In this week’s Jen’s Jewels, bestselling author Robin Jones Gunn takes us on an unforgettable journey through the heart of Africa with her latest novel, TEA WITH ELEPHANTS. Join us as Robin shares the inspiration behind the enduring friendship of Fern and Lily, the magic of Kenya’s tea fields and wildlife, and the profound spiritual growth that comes from navigating life’s uncertainties. From personal reflections to travel adventures, Robin’s words offer a heartfelt exploration of faith, friendship, and the beauty found in life’s wildest moments. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation that beautifully blends faith, adventure, and the power of lifelong friendships!
Jennifer Vido: Fern and Lily have shared a close friendship for over two decades. How did you approach writing their relationship, and what do you think makes their bond so enduring despite the distance and life changes?
Robin Jones Gunn: I receive a lot of mail from readers, and I pay attention to the life issues they share with me. I kept those heart-felt challenges in mind when I crafted Fern and Lily. The bond of the two characters over the years and over the miles is based on two women I know who managed to remain close in similar circumstances. I wanted readers to believe it is possible to hold on to friends from their teen years.
Jen: The setting in Africa, with its emerald tea fields and majestic wildlife, plays a significant role in the story. What inspired you to choose this location, and how did you research and capture its essence for your readers?
Robin: I’ve been to Kenya twice. It is an extraordinary corner of God’s creation. I loved both visits and have a close friend who is Kenyan. She showed me her home in a way that made every part of it feel alive. On my second visit, we went on a safari and many of the moments I wrote about were lifted right out of the adventures we had on the Masai Mara with three other women. We were true Suitcase Sisters on that trip.
Jen: Both Fern and Lily bring emotional baggage on their journey. How did you balance the exploration of their personal struggles with the adventure and beauty of their surroundings?
Robin: Beauty and chaos exist side by side in our world. The characters were enthralled with the experiences of feeding a giraffe from the palm of their hand and the beauty of seeing a lion up close at golden hour. And yet, chaos was present in the stampeding wildebeests and the unsettledness the women felt due to circumstances back home. Life is like that for all of us. The beauty and the chaos. By writing about how Fern and Lily navigated their issues, I hoped it would help readers to recognize that in the midst of it all, God is there.
Jen: Faith is a central theme in this novel, particularly in how the characters learn to surrender to God’s lessons. What message do you hope readers take away from their spiritual journeys?
Robin: I hope readers see the value of stepping back from their complicated lives long enough to see their situation with fresh eyes. I also want readers to see the value they bring to a friendship. Women have the ability to uniquely strengthen each other by the ways they listen and share from the heart during a shifting season of life. It’s a gift to have a friend who will listen and then speak truth when it’s time to address the issue that’s at the core of their problem. Fern and Lily were able to do that for each other. I know many women long to have that kind of friend and I’m praying that they will feel motivated in their current friendships to go soul deep when it matters.
Jen: The novel explores the idea of moving forward in faith despite uncertainty. How did you develop this theme, and what personal experiences, if any, influenced your portrayal of it?
Robin: Like everyone else, I have had many experiences when the only thing I can do is live inside the mystery of God’s unclear plan because I can’t see anything that makes sense in the moment. This might be a little too personal, but may I share a recent experience with moving forward in faith?
My husband and I lived on Maui for ten years and loved it. Absolutely loved it. Then his health took a serious dip, and it was imperative that we move to California for his medical needs. In less than a month we sold everything and arrived with only two suitcases each in the middle of the pandemic. Everything was difficult. We had to rent furniture, find a car to lease, set up doctor appointments and wait for our small crate to arrive with our computers, files and the rest of our clothes. For months we went from one emergency to another. My husband ended up in ICU for several days, I helped care for my 95-year-old father-in-law before he died and after coping with crazy pain, I had knee replacement surgery. Nothing was easy. Every day was a one-foot-in-front-of-the-other pace for the first two years. And every day we chose to believe that God was leading us. I wrote while navigating physical therapy appointments and visits to my 96-year-old mother who is now on hospice. Every time I sat down to write, I knew what Fern and Lily were feeling when they talked about the uncertainty of their futures.
We’ve been in California for three years now. My husband has improved. I am recovering. We love living close to our daughter and her family. Many beautiful things have happened since we moved here. We look back and see God’s provision every step of the way. We know this is where He wants us to be, and we are doing what He called us to do.
Jen: You’ve crafted a story that blends friendship, adventure, and spiritual growth. What was the most challenging aspect of weaving these elements together, and what part of the story are you most proud of?
Robin: The personal example in the answer above probably answers the question about the most challenging aspect of weaving these elements together. It’s difficult to work when your life is radically shifting and being dissected. I felt a tender empathy for Fern and Lily because I wanted their friendship to remain deep and strong while I was in the middle of saying goodbye and moving away from my dearest friends. I wanted the characters to see that all of life is an adventure because I was experiencing that same wildness in my new life in California. I dearly hoped I was growing spiritually in my difficult season and wrote into the story the ways that Fern and Lily were seeing God’s hand in their lives because I was looking for His hand every day.
Jen: Travel plays a pivotal role in the transformation of your characters. How do you think the experience of being in a new, unexpected place can influence a person’s outlook on life?
Robin: Being out of your comfort zone causes you to see that you’re not in control. You’re really not. Travel reveals that truth and can cause you to grow closer than ever to your Heavenly Father when you choose to seek Him and trust Him.
Jen: What’s currently on your to-be-read stack?
Robin: The Rested Soul by Tessa Afshar, To Bless the Space Between Us by John O’Donahue, Dream Big: The Henrietta Mears Story and Unwrapping the Gift of Communication by Dr. Kevin Jones (my brother!)
Jen: What’s next for you? Do you have any upcoming projects or books in the works that you’re excited to share with your readers?
Robin: I just finished writing the second novel in the Suitcase Sisters collection. I sure do enjoy writing stories about travel and friendship and seeing a bigger picture of who God is! I can’t reveal specifics quite yet, but this story feels like it’s still reverberating inside me. I hope it resonates deeply with readers when it comes out in 2025.
I’ve been co-hosting a podcast with Cheryl Brodersen called, “Women Worth Knowing”. We love telling stories of historical (and some contemporary) women who trusted God and saw Him do extraordinary things in their lives.
I have a gift book titled “By the Sea” that will be released in 2025, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Jen: How do you plan to connect with your readers on social media, especially around the release of this book?
Robin: I’m on Instagram and on Facebook. I also post on X and have a newsletter.
Jen: Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts with us. Wishing you all the best with your book release—may it touch the hearts of many readers. Good luck and we look forward to seeing what you have in store next!
Robin: I appreciate all you and the rest of the team do at Fresh Fiction! Thank you.
Suitcase Sisters #1
A Novel
ver since they met as teenagers volunteering at a conference center in Costa Rica 20 years ago, Fern Espinoza and Lily Graden have shared a close friendship, even though they live in different states. They can hardly believe it when their teen dream of traveling to Africa together becomes a reality. It's the trip of a lifetime--but life sure isn't what they thought it would be back when they were young.
Along with their suitcases, each woman brings along emotional baggage that weighs heavily on them. Yet the people they meet and the places they experience have the power to change their hearts--but only if they surrender to the lessons God wants to teach them in this unexpected land of emerald tea fields, graceful giraffes, and rambunctious elephants.
Pack your bags and get ready for adventure as Robin Jones Gunn invites you on a safari of the heart in this vulnerable exploration of how to move forward in faith even when the future is uncertain.
Women's Fiction | Christian [Revell, On Sale: October 15, 2024, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780800744823 / eISBN: 9781493443536]
ROBIN JONES GUNN is the best-selling author of over 100 books, including the widely popular Christy Miller series and the Suitcase Sisters novels. Three of her Christian fiction books in the Glenbrooke and Sisterchicks series were Christy Award winners. Hallmark created four Christmas movies inspired by her novels. Her non-fiction titles include "Praying for Your Future Husband" co-authored with Tricia Goyer. Sales of her books have tipped over 6.5 million copies sold worldwide. Robin and her husband live in California where the best days are spent at the beach with her grandkids.
Jennifer Vido writes sweet romances set in the Lowcountry, earning acclaim as the award-winning author of the Gull Island series. Her debut novel, "Serendipity by the Sea," secured the prestigious Best First Book award from the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Contest. In 2024, Vido's talent garnered further accolades, with Baltimore Magazine readers naming her Best Local Author in their annual Best of Baltimore poll, while the Baltimore Sun acknowledged her with an Honorable Mention in their Best of 2024 Author category. When not writing fiction, she interviews authors for her weekly Jen’s Jewels column, leads water exercise classes, and directs a legal nonprofit. Currently residing in Maryland, she and her husband are proud parents to two grown sons and a rescue dog named Fripp.
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