Behind the Scenes of a Christian Author

Being an independently published Christian author isn’t all sunshine and roses. Of course, nothing is when pursing a career. Most people know this. However, I feel that we forget God is part of it all; the writing, the edits, the marketing, the sales, the late nights, the doubts. Nevertheless, He opens doors and blesses.

I’m still fairly new indie author, having only been published for two years, and I have seen God open doors and surprise me with opportunities. My success isn’t measured with the sales I make (although that is nice), my success is measured in the opportunities that God gives me to share my testimony of His presence in my books.

I have loved writing stories and poems since elementary school. I would often mimic the styles of the stories and poems I would rea. My mom loved my stories and especially my poems and encouraged me to continue. When she passed away when I was twelve, I ended up living in my own worlds that I would read and write. Stories became my sanctuary.

I stopped writing for a few years after I had graduated from high school and started living on my own. I got married and had children. I still read a plethora of books. But I didn’t write as much as I used to until I saw a post on a group page on Facebook.

It was fall of 2023 and I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw a post offering anyone to join a multi-author collaboration. I remember sitting there and questioning if I had it in me to commit to the project. To me, signing that form meant I was committing to the group of authors and I couldn’t back out. I almost didn’t fill out the form, but I missed writing and I had always wanted to publish books since I was a kid. I took a leap of faith.

That was the first door God opened. Shortly after being accepted to my first multi-author series, I signed up for another one in a different group. I learned so much from those two groups and achieved in publishing two books in a year.

However, God hasn’t stopped there. I was personally invited to two more multi-author series and began publishing my own series. I have had the opportunity to be on a radio talk show, a few book signings, an online fairytale event, and even become featured in a local magazine.

The one thing about these opportunities is that I didn’t go looking for most of them. God brought them to me, and I took a leap of faith and accepted. These opportunities are not for my self-gain, but rather a chance to share my faith and my testimony.

“A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 NKJV. This verse reminds me of who is ultimately in control. I may plan out my story and write it. I may plan some of the marketing strategies, but God directs my work in the way He wants it to go. He opens the doors He wants me to step through. Everything is done for His glory.

“For of Him and through Hin and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11: 36 NKJV.

I hope this inspires you to see the opportunities God has presented to you and to pray over them as you step out in faith. Everything we do, do it for His glory. Share His love and goodness and let it shine in your work.

Photo by Darius Bashar on Unsplash

Learn more about Ashely by visiting her profile!