Well, hello there.

You might not think it, seeing as its been awhile since I showed my face here, but I am thoroughly alive and well, though I'm also a thoroughly delinquent blogger. I got back from my trip and jumped straight away into a book deadline. Between catching up on old emails and trying to get back into the rhythm of home life, I've found my brain a little fried. This is as good a time as any to say that I have been quite blessed by a book contract to republish my first book, Journeys of Faithfulness. (Probably to be retitled.) I am deep into major revision of the original text. Though I'd want to rewrite it a good bit anyway, I find an unholy amount of writer's pride bubbling up in my soul. It's been ten years after all and I am intent upon making this quite a good bit of story work. Hopefully my novelish insight has progressed a bit. I have to laugh at myself.

However, I am so greatly enjoying the writing process, I'm a little astonished. I make no bones about the fact that writing, for me, is slow, arduous work. Absolutely worth it, but exhausting. Lately though, I've headed to my usual coffee shops armed only with notebook and pen, and handwritten the first chapters. The flow of words is astounding. It has nothing to do with any avoidance of technology, and everything to do with me just writing much more quickly via pen. I'm loving it.

The book itself is basically this: I'm taking a lot of creative license to retell some biblical stories, and add devotionals on at the end. But oh, the drama to be found in these quiet chapters. If you really think about the things people say in the Bible, if you question why and in what context, and how the comments would fall upon the ears of the culture, you find that tired out Scriptural phrases are downright startling when you come to it. I've been writing about Martha today. And I think she was one misunderstood woman.

Now that I'm in a rhythm of writing, and a little more settled into dailiness here, I'll be back to blogging. My trip felt like one, extended contemplation. I almost yearned at times to get back in my car for those twelve hour drives because so much was coming clear in my mind and heart. I'll write about it all in the next days.

As a last random piece to this "hello again!" post, I'm copying a "note" I did for Facebook in the post below. I've been tagged by a couple of different friends in the "List 15 Authors You Love" note, so I finally did it and this was my list. (The rules were simply to pound off fifteen authors you love, don't think too hard, no particular order.) I'd love it if you add yours!

Wendell Berry J.R.R. Tolkein Madeleine L'Engle George MacDonald Fyodor Dostoevsky C.S. Lewis Richard Foster Alan Paton Elizabeth Goudge Michael O'Brien L.M. Montgomery George Eliot Charles Dickens Harper Lee Evelyn Underhill