Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
A1. My name is Jerry L. Woodbridge. I am a Christian author and educator specializing in grief support and education. After experiencing the sudden loss of my husband, I guided my own children through grief, inspiring her to write books that offer hope and healing. My works include Trading My Sorrows: For the Joy of the Lord, which explores widowhood and faith-based healing. Joy Overcame Sorrow, a children’s book on grief and resilience and Joy’s Journal, which provides guided questions, thoughtful prompts, and space to write, as you explore Joy’s story while making sense of your own emotions.
As a dedicated 40-year educator, I have had an impact on countless lives, teaching students from K-9th grade and mentoring doctoral candidates in higher education. I currently serve as an assistant professor in the School of Education at Liberty University, where I am known for my caring, supportive, and inspirational teaching style.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “Joy Overcame Sorrow”?
A2. I was challenged to write a children’s book on grief. I knew the book could not be a process book on grief strategies written for children. It needed to be in narrative form. Then, I figured out it needed to be a fictional story written from a child’s point of view. At the time, I did not understand the process of fiction writing so it was a lot to learn. There were many times, I shelved the book until inspiration took hold again. Last September, I signed up for self-publishing through Hope Books and that is when everything came together. Faith, hope, and love are woven through every chapter to help children understand their grief experiences but also encourage and offer the opportunity to embrace joy.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
A3. Hannah Hunnard, the author of Hind’s feet on High Places is a big writing influence. It is an allegory written in narrative form. It tells the story of Much Afraid who is crippled and has a crooked smile, embraces the opportunity and invitation from the Great Shepherd to climb the high places. Much Afraid is distraught when she learns the Great Shepherd is providing two companions, Sorrow and Suffering as helpers for her journey and not the Great Shepherd. There are spiritual applications through every part of the journey but Much Afraid embraces the two companions who help her reach the high places and her name is changed to Grace & Glory. I wanted to write a book as beautiful and meaningful as this book was for me.
Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
A4. I enjoy an ocean view whether it is on the Florida East coast or gulf-side or Central coast in California. I love to kayak when given the opportunity. I have always been a swimmer. So, I guess you could say I am a water girl!
Q5. What inspired you to write the book ‘Joy Overcame Sorrow’?
A5. As a widow, educator, and single parent, I learned lessons not only about my own grief but the different ways in which my children grieved. I also ministered to children who were in my classroom who had lost a dad to cancer a few years before but were still grieving. I was challenged to write a book by a group of businesswomen at a TEDX speech meeting.
Q6. How long did it take you to write your book ‘Joy Overcame Sorrow’?
A6. The idea occurred in November, 2019, and Joy Overcame Sorrow was published and launched in June 2025. Five years or so.
Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your books?
A7. Joy Overcame Sorrow, Joy’s Journal, and Trading my Sorrows for the Joy of the Lord can all be purchased on Amazon. Joy Overcame Sorrow can also be purchased from B&N, BAM, Walmart, and the HopeBooks online bookstore.
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Joy Overcame Sorrow’?
A8. The title encapsulates the message that readers do not have to remain stuck in their grief. There is grief because there is love. There is joy because there is love. Everyone must go through the grieving process but there is hope that it does not last forever. Sorrow fades and you can help others.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
A9. Even though I have gone through the grieving process many times for a variety of losses, it was challenging to write a book where the child is actively grieving without reigniting feelings of grief personally. Yet, I think this process is what was needed to be written from the child’s point of view as someone who had lost a loved one. After several beta adult readers told me they cried through every chapter, I thought I should put out a disclaimer to have a box of Kleenex and chocolate on hand when it is read.
I also loved getting children’s feedback on the book as well. They are quite literal thinkers. One young man asked a person who had shared the book with him, “So, how do you know Joy?” That alone says the character Joy is real and relatable. Children inspire me.
Q10. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
A10. I was told by several authors to scale down my vocabulary usage so the book could be read and understood by children. I also learned through social media that adults who had lost loved ones when they were children and still had unresolved grief also found the book relatable. So, I think the book Joy Overcame Sorrow has several types of audiences: 1) children who have lost loved ones and children who want to support them, 2) the helpers for children who have lost loved ones, 3) Adults with unresolved grief or currently grieving, and 4) faith-based readers. There are universal and scriptural truths that can reach a varied audience.
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