Another season in life. I have become a bonafide author. I thought I had conquered the world when my book was finished and I hit the button on Lulu.Com to publish my first novel. Then the work began. Marketing and selling the book.

Everyone who reads Spirit of the Red Candle, journal of Mary Magdalene tells me they couldn’t put it down and didn’t want it to be over. That’s good news, but the other side of the coin is this, they felt like all the questions weren’t answered. They were answered in the last seven chapters which I moved into the next book. When I got to the one point in the book, I had 59,000 words, perfect for a novel, and it felt like that it was the end of the book.

I had already finished the last seven chapters but the Holy Spirit nudged me that it was finished. I stopped there. When a friend said to me, “Of course you were planning to write another book, it’s got too many unanswered questions.” It hit me, by listening to the Holy Spirit, I was in the long haul for another book.

Everyone has asked, “When will the next book be written?” That’s good, but for me I am an artist. I had a mandate to write that first book. Now the need to write another book is necessary to finish the job. After that, who knows. I think the Holy Spirit tricked me, so to speak. I was finished, but then I realized I wasn’t finished. I was a little miffed for a couple of weeks, I had laid down my life for the first book and I didn’t know if I wanted to write another one. But then it seemed obvious that I needed to finish the task at hand.

Juggling the artist and writer in me is difficult. It’s like a mother and wife working full time out of the house. Something always lags. You can’t be on task for both. Right now my art is on the back burner. Al keeps telling me I need to be painting and forego the computer for a while. I can’t. I am now building up speed to get this first book on the market. As a self-publisher, you have to do it all. Writing is a small things to the big picture.

I am about to venture on “The Big Idea” which Mikey my coach is launching for the first book. That takes more time. I also called the series “The Scarlet Triangle”. In the beginning I knew I had at least three stories in this series. Writing is hard work. Anyone who is venturing on writing a novel and you don’t know what you are doing, take heed. Pray and get the mind of Christ before you start. You will need the faith and the work ethics to finish the book.

Seasoned writers pump them out like I do with my art. To paint a painting is no sweat, but to write a book, takes everything I got. As I wrote down the first sixteen pages, and the characters began to develop, I was already hooked on the next book. I believe it will be better than the first. And, I was astounded how well I did on the first book. I didn’t know it was in me.

Those hidden gifts are in us, we are disposed to be faithful to what has been invested in us. My goal is stretching forth to the High calling of God in Christ Jesus. Whatever He asks, we must do.