The Hair Mavens

Terri with her heroine Shira

I am pleased to have Terri Gillespie, author of She Does Good Hair here with me today. I have read her book that recently came out on Kindle and I loved it. Here are a few questions to help you get to know her a little bit and find out more about her book. 

 

If you were to go to the Hair Mavens Salon, who would you want to cut your hair and why?

Oh, golly. Don’t tell Shira, but I would go to Kathy for a cut and style. Why? Because Kathy is known for her cuts and styles. If I wanted color to die for—pun intended—then definitely Shira.
 

Why did you feel that you had to tell the Hair Mavens story?

First of all, the mavens wouldn’t let me sleep. All that yakking in my head and hair teasing. Goodness.

During a brief stint in sales, my specialty was salons. Since then, I’ve always loved that culture. It’s arguably one of the most intimate environments for women. A hair salon was a fun way to show how much good—or not-so-good—women can do together.

The mavens will learn how important that is in the subsequent books. First they have to get their own acts together.
 

What was the most interesting/fascinating thing you learned when doing research for this novel?

Oh my. So many things, it’s difficult to choose one. I found the Mac-Daddy blow out fascinating. Essentially you take about 10 huge round brushes and "lock" them all around the head like giant brush curlers. Once the hair is cool and the brushes removed, you’ll have soft, shiny, really BIG hair for days. If my hair was longer, I’d have Sharon, my stylist, do the Mac Daddy on my limp hair. As they say, "The bigger the hair, the closer to God!"
 

Since Harriet had a weakness for coffee and Danishes (as well as Edna), I would like to know what would you order if you were to go a coffee shop/bakery?
 

I’ll let you in on a secret; Edna had a motive for going with Harriet to Delicious Bakery. It won’t be revealed until the second book.

My favorite? Cherry-cheese Danish, of course. My daddy used to make an early morning Saturday run to a local German bakery back in Ballwin, Missouri. I have a lot of sweet childhood memories centered on accompanying him. Walking into Schaettkin’s Bakery on frosty morns was the best. Being welcomed with "guten morgen" by pleasant grandmotherly types in white uniforms, along with an equally warm greeting of buttery, fruity, cinnamon deliciousness was worth getting up at the crack of dawn for.

Runner up: pecan sticky buns. Panera’s (aka St. Louis Bread Company) has the best today, IMHO. The caramelized stickiness must glue itself to your teeth or it’s not the real thing.

Honorable mention: Glazed donuts. No offense, but that little bakery’s glazed donuts would make other donuts roll away in shame.

Is anyone else hungry right now?
 

Out of these four ladies stories, which was the hardest to write? The funniest?

The most difficult was Kathy—she was pretty tight-lipped. She didn’t want to talk about her past. While it was understandable, it was a challenge to respect her wishes and still let readers get to know her. Book two she’ll let readers get to know her better.

Funniest? Harriet. I LOVE Harriet. She’s such a transparent character. She doesn’t do anything halfway. Don’t tell her, but I miss the beehive.
 

I thought it was so fascinating that there were Messianic Jews and Christians who interacted with each other on a deep, personal relationship level. Can you tell us a little bit more about your passion to see Messianic Jews and Christians united as one? Where did it all begun?

I will try to condense what has been an arduous, miraculous, wondrous journey.

Nearly 20 years ago, the Lord called us out of a wonderful church we loved to a whole new world of the Messianic community—Jewish people who had found their Messiah, Yeshua.

Like Ruth, I made a commitment to the Jewish people and Israel. In a defining moment, between the Lord and me, I recited the Ruth’s words:

". . . Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me." Ruth 1:16-17

Romantic verses, but not for wimps, as I was soon to discover. Around that time my hubby learned of his Jewish heritage. The transition made sense for him, and he blossomed in his relationship with the Lord in the most amazing way. For me as someone whose ethnicity was everything but Jewish, it was a bit more challenging. More times than I care to admit, I wondered if I had heard the Lord correctly.

It finally coalesced for me while attending a Messianic conference with over a thousand Messianics and Christians from around the world.

I had signed up as an intercessor for the week-long event. As I entered the room set up for prayer, there was an open Bible on a table. Someone had turned to John 17. Initially in this passage, Yeshua prays for strength for what He is about to do on our behalf. Next He prays for the spiritually immature Jewish disciples who would be devastated by His death. He knew His own strength resided in His unity with His Father, Yeshua prayed for them to be united as He and the Father were.

Then, His prayer takes a prophetic turn. Verses 20-26 are directed at the nations who would come to faith because of this ragtag team of Jewish disciples. A team that would grow at Pentecost and then who would labor in Yeshua’s great commission to go into the world.

But even more than their work in Thessalonica, Rome and elsewhere, as the ordained stewards of God word—the Bible—non-Jews would come to faith by the millions through the words of eternal life.

Praying, alone, in the Garden, He saw us in the future and prayed for us.

Us.

Right there, as He prepared to be brutally beaten and crucified, as He carried our sins, He prayed for us—that we would be one.

There is this wonderful spiritual physics that happens when there is unity between Jewish and Gentile believers in Yeshua—Yeshua said, this Biblical unity would show the world who He is.

Oh, the stories I could tell of the impact of Messianics and Christians working side-by-side for Yeshua’s glory. But, that’s for another time.

Lastly, are you able to share with your readers about what's coming up next in this series as well when it will be released?

Currently I’ve written four chapters of the second book in The Hair Mavens series. It’s entitled, CUT IT OUT! The story has pretty much been plotted out and I love it! Some exciting things are going to happen to the mavens.

The mavens begin to step outside their comfortable styling environment and into the needs of the community. As well as developing and defining their own relationships—especially with the additional of one, maybe two more mavens.

The protagonist of book two will be "Kathy". Readers will learn more about this mysterious maven.

If this book is also published straight to eBook then I hope in the next 6 to 12 months. You’ll have to watch for more info on my blog, Facebook, or Twitter posts. Click on the book cover to go directly to Amazon to purchase Terri's wonderful book.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!