This May I learned Heart of a Bowman was selected as a finalist in the Faith Hope and Love Reader’s Choice Awards. I didn’t even bother to check the list as I didn’t expect to final, but a friend and best-selling author checked her result and saw my name. I was so surprised! The Faith Hope and Love Reader’s Choice Award is a huge contest. Needles to say, I was honored and so grateful for the exposure this would bring my debut novel. Then I began to consider the title of the award. Faith, Hope, and Love.

As I meditated on those attributes, I marveled at the relevance in using them to entitle a literary award as they are central to the writing journey. I began writing a few years ago, with the goal of publication, and every day since has been steeped in one or all of faith, hope, and love.

Faith. Since beginning my writing journey, I have needed to continually trust the Lord and put my faith in Him. Why would writing require faith, you may ask? I have spent countless hours weaving the story together, revising, and editing. I attended a writing conference and was advised to begin posting on social media. I wouldn’t get published without a social media platform. This required more effort, more creativity, but mainly, more time. I worked the equivalent of a full-time job without compensation, fueled only by the faith that God would bless my desire to echo His gospel message, and one day, bring a contract. Faith has been defined as trusting what you cannot see. This sentiment perfectly summarizes the writing journey. Writers trust their efforts won’t be wasted. They work tirelessly, answering a call from the Lord, fueled by faith that He will work a miracle.

Hope. Hope powered my faith. Hope brought joy during the late nights. Hope spurred me on to perseverance when the first rejection emails came. In what had I placed my hope? That’s simple. My hope was in the Lord. I trusted that God is good and sovereign over all. I trusted His call on my life to use my imagination for His glory. I trusted that He who began a good work in me, this story of self-sacrifice and perseverance, would be faithful to complete it. The odds were NOT in my favor. Only a fraction of a percent of novels ever receive a traditional publishing contract. Most never see the light of day. But I trust in a great God. He can do all things. And so, every day, I dared to hope.

Love. Love is the great motivator. Love is the foundation of my writing and at the heart of every story. What love exactly? God’s love. A perfect love that would see the Lord sacrifice His only Son to atone for our sin. An unstoppable love that triumphed over the grave and set us free from our bondage to death. Experiencing God’s love first-hand inspires me to share the gospel through my novels in a way that is accessible by all who read them. I strive to echo that message of love. I endeavor to paint a vivid picture of sacrificial, unconditional love in colors borrowed from the Bible. And God has birthed in me a love of writing, a love for my characters, a love of the power of story to appeal to the hardest heart. I genuinely love every moment I’m lost in the worlds I craft with the people I create. And I genuinely hope you love them too and that they deepen your faith in our amazing savior.