A few weeks ago I received a call from a reporter from our local newspaper. It wasn’t entirely unexpected because when I entered three of my books in the Carol Award contest a few months ago, one of the things requested on the entry form was the contact information for the entrant’s local paper, so a press release could be sent in the event their entry was a finalist.
In July, the finalists were announced, and I was staggered to learn that one of my books, REVEALING FIRE, was among them. After I praised God, WOOOHOOOed, and Snoopy danced, I simply basked in the thrill of being named a finalist and having my name appear on the short list with the likes of Erica Vetsch, S. Dionne Moore, and Dan Walsh. Pretty good company!
So when the reporter called me and asked if I could answer a few questions, I said, “Sure.” We chatted a while and she let me ramble on about my passion for writing and delving into historical research, about ACFW (the BEST organization on the planet for Christian fiction authors), how I came to write REVEALING FIRE and the accompanying books in that trilogy, and what I’m currently working on. After we concluded our conversation, I didn’t think a great deal more about it, because frankly, what I expected was a short blurb buried on page five. The write-up that appeared in the Barrow County News that weekend wasn’t even on my radar screen.
My friend called and told me my picture was in the paper. Still completely unaware of the length and depth of the article, I didn’t take the time to look through the paper until later. When I finally took a break from my busyness and checked out the article, all the air whooshed out of my lungs and all I could do was croak. I grabbed the section and ran downstairs to my husband’s man cave.
“Did you SEE this?”
“I saw your picture up in the corner of the front page.” He held his thumb and index finger about two inches apart, indicating the size of the thumbnail photo that appeared in the front page header directing readers to section C.
“No, I mean did you see the article?”
He shook his head.
I held up the paper.
His eyes bugged out. “Wow. I’m married to a celebrity! Cool!”
I don’t know about the “celebrity” status part. I think he may be a bit prejudiced. But I keep looking at this article and shaking my head in disbelief.
I am reminded of something I once heard Cec Murphy say: Who would have thought? About fifteen years ago, I attended a workshop for aspiring writers led by Cec Murphy. At the end of the day, I was so overwhelmed, I was nearly in tears, and I thought there was no way I could do all that being a writer entailed. But God wouldn’t let me quit. And I’m so glad He didn’t.
I persevered and plugged along, determined not to stagnate. I listened and learned and soaked up everything I could glean from other writers. I attended writers conferences, found the best critique group and agent on the planet, studied submission guidelines, and kept pressing on. Finally, in 2009, I landed my first contract. Shortly after that, I saw Cec at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference where he gave a keynote address, entitled Who Would Have Thought? I was able to catch up with Cec after the session and he actually remembered me. We talked for a few minutes and smiled about the way God has led me on my writing journey.
Who would have thought I’d ever have multiple books published, one of which is a finalist for the Carol Award? I never would have guessed, but God didn’t have to guess. He knew all along.
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