About the Book

Book: Half Agony, Half Hope: Dear Lily Edition

Author: Joy Michelle Austin

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Release Date: March 17, 2026

Lily
Days before her wedding, Lily Wentworth’s carefully planned future is shaken by an unexpected turn. Unsure how to move forward, she turns to the one person she has always trusted—her father.

Rick
Determined not to let their darkest years define her, Rick Wentworth offers Lily the journals he wrote during the season he fought to keep her safe and survive one day at a time.

As Lily reads, she begins to uncover not only the truth of what they endured, but also the fierce, steady love that carried her through—and the strength she may need now.

Half Agony, Half Hope: The Dear Lily Edition is a clean, closed-door story of resilience, family, and the love that shaped two lives.

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Joy Michelle Austin is an award-winning novelist writing contemporary fiction. Her debut found an immediate audience among readers drawn to heartfelt stories of healing and second chances, launching the Jane Austen’s Men series. She also wrote The Seaside Sleuths and the Bridal Batter Blunder, a cozy mystery tie-in project for young readers.

Joy draws inspiration from real stories of courage, grace, and the quiet heroes found in everyday life, crafting fiction for readers who seek hope, honesty, and heart in contemporary storytelling.

She is the recipient of the West Coast Christian Writers Encourager Award and the Walt Disney Legacy Award—an honor given to fewer than 1% of Cast Members worldwide for embodying Disney’s “Dream, Create, Inspire” legacy.

Through her blog, The Joyous Living, she connects with thousands of readers who share her love of culture, storytelling, and meaningful living. She lives in Southern California with her dog, Captain Hastings.

More from Joy

Half Agony, Half Hope was not a story I set out to write lightly.
It was an answer to a call God placed on my heart as a survivor of sexual assault—a call to tell the truth without exploiting it, and to create hope without diminishing the pain. From the beginning, I knew this would be a heavy debut novel. I also knew I wanted it to be clean, faith-centered, and redemptive.
The decision to tell this story through the eyes of a man was intentional. So few novels explore male survivors with compassion and dignity, yet one in six men are sexually assaulted. Their stories are often hidden, misunderstood, or minimized. Rick Wentworth’s journey exists to say plainly: healing is possible, faith is not erased by trauma, and masculinity is not diminished by suffering.
Because of the weight of Rick’s past, much of the abuse in Half Agony, Half Hope is veiled. I wanted readers to feel the truth of what he endured without being retraumatized themselves. Still, after the book released, readers told me they longed for more gentleness—more space to breathe inside the story.
That is how the Dear Lily Edition was born.
Lily was Rick’s hope and grace during the darkest years of his captivity. In the cellar, she was the reminder that love could still exist, that innocence could survive, and that God was not absent—even there. Their bond became the quiet heartbeat of the story: a wounded man learning how to hope again through the steady, healing love of a child.
At its core, Half Agony, Half Hope: Dear Lily Edition is a story of survival and faith—but it is also a story of a father and daughter choosing trust and hope despite hardship, and building a family where brokenness does not get the final word.

Author Interview

How has your life experience helped in your writing journey?

Life has a way of shaping the stories we are prepared to tell. Over the years, both joyful seasons and more difficult ones have deepened my empathy and reminded me how resilient the human heart can be. Those experiences allow me to write characters who wrestle honestly, hope bravely, and grow in ways that feel authentic.

I do not write from a place of having everything figured out, but from a place of trusting that even life’s unexpected chapters can be used for good. That perspective continually guides my storytelling and keeps me anchored in compassion.

Where do you find your greatest inspiration?

My greatest inspiration comes from faith, friendship, family, and the everyday moments that quietly shape our lives.

Faith reminds me that no story is ever without hope. Friends and family reflect the beauty of steadfast love. And life itself — with all its surprises, detours, and small graces — provides endless reminders that ordinary moments often carry extraordinary meaning.

As a writer, I have learned to pay attention. Inspiration is rarely loud; more often, it is found in the gentle rhythms of daily life.

Who is your favorite author? Why?

I have never been able to choose just one.

Jane Austen has long held a place of honor for me because of her insight into the human heart. Her stories remind us that growth is always possible and that love often arrives with both humility and transformation.

I have also started to enjoy Betty Neels’ classic travelogue romances in the last three years, many of which were published through Harlequin. Her stories reflect a kind of timeless simplicity and beauty — clean, closed-door romances where emotional connection takes center stage.

Her heroines appreciate life’s quiet comforts, often gathering over a good meal, while her heroes are unmistakably gentlemen — steady, honorable, and deeply dependable. There is a graciousness to her storytelling that invites readers to settle in without anxiety, confident they are in a world where dignity and kindness still matter.

That sense of emotional safety is something I greatly value as both a reader and a writer. Stories can be compelling without being overwhelming, tender without losing strength, and romantic without sacrificing depth — and Betty Neels demonstrated that beautifully.

And when it comes to Christian fiction I cannot ignore Tracie Peterson’s work. Her novels have been a beautiful example of how faith can be woven naturally into historical storytelling without overshadowing the humanity of the characters.

Each of these authors, in different ways, has shaped my understanding of what it means to write stories that comfort, uplift, and endure.

Do you remember the first book you read? What impact did it make?

I cannot recall the very first book I read, but I do remember becoming a reader very early in life — I was that kid who always had a book nearby and never traveled without one.

Books quickly became more than entertainment; they became companions. Through them, I discovered new worlds, encountered courage, and learned that stories have the power to both comfort and expand us.

That early love of reading eventually grew into a desire to create stories of my own — the kind that might one day accompany someone else through a meaningful season of their life.

What do you need in your writing space to stay focused?

For me, focus begins with a sense of quiet and comfort. I write best in spaces that feel peaceful — somewhere I can settle in without distraction and allow the story to unfold naturally.

A comfortable chair, soft light, and often a loyal rescue dog nearby create the kind of environment where creativity can breathe. I also appreciate a bit of order; when my surroundings are calm, my mind tends to follow.

More than anything, I try to approach my writing time with intention. When I sit down to work, I remind myself what a privilege it is to tell stories — and that mindset alone helps me stay present and attentive to the page.

Blog Stop

Simple Harvest Reads, March 21 (Author Interview)

Artistic Nobody, March 22 (Author Interview)

Guild Master, March 23 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 24

Fiction Book Lover, March 25 (Author Interview)

Vicky Sluiter, March 26 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 26

For the Love of Literature, March 27 (Author Interview)

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 28

Tell Tale Book Reviews, March 29 (Author Interview)

Blossoms and Blessings, March 30 (Author Interview)

Fruitfully Planted, March 30

Stories By Gina, March 31 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, April 1

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, April 2 (Author Interview)

Books, Books, & More Books, April 3 (Author Interview)

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Joy is giving away the grand prize of a $20 Amazon Gift Card and a Kindle copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/DEiCR/half-agony-half-hope-dear-lily-edition-celebration-tour-giveaway