Writing Update

Writing a book is a long process. One thing I've caught myself regularly telling people is "It's taking longer than I want it to." Which is true. The book's written. I know the story and characters now, unlike when writing the first draft. So why isn't the editing going faster? Why am I not done yet?

Simply put: Because creativity can be hard. There was a period in April where it felt like my creative brain went offline for a few weeks. Like it just said, "Nope, we're taking a vacation. Find something else to do for a while." So I did, taking time to read for fun and work on a few unfinished projects. Now I'm back into the editing, and while I'd still love for it to be going faster, I'm more concerned with making this book the best it can be, however long that takes.

I'm also tweaking my proposal to reflect some of the changes that have come about through editing so I can submit it to another publisher, Enclave. I plan to get that proposal submitted by the end of May; then it'll be another 3+ month wait to hear from them. (See? The delay isn't all my fault! It's just the way the publishing world works.)

Lastly, shortly after receiving my rejection email from Bethany House, I reached out to an author seeking advice about finding a literary agent. Her novel is one I list as a comparable title in my proposal, so I was hopeful if she had an agent and was willing to share his or her name, I could research them to see if they might also be willing to represent my book. While it turns out she didn't have an agent, she did offer some valuable insight based on her own publishing experience. She stressed the importance of finding a publisher who is the right fit for my book, someone who will know how to market what I write and reach the readers who are looking for my kind of novel. I appreciated her wisdom, and it has changed my mindset as I've considered different writing conferences to attend and the agents and editors I might be interested in pitching to at each. And while I was not opposed to self-publishing before, her advice has made me even more receptive to that publishing path if it's the right one for my story. Guess we'll find out if it is once I hear back from Enclave!

A Book I Enjoyed (And Hope You Will, Too!) All That Fills Us by Autumn Lytle This is Autumn's debut, and so far only, novel and it is one of my favorites. It's contemporary women's fiction with a minor romantic subplot. Why I loved it: Unique cast of characters Anorexia rep from someone who's been there Cross-country hike on lesser-known trails in the upper Midwest and PNW Tackles questions of what makes life worth living That cover 😍 I also found it to be an accurate representation of the sorts of obsessive and compulsive thoughts I've wrestled with as part of my anxiety, and would recommend it for anyone who is facing that same struggle or knows someone who is

Devotional Thought: Be Careful What You Meditate On

If you've paid any attention to the news over the past couple weeks, you've probably heard about the hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship. Between a bit of prior knowledge about the virus, all the news stories about the deaths and infections that have occurred, the variety of places and times different passengers disembarked and where they went, and a general lack of trust in health officials post-COVID-19, I've struggled not to worry. Not to mention, we probably all know what a challenge it was to stay at home for weeks and months on end during the COVID pandemic. Imagine telling asymptomatic people to stay at home and self-monitor for six to eight weeks. Who could blame them if they didn't want to wait that long?

The problem was, once the Internet noticed my interest, it kept feeding me related stories. I read them. My anxiety levels rose. I was growing irritable and impatient. Finally, I stopped to wonder why. The answer came quickly: I was meditating on circumstances entirely outside my control and that, God willing, will never impact me.

Have you fallen into the same trap? Whether it's health, finances, a relationship, or something else entirely, life never ceases to find worries to throw at us, tempting us to fixate on them to our detriment.

What if, instead, we fixed our minds on God?

Scripture repeatedly emphasizes the importance of meditating on God's Word. Look at Psalm 1:

Or the second stanza of Psalm 119:

Meditating on God's word does not lead to fear or a scarcity mindset. It leads to delight, fruitfulness, and life.

To meditate on God's Word is to spend time with God. To get to know him. And with him, we are safer and more secure than we could be anywhere else. Psalm 91 says if we abide in him we "will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday" (Psalm 91: 5-6, emphasis mine). It also describes him as a place of refuge and shelter. Sounds nice, doesn't it?

Whatever your particular worry is, Scripture has something to say about it. I challenge you to find out what. Don't just read it once and close your Bible, either. Repeat it. Pray over it. Claim God's truth over your life, day after day. Remember, we're meditating; this isn't a one-and-done process.

As for me, does Psalm 91 literally mean I'll never get sick again? No. Plenty of believers died from COVID. But if we know God, and if we fill our hearts and minds and lives with his truth, then we do not have to fear anything the world throws at us. Because, ultimately, our eternal safety rests in him.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather meditate on that.

Let's Chat

I've read that it's beneficial to use more exciting subject lines than "May 2026 Author Newsletter" to entice people to actually read what you send them. However, I like keeping things simple. I'm not selling anything or offering "Five Tips to Accomplish XYZ", so do I really need a catchy subject line?

What do you think? Keep it simple or use my wording skills to mix it up a bit?

As always, thanks for reading! See you in a few months!

(Now the requisite copyright: "Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.")