But my husband was always encouraging me, urging me to keep going. Then the Holy Spirit would nag at my heart, whispering in my ear…stop procrastinating, just do it! I knew I had to be obedient but I also felt things were going to get tougher as I wrote about the most poignant moments of my story but perseverance is my middle name, so I persisted.

I knew in my heart it had to be written so my would-be readers could benefit from it one way or another. There is something for everyone in Hidden Thorns because let’s not fool ourselves, we all have hidden thorns.

How does your faith impact your writing?

My writing is all about my faith. Without my faith, there would be no book, it’s as simple as that.

The whole purpose in writing Hidden Thorns was to share my faith in God with my readers and others in a like-situation and how it helped me through the darkest hours in my life and rejoice in good times. Faith is my lifeline, it’s what I hang on to when doubt sets in my mind trying to trick me into thinking I can’t go on, I’m not good enough or what’s the point of it all? I have to say that after my daughter was murdered, it was my faith which saved me and helped me conquer depression and come out from the dark side to see the light and survive. Faith is hope, hope is love and love conquers all!

Finally, where’s the best place to find you online?

Website | Facebook

About Hidden Thorns

Hidden Thorns is an encouraging and remarkable story of how a courageous mother coped with the murder of her daughter.

The story describes in detail all the sad travails that life has unfairly dealt the Author. Especially sharing how she handled the tragic senseless murder of her beautiful daughter. No one ever fully recovers from the agony of the death of a child. But this mother wanted to be someone who was happy and not hiding from the world, bitter an angry. Forgiveness was the way to peace – and she knew she would need that, but how could she forgive her daughter’s murderer?

Overtime, she came to realize that there actually was a small miracle happening; her daughter was taken from a place of violence, where she was all alone, to a peaceful place in eternity. What this individual did was horribly wrong, but did she want to be defined by her worst nightmare? How is that any kind of compensation to a mother for the loss of her daughter? And did she want that to be the way she lived for the rest of her life?

What the Author has shown us is that the most important thing anyone can do in life is what God has given us to do here, now or whenever. She has demonstrated clearly that she has been more courageous than anyone I know in letting God write her story. So, my congratulations go to her for being a faithful obedient servant, as painful as it was.

This book of diversity in the face of tragedy makes for compelling reading.