Back in 2010, I launched my first ever website, an unassuming blog I called “A Bundle of Contradictions.”
I gave it that name for two reasons:
1) Anne Frank had a profound influence on me as a young writer, and she once used that phrase to refer to herself in a diary entry,
and
2) I, with my passionate interest in everything from oceanography to knitting, gothic literature to soteriology, ancient history to Edwardian fashion, felt that I, too, could not be summed up as any one particular thing.
Eventually, that phrase disappeared from my website, but it remains an accurate description of how I feel about myself as a woman, mother, and writer. It’s why I’ve often struggled to find my lane, so to speak. I write both fiction and nonfiction. I’m a happy, healthy mother of two, and I have a mental illness. I love my distressed jeans and Doc Marten dupes, but feel most like myself in a long, vintage dress.
Like you, like all of us, I’m a lot of things at once.
So when I started writing another O.C.D. Mail back in October, I realized that in my effort to advocate for mental health, I had made mental illness my entire “brand.” And I was no longer interested in centering the conversation here, or anywhere else, around that. It’s obviously still a big part of who I am and what I write about, but it’s not The Thing (that would be Jesus), and I felt it was time for that advocacy to find a proper place on the shelf among the other things I love to share: writing and publishing, motherhood, and love (and frustrations with) the Church.
The Nook was born from this effort. The idea behind this updated newsletter is to create a digital place to cozy up with a coffee and dig into whatever we pull from the shelf. Instead of a bi-weekly email, free subscribers will now be receiving The Nook just once a month, on the first day of the month. You can expect more in-depth essays, streamlined and creative links, and brand new resources that you will have access to before anyone else. (More on that in a sec!)
The Nook is meant to be a gathering place for anyone, but especially writers and readers of faith, which is why I have also shifted the platform to Substack, another change you might have already noticed. This change gives us a chance to interact as a community, and that’s ultimately my goal as a creator. After all, what fun is making something if you don’t really get to share it with people?
As I learn, this space will continue to evolve. That’s the hope. But my bigger hope is that The Nook will be a place you want to be, a place that serves you with words of encouragement, resources that support, and stories that delight.
If you’re staying for a little while and have enjoyed my work in the past — be it books, the podcast, or something else — I’d love for you to become a paying subscriber. For less than the price of an oat milk latte a month, your support means more of those resources find their way into the world. It’s a small way to make a big impact, and it goes a long way for independent artists like me who want to continue creating good things.
Here’s what you can expect for each subscription level:
Free (that’s all of you right now!): Access to occasional public posts that will be delivered straight to your email each month
Monthly ($5): Access to all posts, plus additional essays from me and guest writers, access to community discussions and comments, and discounts on new releases, like ebooks
Annual ($30): Same as Monthly subscribers with a 50% discount on the total price
Founding Members (Suggested $50, but any price above $30): All of the above, plus free copies of newly released resources and ebooks
Regardless of how you choose to show up at The Nook, my friend, please know I am so thankful you’re here.
Make yourself at home.
Introducing: The Beginner’s Guide to Getting Published
Speaking of ebooks…
I’m thrilled to announce that on January 1, 2023 I’ll be releasing a brand new resource titled The Beginner’s Guide to Getting Published!
Sneak peek of the cover below 👇🏻
This ebook was inspired by my work with other writers over the years, helping to guide them as they started on their own publishing journeys. It has always been one of my favorite things to do, and now I’ve gathered much of what I’ve learned in over a decade of professional writing and publishing experience into one simple, affordable ebook for you.
In The Beginner’s Guide to Getting Published, you’ll learn
The differences between traditional, self, and hybrid publishing, plus pros and cons of each
How to submit for fiction vs nonfiction
How to write a stellar query letter (plus a sample!)
How to craft a book proposal that sells
Five crucial lessons I learned on my own publishing journey
How to keep moving forward after rejection
A list of my favorite resources to support you
All of this will be available for just $10, AND for Founding Members it will be absolutely free!
Paying subscribers will receive a first look at the content in The Beginner’s Guide to Getting Published later this month, as well as a discount code for Monthly and Annual subscribers as a thank you for your support.
I can’t wait to get this ebook in your inboxes! I hope it serves you well, wherever you are on your publishing journey.
Links to Love
We just finished out another year of Be Rich, our church’s annual holiday campaign where we give, serve, and love our city and partner communities. Every cent donated is given away (and it’s a lot of cents), thousands of hours are volunteered with organizations already doing beautiful work, and each year I cry like a baby when I’m reminded how generous people really are. This year was no different.
A holiday gift guide for big kids! Scroll through the slideshow to see all 50 unique and legitimately cool ideas for kids aged 5-9. (Really loving the Lite Brite throwback the most.)
I had never even heard of Advent until I was in my twenties. (Hi, former charismatic evangelical here.) So much of Church history was lost on me until recent years, and now I fully embrace the season of waiting with thoughtful expectation for the arrival of our Savior. This sweet, modern version of an Advent wreath is on my list this year.
The New Yorker has an ongoing list of 2022’s best books, and my Goodreads TBR is getting out of control. Looking forward to All That Moves Us and The Beloved Vision most.
Reading in The Nook
Two very different life stories — one the biography of the late Eugene Peterson, best known for his work as translator of The Message version of the Bible, one the acerbic memoir of former Nickelodeon star Jeannette McCurdy — and I am totally invested in both. The Message was, and remains, a comfort to me in times when I read other translations and feel frustratingly removed from the Living Word, and I’m so thankful for Peterson’s work there, as well as his pastoral care in other books, such as A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. McCurdy, on the other hand, has a biting wit and unforgiving self-awareness, which makes this book somehow delightful in spite of the fact that it’s a long list of terrible things she endured while entertaining a generation of kids.
Pick your life story, readers. These two have something for everyone.
“Reading is a gift, but only if the words are taken into the soul--eaten, chewed, gnawed, received in unhurried delight.”
Eugene Peterson