Press Kit
BOOK DETAILS
Title – Divine Detour: The Path You Didn’t Choose Can Lead to the Faith You’ve Always Wanted
Genre – Nonfiction / Christian Living / Essays
Publisher – CrossRiver Media Group
Release Date – February 2023
Praise for Divine Detour:
Through a series of forty deeply personal essays, Lori Ann Wood shows us that questions and struggles do not have to weaken our faith, but can instead strengthen it. This book offers strong encouragement for those going through difficult life and faith challenges.
—Brian Allain, founder of Writing For Your Life, Publishing in Color, How to Heal Our Divides, and Compassionate Christianity
Lori Ann Wood courageously shares her journey with vulnerability and grace. She walks boldly into the unknown and in the process teaches us to do the same. This is a gift to anyone struggling with uncertainty, health issues, or trying to find footing in the world.
—Margaret Feinberg, author of More Power to You
Lori Ann Wood uses her own medical miracle story to write a beautiful book teaching us to how to hold grief with gratitude and turn it all into grace. In Divine Detour, Lori Ann Wood artfully weaves whimsical childhood stories with dramatic cardiac journal entries and Christian theology to offer the reader lasting lessons in faith. Read this book either as a forty day journey or a one sitting binge—either way, you will return to it again and again for her wit and wisdom. There are little lessons everywhere and hope for everyone.
—Kathy Izard, author The Hundred Story Home and The Last Ordinary Hour
BOOK SYNOPSIS
WHAT – Divine Detour is a book of relatable essays that gently guides the reader to confront the three most important questions of her life—the three questions every life must answer.
WHEN – Divine Detour is an invitation to explore the questions of worry, doubt, and control that always surface when a Christian finds himself on a path he didn’t choose.
WHO – Divine Detour is for the believer who hits a snag in her careful life plan and starts to wonder if her faith is any good at all: the career has evaporated overnight, the adult child has turned his back on his family, the marriage vows have worn paper thin.
WHY – Heart failure patient and award-winning essayist Lori Ann Wood confronts faith’s three most menacing questions of worry, doubt, and control, and discovers hope for anyone on an unexpected path.
SPEAKING/INTERVIEW TOPICS
- The Gift of Grace
- Space for Grace
- Making the Mundane Matter
- Learning to Lament
- Getting Okay with Giving Up (Prayers of Relinquishment)
- When God’s Timing Seems Off
- The Confusing “Yes” and “No” of God
- How Questions Can Deepen an Heirloom Faith
- Liminal Faith: When Your Story Feels Unfinished
- The Problem of Unanswered—and Unasked—Prayers
- The Three Questions Every Life Must Answer
- The Power of Story in Faith
- How to Navigate a Detour (Health, Relationship, Faith)
- What is Happening When God Seems Silent
- Free Will, Surrender, and the Sovereignty of God
- Rediscovering our Purpose and Identity
- Taking Thoughts from a Personal Journal to a Published Book
- Early Warning Signs of Heart Failure
- How Advances in Heart Care Saved My Life
SUGGESTED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
- Tell me about your new book.
- Can you explain a little more about each of the life questions?
- I noticed your book contains 40 days of essays. Why 40?
- What prompted you to write Divine Detour?
- What are the heart failure warning signs you missed?
- This book is a little untraditional in format. Why did you choose to write it in essay form?
- What’s a favorite or particularly meaningful essay in the book?
- What’s the most important thing readers will learn about their own faith from Divine Detour?
- What do you want the reader to walk away knowing about life detours after they read Divine Detour?
- People listening to this often struggle with questioning God when things are difficult. What’s your best advice on how they can deal with that?
- Why are questions so important in faith? Why do we shy away from them?
- In the book you say, “Doubt is not the opposite of faith—indifference is.” Why do you feel that way?
- You mentioned in the book that you’ve felt God’s intense silence along your detour. How has that affected your faith journey?
- Why are stories such a central part of your book?
- There’s a special backstory to the cover design. Can you share that?
- What else have you written?
- How are your health and your faith doing now?
- Where can readers/listeners/viewers connect with you?
BIOS
Short Length:
Lori Ann Wood lives with her husband in an empty nest in beautiful Bentonville, Arkansas. Having discovered a serious heart condition almost too late, Lori Ann writes to encourage others to explore their difficult faith questions along the detours of life. Lori Ann’s award-winning book released in February 2023 with CrossRiver Media, Divine Detour: The Path You’d Never Choose Can Lead to the Faith You’ve Always Wanted. Read more from her at loriannwood.com.
Medium Length:
Lori Ann Wood lives in an empty nest in beautiful Bentonville, Arkansas, with her husband, the love of her life whom she found in 9th grade. She is mom to three great young adults, one amazing son-in-law, and a miniature dachshund named Pearl. Her new favorite role is grandmother to Hazel. Lori Ann serves as WomenHeart Champion Community Educator for Arkansas and American Heart Association Ambassador. Her writing has won several awards, including the Frederick Buechner Narrative Essay Award and her work has been published in numerous print and online venues, including The New York Times, The Christian Century Magazine, Just Between Us Magazine, Bella Grace Magazine, Pepperdine University Press, and yahoo.com. Having discovered a serious heart condition almost too late, Lori Ann writes to encourage others to ask their difficult faith questions along the detours of life. Lori Ann’s award-winning book released in February 2023 with CrossRiver Media, Divine Detour: The Path You’d Never Choose Can Lead to the Faith You’ve Always Wanted. Read more from her at loriannwood.com.
Full Length:
Lori Ann Wood lives in the shadow of the Ozark Mountains in beautiful Bentonville, Arkansas, with her husband, the unsuspecting guy she chased all the way from 9th grade to grad school. She is mom to three world-changing young adults, one impressive son-in-law (who all live too far away) and a miniature dachshund named Pearl (who threatens to never leave). Her new favorite role is appropriately spoiling her granddaughter Hazel.
In addition to receiving the Frederick Buechner Narrative Essay Award from The Christian Century Magazine, her work has won awards from The Colorado Christian Writers Association, The Evangelical Press Association, and others. Lori Ann has been published in numerous print journals including The New York Times, Just Between Us Magazine, The Joyful Life Magazine, Bella Grace Magazine, Heart Insight Magazine, and Sweet to the Soul FAITH Magazine. Her articles have also appeared on websites such as Pepperdine University Press, Yahoo Lifestyle, and MSN, and on blogs including Women | Faith & Story, Kindred Mom, WomenHeart, and The Mighty. Lori Ann also served on the Blog Contributor Team for The Joyful Life Magazine.
But Lori Ann has not always been a writer.
A life detour reordered her priorities and rattled her faith.
In 2015, despite otherwise pristine health, Lori Ann almost died from heart failure from an unknown cause. Her heart was functioning at just 6%. She spent 14 days in ICU as doctors tried to save her life. Lori Ann was then transferred to the Cleveland Clinic where she became her doctor’s most critical patient for a year and a half. She was eventually implanted with a pacemaker and internal defibrillator. Against all medical odds, her heart function was initially restored sixteen months later. But as heart failure goes, her condition has experienced ups-and-downs since then. And as the Christian walk goes, so has her faith.
Having discovered this chronic, progressive condition almost too late, Lori Ann now writes to encourage difficult faith questions along the detours of life. Her passion is to connect with readers and help them hold onto their faith when they find themselves on a path they didn’t choose.
Her award-winning book, Divine Detour: The Path You’d Never Choose Can Lead to the Faith You’ve Always Wanted, released in early 2023. Find her at loriannwood.com.
Please click here for her full heart story.
AWARDS
ChristLit Book Awards, Award of Excellence, 2025
Serious Writer, Book of the Decade, Semi-Finalist, 2025
American Legacy Book Awards, First Place in Religion: Christianity, 2024
Illumination Awards, Gold Medal in Enduring Light – Christian Thought, 2024
Books Shelf, Top 10 Finalist in Nonfiction, 2024
Independent Press Award – Distinguished Favorite, 2024
American Book Fest, Best Book Awards, Finalist in Christianity and Finalist in Christian Inspirational, 2023
Readers’ Favorite Awards, 5-Star Review and Silver Medalist in Christian Living, 2023
Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Finalist – Inspirational (Non-Fiction), Spring 2023
The BookFest Awards, First Place Nonfiction Book in Religion-Christianity, Spring 2023
Serious Writer, Writer of the Year, Short Nonfiction Articles, Two Semifinal Entries, Summer 2022
Colorado Christian Writers, Write His Answer Contest, Published Prose Winner, 2022
Evangelical Press Association, Higher Goals in Christian Journalism, Second Place, Medium Articles, 2022
Christian Century, Frederick Buechner Narrative Essay Award, 2020
SPEAKING/PODCASTS/WEBINARS
Behold Her Beauty Podcast, A Divine Detour: A Conversation with Lori Ann Wood, May 29, 2025
Sandwich Season Sanity Podcast, “Intentional Long Distance Caregiving,” May 19, 2025
Juggling Life, Finding Balance Podcast, “At the Heart of It All,” May 14, 2025
Radiant Resilience Summit, “Strengthening an Heirloom Faith: Using Questions as a Lifeline to God,” May 6, 2025
Front Parking Spot Podcast, “Divine Detours and Faith Questions,” April 1, 2025
Find Hope Here Podcast, Embracing Life’s Detours, March 4, 2025
Find Hope Here Podcast, “Faith in Uncertainty, February 25, 2025
The Rooted Truth Podcast, “Faith & Lament Through the Trials of Life, February 18, 2025
Just Talkin’ About Jesus Podcast,”Divine Detours with Lori Ann Wood,” February 15, 2025
Memorial Road Church of Christ, Heart of Grace Retreat, Keynote Speaker, February 7-9, 2025
5News National Wear Red Day Interview, February 7, 2025
Heart of the Matter Radio/Podcast, “Keeping Love’s Flame Alive in Astonishing Adversity,” February 7, 2025
Living the Grace Life Podcast, “Divine Detour and Deepened Faith,” February 4, 2025
St. Pius Church, “An Unplanned Path & A Firmer Faith,” January 26, 2025
With You in the Weeds Podcast, “Looking for Hope When Your Health Fails,” January 22, 2025
Bleeding Daylight Podcast, “Life’s Divine Detours,” January 20, 2025
Grief, Gratitude & the Gray In Between Podcast, “Embracing Life’s Unexpected Detours,” January 14, 2025
People of Northwest Arkansas Podcast, “Resilience and Heart Health Advocacy,” December 11, 2024
Southside Church of Christ, “Questions are Your Lifeline to God,” November 10, 2024
The Caretakers Journey Podcast, “When a Husband Becomes a Caregiver,” September 27, 2024
Secure in God’s Embrace Podcast, “When You Appear Fine, But You’re Not Fine,” September 27, 2024
Livin’ What You’re Given Podcast, “We’re Not Alone in Our Stories,” September 25, 2024
The Good Day Podcast, “Peace in Unexpected Detours,” September 24, 2024
The Caretakers Journey Podcast, “When a Medical Crisis Creates a Detour,” September 20, 2024
A Woman’s Heart Podcast, “Valuable Gifts in Detours and Doubts,” September 17, 2024
Shaped by Faith Radio Show, “Illness Identity & Identity in Christ,” August 23, 2024
Staying Real about Faith & Family Podcast, “Bridging the Expectations of Marriage with the Realities of Life,” June 22, 2024
Women Walking with God Virtual Workshop, “Getting Real with God: Learning to Lament,” June 8, 2024
Marriage Mastery Summit, “How Chronic Illness—and Gratitude—Change a Marriage,” June 2, 2024
Go Red for Women Luncheon, Featured Survivor Speaker, Rogers, Arkansas, May 21, 2024
Pepperdine University Harbor Bible Lectures, “Liminal Faith: When the Story Feels Unfinished,” May 1, 2024
A Cup of Gratitude Podcast, “Finding Gratitude in a Divine Detour,” April 23, 2024
Women Walking with God Conference, “Call to Me,” Wichita, Kansas, Keynote Speaker, April 12 -13, 2024
The Joy Prescription Podcast, “Tenacious Hope: Leaning into Life’s Difficult Questions When You Encounter a Detour,” April 9, 2024
Steady On Podcast, “Finding God in Hard Times,” April 8, 2024
A Divine Ladies Day, Bella Vista, Arkansas, Keynote Speaker, April 6, 2024
Java with Jen Podcast, “The Power of Telling Your Story,” March 26, 2024
Encouragement for Real Life Podcast, “An Unexpected Divine Detour,” February 27, 2024
Harding University, College of Pharmacy presentation, “Medication, Mediation, and Hope,” February 26, 2024
5news Interview, “Author and heart failure survivor shares her story,” February 21, 2024
Shaped by Faith Radio Show, “Heart Health and Book,” February 2, 2024
Powerful Whispers Podcast, “Heart Health in Hindsight,” January 31, 2024
“Recalculating…” Ladies Retreat, Bentonville Church of Christ, keynote, January 26-27, 2024
Bookish Flights, “Having the Courage to Ask Hard Questions,” January 10, 2024
Wild Rice Podcast, “Heart Connections,” January 6, 2024
Faith Inspired Podcast, “When God Leads You on an Unexpected, Unwanted Path,” December 12, 2023
Faith in Action Summit, “How to Find God in the Midst of Your Pain,” November 18, 2023
Living the Next Chapter Podcast, “How an Incurable Heart Failure Created a Divine Detour,” November 15, 2023
Powerful Whispers Podcast, “A Journey of Faith and Resilience,” November 7, 2023
Shaped by Faith Podcast with Theresa Rowe, November 3, 2023
American Heart Association, Centennial Kickoff, Bentonville, AR, November 2, 2023
Write From the Deep Podcast, “Writing Wisdom and Advice,” October 23, 2023
Positively Joy Podcast, “Heart Failure: Author has Divine Detour to Loving God with a Broken Heart,” September 30, 2023
World Heart Day Presentation, Bentonville Public Library, September 29, 2023
“An Unplanned Path & A Firmer Faith,” St. Joan of Arc Church, September 27, 2023
Wild Confidence Podcast, September 27, 2023
What’s the Story Podcast, “Divine Detours in Life,” September 13, 2023
The Best Advice Podcast, “Life and Health,” September 11, 2023
Hope Unlocked Podcast, “Voices of HOPE from the Valley,” August 25, 2023
The Back 40 Podcast, “When Life Doesn’t Go As Planned,” August 15, 2023
Java with Jen Podcast, “Making Sense of Closed Doors,” August 15, 2023
Choose to Live Free Podcast, “Train Yourself to be a Godly Woman,” August 10, 2023
Gospel Spice Podcast, “Deeper Faith Through Worry, Doubt, and Control,” August 8, 2023
“My Unexpected Diagnosis, My Faith Detour, and My Publishing Journey,” ACFW, August 7, 2023
Theology Breakdown, “When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned – Lessons from Heart Failure & Faith in God,” July 25, 2023
Journey with Janice Podcast, July 21, 2023
Introducing Me Podcast, “Faith-Based Questions During Heart Failure,” July 11, 2023
The Love Offering Podcast, “A Little Perseverance Goes a Long Way,” July 4, 2023
Rooted in Christ Podcast, “Learning to Unlock Your Faith,” July 3, 2023
Praying Christian Women Podcast, “Navigating Divine Detours,” June 26, 2023
Confidence in Christ Podcast, June 7, 2023
Fierce Calling Podcast, “Wrestling with Faith & Navigating Life’s Detours to Find the Faith We’ve Always Wanted,” June 6, 2023
Built for More Podcast, “Avoiding Defeat in the Divine Detour,” June 6, 2023
“Navigating a Detour,” EmberHope Youthville Foster Care Retreat, Wichita, KS, May 19, 2023
Ink and Impact Podcast, “The Power of Story: Turning Personal Essays into a Published Book,”
May 18, 2023
Altered Stories Podcast, May 8, 2023
Write from the Deep Podcast, “Detours on Your Writing Journey,” Part 2, April 17, 2023
“Free Will, Surrender, and the Sovereignty of God,” Mothering Matters of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, April 14, 2023
After the Pause Podcast, “Courage in Life’s Unplanned Detours,” April 5, 2023
Write from the Deep Podcast, “Detours on Your Writing Journey,” Part 1, April 3, 2023
Java with Jen Podcast, March 28, 2023
Real. Raw. Truth. Podcast, March 27, 2023
Beyond Adversity with Dr. Brad Miller, “Finding a New Path Forward,” March 19, 2023
Beyond Adversity with Dr. Brad Miller, “The Three Ultimate Questions in Life,” March 17, 2023
Affirming Truths Podcast, “Divine Detours with Lori Ann Wood,” March 16, 2023
Livin’ What You’re Given Podcast, “Involuntary Tide Turning,” March 8, 2023
Free for the Fruit Podcast, “Is It a Sin to Worry?” February 28, 2023
My Full Life + Faith Leaps Podcast, “What to Do When Disappointed with Life and God,” February 27, 2023
Step Into the Light with Patti Shene on Blog Talk Radio, February 23, 2023
Choose to Live Free Podcast, “Three Key Questions to Ask When Life Detours,” February 23, 2023
Inspirational Journeys with Ann Harrison, “The Three Questions of Faith,” February 23, 2023
I Choose My Best Life Podcast, “Choose Awareness,” February 22, 2023
Authors with Andy, wordsbyandylee, February 22, 2022
Our Story, His Glory Podcast, “The Risky Heart,” February 21, 2023
Anchored by the Sword Podcast, “Lori Ann’s Freedom Story,” February 21, 2023
Welcome Heart Podcast, “A Legacy of a Divine Detour and a Deeper Faith,” February 20, 2023
Flourish-Meant Podcast, “Questioning Life on Unwanted Paths,” February 17, 2023
Grace Enough Podcast, “Divine Detour and Heart Health,” February 14, 2023
More Than Small Talk Podcast, February 9, 2023
Holistic Christian Life Podcast, February 7, 2023
Have Hope, Will Travel Podcast, February 6, 2023
Halfway There Podcast, “Questions in the Silence,” February 6, 2023
Visibly Fit with Wendie Pett Podcast, “When Adversity Hits,” February 6, 2023
Depth Podcast, February 5, 2023
Thankful Project Podcast, Preview and Full Episode, January 31, 2023
Christians Speak Up with Eddie Jones, January 23, 2023
“The Problem of Unanswered—and Unasked—Prayers,” Praying Christian Women Conference, January 2023
Radical Abundance Podcast, January 20, 2023
Writing for Your Life, Book Launch Interview with Kate Rademacher, January 19, 2023
Jo Massaro Ministries, January 17, 2023
Valuable Voices Podcast, January 11, 2023
A Walk Through the Word: Daily Bread with Crystal Freie, January 8, 2023
StoryCorps series, Every Patient Counts, Every Story Matters, archived in the Library of Congress, November 2022
“HeartTalks: The Importance of Sleep,” WomenHeart webinar, October 17, 2022
The Gospel Effect Podcast, “Peace that Passes Understanding,” October 11, 2022
When God Seems Silent, National Day of Prayer, May 5, 2022
WomenHeart Mother’s Day Interview, Generational Heart Discussions, May 5, 2022
National Hospital Alliance Conference, “Champion Experience: COVID-19 Challenges and Recovery,” Panelist, July 13, 2021
Real Personal Branding Podcast, “Impactful Women Series,” Featured Guest, March 2021
“Unmet Needs of Heart Failure Patients” Webinar, Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health, Panelist, November 13, 2020
“How We Fight” FaceBook Live with WomenHeart, September 22, 2020
HeartTalks Webinar Panelist, womenheart.org, June 15, 2020
Heart Failure Beat Podcast, “On the Road with Heart Failure,” Season 1, Episode 2, Featured Guest, February 4, 2020
Ladies’ Retreat, Women of Purpose, Bentonville Church of Christ, April 2019
CONTACT DETAILS
Email: loriann@loriannwood.com
Phone: (479) 621-3883
Address: 9 Saint Johns, Bentonville AR 72712