I started my day by responding to reader emails, and when I came across this one, I knew I would share it on my blog. As you probably know, novelists spend a great deal of time holed away with their computers, living out their stories in their heads. There isn't a lot of interaction with other real, live people when we're working because we need to "stay in the moment." So when we hear from a reader who lets us know that we succeeded in some way, it's an encouragement to persevere with the next story.
First, I wanted to say thank you for letting God use you! Thank you for being humble enough to admit that you had gotten off the path, but God led you back. Thank you for your refreshing novels. I've been reading Inspirational Christian fiction for a while, but I know it had to be God that led me to pick up one of your books from the library.
What I liked about your book and your books since then is that as I read, my love doesn't just grow in a romantic way. I leave with a deeper love for God. It's like your books deepen our love intimacy with the Father while at the same time lifting our faith for the God-type of love between a woman and man. That's what I like. I leave with a freshness instead of like I just read a book with an inspirational label but still full of mess that brings me down or just covering the romantic love between a man and a woman.
Thank you!
I'm running behind on my current WIP. I should have at least another 30,000 more words written by this time than I do. Getting an email like this one is like a soft, loving kick in the behind to write on, praying all the while that God will use this story to touch other readers' hearts after it's published.
And so I'd best get back to the writing. Cleo is just about to say something important to Sherwood.
-rlh-
