My First Book by Steph Beth Nickel

 

Not That First Book

When I read the prompt for this month's posts, "tell us about your first book," I, like many writers, thought of my first (and as of yet, only) published book.

But then I thought, "No, the first book that I shared with others goes back many, many, many, many years."

When I was in school... (I can't remember if it was elementary or secondary school.) Way back then, one of our assignments was to write, illustrate, and produce a board book for young children.

I can still remember how I felt when my book was chosen as one to be displayed in our school library. It still brings a smile to my face decades later.

Books & I Go W-a-y Back

My mom loved books. Although my dad didn't read as much, he, too, was a reader.

It's no wonder I can remember many of the books I read as a child and some that my mom read to me.

Each Christmas my mom would read The First Noel and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to me. I'm sure she read many others throughout the year, but I remember those two distinctly.

P. D. Eastman books, such as Go, Dog. Go!, Sam and the Firefly, and Are You My Mother were among my favourites. They were part of the "I Can Read It All By Myself" series, published by Dr. Seuss. I also had several more books in the series.

And like many young girls, I read a plethora of Nancy Drew books. This is where I first learned about including cliffhangers at the end of a chapter. It was also where I picked up the just-one-more-chapter philosophy of reading.

As the Years Went By

Reading (and writing) remained an important part of my life until, ironically, I attended Bible College. Because our Required Reading List was so long, it was over a year and a half after I left college that I picked up a book just for the sheer pleasure of doing so.

Over the years, I've written several articles; dozens of blog posts, poems, and devotionals; a number of unpublished picture book manuscripts; and at least a couple of partially finished fiction manuscripts. Additionally, I coauthored Paralympian Deb Willows' first memoir, Living Beyond My Circumstances. We are currently working on a follow-up volume, tentatively titled Keep Looking Up.

Currently, I post to Substack one to two times per week. On Mondays, I publish a chapter of the YA (young adult) manuscript I'm working on, and on Fridays, I post devotionals based on the gospel of John that I originally wrote for HopeStreamRadio.

From Board Books to...

While some writers "stay in their lane," this isn't in my nature. And that's okay.

Do I plan to publish my YA novel and a selection of the devotionals I've written? I do.

Would I like to publish some children's books? I would.

Will I continue to write blog posts and other short pieces? I would imagine so.

Whatever I end up writing and putting out into the world, it had its foundation in a little purple board book displayed in a country school library way back when.

Steph Beth Nickel is the former Editor of FellowScript and the current InScribe Contest Coordinator. Steph is an editor and author and plans to relocate to Saskatchewan from Ontario to be close to family in 2027, Lord willing. (Headshot Photo Credit: Jaime Mellor Photography)

An Interview about a First Book by Sandi Somers

 

Interviewer: Greetings, everyone. Today we have a special guest, Sandra K. Somers, commonly known as Sandi, to talk about her first published book, Divine Encounters: 21 Stories of God’s Miraculous Ways. 

INT: The title sounds intriguing. Tell us what the book is about.

SKS: These personal stories illustrate how God often comes to us in ways that surprise and inspire us. Then I follow each narrative with a meditation, reflection questions to journal, and a prayer.

INT: The dramatist Jennifer Lee said, "Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire." What set you on fire to write this book?

SKS: While living in Colombia, South America, I read how Paul Freed developed his Trans World Radio in the late 1950s and early 60s—a station I listened to—and how God provided $500,000 in six months to set up a station in Monte Carlo, Europe ($5 million in today’s exchange rate!). Amazing! I realized God could do so much more in my life than small requests that I had made—and I began to seek God’s abundance. From there, I wrote to encourage readers to invite the Lord into their situations and believe He could do more, so much more for them.

INT: People are always fascinated by where authors get their ideas. How did your inspiration come about?

SKS: I was in Edmonton visiting a friend and a cousin, and in between I visited the Conservatories. While enjoying the different plant environments, ideas began bubbling up, and so I listed a number of new stories/devos and some shorter versions which had been published in devotional books.

INT: I’m fascinated to know why you chose 21 stories? Not 31 nor 51…

SKS: I began aiming for 75, but in drafting I ran out of ideas by about #60 and couldn’t discover more. A coach advised me to break down the project into a more manageable size—about 21 stories per book. It was a much better process and enabled me to work within a tighter theme.

INT: Yes, we often have to adapt our plans. What other challenges or difficulties arose while writing this book?

SKS: After the stories and devos were written and edited, I had the more tedious task of reviewing and rereading each story, cross-checking for appropriate and duplicate Scriptures—and I stalled. The Lord had to nudge me to quit procrastinating.

INT: God sometimes has to prompt us to keep us following His plans. Now in contrast, what positive things did you learn about the writing process?

Mostly I was so aware of how God brings people into my life when needs arise. Feedback from my local InScribe writers’ group members was invaluable as they critiqued articles, then became beta readers and editors—and even a formatter and publisher! I gained new appreciation for their own gifts and talents.  

INT: In what ways did writing change you? What surprised you most?

SKS: I had two major “Aha” moments. One was to pay attention to moments where God is active. In one story, I write about how a friend told me she was praying for me at the exact time I needed help. If I hadn’t paid attention to the connection, I might have just said, “Thanks for praying.”

The second major discovery was that we have a creative God. Several stories point to how He sometimes answers our requests in ways we can’t imagine.

INT: Do you have plans for writing another book?

SKS: Actually, I have plans for several more, and I’ve asked the Lord to help me finish what I believe He’s calling me to write.

I’m deep into my second book, The Obstacle Is the Way: 21 Stories of Meeting Life’s Challenges. The writing is going much faster this time.

INT: Tell me more. What is making the difference?

SKS: With Diving Encounters taking so long, I’m learning to give myself a deadline to complete it. Yet I know that in summer months my writing slows down because I’m busier with outside activities, visiting others, and travelling. I also decided to give myself extra breathing room in case health, family issues, or other emergencies demand my time and energy. I’ve had to move my deadline to mid-September.

Another process is to combine the creative work of writing and editing with the more tedious tasks of checking Scriptures that apply, choosing the front and back matter, and developing the introduction as I go along. This synthesis has really helped to speed things up!

INT: There’s such an emphasis on marketing these days. Tell me how you’re getting your work into the public.

I’ll admit it is a challenge. Yet the morning after my book went live on Amazon, the Lord gave me a special verse: "As thou goest, step by step, I will open up the way before thee" (paraphrase of Proverbs 4:12 NKJV). God has given me ideas and opportunities.

INT: This has been an enlightening conversation, Sandra/Sandi. What advice can you give your readers?

SKS: God has great plans for you and gives you a vision of what He wants you to write.  Thank God for that vision and work towards unleashing your dreams.

But more: pray into that vision. Invest deeply in your spiritual life, Scripture reading, and prayer to receive His wisdom and words.

 And finally, I’m reminded of the Lord’s promise: “God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns (Philippians 1:6 NLT).

The Lord knows how many books we can write, and I have confidence that He will complete His purposes for all of us.

INT: Thank you for this interview, Sandra/Sandi. I look forward to reading your second and future books as they are published. 

Sandi Somers’ writing passion is to help readers grow their faith in Jesus, including their vision of what God wants them to be and do. She writes of her love of nature, gardening, travel, and family in several genres—devotionals, personal essays, and Biblical fiction. Sandi lives in Calgary, Alberta, the delightful city between the Rocky Mountains and the Prairies.

Book of a Lifetime ~ Valerie Ronald

 

I remember the smell and feel of the new school scribbler on the desk in my childhood bedroom. Within its blue cover, blank pages waited to receive my first attempt at writing a book. I was eight years old. Now that I could read and print, I was eager to record the story swirling around in my head. Determined to fill the notebook, I laboured with my limited vocabulary to describe scenes of a log cabin and the family living in it, especially a girl just my age. My stubby pencil hardly kept up with her adventures pouring out of my mind. The notebook was never filled as my focus moved on to some other childhood interest, but I remember the excitement of creating a whole world from my imagination. 

Throughout my school years and post secondary education in journalism, writing was my passion. I planned to make it my career and hoped someday to publish a book. I worked for a few years in my chosen field but too soon marriage and a growing family took over. I barely had time or energy to journal occasionally, never mind write a book.

Fast forward fifty years and finally the dream is becoming a reality. My first book will soon be launched. Each Shining Moment is a devotional compilation of my many moments of lingering in God’s light. They comprise a lifetime of experiences and lessons gleaned from my walk with God and time in His Word. But it is not the book I thought I would write when I first dreamed of being published so many years ago. I imagined a work of fiction with exciting characters, vivid settings, and a riveting plot. God was not included in the story then.

It wasn’t until life became hard that I knew I needed to include God. I struggled in a painful marriage, raising my children alone while my husband pursued his own adventures, eventually abandoning his family. Then came a time of clinging to God through the deep valley of a cancer diagnosis and an uncertain future. I am so thankful God renewed my health and brought me to a place of peace and blessing, giving me an opportunity to finally write a book.

Now I realize that the book I was meant to write needed to rise from the ashes of adversity so others could hopefully identify and learn from what God taught me. Looking back over the deep truths God instilled in me in those hard places, I see His perfect timing and wisdom in having me wait until my senior years to write this book.

It is not about me. It is all about Him. 

"Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him: Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips."  Hosea 14:2 NIV
 

 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. 

The Power of Words by Carol Harrison

 
We know the power of words. They can encourage or defeat us; tear down or build up. My writing journey towards my first book includes both.

As a child and teen, I enjoyed reading and writing but never thought beyond short stories, paragraphs, and school reports. I enjoyed the research and creativity. In grade 12, the teacher asked us to write a short story. I wrote one called, “The Rebel” and worked hard on edits and more edits. I typed it out and handed it in, pleased with the result. My paper came back with very few red marks on it and a very good mark. Yet the teacher had written one sentence at the bottom, “unrealistic point of view.” That one comment negated the great mark on the front of the paper, at least in my mind.

The next year in first year English at university, the first report I handed in came back with a failing grade. I made arrangements to chat with the professor and find out what I did wrong and how I could improve.

His answer, “You’re in university. You should know!”

Those two incidents made me believe I couldn’t write. I decided to stuff my love of writing deep down inside and tell no one about it. I’d hand in assignments done to the best of my ability and that’s it. I didn’t even want to journal. But I did continue to read and enjoy other peoples’ writing.

Decades later, my husband, Brian, told me, “You should write Amee’s story.”

My response came quick and firm, “I can’t write!”

He continued to ask, nag, cajole. The word I used to describe his encouragement depended on how I felt at that moment. I kept insisting I couldn’t write. I didn’t know how. I’d never told him why I believed that. He didn’t believe in my lack of ability and continued to try and encourage me.

 
More time passed and I gave in and began but deleted just as many times. Then Amee began begging me to write her story so people would understand about her and that God works in our lives. Now I had two people encouraging me to write.

 
I began to sort through reports and daytimers and any place I had information on the journey we’d been on. I researched and reminisced. I organized chronologically. Then I began to write a memoir once again. I got bogged down and discouraged.

 
My friend told me about a one-day writers’ conference in Saskatoon. My response, “It wouldn’t be for me. I’m not a writer.”

Her reply, “It says it’s for everyone.”

With her encouragement and Brian’s as well, I moved outside my comfort zone and went. That day I learned lots from the presenters and met so many wonderful people. Encouragers. Presenters. Published authors. I heard about a monthly meeting of Christian writers in the city and finally became brave enough to attend a meeting. Eventually I allowed myself to be vulnerable and read what I had begun. I asked for help because I felt stuck.

 
A published author who attended asked if I really wanted an honest critique. I agreed I needed that. She said, “If this is to go beyond family, cut this and this and start here. Then she walked away.

 
On the way home, after fussing a bit about her answer, I decided to start a new word document and begin where she suggested. If I didn’t like it, I could revert to my original draft. It worked. I became unstuck and the words began to flow. Finally, I had a finished manuscript ready for multiple rounds of edits.

My first book, Amee’s Story was published in January of 2010. God has used it to touch many people over the years. The writing continued since then as well. It felt like floodgates had been opened. I’m grateful for the writers of InScribe who have helped and encouraged me in my journey and shown me the power of encouraging words.

Carol Harrison has written a variety of things since publishing that first book in 2010 from her home in Saskatoon. She appreciates learning first hand the power of words and welcomes the encouraging ones to offset those we find ourselves believing that are discouraging.