Hello! I have some great news! Last fall, I wrote a children’s book based on Seated with Christ about a little girl who can’t find a seat in the lunchroom. We follow her journey to discover she’s already seated at the best table with Jesus!
I showed my agent and publisher this book–called This Seat’s Saved–and guess what? This morning I signed a publishing contract for my very first novel (technically it’s a called a middle grade novel since it’s for 8-11 year-olds). If you’ve been with me here at Live with Flair since March 2010, you probably know I’ve always wanted to be a fiction writer. Some of you reading this remember when I tried to sell a Southern fiction series and then a quirky adult contemporary novel. I’ve been reading rejections for those novels forever!
God had other plans for me. I never set out to write Christian nonfiction. But here I am. And today? What a winding, wonderful journey to see an old dream revived. Because I wrote Seated with Christ, God opened a great door to write fiction based on Ephesians 2:6.
This Seat’s Saved will come out in 2023, so I’ll keep you posted. This book features some extraordinary stories from my own middle school life–like when my dad and I tracked a red fox in my backyard for a science project that won a prize. So yes, a red fox appears as an important character. It’s also set in the Pennsylvania woods which I have come to deeply treasure since I moved here back in 2008. I cannot wait for you to read this book and share it with the rising middle schoolers in your life.
God doesn’t forget about our dreams. He knows exactly when things should happen and why. Remember that God “holds in His hands your life and all your ways” (Daniel 5:23). Remember that He “formed the hearts of all and considers everything they do” (Psalm 33:15). And remember to trust His perfect timing. That’s what I’m learning most of all.
I love the quote from the poet Lemon Andersen who says:
“God may not come when you call, but He’s always on time.”