Isaiah 49:4
But I said, "I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing at all.
Yet what is due me is in the Lord's hand,
and my reward is with my God."
As many of you, my faithful readers, already know, my blog posts here at Meditations of my Heart have been sporadic as of late due to my need to focus on my next series of novels, Adventures in the Glade, which will pick up where The Glade Series left off in the last book, The Moment of Truth. (There is a link to my website from which you can order the books at the top, right-hand side of this page.) While I've enjoyed moderate success with the novels as far as volume sales, the joy of hearing positive feedback from all who have read the books far outweighs the satisfaction of financial gain. Still, I have to admit, if the books went viral, it would be a splendid bonus.
In a recent conversation with my mother, we discuss the progress of the new series. She asks me, bluntly and honestly, "How can you keep on writing when your first series hasn't really taken off yet?"
My answer? "Mom, I have to write. I'm called to write. It's God's will for me to use the gifts He gave me for His glory."
And, that's the bottom line.
It may appear to the world that I labor in vain. For the world values treasure and wealth, fame and notoriety. While those are not necessarily bad things in and of themselves, they cannot even begin to hold a candle to placing God first in our lives, and trusting that any reward due us is in His hands. I know I've assigned the timing of any success I might realize squarely in God's care. I am faithful that, because of Him, my words will speak to those who most need to hear them and take them to heart.
So, where am I in this new series? As I write this, I'm on Chapter 7 of the third book in the trilogy. My goal is to have the first book, tentatively entitled Revenge!, to my publisher by the end of September. If I'm aiming for a pre-Christmas release, she must have them by that deadline. At first, I balked at the notion of sending it before completing the other novels, but that fear God assuaged only this past weekend. I will now be dividing my time for the remainder of the month between rewriting/editing the first book and working on the last one which I, gratefully, will have long months to tweak and perfect.
Yes, my friends, my posts will continue to be intermittent, and I do hope you will bear with me until I'm back in full gear by October. In the meantime, if you're on Facebook, you can track my progress by liking The Glade Series. I'll be posting updates there about twice a week.
Most of all, knowing you all will keep me in your thoughts and prayers would be a boon and a blessing as I traverse this hectic, yet soul-satisfying, journey. I so appreciate your patience, understanding, and encouragement. Sending each and every one of you my love!
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I've asked you to keep me in prayers during this time. Is there anything happening in your life for which you would like me to pray? Please share in the comment section.
Prayer: Father, we know that whether or not the world sees us as successful, we always are when we obey Your will for our lives. Our reward is with You, and there is nothing we desire more than that. May all our creative efforts, done in Your name, be pleasing in Your sight. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
I thought I had left a comment but can't find it. sorry. I am so glad you are staying true to your calling and being obedient. Let God worry about any success. It is for his glory anyway, not ours. Praying for you! You are inspiring the writer within me.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Jean, for your words of encouragement - I really and truly needed to hear these today. Thanks, too, for your prayers. So glad to know I'm inspiring the writer which is in you!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Hello Martha,
ReplyDeleteCongrats and keep on writing. I do have a LONG question for you regarding some advise I gave a writer yesterday. He followed me on twitter and proceeded to ask me to help him promote his book. I asked him what I ask most folks who contact me for assistance - what are you doing to help our community? His response was he writes for the Glory of Jesus. And so how does that help someone else? Not being ignorant, I looked his book up on Amazon and saw 0 reviews. Not a one. So I advised him to give his book to a few folks to get Reviews. Why would someone buy a book from an unknown author with no reviews? Gave him a few suggestions (FB and Twitter give aways, etc) but he seemed a bit resistant. Any light you can shine on this exchange will be appreciated. Guess you can start with how out of line I was....
Michelle, so glad to see you here! You, indeed, have posited a difficult question. One thing I know as a writer, you have to promote yourself because no one else will. You have to understand your product, your audience, and you must be willing to use social media to keep people apprised of the product you have to offer.
DeleteIf this individual is writing for the glory of Jesus, he can't hide the light under the bushel basket. He must speak out and spread the Good News he says he wants to share with others. Your advice to give away freebies was great. He could also create a blog or Facebook page to promote his book.
You were not out of line, Michelle, only being honest. So glad you took the time to stop by and encourage me in my writing. It means so much!
Love and blessings to you!
Thank you Martha! Indeed a relief. As an angel card reader I understand writing for the Glory of God. How could I not understand? Thanks for your lovely response. Keep writing!
DeleteHugs, Martha. I do believe you are on the right track, following your heart and your passion. I always believe if one person will benefit from our writing then it's worth it! I admire you for your faithfulness to your passion!
ReplyDeleteCorinne, you are so right - if we only touch/inspire one person, our lives and passions have not been lived in vain. I can tell from your blog that you, too, are every bit as passionate about sharing the words God compels you to convey. We will both keep keeping on, dear friend!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Martha = so many authors have written one or two books and stopped. If they had just kept going, imagine how many more best-sellers and life changing books would be out there. YOur story is encouraging for others of us who are following our dreams. Instead of focusing on the bottom line, we who are following our passion seem to be focusing on the most important one - following our heart and living in alignment to God. Regardless of who doubts or questions us, we must listen to the inner divine voice and march to our own beat. You doing so is an inspiration for all of us who read and follow your blog (and have dreams and goals of our own).
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your kind words of encouragement, Vishnu! Yes, the bottom line is following our passion to the glory of God. If He says "move," we'd best get going! :) I do hope this post will encourage many to fear not, and follow their dreams.
DeleteLove and blessings!
I think it is wonderful that you are continuing! I am currently at a halt with my writing, only producing a post sporadically. I just haven't been in the mood, and instead of pushing it...I have walked away from it because it no longer seemed fun. I hope to post more in the future. If God gives me the words, I will write them. Otherwise I will be doing other things. Reading, knitting, art, and taking a break from the internet. It is kind of a detox in a way. HA HA!
ReplyDeleteKathy, we have to go where we feel God is leading us. If it's time to do other things, so be it. :) I think you are a marvelous writer, my friend, so I hope sometime down the road, you will be called to continue that pursuit. In the meantime, have fun!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Martha you need to believe me when I write this. Off late I had reached a phase where I had started questioning my writing and my books and YOU got me the answer. It has always been the case and that is the reason why I look upto you in many ways.
ReplyDeleteWishing you all the best in your writing <3
Oh, Privy, as I read your message, I got goosebumps (or, are they 'God bumps"?)! Continue to believe in yourself, your writing, and the message God would have you share. There is not enough good news in the world, and the Lord needs people like you to put it out there to inspire others and reflect His glory.
DeleteI'm so touched by your words, my dear. Thank you!
Love and blessings!
I'm realizing that "worldly" success means little with God. Follow what He has placed on your heart. Your books may only be intended for one certain person, but that one person is worth Christ dying and it's worthy you writing your book.
ReplyDeleteMy book didn't do as well as I'd liked, but I know I wrote what God wanted me too. I trust Him to water the seeds.
You're doing good. Don't get discouraged.
I won't get discouraged, TC, as long as I know God and caring people like you are on my side. I didn't know you wrote a book! Please send me info about it so I can order it; would love to read your work!
DeleteLove and blessings!