Beyond the Last Page ~ Valerie Ronald

 

If I had known it would take over a year to birth a book from rough draft to publication, I might have thought twice about tackling the project. That is a long gestation period! Any day now I am expecting the arrival of my new baby, a devotional book titled Each Shining Moment: Lingering in God’s Light. Holding my book in my hands, gazing at its shiny cover, and flipping through its crisp, new pages will be almost as exciting for me as it was to cradle my three newborn babies. Birthing this book was not as painful but certainly as laborious.

Like a first-time parent, I am thrilled with the new arrival, yet nervous about what comes next. Fortunately, my publisher provides marketing tutorials and support for new authors. Learning how to market my book is first on my list of things to do in the next four months of 2026.

My publisher assumes my priority is to sell as many books as possible in order to bank a good volume of royalties. Actually, marketing the book is more about putting it in the hands of spiritual seekers and those who desire to grow in their Christian walk. I plan to implement some of the recommendations of my publisher, however, the marketing strategy in which I have the most confidence is to prayerfully release the book to God, who knows best where and to whom it needs to go.

“Now glory be to God, who by His mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes” (Ephesians 3:20 NLT).

Next on my list is catching up with projects left undone as I poured many hours into the book this past year. I plan to do some deep cleaning and organizing projects around the house, return to cooking and baking from scratch after too many convenience meals, and spend more time with friends and family.

Now that the book is done I can focus on other writing projects. Writing monthly posts for InScribe Writers Online, bi-monthly columns for InScribe FellowScript magazine, and monthly devotionals for our church bulletin motivates me to write frequently. I am also looking forward to writing my annual Christmas short story and some new pieces for our local writer’s group.

Of course, these plans will depend on how well my new baby (and its author) will adapt now that it is published. This book may be a quiet child, not overly adventurous, happy to stay close to home. Or it may take off running, eager to make many new friends in faraway places. I have no set expectations for the book, choosing rather to hold it with an open hand so God can do with it as He wills, using it as He sees fit.

Just as I prayed for my children, I also pray that this book birthed from my walk with God will help others in their growth towards Him. I am eager to see what its future holds. 

Valerie Ronald writes from an old roll top desk in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, with her tortoiseshell cat for a muse. A graduate of Langara College School of Journalism, she writes devotionals, fiction, and inspirational prose. Her purpose in writing is to encourage others to grow in their spiritual walk.

Fall Plans by Carol Harrison

  

   Photo by Carol Harrison

September has arrived and I watch school buses stop across the street to pick up and drop off their student passengers. Yet I no longer have any back to school routines or students leaving for school. What will September to December look like for me? As I thought about this, the calendar reminded me how quickly months are flowing by. Time to start seriously thinking about what I need to accomplish before this year finishes.

1. Attend InScribe Christian Writers' Fellowship Conference

- I have already registered and am looking forward to connecting with other writers.
- It will be a time to learn from the keynote speaker and in the workshops.
- I always find it to be a time of encouragement.

2. Write the Christmas book for the grandchildren

- Choose which topic of memories to write about this year for their Christmas gift.
- Gather the memories - likely family recipes and the stories that go with them.
- Have it ready for printing by the end of November so I can ship them where necessary.

3. Read memoir

- After attending the workshop from Siretona Creative on memoir writing, I received the homework of reading some memoirs. Thanks, Connie, for the suggestions of possible memoirs to read.
- Research for writing memoir for myself.
- Read for the enjoyment and learning someone else's story.

4. Work on exercises for writing my memoir

- Character sketches
- Settings
- Timeline of what to include and figure out what can be left out

5. Write Inscribe Blog posts each month from now until December

6. Attend the local Saskatoon Writers' Club Inc meetings once a month

- Possibly write to submit to their prose and poetry contests in November.

7. Write in my journal more regularly

- There are times I don't write in the journal for weeks at a time. This fall I plan to write at least twice a week in it if not more. I think the consistency will maybe help my writing block to slowly vanish or at least ease it a bit.

8. Organize writing files on my computer

- Right now I have duplicates saved on the computer and pieces not placed in correct files. This will be a huge project as I have not done any organizing in years. It seems like a daunting task but I think it will be good to know what I have already written, what needs editing, and what is unfinished in its present state.

The prompt suggested finding ten things we might like to accomplish, but after eight I found myself thinking the list had already grown long and some parts will take lots of hours of work like the booklet I do every Christmas for the grandchildren and children as a way to pass on memories. Fall looks like it will be full this year. Now to get busy and begin to do them. I started by downloading a memoir e-book from the library. Time to sit and immerse myself in someone else's life for a little while. At least it becomes a beginning.

Carol Harrison lives in Saskatoon, SK and spends much time reading books for enjoyment. Now she will add some research material to the mix as she begins on these eight points for spending time this fall.

 

Ten Things by Lorilee Guenter

image credit: Lorilee Guenter

September is a time to reflect on the year to date. When the girls were in school, September had more sway on our schedule and intentions then January. Now I can choose any month I want for reflection, kind of. Most classes and activities start September and January. 

This season I will/will not...

1) I will not let my activity level define my success. Sometimes being is more valuable that doing. I will take time to pause, it is good for health, especially mental health. God instructs us to pause, to rest so he can refresh us.

2) I will continue to write regularly. Every Tuesday afternoon for a couple of years I have had a writing date at a local coffee shop. Winter 2026, I stood myself up for a few months. I missed it. This summer, I had a writing partner. It's easier to keep a commitment when there are two of you. For the next year I may have a new partner, or I may have to go alone. Either way, I'm committing to myself to write regularly (and enjoying a coffee while I work). 

3) I won't let numbers define me. Metrics can consume us if we let them. The number of subscribers, likes, and comments, threatened to overwhelm and push us to do more and be more. Weight, calories consumed, calories burned, and clothes sizes can likewise shame us. 

4) I'll be teaching Sunday school again. The grade five six students often challenge me with their questions. If I arrive unprepared, they know it. Therefore, this is not a few hours on Sunday commitment. It is the time with God, time with curriculum, and time with young people who are curious, questioning and amazing to hang out with. I am looking forward to this time for the coming year. 

5) I will not leave everything for the last minute. I've been a procrastinator, working to deadlines for decades. Nothing spurs inspiration quite like a deadline. After years of waiting for the week, or day before deadline, I found many excuses to keep me scrambling. To change means relearning habits. But change needs to happen sometimes and this is one of those times. 

6) I will work to reshape my workspace and my workflow. Our house has gone from three occupants to two for the next year. Since we are living in a period of transition anyway, it seems like a good time to start adjusting what hasn't worked well. 

7) I will not overeat sweets and unhealthy snacks. Better said, "I will treat my body well by eating a healthy healthy, balanced way." Eating in a healthy balanced way challenges me to try new things. This year I've already learned that I can make the much maligned brussels sprouts in ways I enjoy. 

8) I won't be hard on myself when I fail. This might be the hardest item on the list so far. We live in a society that can be quick to judge. I've been judging myself and finding flaws for decades. We are all imperfect, works in progress. (Philippians 1:6) but we aren't condemned (John 3:17). Why then do I condemn myself? 

9) I will take necessary next steps to bring my novel from hiding on the shelf to shareable. On my "brain dump" tasks list, my novel next step has carried forward each month since April 2024. Each month I found excuses, sometimes wrapped up as "good reasons," to postpone action. This August I took one small step. I'm committed to taking another step this September. 

10) I will throw out this list if it starts to be a weight that keeps me immobilised. Sometimes lists help. Sometimes they hold us back. I don't want any list to get in the way of what God wants to do with and through me in the coming months. 

Ten things, four months, and beyond. I could add don't stress, set goals (that might cause stress), laugh, explore, be flexible. Laugh, enjoy, be flexible will keep the enjoyment in whatever comes that I can't foresee. 

Lorilee Guenter is a Saskatoon based artist and writer. Her writing stems from the many questions she finds herself pondering and from the things she observes on her wanderings. One such question is how did events she lived through become the subject of history.

Carved in Stone or Bubbles in the Bath: Do You Know the Difference? by Peggianne Wright

Photo credit: P. Wright 2026

My To Do list is virtually endless. Everything from housekeeping tasks to vet visits to writing ideas to book marketing campaigns. You could say I hold a PhD in List Making. A kind of Dr. To-Do.

"We can make our plans,

but the LORD determines our steps.

(Proverbs 16:9 NLT)

Now, list making certainly has its advantages. For folks like me born in the middle of the last century, these lists written in the old fashioned style of pen and paper, serve as a backup generator, so to speak, since the memory cells are beginning to flicker. Sure, I can remember putting shovels full of sand in my Dad's car gas tank when I was three, but I can't remember the milk we need when I get to the store.

In all honesty, I have lists of lists with sub-lists.

"But be sure that everything is

done properly and in order."

(1 Corinthians 14:40 NLT)

So, when I think about the 10 things I'll be doing in the next four month of this year ... well, my brain suddenly begins to spin like the whirly-gig atop my Grandpa's garage in a major windstorm!

Now, I could be serious and imagine how I'll get finished organizing my sewing room that has been not-so-organized for the past 11 years. Or, I could excitedly think about how I'll have my Paws to Pray website completely updated and all my blogs nicely uploaded. Yes, I can smile widely as I envision how every room of the house will sparkle after a good and thorough cleaning. I can feel the deep satisfaction already for completing that new Jen Wilkin Bible study - well, it was new in 2023.

Ha!

What I've learned as time goes by, is that some lists are carved in stone, like the Ten Commandments, and some are well, like bubbles in the bath. The trick is to know the difference.

Every January 1st for the past 4 decades I've spent an entire day creating a new, customized day planner. Hours and hours of transforming lined Blueline Miracle Bind pages into a 52-week planner; transposing all the important dates - birthdays, anniversaries, memorial dates, holidays, and much more into its pages. Using my vast collection of coloured markers and pens, I embellish the most important ones with floral designs. A special section that moves from month to month includes check lists and schedules of important events and dates relating to my writing, ministry, continuing education, and fur-kids.

The ultimate organized gal, right?

Well, we find ourselves in September now; the changing of seasons that marks a certain adjustment in tempo and focus. Various clubs and groups start afresh after a summer break, new courses are scheduled to begin, engagements that may have been postponed over the summer are now planned to proceed.

So, as I sit down in my cozy study, my three four-legged colleagues all snuggled in their "cubicles", I pull out my planner from atop my piled-high credenza and gasp when I see the page lying open. MARCH 1st to 7th, 2026! I am truly shocked to realize that this ultra-organized lady has not once in six months consulted her day planner!

The world hasn't collapsed!

Throughout the past six months, I've managed to attend every appointment on time, met my writing deadlines (by a hair in some cases), and commemorated special occasions of every description. Somehow, by God's grace, I have continued to function and meet responsibilities without the rigid structure I believed I needed to stay organized.

What does all this boil down to? Well, I believe that through this time, God's been leading me to hold loosely the expectations and commitments I feel obligated to meet. He's quietly taught me to subconsciously assess the importance and value of all those day planner entries that weighed me down with worry and anxiety. He's given me discernment to recognize which ones were truly important.

Maybe I'm especially fortunate; no - I am INDEED especially fortunate! God has blessed me with this comfortable retirement after a stressful four decade career in business. At this juncture, He's reminding me that To Do lists and schedules don't always need to be strictly adhered to.

The next four months of this year will be busy for me. "With Ardent Strength", the third in a series of four Advent devotional books will be finalized for release, devotionals for monthly publications will be written, updates and renovations to my website will be undertaken, preparations for Christmas markets will be organized, marketing strategies will be planned and created, all in addition to the everyday, mundane tasks of running a household and raising three fur-kids.

So, while I know that my To Do list is brimming and my schedule is filling quickly, with God's guidance, I will set my 65-year-old nose to the grindstone and tackle the projects and tasks with eager enthusiasm and yet, using the wisdom and insight I've been blessed with, and continue making my lists of lists, with their sub-lists. Just In Case!

"Commit your actions to the LORD,

and your plans will succeed."

(Proverbs 16:3 NLT)

Peggianne Wright is a published author and is the founder of the pet parent ministry Paws To Pray, blending her passion for the Lord and all-things-K9 to form this unique, faith-based community. Peggianne is an ardent Bible study student, devoted dog mom, wife of 44 years, and lover of music. Her blogs Spiritual Scribbles and Fur-Kid Fanatics can be found on her website www.PawsToPray.ca and you can follow her on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PawsToPray/ and on IG @Sister_In_Prayer.