About the Book
Book: The Orphan Carpenter: Orphaned at birth. Adopted by God. A tale of hope and a future.
Author: Kenneth Ian McQuarrie
Genre: Spiritual Growth/Memoir
Release Date: November 22, 2022
“Ok Lord, I sure hope you have this under control, because from where I sit things aren’t looking so good.”
When I came into this world, there were no baby showers, no celebrations, no father handing out big cigars, or first photo being passed around the office. Grandma, grandpa, aunts, and uncles would not be visiting, pinching my chubby cheeks and saying how cute I was. You see, I was an orphan. Unwanted, cold, hungry, and alone … or was I?
Have you ever wondered where God is? How can this be happening? What did I do to deserve this? Have your circumstances led you to question your faith? Does God care? Does he even exist?
My core beliefs had been shaken. To make sense of what just happened, I went back and examined my own life. So many times, the odds were heavily stacked against me, life and death situations. Yet, somehow, someway, God always showed up.
From orphan to carpenter and beyond, the pages of this book are my life stories. But the book is not about me or my story. It’s about God.
As you read these true stories of my life like parables, may they be a testament that God loves you and has a plan to give you hope and a future.
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Author Interview
I had a bit of a unique start to life being orphaned with severe medical complications.
Through the family that took me in and eventually adopted me, the Lord used three
individuals to inspire me and prepare me for the incredible journey that became the
catalyst for the book: a mother who would nurture me and teach me street smarts, a father
to provide a spiritual foundation and a grandfather to mentor me in the construction
trades.
2. If you could spend the day with anyone (living or dead) who would it
be? Why?
It would be Moses. Although our stories are different, our life journeys have many
common themes. We both went into foster care at three months old. We both spent our
lives seeking God’s purpose (why did we survive our childhood?). We both questioned
God every step of the way. We both had to fight through spiritual warfare in our lives and
lived to tell the story.
3. Was there anything you found interesting while researching the topic?
Initially, being an orphan, there was no information on who I was
or where I came from. I was only told that I was born in Sault Ste
Marie, Ontario, Canada Plumber Hospital, and I was Scottish. A DNA
test confirmed that I’m over 90% Scottish and may have a biological
parent or grandparent directly from Scotland. I was adopted into a
family with a Scottish surname. However, I am more Scottish than
they are.
4. What is different about writing non-fiction vs fiction? Would you say
one is easier than the other?
I have only written one book to date, and it’s non-fiction. So, right
now, I’d say non-fiction is easier. I’ve started writing a fictionalized
story using my 1 st book as background source material. With non-
fiction, the facts are already there, and the characters have real
personalities. The challenge is making the story compelling for the
reader. With non-fiction, you must create everything, which I think is
much more difficult.
5. Anything else you’d like to share?
The entire purpose of this book is to present the gospel message.
My life story is secondary and is used only to show how God works
today in our lives, just like he has been for centuries in the lives of
those who came before us. I pray that through this book’s stories, the
reader is encouraged to see how God is working in their life.
About the Author
An orphan from birth with serious medical complications, Kenneth went into foster care at three months old. Eventually adopted by his foster family, he grew up in a small northern Canadian city. Being raised by loving Christian parents and mentored by his carpenter grandfather, he dreamed of becoming a carpenter himself one day. The Lord had different plans for young Kenneth. Plans that would take him on an incredible life journey to the pinnacle of the North American construction industry.
Kenneth has always held firmly to his faith throughout the journey, trials, and tribulations. He’s served in church administration and hosted and led Bible studies throughout his adult life. He lives in Orange County, California, with his wife, Celine.
More from Kenneth
Back in early 2018, following a very harrowing experience, I found my marriage starting to crumble. My wife Celine and I were processing things very differently. I’m a builder, a fixer, and I couldn’t fix it. Jeepers, I didn’t even know what it was.
Suddenly, this random thought flooded into my brain, and I blurted out, “Would you be willing for us to go see a counselor to help us process all this?”
Did I just say that? I thought as Celine said, “OK, yes, let’s do that.”
At one of our counseling sessions, the counselor said, “Your lives together began when you started dating. But, before that, both of you had lived separate lives for many years. So, for this week’s homework assignment, I want you to write each other a story from your life. The life you had before you met. Your memories from when you were growing up.”
“Me, write a story? I barely passed English class in school. I’m no writer,” I responded.
The counselor smiled. “I’m not saying write a novel. It’s more like a letter, just write down some memories of your life you can share. Just like our session today, this will help you to understand each other better.”
“OK, I’ll give it a try,” I said.
That night, Celine fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, exhausted from the emotional roller coaster a few hours before. So, I pulled out a journal and pen and began to write. I scribbled notes down for about an hour then fell asleep.
In the morning, I handed Celine my journal. As she began to read, her brow wrinkled, followed by her face contorting as if in pain. Finally, after a couple of long minutes, she looked up.
“Is it that bad?” I asked.
“No, it’s not that it’s bad. It’s … you should write this.”
“I just did.”
“No, I mean you should write your story, your whole story.”
“You mean like a book? I can’t write a book. I barely passed English class.
“No, you can’t spell, and yes, your grammar is terrible, but you tell stories all the time, and people like your stories. People remember your stories.”
Celine was right about one thing, the fact that I tell a lot of stories. When I was young, Mom would tell me stories repeatedly of how I came to be a McQuarrie. I loved Bible stories about Moses, Joseph, and King David as a little guy. I guess not being good at English, I often used stories of my life to explain myself or try to relate to others.
“Stories are one thing, but to write a book, you have to have a point or a purpose, not just a bunch of stories,” I said to Celine.
“Well, you should pray about it,” Celine responded.
After almost a year of praying about it and three years of writing, in November 2022, The Orphan Carpenter was published. I know the Lord had his hand in writing this book because there is no way I could have pulled this off on my own.
I pray the Lord takes these stories to those they were meant to encourage.
“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24
Blog Stops
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 18
Artistic Nobody, January 19 (Author Interview)
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 19
Lighthouse Academy Blog, January 20 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)
Fiction Book Lover, January 21 (Author Interview)
Locks, Hooks and Books, January 22
Guild Master, January 23 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, January 23
Girls in White Dresses, January 24
Blossoms and Blessings, January 25 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, January 26
Splashes of Joy, January 27 (Author Interview)
Cover Lover Book Review, January 28
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, January 29 (Author Interview)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, January 30
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, January 31 (Author Interview)
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Kenneth is giving away the grand prize package of a $150 Amazon gift card and a paperback and an eBook copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/297c9/the-orphan-carpenter-celebration-tour-giveaway
4 comments:
What makes a great story?
This looks awesome! Thanks for hosting this giveaway.
I was intimidated by the size of this book at first, but so enjoyed it! I enjoyed learning more about Ken with your interview.
Cute cover
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