He does so, reluctantly, by giving her a job at his restaurant, The Sandwich Shop. Then crazy things start happening at the restaurant, and Kyle's foster parents apply to adopt him. To stop it all, Maddie must learn the art of humbling herself and accepting the help God has arranged, risking her heart to Reuben in the process.
     

Krista Phillips is a debut author and owner of the popular blog, One Woman’s Dream. She lives with her husband and four daughters in Middle Tennessee.

Favorite Bible verse: Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future. (NIV)

 Our Interview with Krista Phillips

Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a lover of Jesus, a wife to the man of my dreams, and mommy to 4 wonderful little girls. After the birth of my fourth child, who was born with a rare congenital heart defect and had a heart transplant at 8-months-old, I try to raise awareness for CHD's as well as be an advocate for Organ Donation.

What is your favorite Bible verse? (Translation too, please) Why?

Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future. (NIV)

What was your inspiration to write Sandwich, with a Side of Romance?

My eldest daughter! She and I were sitting in the car one day while Dad ran into the store. To bide the time, I told her she should help me brainstorm a new book. She named the character Maddie, and decided she should be a hair stylist. We figured to start the book off with a bang, she should give somebody a really bad haircut and get fired. And how cool would it be for that "somebody" to be our hero??

I was born in the small town of Sandwich, IL, and I'd been wanting to write a book set there, and so after I got home, the wheels in my head started to turn, and Sandwich, with a Side of Romance, was born.

Does foster care relate in any way to your own life?

My husband and I were foster parents for a brief, difficult, and wonderful time. Children are so very near to our hearts, and we weren't quite ready to "grow" our own family any more than the 2 we already had. We had the extreme privilege of being "Mom and Dad" to a sibling group of three who were waiting to be adopted. While we didn't feel like God was calling us to be their forever family, we did feel it was super important to be a bridge for them until they could find that forever home.

I'm pleased to say they DID find their forever family! And while they were with us, we found out that, WHOOPS, we were expecting baby #3. For now, God has told us that we need to concentrate on raising our own children, however we plan to pursue foster parenting again once our own children are grown.

How much research did Sandwich, with a Side of Romance take?

I did quite a bit of research, trying to make sure I understood at least the overall process of foster care in IL, although I did rely a lot on the personal knowledge I had in.

I also had a super cool aunt who lives in Sandwich who helped me out with some of the town questions as it's been quite a few years since I've been to Sandwich! And the owner/realtor for the large community of Lake Holiday also helped me out with answering specific questions.

What are the most interesting facts that you learned while researching and writing Sandwich, with a Side of Romance?

I learned that there are a LOT of different kinds of sandwiches! I studied the sandwich menu at every restaurant we went to! Who knew that Reuben had a cohort in sandwich-crime called The Rachel?? The Rachel substitutes turkey or pastrami for corned beef, and coleslaw in place of the sauerkraut.

What was the most difficult aspect of writing this story?

Maddie was a difficult write for me. I was born into a Christian family, went to church every Sunday, and had parents who loved me and taught me about Jesus. I was also a bit of a "goody-goody." I never snuck out of the house, never tried a cigarette, never did the whole drinking/partying/drug thing.

Maddie... not so much. She lost her mother at a young age, had an abusive father, turned to guys and subsequently sex to fill the ache in her heart. In college, she learned about Jesus and allowed Him to fill that ache instead.

But she's still a super new Christian and carries many scars from her past. Writing Maddie's story made me get out of my comfort zone and try to put myself in her shoes, which was not an easy place to be.

What other new writing projects do you have on the horizon?

Currently I'm not planning a sequel to Sandwich, but never say never, right? Livy, Reuben's fiancée, might just decide she needs a come-to-Jesus meeting!

I do have some other projects I'm working on with my agent though, so stay tuned!

What message would you like your readers to take from reading Sandwich, with a Side of Romance?

That regardless of what the crazy winds of this life bring about, God loves us and wants the best for us. Even though we can't figure out for the life of us what He's up to!

I also hope that, perhaps, someone will read it and realize that regardless of their past, Jesus is in the business of redemption. He doesn't require us to come to him squeaky-clean. He knows our past, and He wants to take us how we are and make us a new creation in Him.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Just that I pray for my readers, that God will speak the message through my book that HE wants them to hear. We as authors have certain things in mind when we write a book, but sometimes God has plans up His sleeves that we know nothing about. And that, my friends, is pretty cool!