I received my call as a writer in 2017, though I had been writing articles on homeschooling for a decade. In my daughter’s last years, God said to me, your voice will change and, sure enough, homeschooling wasn’t a topic I was interested in anymore. In 2017, God gave me ideas for children’s books, which I am presently working on. I brainstormed some other ideas for books that have not seen the light of day. Not yet anyway. In 2023, I came across Shelley’s & CJ’s writing school- Christian Book Academy. At the time I was kind of spinning my wheels, not sure how to publish a book, let alone what to write. God then chimed in, “Community — that is what you are lacking.” I was trying to navigate the waters of being a writer alone. So I took God’s advice, and I sure am happy I did. I did not know that almost two years after joining Christian Book Academy that I would have my first published book, A Case of Mistaken Identity, the first of many.
The Opportunity For A Case of Mistaken Identity
Now I just lacked the opportunity, a challenge per se. In September 2024, Christian Book Academy presented one. I enthusiastically accepted. I signed up for the “Procrastination to Publication” class. A challenge to publish a short Kindle book in three months with weekly lessons along the way. Lessons covering every step of the self-publishing process, from the idea to publishing a short Kindle book. Now the instructions were presented to me, but I wasn’t sure what to write about.
The Idea For A Case of Mistaken Identity
At first I was going to work on my parents’ book, Maintaining Balance With a Power of Attorney, but being it’s a two-set book, it seemed overwhelming. I really need to make my way back to that project, especially since people have asked me about that book. There’s a need for the knowledge I acquired as a power of Attorney for my parents. So, with that said, I still needed to come up with an idea. I was in the middle of brainstorming ideas when God brought to my mind The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel. My thinking at the time was I don’t have time to read a book. I am writing a book. I did some research and found a movie based on the book. Which birthed the idea to write a court case type book along with the inspiration of Journey Through Proverbs by David Cook, I had my characters. My characters are straight out of the Bible, the book of Proverbs to be exact. The characters are metaphors, a symbol of what they represent in their purest form. So now I had my idea.
Publication of A Case of Mistaken Identity
I published A Case of Mistaken Identity on November 29, 2024. In God’s words, the first of many. Since then I have published three books: Penned with Purpose, Getting Unstuck: A Guide to Self Publishing, and recently Deep Calleth to Deep. I am very thankful for Christian Book Academy and for the class that Shelley offered, Procrastination to Publication. I feel we can all relate to feeling unworthy of God’s grace, either from our past or from the court of public opinion. God does not look at our past or the court of public opinion when he calls us into our calling. All he needs is a yes then he does the rest!
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee a prophet unto the nations. Jeremiah 1:5 KJV
A Call to Action
Have you ever felt called to share a story?
Resources for A Case of Mistaken Identity, The First of Many
Christian Book Academy (Affiliate link)
The Inner Circle with Shelley Hitz
Similar format to the Procrastination to Publication but improved on.
Recommended Reading
Buy your copy of A Case of Mistaken Identity
The Balance Between Life and Death
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