“You Should Write a Book”

“You should write a book.” I’ve heard this a lot over the years. My soul pings with joy every time I do. But what should I write? My notebooks are filled with starts and stops of all kinds – love stories, how-tos, devotionals. I’ve wasted so much time trying to find the genre where my writing “fits” and then going from there, attempting to scrunch a Heather-shaped manuscript into a non-Heather-shaped publishing world.

Things changed this year. Instead of writing with my head, I decided to write with my heart. I have longed to share the story of my childhood for years. It’s a story of tenderness, of grief, of poverty, of exclusion, but ultimately, of hope. The characters are flawed and funny and beautiful in their humanity. I love them dearly.

So, I went and wrote it, my friends. I’m proud to say I wrote that book.

The stories are true and sometimes you are a part of them in small ways. “Am I in this book?” you may ask, and the answer is, yes, your essence is. A few friends and relatives make cameos under pseudonyms and are always the heroes, never the villains. In fact, there are no villains in my book except systemic ones.

If you grew up poor, if you love ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia, if you love Knoxville, if you lost a parent, if you ever felt ignored or unloved by the church but still tried to love Jesus, or never loved Jesus at all, I think this book will resonate with you.

I have a title selected and plans to go from here, but all I know right now is that my book will be released in 2023.

Thank you for every bit of encouragement along the way. The time for celebration is almost upon us.

Love,
Heather