Meet author Teresa Wells

Author Teresa Wells is a fellow Scrivenings Press writer! I’m thrilled to have her on the blog today, sharing her new release, What Brings Us Joy, which came out in July!

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Getting to know Teresa Wells

Jen – Hi, Teresa! Tell us a little about yourself.

Teresa – I grew up in Denton, Texas, which is north of Dallas and Fort Worth. I lived there all my life, until I married. We didn’t move far, though—only to the Dallas area. My husband and I met at college, and within a few years of marrying, we had our first child, a girl named Kristen. When she was six months old, she was diagnosed with a genetic disease that caused seizures, noncancerous tumors, and significant intellectual delay, as well as behavior issues. We didn’t know what the future held for her or for our family (which included two other daughters after Kristen). It was scary and overwhelming. We had to dig deep into our faith in Jesus. She’s 40 now, and it’s often been a hard road, but the Lord has been faithful to us.

Jen – What inspired you to start writing?

Teresa – I’ve written stories since I was a girl. I kept it up as an adult, but only after I retired from education did I attempt to publish. So many times I almost gave up. But when I heard, within my spirit, the Lord telling me to write for His glory, my motivation became to fulfill His will for my life. I feel that fiction communicates God’s love in a unique way, and I’m honored to use my talent for His glory.

Teresa’s books

Jen – I can see how that would cause you to dig deep into your faith. I’d love to hear more about what you have written.

Teresa – I write Christian historical romance, and my debut novel, What Brings Us Joy, was released in July of 2025. It’s the first in a series of three, so I’m working on the second novel now. You can find my book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/teresa-wells.

All the writing things

Jen –. One of my favorite things to ask other writers is about their schedule, if they plot, and how they come up with their stories!

Teresa – I like to write in the morning, but late at night also works well. Basically, any time the house is quiet!

I like plotting my story. I feel there’s still a certain amount of discovery within the framework of a fully plotted story.

My ideas for stories come mostly from my family tree! I love genealogy because there are countless situations and stories lurking behind every name on a family tree. Just one tidbit can set my imagination running!

What Brings Us Joy by Teresa Wells

In 1895, eighteen-year-old Delia Truitt’s world is shattered when circumstances force her family to leave their comfortable life in Georgia and relocate to a ramshackle Texas farm. Determined to help her parents dig out of their impoverished state, she plans to open a dressmaker’s shop—if she can win the county fair quilt contest and fund her business with the prize money. Delia sets her sights on success—until her heart takes an unexpected detour when she meets handsome Clarence Parker.

Determined to uphold his reputation, Clarence refuses to let his troubled past overshadow his pursuit of happiness, especially when he falls for the spirited and fearless Delia Truitt. His hopes are soon shattered when headlines reveal that his former gang members have escaped prison and are headed his way, driven by a ruthless desire for revenge. Though Clarence has no regrets about testifying against the outlaws, he fears his future with Delia is at risk. To protect her from the lurking danger, he’s willing to risk everything—his safety, his reputation, and their happiness.

Can Clarence keep her safe from the killers? And will Delia still love him once she learns the truth about his past?

Research for her books

Jen – I’ve tried plotting, and I’m still a die-hard pantser! 😉 What kind of research did you do for your story? What did you find most interesting?

Teresa – I had a lot of research to do, since my story is set in 1895. The most interesting was when I found out that crazy quilts were quite controversial! I wrote about it in a guest post on Inspired by Life and Fiction blog here: https://inspiredbylifeandfiction.com/guest-post-teresa-wells.

Teresa’s goals

Jen – That’s really interesting! What are your goals for your writing?

Teresa – I write for two reasons: 1) I like to create stories, and 2) writing fictional stories for publication is my spiritual form of worship. I feel like I’m using my God-given talent for His kingdom. Knowing this helps me to keep going when I get discouraged or overwhelmed. I pray He uses my stories for His purposes.

What she reads

Jen – What do you like to read?

Teresa – I read more fiction than nonfiction. It’s not that I don’t find nonfiction useful, but I tend to read in small chunks. When I’m researching, I love to read primary sources like newspapers, diaries, or memoirs to get a feel for societal expectations and cultural norms.

But fiction is just fun reading. With fiction, it’s easy to immerse myself in another time and place. Fiction teaches us so much about relationships.

Some of my favorite books are This Promised Land, by Cathy Gohlke; Under the Tulip Tree, by Michelle Shocklee; Almost Home, by Valerie Fraser Luesse; The Fog Harbor series by Nicole Deese; The Edge of Belonging, by Amanda Cox; Catching Christmas, by Terri Blackstock; and the Timeless series by Gabrielle Meyer.

💻Keep in touch with Teresa Wells

Jen – Tell us how to keep in touch with you!

Teresa – I love interacting with other writers and readers on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/teresawellswriter and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/teresagreenwells_writer as well as my website, www.teresawells.com.

But the real treat is when I hear from my newsletter subscribers! Subscribers get the inside scoop on my writing, plus recipes, bookish giveaways, and more! https://bit.ly/twellsnewsletter

Fun facts!

Jen – I love to ask authors to share some fun facts readers would love to know: Tea or coffee? Favorite season? Favorite Bible verse? What do you do in your free time? Cat or dog person?

Teresa – I love coffee, especially in the early morning and right after lunch. But tea is always good in between!

My favorite season is anything not winter! Good thing I live where it’s hot!

My favorite Bible verse is 2 Corinthians 12:9, because it reminds me that when I’m weak, He is my strength.

In my spare time, I like to cross-stitch or make charmed bookmarks to match the themes of my books. I also love to play games like Chicken Foot, where there’s a bit of strategy to winning, but not so much that it sucks all the fun out of the game!

I’m a dog person, even though we don’t have one now. Granddogs make great substitutes!

One last question:

Jen – What is your advice for new authors?

Teresa – Spend ample time learning how to write fiction, along with the rules of publishing. I think paying for classes is a worthy investment if you want to publish. I have learned so much from Susan May Warren’s My Book Therapy (also known as Novel Academy).

Jen – Thanks so much for joining me today!

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Hi, I’m Jen! I’ve been married for over 39 years, have 5 amazing kids, and have 3 adorable grandkids. I homeschooled our three youngest children and used to blog about homeschooling. I also taught Oral Communication as an adjunct instructor for over 5 years.

Jen Dodrill Writes is born of a passion of mine – to write a novel! My first cozy mystery – Birds Alive! – released Feb. 27, 2024, and the 2nd in the series, Where’s the Quetzal? released Feb. 25, 2025! My romantic suspense novella, SeaBreeze Obsession in Trinity Sands Beach Club, released June 17, 2025!

When I’m not working, you’ll find me writing, spending time with my family, or curled up on the couch reading and drinking a mug of dark roast coffee. (Don’t forget to check out my mug shop – JDMugs!)