Finding Joy

Too many people try to find their joy in worldly things: circumstances, possessions, pleasures, etc. However, it doesn't work. They might experience temporary happiness,  but it doesn't last for long. When it vanishes, some people want to blame their situation or others for causing unhappiness, but seeking superficial happy moments is no substitute for true joy.

Permanent joy can be had, but only in God and by having a close, personal relationship with Him. The Lord wants us to walk in the fullness of life with Him. Relying on Him and surrendering to His guidance for everything frees us to experience true joy despite what circumstances might come our way.

This is what Paul meant when he said, "... for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:" (See Philippians 4:10). When God becomes the most important part of our lives, far above everything else, we find lasting joy because we can always have Him. He promises never to leave us. 

____________________________

fin

 The Suffrage Spinsters

The Suffrage Spinsters is a new multiple-author series that runs from November 2022 through December 2023. Ingrid's Intention just published on April 18th, and it's the thirteenth book in the 27-book series. This is an interesting series about strong, heroic women whose lives were tied up in the suffrage movement between 1848 and 1890. Many of them had decided never to marry, but then it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind. Right? Or perhaps someone or something unexpectedly changes it for her

Link to Ingrid's Intention

I'll have four books in this series. Here is a sneak peek and cover reveal. Bretta's Business will publish on September 19th of this year. It is about a woman who owns her own construction business in Wyoming in 1886 but is discriminated against because of it. I just finished the rough draft and will start writing on Annette's Assignment next. It will have a strong mystery element to the plot and will release on October 16th. The last one will be Tessa's Time, publishing on December 26th. It's about a writer who works for women's rights and the musician who doesn't think she has time for him. I'll be posting more about these last books at a later date.

The Audible version of Ingrid's Intention is already out. E.J. Lavery, the producer who did such a great job on Aida: Runaway Brides of the West, agreed to narrate one final book for me. Regrettably, she won't be the lead female narrator for any more of my books. So, I'll be looking for someone else to produce the last three of my books in this series, but the possibilities are exciting.

_______________________________

 Dying to Self to Live Anew

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit (John 12: 24).

It's planting season, and as any farmer knows, one plant can bear much fruit, and yet it comes from a single seed. A corn seed sprouts to grow into a corn stalk with several ears of corn and many seeds. A bean vine produces many bean pods. One tomato plant will yield an abundance of tomatoes; and plants, like cucumbers and squash, are really prolific. But to have this new fruit, the seed must first die in order to bring forth new life.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

We must do the same. To accept God's gift of salvation through grace, we must accept Christ into our life, dying to our old selves and being born anew in Him. This is what baptism symbolizes. Christ served as our sacrifice on the cross and died in our place so that we might live a new life and have a close, intimate relationship with Holy God. Then when we die physically, we will live forever with our Lord.

Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous (1 Peter 3:8).

But dying to self needs to follow us throughout our Christian life. Selfishness is what breaks up marriages, pulls people into crime, dirties politics, and is responsible for most of the ills of the world. We, humans, have a tendency to put ourselves first, to seek our own will and pleasures, and to think more highly of ourselves than anyone else. We like to think we deserve to be revered, have people cater to us, and get whatever we want. Nothing could be farther from the truth. We need to smother these selfish tendencies and die to self over and over again. The Holy Spirit is there to help us, but first, we must recognize the need.

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even this; THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF (Galatians 5:14).

_____________________________________

Hard at Work

Since I'm publishing sixteen books in 2023, you can usually find me in front of my computer. All sixteen of the novels are multiple-author projects, so they are firm commitments with deadlines. I have developed a schedule that seems to be working for me. I write hard for about three weeks, give or take a few days in either direction, and then I take a week off to edit the last rough draft I wrote and get caught up with some other things. Right now, I'm writing on September's book.

At the same time, I must promote and market the books as well. Getting the word out is important. I make sure I advertise when a book goes on preorder and when it's published. I also do author takeovers in some Facebook groups and participate in other events as opportunities arise. In addition, I work with narrators to produce an Audible version for each book. I basically find myself working from twelve to fourteen hours a day most of the time with brief breaks for cooking and other household tasks. I'm blessed to have a housekeeper twice a month, so I don't have to do the heavy cleaning.

This may sound like a grueling routine, and in some ways, it is. But I love writing, feel called to do it, and find it satisfying. However, I don't plan to ever publish this many books in any one year again. In 2024 I have nine books already scheduled and eight in 2025. Now if no other MAPs come along that I just can't refuse. (Can you imagine me smiling at myself.)

😊

______________________________

Just One

As we know, twelve disciples were close to Jesus, and of those twelve, three were special: John, James, and Peter. Those three were with Him on the Mount of Transfiguration and in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His arrest.

All of Jesus' disciples deserted Him at some point after He was arrested, except John. John stayed as close to Jesus as he could throughout the whole ordeal. He was there at the cross, and Jesus asked him to take care of Mary, Jesus' mother. John was also the first disciple to go into the deserted tomb after the women had visited. Peter followed him.

After Jesus' death, John preached the gospel, spread the word about Jesus, and wrote letters to encourage new converts. Throughout much oppression, he remained strong in his faith. He was the only one of the twelve to die of old age and not face an earlier death, many times as a martyr.

Too often, we think we're only one person and can't make a difference. John's life proves this sentiment false. Although only one person, he helped change the world, making a difference in the lives of many people as well as Jesus'. The Bible is full of such people. We can do this, too, when we follow Jesus in love and understanding the way John did.

_____________________________

Kindle Unlimited

I  was somewhat skeptical when Kindle Unlimited was first introduced, so I kept a watch on it for a while. It bothered me that I only got a little over a third of a cent for each page read in the KU program, which was less than I made for a Kindle book that sold for $2.99 and much less than my paperbacks. 

After watching it for a few months, however, I decided to give it a try. At first, I wasn't impressed with the sales, and, looking back, I think it did take the program a little time to grow and catch on. Now, I'm astounded by its success. What it loses in pay per pages read, it makes up for in volume of sales. KU is where you'll find all the avid readers because subscribing to the program costs them less than buying all the books they read.

Now, all my books are enrolled in the KU program. In the last month, 82% of my total sales came from KU, 15% from Kindle ebooks, and 3% from paperbacks, and this is typical. My initial impression of KU has been proven wrong, and my enrollment in the program has certainly paid off.

____________________________

 

The Greater Plan

Christ didn't have to be arrested, tried, and go to the cross, but He willingly did so. He could have just spoken, and people would have been forced to accept Him as their Savior, but that wasn't the Father's will. God has always wanted people to choose Him of their own free will. He didn't create us to be His puppets.

Then Christ could have orchestrated it so that He would be found innocent at all His trials. Instead, He didn't even try to come to His own defense and said very little to refute the accusations. He was determined to follow His Father's will and knew what was at stake here -- the souls of all mankind.

He could have summoned legions of warrior angels to come to His rescue and annihilated the Jewish leaders who plotted against Him and the Roman army, but His love for us was too great to do that and leave us without a way to be with Him in eternity. So, He went to the cross and died an agonizing death for us. However, that didn't end the story for he arose. He defeated death and made a way for us. Hallelujah!

___________________________

 Volume Counts

The more books I publish, the more my royalties have grown. This has happened at an exponent rate. Now that I have fifty-five books on Amazon, the amount has grown much more than fifty-five times the amount of my first book. I have picked up more readers, increased my exposure, and multiplied my fan base.

What most narrators don't understand is that this is true for them too. The key to making money by producing royalty-share audible books (where the author and the narrator share the royalties) is to produce as many as possible. Even though not that much money comes in quickly from any one book, over time, the monthly sales mount so that they can make a good living. And over enough time, they will probably make a respectable amount from any one book.

I've had a number of narrators stop producing my books because they decided they no longer wanted to do royalty share. (Because all my profits go to a scholarship fund for missionary children, I only do royalty share.) They had a narrow vision and weren't looking at the big picture. However, I have one producer who has narrated over 150 Amazon Audible books, and she does very well. Over the months and years, her monthly income has risen and multiplied. She is also getting more exposure and may come to the attention of audio companies that produce for major authors.

So, volume is the key to more sales for the author and the narrator. If you love to do it, you'll have lots of fun along the way. And if you don't enjoy doing it, please don't start in the first place. Your passion for what you do will come across in your work.

____________________________