About Mollybeth
Mollybeth Corr is a retired legal secretary and a prayer warrior who writes for the person looking for compelling examples of answered prayer. She believes words are the most powerful weapon God has given us—more powerful even than faith—and all weapons require regular training to be wielded effectively. Her enthusiasm for learning knows no bounds. She has been known to procrastinate doing the thing she’s learning to do (like writing a novel), in favor of more learning. Mollybeth and her husband of 50 years live in Houston, Texas, in an empty nest that is frequently filled again with grandchildren on “no rules Saturdays” and where the love language is mushrooms, expressed often by stealthily sliding those repulsive mushrooms from her plate onto the favored person’s plate.
What’s in a name?
After Googling every variation of my given name followed by “author” or “writer” with far too many results, I concluded that no one would be able to find me using my given name. I decided to follow the example of my fifth cousin, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), and use a pen name. As soon as I heard the name “Mollybeth” as a minor character in a random movie, I knew I had found the perfect pen name for two reasons: it’s an unusual name, and it’s very similar to my given name (Mary Elizabeth).
“Molly” and “Mary” are derived from the same root word: myrrh. The meaning typically attributed to both names is “bitter” because myrrh is a bitter plant. The myrrh tree’s resin is harvested by repeatedly wounding the tree to force the resin to ooze out. As the resin droplets dry, they transform into hardened “tears” that are used to make a very sweet perfume. Based on this information, I choose a more positive meaning: “sweet fragrance from rightly responding to hurt.”
“Beth” is a short form of Elizabeth and means “my God is an oath.” In other words, He always does what He says He’ll do. I’ve clung to this truth countless times while I waited to witness the manifestation of His promise.
Considering all the autographs I’ll have to sign when I become a world-famous bestselling author (wink), I chose a short last name. “Corr,” meaning “spear or pointed object,” is a family name a few generations back.
Put it all together, and I give you Mollybeth Corr, a writer of “words that both pierce and heal, words like lilies dripping with myrrh” (SOS 5:13 TPT), a writer who weaves those words into stories demonstrating God’s faithfulness to keep His word and exploring what can happen when we rightly respond to hurt.
