Marilynn Griffith is a freelance writer and conference speaker whose online columns and blogs reach thousands of women each year. She is the author of the Shades of Style series and Rhythms of Grace. Marilynn lives in Florida with her husband and their seven children.

She has served as national Vice President of American Christian Fiction Writers and has served on faculty at several national writers conferences. When she's not writing about friendship, family and faith, Marilynn blogs and speaks to women and writers.

One of her novels, If the Shoe Fits, served as a prop in Tyler Perry's box office hit Why Did I Get Married?  (The mistress has a book in her hand at the beginning of the scene where Jill Scott is forced off the plane. One blink and you'll miss it, but we're hyped about it anyway!)

She most recently took part in the Soul Expressions Book Tour with Angela Benson, Victoria Christopher Murray, Kimberla Lawson Roby and 11 other authors throughout Indiana and Illinois.

. To book Marilynn for media interviews, speaking engagements, or book club call-ins or just to say hello, e-mail Marilynn.

SistahFaith: Real Stories of Pain, Truth and Triumph
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Edited by Marilynn Griffith

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Howard Books; Original edition (February 2, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1439152772
ISBN-13: 978-1439152775
Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches

Read an AALBC.com Review

Ashamed No More

Every woman needs a safe place to bleed...a quiet place to scream, and friends to dress her wounds. She needs the support of sistahs who won't cringe at the honest truth, who are willing to walk by her side, who will listen to her stories, and who will offer balm to heal her wounds.

This collection of poignant, true stories honestly reflects the humiliation that countless women experience every day at the hands of people who are supposed to love them. Drawing from the biblical story of Tamar, who was raped and disgraced by her own brother, spiritual truths of hope, healing, and new beginnings are highlighted in every story.

Among the women who have shared their stories of truth and triumph are Bonnie DeBarge of the famed Motown group the DeBarges, award-winning novelist Sharon Ewell Foster, and author Claudia Mair Burney.

Most women endure in silence -- afraid to tell the truth, held captive by their disgrace. But here, in these pages, they have told the truth, they have lifted their skirts to show their scars, and most important of all -- they have found redemption, hope, and new life.

Your Own SistahFaith Circle: In addition to sharing beautifully written stories and poems, this book shows you how to gather your own group of sistahs, and each chapter includes discussion questions that will help your gathering of sistahs journey past the shame, beyond rejection, and straight to the heart of God.

Songs of Deliverance
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Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Revell (December 4, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800732790
ISBN-13: 978-0800732790

Fifteen years ago, Zeely Wilkins and Ron Jenkins were students the school district stopped believing in. Lucky for them, their teacher knew something the principal didn't; they were cream of the crop but they just hadn't sprouted the way people expected. Though they went their separate ways, the past is calling them back to the school and the teacher who wouldn't give up on them. Now they'll have to decide what love really means--and whether they're willing to dance to a new tune to get it. But can they rediscover the songs of deliverance that once brought them together? Or will secrets keep them apart?

Rhythms of Grace
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Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Revell (September 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800732782
ISBN-13: 978-0800732783
Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches

Grace Okoye was a promising young dancer when her career was cut short by a brutal assault that left her scarred for life. Twenty years later, when her past gets in the way of her happiness, she heeds the invitation of her dance instructor and returns home to help hurting children and rediscover the rhythms of grace. What she doesn't expect is to meet a man who already seems to know her beat. But for all they share in common, the biggest thing in Grace's life is noticeably absent in his--faith. She's finally found the love of her life, but can she choose between him and God?

Real, raw emotion and the promise of redemption run through this soulful new book from Marilynn Griffith. Though being published in 2008, this is the first novel Marilynn ever completed and early readers think it's her best work to date.

Mom's The Word
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Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Steeple Hill (January 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373786417
ISBN-13: 978-0373786411
Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches

When her tall, dark, delicious husband joins their three kids in calling her "Mom," Karol Simons has an identity crisis. Sure she loves the pint-sized trio, but what's happened to her dreams of writing a novel? Determined to have it all, she turns to her neighbor for help.

Dyanne Thornton is thrilled to stand in as Mom for three weeks so Karol can write. Bursting with baby fever, the career-woman trades her glamorous clothes and four-inch heels for the playground and potty training. She hopes to convince her reluctant husband they should start a family of their own, right away.

Everyone's in for some big surprises....

__________________

The Sassy Sistahood Series
This series features three girlfriends who have always been close, but now find themselves going in different directions. Which one of them will be the last sistah standing?

Made of Honor (Book #1 in the Sassy Sistahood series)
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Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Steeple Hill (January 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373785542
ISBN-13: 978-0373785544
Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches

Once, twice, ten times a bridesmaid!

I, Dana Rose, do solemnly swear to say "I won't" the next time someone asks me to be in their wedding party. My weak will has gained me a closet full of unflattering bridesmaids' dresses in various sizes to accommodate my ever-fluctuating waistline.

As if that isn't enough, the past is paying me a most unwelcome visit (my prodigal brother, my back-stabbing sis). Then there's Mr. Practically Perfect, the ex who not only married someone else, but opened the business of our dreams -- right across from my new shop! It's no wonder I've got problems! I'm thankful I've got my friends, the Sassy Sisterhood, to rely on . . .

The Sassy Sisterhood: They get by with a little help from their friends.

 

If the Shoe Fits (Book #2 in the Sassy Sistahood series)
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Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Steeple Hill (January 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373785763
ISBN-13: 978-0373785766
Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches

Men are like shoes -- the best ones fit perfectly

In all my thirty-five years, I, shoe designer Rochelle Gardner, have never had so many men interested in me! My teen son's dad is back in my life after suffering from amnesia (yes, really). The church deacon has had his eye on me for years (and never said a word). And the young waiter (from the restaurant I've visited for singles' events) is trying to steal my heart. I've been struggling with my faith, trying to figure out which man God has chosen for me and wondering if I have the courage to step forward, on my not-so-pretty feet, to accept love. It's almost too much for the Sassy Sisterhood to handle, but my girlfriends always have my back!

 

Happily Even After (Book #3 in the Sassy Sistahood series)
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Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Steeple Hill (January 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373785984
ISBN-13: 978-0373785988
Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches

I marry a gorgeous executive, have a baby, lose all the weight (most of it)�and move to a fine house in the suburbs with a welcoming new church. Wait�did I say welcoming? One teeny waaah! and new mothers and their crying babies are exiled to a separate room. At least there's some enlightening conversation. Like about my husband and issues I didn't even know about! And then there's my aptly named mother-in-law,
Queen Elizabeth, who can't stand me.

I'm about to lose my mind! So it's high time for a visit to the Sassy Sistahood for some much-needed advice about men, marriage and motherhood!

__________________

Shades of Style Series
This series details the drama as four coworkers design a million-dollar wedding dress for the bride from hell. Will these fashionistas save their fashion design firm, lose their minds as they make the dress or find God's love in the seams?

Pink (Shades of Style, Book 1)
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Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Revell (February 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800730402
ISBN-13: 978-0800730406
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches

Meet Raya Joseph, the creative head designer at an up-and-coming new fashion design firm. Like employees of any fledgling company, Raya and her fellow designers face a variety of challenges--especially when it comes to bringing in business. So when they are hired to design a million-dollar wedding gown, these talented and animated designers are thrilled. But there's one catch. The new customer is the woman who stole Raya's fianc�. Meanwhile, Flex Dunham, an athletic trainer who coaches a charity basketball team, needs team uniforms and soon finds himself in Raya's shop. Raya hasn't looked at a man since her engagement fiasco, so when Flex walks into her office, things get a little complicated. The entertaining first novel in the Shades of Style series, Pink offers a perfect mix of likeable characters, sweet drama, humor, and a little bit of romance.

 

Jade (Shades of Style, Book 2)
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Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Revell (June 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800730410
ISBN-13: 978-0800730413
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches

Lily Chau, the happenin', young pattern-maker for Garments of Praise, would love to break onto the stylish New York fashion scene. She has the talent and sass to make it big, but something is holding her back: a devotion to her aging mother. How can Lily pursue her dream if she feels called to stand by her family? Then she meets Doug LaCroix, a missionary on furlough who wants nothing more than to return to the mission field. When the two meet, sparks begin to fly. Soon they are both caught in an intricate web of dreams and obligations, neither knowing if they should follow their dreams or their responsibilities. One thing is for sure: there are no easy answers and no cut-and-dry patterns for matters of the heart. Combining rich, multicultural flavor with the excitement of New York City, Marilynn Griffith delivers another entertaining read in the Shades of Style series.

 

Tangerine (Shades of Style, Book 3)
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Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Revell (January 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800730429
ISBN-13: 978-0800730420
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches

Fans of Pink and Jade will eat up Tangerine, the third book in the cutting-edge Shades of Style series. Jean Guerra, a designer at Garments of Praise design firm, doesn't like surprises. These days though, the unexpected meets her everywhere. Since Jean's return to the church a year ago, her God-encounters occur with increasing frequency, along with thoughts of her husband-the one she vowed to divorce and gave up on long ago. The one nobody at work knows about, not even her best friend, Lily, or her boss, Chenille. But when the designer assigned to work with Jean on a line of men's suits shows up, her heart flips. It's her husband, Nigel Salvador. Jean is finally rendered speechless. Can her bruised heart become whole enough to love again? Or will she remain in the trenches of loneliness forever?

 

Turquoise (Shades of Style, Book 4)
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Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Revell (August 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800730437
ISBN-13: 978-0800730437
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches

Chenille Rizzo loves God. It's people she has a problem with sometimes, especially after the death of her beloved husband. People such as her star account--a demanding bride long on money and short on tact--make Chenille feel more blue than she'd like to admit. The groom, a homegrown pediatrician, is just the opposite. He has wise eyes, a love for babies, and a comforting voice--a tenor, like Chenille's late husband. And he's just as quiet. Maddeningly so. Does he really love the spoiled diva Chenille is trimming a wedding dress for? Or does his gaze hold the longing she both hopes for . . . and fears? Will she risk losing her business for a chance at happiness with the gentle doctor? Fans of the Shades of Style series will love this satisfying conclusion.

Related Links

Official Website
http://www.marilynngriffith.com/