Marge Blenkush looks back on the detours in her life with appreciation, recognizing how God was guiding her. She studied theology at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, worked as a director of religious education for 13 years, then earned a master’s degree in library science. She then worked for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, managing its video library for 13 years, before a rare autoimmune disease led to her early retirement. 

Now, at 68, she’s in a sweet spot, nurturing a new career as a novelist. “Retirement is the best time of life,” said Blenkush, who belongs to St. Matthew in St. Paul. “If anybody has thought, ‘Oh, I wish I could do this’ or ‘I always wanted to do that’ – well, this is the time to do it!”

Beaver’s Pond Press published her debut novel, “The Doctor of Bellechester,” last year — it’s available at St. Patrick’s Guild in St. Paul — and she will release the next book in the series, titled “Welcome to Bellechester,” this November.

Q) You live in South St. Paul in your childhood home.

A) Yes. I live on the corner of Seventh Avenue and Seventh Street — so how’s that for Biblical? It was the perfect place to grow up. We were a half block from school, Holy Trinity. I have an identical twin, and our best friends were a set of twins (who) lived across the street and were in the same grade.

Q) Do you feel nostalgic for those simpler times?

A) The older you get, the more idyllic it is. My sister and I would take our wagon, walking a mile down to the library and filling it up with books. We could take up to 12 picture books, and we went to the max each time. We’d walk up that huge hill with our wagon and then play with neighbors, and at 6 o’clock, the church bells would ring. Mom would always say, “When the church bells ring, you come home.”

We had so much freedom. We were a lot more creative. We made up our own fun.

Q) You took a long and winding road to launch a writing career. 

A) I’ve always written. I used to write stories to amuse myself from the age of 10 on. When I got to high school, I wrote a little article for the newspaper, but that was the first and only article I ever wrote for publication. Fear and doubt are the twin killers of a dream.

When COVID hit, I was already retired and all my volunteer work dried up, and in order to relax and educate myself, I decided to write fan fiction based on the Father Brown Mysteries. As I was writing, I introduced a character and thought, “Well, she’s more interesting than these characters that I’m trying to follow!” So, I scrapped the Father Brown characters and made her the main character. In many ways, she’s the person I always wanted to be.

Making that phone call to a publisher and saying, “Will you please publish my book?” was a huge leap of faith.

I always had these conversations with God. I told God, “If it’s meant to be, you’ll find a way. I’m just going to do my part, and then you’re going to do your part.”

The first publisher said, “We’d love to publish it!” But it was in Minneapolis, and I’m a St. Paul girl. The second publisher — Beaver’s Pond Press — said yes, too.

Q) You got two yeses right away; that must’ve been so affirming!

A) Oh, gosh, yes! I felt a peace within me that (said), “Yeah, this is the right thing. You should be working on your writing. Let’s see how far this will go.”

When they introduced me to my project manager at Beaver’s Pond — well, it turns out she’s a Brady grad like me. I mean, how about that? That was a sign. “Keep going, you’re on the road.”

Q) The younger you would’ve been amazed by your courage — and by your success. Earlier this summer, your novel won national awards (honorable mention best Catholic novel in 2023 and honorable mention best book cover artwork) from the Catholic Media Assocation.

A) It was incredible!

I almost died twice from that autoimmune illness. I decided, after the second time, “OK, God, I’m living for you. Show me what I’m supposed to do.” That’s when the desire to write — which has always been in my heart — came to the surface. And if you face death and survive, there’s not a whole lot you can be afraid of anymore.

Having confidence in my own work is a big thing. I’m more confident in saying, “Hey, it’ll be a good read for you.” Or in going to a library and saying, “You should carry my book.” I wrote my book with an older audience in mind because it’s in large print. It’s made for book clubs, because the religious educator in me created discussion questions at the end. I’m always open to being a part of Catholic book clubs if they’d like to have a night with the author.

Q) How important is it to have a sense of wonder?

A) I’ve always been in wonder and awe at everything. I just have to look at my life: I was born an identical twin. That’s rare! You live on this earth, you see the seasons change, especially in Minnesota — how can you not wonder and awe at creation?

I’m a gardener. I plant seeds. If that’s not an act of faith, when you’re planting those tulip bulbs in the fall, (asking) “Are they going to survive the winter?” And then in the spring, you have this beautiful display.

Gardening is a spiritual practice because it’s being out there, close to the ground, trying to create some beauty. You’re closer to God out there, when you’re rummaging around in the dirt.

Q) Wonder is a beautiful virtue.

A) When I worked for the archdiocese, I worked mainly under Archbishop (Harry) Flynn. The thing I remember from him is gratitude: Everything’s a gift. He used to have monthly meetings with us, and he’d finish his talk and then he’d thank everybody, and we’d all roll our eyes because we’d be there another 10 minutes.

Q) Describe your writing setup.

A) I seem to be my most creative in the morning, and so sometimes I’m in my pj’s, at my computer in the backroom early in the morning, and it just flows.

Creativity comes from within us, and because we all carry a spark of the divine, that spark of God the creator, we are by our very nature creative. I really do think our creativity is meant for building up the kingdom. That’s what we all strive to do in our own way.

Q) Do you have a go-to prayer?

A) My favorite Scripture verse is Mark 9:24, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.” My faith gets tested a lot. I have this belief, but there’s always that doubt and fear, so, “Help my unbelief, help me overcome that fear and that doubt.”

Q) The most powerful prayers begin with honesty.

A) Definitely. I also love Julian of Norwich, “All is well, all is well, in every manner of things, all will be well.”

Q) What do you know for sure?

A) That little voice in the deepest recesses of our heart comes from God and is true. Somehow, God will fulfill our deepest desires, so we never have to worry. And at 66, I can start a writing career. That’s the blessing of old age, being able to see how God’s hand has been in your life.