Jamie Janosz

I've been thinking about average women. I know a lot of women who don't think their lives are all that special. Sure they are special in the sense that they have people who love them and who they love in return. But, perhaps, they feel they aren't making great strides in this world. They aren't an Oprah or an Angelina Jolie. A Hilary Clinton or Princess Kate. When I googled famous women, it suggested a list of 100 - living and dead. The historic women are writers and academics and social workers, the living are musicians and actresses (go figure! ). But the women I want to talk about are regular women. You work hard and rarely make headlines. Many of you have full-time jobs in addition to the work you do at home. You care for your children. You make meals. You dust. You drive lots of places. You wash clothes. Over and over and over again. When the alarm clock buzzes, you get up. When someone calls, you answer. You work hard. One of the women in m...

In my first-ever guest blogger series, I've asked writers to discuss one of the questions found at the end of my book, When Others Shuddered: Eight Women Who Refused to Give Up . Today's question is about Amanda Berry Smith.  Thank you to these fellow friends and writers for participating! Enjoy this first response from talented fiction writer and editor, Teryn O'Brien. Amanda Smith felt completely alone following the death of her baby, Will. At that very moment, God sent a friend to give her needed money. Why are women’s friendships so crucial? How have friends ministered to you in times of need? Maybe I’m weird, but I have always seen female friendships as just as essential as a male love interest. In junior high, I remember how so many girls would easily throw away their friendships or betrayed girl friends just to be with the guy they wanted.  I’ve wondered many times if they regretted it later or just stabbed other girls in the back during their climb to m...

This morning, I signed a book contract with Moody Publishers. I am so excited! Not only am I thrilled for this opportunity to be published, but I am honored to tell the stories of some amazing turn-of-the-century women. The working title of my book is: HEROIC PIONEERS: 8 Christian Women Who Changed Chicago, the Church, and the World. And they did! The book will highlight the lives of eight, Chicago women who were contemporaries of evangelist D.L. Moody. One was a slave’s daughter – one a single school teacher stricken by typhoid fever – one was a wealthy philanthropist - yet each of them achieved amazing things for God and His Church. They started schools and ministry organizations. They preached at the World’s Fair. They marched boldly into Chicago's vice district and changed taverns into missions. They worked alongside United States Presidents to change public policy and challenge injustice. Together - they instituted many important outreach organizati...

Two pieces of literature came to a crossroads in my mind last week. I finally got around to reading The Help , Kathryn Stockett's bestselling novel and movie, which depicts the conflicted relationships between African American housekeepers in the South and the women for whom they worked. That same week, as a fulfillment of my daughter's Social Studies homework, I re-watched the movie The Crucible , based on Arthur Miller's famous play about the Salem witch trials. The Help is an amazing book. I loved the varied perspectives and the way it illuminated a slice of history that I know very little about. I found myself cheering for Abileen and Skeeter who were brave, wise, and wonderful women, each standing up against the repressive culture of their time. At one point in the novel, I came upon a date - 1963, and was shocked to realize that this period of American history happened during my own life time. I was born in 1965. Since I grew up in the Midwest, my experience...