When I was a young student, I discovered I had a talent for writing stories. It made sense; after all, reading stories was my favorite past-time. I devoured anything I could get my hands on—fantasy, adventure, historical fiction, mystery, even my mother’s Readers’ Digest books. I loved to read. In school, I found that the leap from reading to writing wasn’t that far. I never journaled or wrote stories for fun—to my mind, writing was a little too close to schoolwork. But I had a knack for it—or so my teachers told me.
I took advanced creative writing classes all through middle and high school, but when it came time to choose a degree for college, I believed that “novelist” was not a realistic goal. To me, it was as likely as one of my brothers being chosen in the NFL draft—not impossible, but highly improbable. I chose Commercial Writing—a much more “practical” medium for the use of my talents.
It was during a literature course in college that I felt the first stirrings of a calling on my life. Literature has the power to effect change. It can inspire and challenge. It can edify and soothe. I felt it would be a wonderful thing indeed to be an author. Still, I was too practical to assume that it was something I could pursue. I had bills to pay and a family to support. So, after I graduated, I got a job as an administrative assistant. Following God’s leading, I worked for the next ten years which allowed me to provide for my family and establish myself as a productive and self-sufficient member of society.
After a decade, I could sense the pages turning on that chapter of my life. It was time for something new, though I didn’t know what that “new” would be. Through a dramatic series of events, I quit my job and moved away from my hometown to follow God’s leading into ministry and writing work. This wasn’t easy. At first, the practical side of me wouldn’t even consider the possibility. But God made His will abundantly clear, and so I agreed to follow Him into the unknown.
I am now a part-time administrative assistant for a beautiful Bible Camp where I can serve God and others in a variety of ways. This also provides me with the time to work on my writing. Last year, I finished my first middle-grade adventure novel, The Dark House, and have just completed the first draft of my second book, The Zaleskys and the Chemical Conundrum.
This new adventure is full of unknowns, but I invite you to come along with me on the journey. In this blog, I’ll give updates on my books and the whole writing process. Join me as I discover what it means to be a writer writing for the glory of God.