Bubbles, Books, and I’m Finally Back

So, I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus. It wasn’t intentional, but sometimes things happen, right? Let me catch you up.

There was a trip to Nashville. I spent time with some amazing people. Josh played some expensive guitars. And the kids will remember only the bubble baths.

Then there’s been sickness. I was afraid it was hitting me like it did this time last year. Remember the pneumonia? Two nights before the road trip to Nashville I had a fever and chills and the kids covered me with 18 blankets on the couch. That’s not an exaggeration. But it worked. I sweated that sickness out, and a Z-pack took care of the rest, thank you, Lord.

There’s a new look around here too. Maybe you noticed. I’ve fancied up the website a bit (or, I should say, a young lady far more intelligent than me has fancied up the website.)  She talks about “HTML code” and actually seems to know what that means. I can only tell you that now my updates will come in a newsletter format and that there’s also a new book-scroll-y thing at the top of my homepage. It’s pretty neato.

Yes, that is the technical term for it.

And then there’s a new book.

This is the one I started out with. The book that began everything for me.

Maybe you’ve heard the story, maybe you haven’t. Do you mind if I tell it again?

It’s just that God is so creative in his kindness. I absolutely must brag on Him.

It started four years ago on a normal day. I planned to walk to the park with a friend and her kids. Before we left, her son picked up a worm and asked if he could bring it along on the walk too. I have no idea what my friend’s answer was, but these words came out of my mouth: Would a worm go a walk?

And the story was born.

On a normal day.

It took months to write the book. I prayed, I edited, I revised, I cried, and I finally took it to a writer’s conference thinking, This is a huge waste of money.

But there was an editor also coming to that conference that was open to looking at picture book manuscripts. (Most editors aren’t. Picture books are expensive to publish and hard to sell.)

So I was counting on the guy. I needed to pitch him my story. I needed him to love it like I did.

And then he didn’t show.

I was horrified and devastated, of course. All that money wasted… But the conference staff helpfully reassigned me to a meeting with another editor, one who’s bio in the conference handbook said (rather loudly), “NOT INTERESTED IN PICTURE BOOKS.”

So, yeah, I wanted to cancel the meeting. Why pitch her a story she doesn’t want?  But I went. Nervous as I was, it would be good practice even if she didn’t want my story.

And sure enough, she didn’t.

But what she did want was to know if I would consider writing something else for them.

Turns out, that meeting with that editor led to the God Bless series, and that series that led to Would a Worm Go on a Walk? finally being published by some of the most lovely people I’ve ever met.

These folks here, actually.

I went to that conference asking God to give me my way. Give me one book, God. Instead, He gave me ten books. His way.

We must not ever underestimate what God can do.

There is no circumstance he cannot change in a moment. There is no “normal” day that he cannot use to interrupt our course. There is no disappointment or devastation that He cannot use for our good and his ultimate glory.

God is wildly creative in his goodness.

And if we’ll let God use us as His canvas, He can turn our very normal stories into very amazing testimonies.

So let’s let Him, shall we?

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On that note, let’s do a giveaway!

Leave a comment below to be entered to win a copy of Would a Worm Go on a Walk?

Let’s do favorite children’s book…ready? Go!

Also, subscribe to my newsletter or share on Facebook, for another chance to win. (Just be sure to tell me if you shared.) Winner will be announced next post.