Encounters with Christ: Highlights from an Inspiring Event

Happy September, readers, and a blessed Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary! School is back in session for my kids which means the house is too quiet during the day and we’re busier at night with PSR, the kids’ extracurriculars, and new sessions of Bible study.

What’s in this Edition:

One Month In – Astonished Post-Launch
Encountering Christ at Encounter School of Ministry – Including my favorite photo of the summer
Recent Reads I Recommend – My favorite books from last month.
Upcoming Events – Where to find me for the rest of 2026

One Month In

Astonished has been out in the world for over one month! How the time has flown! Thank you to all my readers for making the launch such a great experience and congratulations to the winner of our release day giveaway, Jessika. I’ve been especially surprised to hear how many people purchased the book solely because it’s inspired by St. Christina the Astonishing. For a lesser known saint, she’s made a big impact, and I’m glad I can help share her story.

So, what’s next?

After creating multiple story outlines, getting frustrated, and (far too late in the process) finally taking them to prayer, I’m on a break from writing until the beginning of 2027. Hopefully, at that point, I’ll have a better idea of which direction I should take my writing and what my next project will be. In the meantime, I’m still working with cover design and interior formatting clients and have recently completed projects for several books that will be published soon. New covers are posted on my website portfolio as they become available.

If you’re an author in need of a cover and/or interior layout, I still have 1 open spot in October, 3 in November, and 1 in December. Contact me to find out how I can make your path to indie publishing a little easier.

Encountering Christ at Encounter School of Ministry

On July 27-30, I was invited to sell my books at the Encounter School of Ministry – St. Louis’ Summer Intensive. The intensive provided a preview of the first-year classes the school offers over their two year program: Your Identity in Christ, Hearing God’s Voice, Power & Healing, and Inner Freedom and Healing. While it was wonderful to meet readers and chat about books, I also enjoyed listening to the talks, participating in praise and worship, and praying during Eucharistic Adoration on the final evening. I especially LOVED the experience of being before Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist with the image of His crucifixion directly behind. It was such a powerful visual of the Christian life, and I’m glad the school captured the image. It’s moments like these, too, that remind me why I write and Who I’m truly writing for.

Courtesy of Encounter St. Louis’s Instagram

If you’re interested in learning more, the Encounter School of Ministry has satellite locations around the world. For more information visit: https://encounterschool.org/

Recent Reads I Recommend

Need another book for your TBR? Of course you do. Here are the books I’ve recently read and loved. (Note: I receive no compensation for featuring the books below.)

Like most dystopian novels, Reverence by Raena Rood makes you think about the world we currently live in and how we’re not too far from ending up in this book’s scary world. With themes reminiscent of The Giver and Hunger Games, this Christian dystopian series shows how easily – and how quickly – people can be convinced that what they’re doing is for “the good of all” while blindly casting human dignity aside. We can’t close our eyes to the atrocities happening around us, those that we may be condoning without even realizing we are. At one point, a character asks the FMC why a single life matters so much to her and she replies, “Everyone matters.” I really enjoyed her subtle journey throughout the first novel and the progression of her character arc throughout the series.

Lost in Time by A.J. Riddle was a fantastic time twist murder mystery adventure between present day, the Cretaceous period, and one other time period you’ll have to read to find out about. I blazed through this book in two days as the last 200 pages were just one cliffhanger chapter after another. I was constantly guessing as to who the villain was, then changing my guess, and definitely didn’t predict what actually happened. I also want to applaud the author for being traditionally published without any profanity, gore, or sex scenes. There was not a single curse word in almost 500 pages and the book is less than 5 years old. From my experience, this is an extreme rarity for mainstream books nowadays and I loved it.

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Upcoming Events

Mark your calendars! Here’s where you can find me and my books in 2026. As additional events are scheduled, I’ll add details on my website. All events are in partnership with historical fantasy author, Susan Laspe.