Christian Writers Downunder

HOW CHAPLAINCY HAS INFLUENCED MY WRITING

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Brigg) — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 19:00:00 +0000

I have been a Chaplain in a variety of settings for 30 years.

In this time I have learnt to express ministry in an authentically compassionate way that thinks, pioneers, develops and responds with innovative, proactive empowerment and solutions.

Story telling has influenced my chaplaincy practice. My chaplaincy practice has influenced my writing. It is interesting how many parallels I have discovered in each. Both Chaplaincy and writing are grounded in presence, empathy, relationship building, narrative theory and story-holding.

In Chaplaincy I have the privilege of sacred encounters with people every day.

In writing I get to nurture sacred encounters with readers too.

Let us consider some essential tenets of Chaplaincy delivery and how it may inform our writing.

AUTHENTIC PERSON-CENTRED ENGAGEMENT AND EMPATHY

Essentially, I carry a heart of authentic engagement with people from my philosophy and praxis of Chaplaincy into my writing. The alternative pastoral care that chaplaincy offers focuses on creating safe spaces through holistic care methods like narrative, metaphor, art, community development to help individuals navigate life’s challenges and faith transitions (Layson et al 2023).

As a Chaplain and writer, I aim to express compassionate presence, actively listening to the human experience, and helping individuals or readers process deep emotions, suffering, and meaning. We write for people. People who have souls who require authentic person-centred engagement. As we write we need to ensure we are not caught in a pattern of mechanical content development but have a genuine, empathetic perspective. This requires vulnerability, active listening, and a deep understanding of the audience's needs. The heart of this is to be about redeeming our texts from the potential traps of shallow monologues, thin characters, unrelatable scenarios and weak prose into shared human experiences.

Chaplains exercise deep empathy, utilizing "perspectival knowing" to understand the world as their wards experience it. To write a compelling character, an author must step inside that person's psychological framework. To ensure that a character is relatable this means that an author needs to be able to do the same with their audience

THE EMPOWERMENT JOURNEY. HOLDING SPACE TOGETHER

Chaplaincy expresses a journey metaphor. It means walking alongside care-seekers supporting them as non-anxious companions in unfamiliar or painful territory. Spiritual exploration is viewed as an ongoing process of discovering purpose, meaning, and resilience, rather than a final fixed destination. The journey metaphor honours the unpredictability of human experience, giving people room to process at their own pace.

The "empowerment journey" refers to a shift from rescuing or dictating solutions to instead walking alongside individuals, honouring their agency, and facilitating their own spiritual or emotional growth. Chaplaincy treats the care seeker as ‘the expert’ of their own life and meaning-making process. It is a holistic, participatory process aiming for empowerment, and sustainable change. For me, writing is too.

Chaplaincy creates a judgment-free zone where the individual (or community) can process grief, uncertainty, and emotional or moral conflict. It means simply being with someone in their time of trouble. It is the sacred practice of ‘holding space’ or ‘with-ing’: being fully present with the people right in front of us that we are caring for (McBride 2025) and -for me- who I am writing for.

Chaplains act as "story-holders" (Blanco 2024). They create a safe and nurtured space to allow people wrestling with challenges to untangle their own experiences, helping them find continuity and purpose during emergencies, crisis, grief, and trials. Kerry Egan (former hospice Chaplain and author) writes that chaplaincy is less about storytelling and more about “story-holding”.

“We listen to the stories that people believe have shaped their lives. We listen to the stories people choose to tell, and the meaning they make of those stories.”(Egan 2017).

As writers we craft narrative arcs that give events meaning and help characters discover meaning and life solutions. As writers we create and hold space with our readers as they engage with a well-told story, characters that they empathise with and story arcs that resonate with their own life journey.

Presence is the connective tissue serving as one of the most powerful forms of care we give as Chaplains (Blanco 2024). Simply being present. As I have grown in my role as chaplain, I have been grateful for the opportunity to deepen practices of active listening, bearing witness, staying grounded in the here and now, and ‘holding’ others with respect and compassion. Simply bearing witness to someone’s pain and letting them know they are not alone. In our creativity and storying development we have the privilege of holding countless sacred stories of love and loss and of suffering and resilience, bravery, inspiration and life change crafted with our characters and creating ‘presence’ with and for our readers.

Chaplaincy is empowering, not overpowering. Care is highly person-centred and often shows radical respect. Chaplains avoid imposing their own dogmas or beliefs and foster self-determination. Chaplains ask open-ended questions that empower the care seeker to identify their own core values, strengths, and personal strategies for coping. While chaplains rely heavily on the unspoken elements of communication—tears, silence, and presence—to build a safe space for healing. Writers avoid heavy-handed exposition by using metaphor and scene. This is the necessary art of "showing, not telling": In both fields, truth is often found in the subtext.

Similar to the chaplain, an author of fiction is not trying to overtly persuade, but is effective in inviting readers towards perceptions of some aspect of the world, perhaps from the points of view of more than one character, and prompts the reader to consider: "How do you feel about this?"…"What do you think?" ... "What would you do?"

MEANING AND COPING FACILITATION

At the care seeker's invitation, chaplains aid in the exploration of spiritual, existential, or religious concerns to help them find meaning within their crisis.

Chaplains guide individuals through a process of spiritual discernment, stripping away distractions to help them focus on what they value most. Writers know that editing is where the true story emerges. Effective writing requires cutting away the noise to find the core message.

A chaplain helps individuals access inner reserves and external resources . Spirituality and faith are often used as tools that empower people to cope with adversity.

It is interesting to consider the question :

What internal or external resources have I been able to help my readers to discover?

CATALYSTS OF CHANGE

“Change spawns stories and stories can trigger change”(Brown et al 2009).

Chaplains act as agents of change by introducing new ideas, mobilizing support, empowering local people to take ownership of their own solutions, and facilitating collective action to solve problems.

In Chaplaincy we respond with a spirit that is empowering, grounded, and caring. I think the world needs more of that right now and perhaps can experience it through us as writers and our writing.

God’s desire for us is holistic flourishing, and I have come to realise that through my writing- as similarly to my Chaplaincy - I get to participate in the redemptive work of healing, growth, recreation, love and living.

In both chaplaincy and writing, transformation in others is a sacred privilege. We accompany people as they confront sometimes painful truths, wrestle with questions of identity and meaning, and begin to reframe their own stories.

It’s powerful to be able to be a part of someone’s journey and to help inspire hope when the ground is shifting under their feet through seasons of change, desperation, suffering, awakening, flourishing and celebration.

Shane Brigg and friend holding space together Central Australia

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Blanco, J. Editor (2024) Issue #28 “ Chaplaincy” . Fuller Magazine. Fall 2024

Brown, A.D, Gabriel, Y., Gherardi, S. (2009) Storytelling and Change: An Unfolding Story

Brown, A.D. and Humphreys, M. (2003) `Epic and Tragic Tales: Making Sense of Change', Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 39(2): 121-44.

Egan,K. (2017) On Living .Thorndike Press.

Layson, M. D., Carey, L. B., & Best, M. C. (2023). “The impact of faith-based pastoral care in decreasingly religious contexts: The Australian chaplaincy advantage in critical environments”. Journal of Religion and Health, 62 (3), 1491-1512.

McBride, G. (2025) ”The Weight-ing Game. Friends. Is There a Right Way to Hold Space for Someone in Crisis? Providing support for someone in tough times is simpler than you might think”. Psychology Today. Posted March 1, 2025

Photos various chaplaincy and missions contexts I have been involved in.

Shane Brigg In PNG 'Journeying' and hearing and telling stories

Daring to be seen

noreply@blogger.com (Claire Bell) — Wed, 27 May 2026 19:30:00 +0000

(image by Freepik, www.freepik.com)

by Claire Bell (aka Claire Belberg)

Most of my current writing practice is keeping up my Facebook and Instagram author posts. Preparing them challenges me with constant deadlines and finding worthwhile content that reflects something of myself as a writer. I’m not a scroller (other than to find out news about friends) so there aren’t many repost opportunities that come spontaneously. I end up sharing quite a bit of my current life, from speaking opportunities to moving house to mental health tips learned by experience, to my growing experience of community.

When I first began to write for publication, I was nervous about being seen and interpreted by strangers. Writing with authenticity will inevitably reveal aspects of our character and attitudes. Authenticity requires a measure of vulnerability. This enables connection with readers and gives opportunity for the Christian writer to be light to the world. I have heard that authenticity is a primary value in today’s world. It’s something we crave in a world of fake that the internet unfortunately enables.

Being seen by strangers also brings risk. Not every reader is non-judgemental, careful with their words, and willing to give the author the benefit of the doubt. We’re all aware of ‘trolls’, social media responders that seem to delight in casting aspersions and tearing people down. Even worse, genuine readers might see attitudes in me that I don’t see in myself, or that I had hoped no one else would see. Further, readers are interpreters. What if they interpret me through lenses that distort the truth about me?

So here I am 15 years later, writing about my life and my struggles in public posts. How did I come to this, and without angst? I’m not really sure! But I see the work of God in it, and marvel. I think it began as a gentle learning curve with the first two published novels and the promotional work that came with them. The curve became steeper when I decided to put my poetry about my experience of my parents’ dementias into public hands. Since Unravelling: Loving my Parents through Dementia was published nearly two years ago, I have shared more of my personal story in a number of public talks and workshops. The telling of these stories has become part of my sense of who I am. I have discovered more connection with strangers (‘friends I haven’t met yet,’ as someone described them) because I’m more willing to write and talk about my ups and downs openly.

(image credit: rawpixel.com at www.freepik.com)

There are a lot of kind and gracious readers out there. I’m grateful that I can dare to be seen. My life is the richer in community and connection because of it.

Claire Bell writes from the Adelaide Hills where she lives with her husband. She writes poetry, creative nonfiction, devotional articles and short stories, and has published two speculative YA novels and a collection of poems wrangling her parents' dementias. She also edits Stories of Life. Her Facebook and Instagram handle is 'Claire Belberg author' and her occasional blog is The Character Forge, www.clairebelberg.wordpress.com

Writing as Christ's Ambassadors

noreply@blogger.com (Nola Lorraine) — Wed, 13 May 2026 19:00:00 +0000

One of my favourite Christian singers came to my town to perform at a music festival. I’d seen him in concert three times back in the 1980s and I had eight of his albums, so I was excited at the chance to see him again. He gave a wonderful performance and I stood in line afterwards so he could sign the two CDs I’d recently bought. He signed one of them, but when I tried to hand him the second one, he just looked down at the CD and looked back up at me with a fairly neutral expression—not smiling, not scowling, just ... nothing. I took that to mean that he wasn’t going to sign it, so I smiled weakly and left the queue. I was SO disappointed. He wasn’t the friendly, approachable artist I thought he’d be.

The example I’ve given is fairly minor in the grand scheme of things. Maybe I caught him on a bad day or he’d been told there was only time to sign one item for each person. However, we sometimes hear of prominent Christians who have had a more significant fall from grace. It could be moral issues, addictions, the lure of money or even issues that involve criminal charges. How do we react as readers or listeners of their material? Does it change how we feel about their body of work and their ministry? And perhaps more importantly, what lessons can we learn for our own creative enterprises and ministries?

The Hypocrisy Factor

Although we are all sinners and any of us can fail, God does expect us to pursue righteousness and follow his paths so that our words match our actions. For example, James 2:14–17 reminds us that it’s no use telling someone to ‘stay warm and well fed’ if we don’t provide for their needs. Faith without works is dead. Jesus also rebuked the Pharisees for their hypocrisy and told the people not to ‘do what they do, for they do not practise what they preach’ (Matthew 23:3).

As writers, words are our currency. We use them to tell others about the things God has laid on our hearts. Some of us write overtly Christian material, such as devotionals, theology books or Bible study materials, books on Christian living, memoirs that tell of what God has done in our lives or novels that share the message of God’s love. Others might not include overtly Christian material in their books, but they are still writing from a Christian worldview and infusing their books with godly values and perspectives.

But here’s a sobering thought. We can write the most magnificent prose, we can win prestigious awards, our books might be flying off the shelves, but readers aren’t just looking at our words. They’re looking at our lives. Do our words match the lives we are living?

It’s Not Me, It’s Them!

It’s easy to point the finger at Christians who haven’t measured up to our expectations. How could they do something like that? That would never happen to us.

But here’s the thing. They’re human and so are we. The Apostle Peter never dreamed that he would deny Christ until he did. Jesus is the only perfect person who has ever lived. All of us are sinners saved by grace, and we’ll continue to make mistakes (sometimes huge ones) while we’re on earth. But God still wants imperfect you and me to partner with Him in advancing His Kingdom. As the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:19-20a:

‘God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.’

So how can we be intentional about living a life worthy of the gospel we are proclaiming?

Living as Christ’s Ambassadors

Who Gets the Glory?

Always remember that God is the one who has given us our gifts and talents. We can certainly hone those gifts and talents, but we can’t do anything for God’s Kingdom in our own strength. Are we pointing people to Christ or claiming the glory for ourselves?

Good Stewardship

God is the giver of gifts, and He wants us to be good stewards of the things He has given. Are we using our creative gifts for His glory? This doesn’t necessarily mean that we will write overtly Christian material, as some of us are called to have a voice in the mainstream marketplace. But whatever our calling, we should do a stocktake every now and then to see if we are making the best use of our gifts.

Resisting the Enemy

Satan is not happy that any of us want to write for God’s glory. He’ll put obstacles in our way, he’ll put temptations across our paths and he’ll attack our efforts at every turn. We need not fear him, because Jesus has defeated him on the cross, but we do need to be aware of his schemes and resist him. Some of the following strategies can help in this regard.

Devotional Life

Are we spending regular time in God’s word and prayer? It’s hard, if not impossible, to minister to others if we’re not being nourished ourselves. God’s word is our life blood and prayer is our lifeline. Let’s never neglect these essential disciplines. The health of the words we write is intricately entwined with the health of our devotional lives.

Fellowship

Some people are involved in ministries that are run by particular churches or Christian organisations, but writers are sometimes seen as a separate category. Aren’t they just doing their own thing? While our writing may often be done alone, we still need to be connected to other Christians. As we’re reminded in Hebrews 10:24–25, ‘let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching’.

Accountability

Ministers and missionaries are usually accountable to a separate body such as a church board or missionary organisation. If we see our writing as a ministry, we should also take accountability seriously. Seek out trusted and godly friends or mentors with whom you can be honest. Share your triumphs and struggles with them. Ask them to pray for you and give them permission to ask the hard questions if they see you going off track. Don’t just ask people to pray for your upcoming book event, but also for your heart attitude and for those whom God will touch through your words.

Repentance and Forgiveness

When we do make mistakes, which we’ll inevitably do from time to time, keep short accounts with God. He has promised to forgive us when we genuinely repent of our actions. Depending on the circumstance, it may also be necessary to apologise to others we have wronged or make restitution in some way.

Power of the Holy Spirit

Praise God that we have the gift of the Holy Spirit and we can draw on His insight, strength and power rather than our own. If God has called us to write for Him, He will empower us and partner with us to achieve His purposes. Let’s always rely on Him.

This is not an exhaustive list. What things help you to represent Christ through your writing? I’d love to hear your examples.

Credits

All scripture references are from the New International Version of the Bible.

Featured photo from Pexels on Pixabay.

Author Bio

Nola Lorraine loves weaving words of faith, courage and hope. She has had more than 150 short pieces published, including fiction, memoir, devotions, and poetry. Her inspirational novel Scattered was a finalist in the 2021 CALEB Awards. Her devotional book Comfort Zone was published in 2025, with No Standing Zone to follow in 2026. She also loves helping other authors through The Write Flourish—a freelance writing and editing business she and her husband Tim have run since 2013.

Flourishing Together

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette O'Hagan) — Wed, 06 May 2026 18:00:00 +0000

I am a terrible runner. The only races I ever placed were in swimming. When it came to running, I always came last. In fact, one year (in one of the many schools I went to), someone had the bright idea to put all the terrible runners into the obstacle race. They then asked my Dad to judge it. Guess who came last. Yes, me. Last of the last. My humiliation was complete.

In a race, we compete against each other. Winners mean losers. Your gain is my loss.

Writing is not like that. Together, we are stronger. Remember the Inklings - a writing group that included C S Lewis, J R R Tolkien, Charles Williams and others (and Dorothy Sayers as the unoffical inkling). These writers sparked off each other, encouraging and critiquing. The result -- a richer world and timeless classics.

CASQ

This last weekend, a group of writers got together for Christian Authors Showcase (Queensland) or CASQ. Together we are stronger. Through encouragement, inspiration, good counsel and challeing each other. More than that, we could fellowship together, overcome misunderstandings, pray, listen and laugh together.

The weekend started with a keynote speech from publisher Rochelle Stephens and finished with Adele Jones with a deep dive into what it means to find our tribe. In between, we were treated with heartfelt worship, the green curled grammar grandma grinch, panels and presentations on writing craft (short stories, suspense, spec fic, song-writing, research, hero's journey, changes in writing style etc), and about publishing and different writing groups including CWD. Pop-ups gave authors 90 seconds to present their books, while a number of authors had the opportunity to launch their books - from Mosaic of Grace, to Stephen & the Heroes, El Roi and others.

I especially had fun moderating the Sci-Fiction and Fantasy panel with Lynne Stringer and Donita Bundy as we explored the difference in the spec fic genres, the role and creation of worlds and how our fiction intersects with real life and research.

But best of all was connecting with each other and our Lord, catching up with old friends and making new ones, sharing our stories over dinner on Saturday, lunches and the delicious morning and afternoon teas.

A big thank you to Annie Hamilton, Judy Rogers, Ruth Bonetti, Bek Robinson for organising the weekend and all speakers, panelists, the contributors of prizes, and the wonderful attendees who made this a great weekend. Looking foward to next year.

Stories That Shape Us

In just over a week, on 15 May 2026 at the Gap Uniting Church, Ruth Bonetti, Kathy Hoopmann and I (Jeanette O'Hagan) will be joining with authors Megan Daly, Debbie O'Shea and Claire Nada in the Stories That Shape Us -- an inspiring evening celebrating the power of stories to shape our lives, values, and sense of purpose.

Through a panel conversation with local authors, discover what draws them to their stories, what motivates their writing, and how stories have influenced their lives.

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/share/16fz9ytyt5/ & website

CALEB

Omega Writers CALEB Award is closing this Friday - for published works. CALEB stands for Christian Authors Lifting Each other's Books. Not only entries - but readers of the different categories are wanted.

https://omegawriters.com.au/caleb-award/

Omega Writers Conference

And finally, registrations are NOW OPEN for the Omega Writers Conference in October. This year's conference is to be held in South Australia.

"Building Blocks and Pathways 2026 is here—and bookings are officially open for the Omega Writers biennial conference.

Join us on October 16–18, 2026 at Nunyara Conference Centre in Adelaide, South Australia, for a weekend designed to equip, encourage, and connect writers at every stage of their journey."

https://omegawriters.com.au/omega-writers-conference-2026-details/

Jeanette O'Hagan has spun tales in the world of Nardva from the age of eight. She enjoys writing fantasy, sci-fi, poetry. Her Nardvan stories span continents, millennia and cultures. Some involve shapeshifters and magic. Others include space stations and cyborgs.

She has published over forty stories and poems, including the Under the Mountain Series (5 books), Akrad's Children and Rasel's Song, the first two books in the Akrad’s Legacy series and more recently, Rise of the Consortium. Her story in Stepping Sideways, 'In a League of Her Own' won the 2024 Aurealis Award for YA Short Stories & 'Anomalies at Prospero Base' (in Rise of the Consortium) was shortlisted in the 2025 Aurealis Awards.

Jeanette has practised medicine, studied communication, history, theology and writing. She loves reading, painting, travel, and pondering the meaning of life. She lives in Brisbane.

Find out more about Jeanette at:

My Website | Facebook Author Page | Amazon | Books2Read | Goodreads

Responding to the Growing Challenges of Author Life

noreply@blogger.com (Adam David Collings) — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 20:00:00 +0000

There’s no doubt that it’s becoming harder to be an indie author these days. We’ve known for a very long time that the Kindle gold rush is long gone, but just in the last few months writers have faced some new challenges. How are we as Christian writers to respond to growing challenges?

The most talked about of these recent challenges is perhaps Draft2Digital’s introduction of a $20 joining fee, and a $12 annual maintenance fee. This came as a big shock to a lot of people - certainly to me.

These fees are in place to try to protect readers from scammers who abuse platforms like D2D to upload large quantities of fake books created with AI that were never intended to be read. The annual fee is only charged to those who make less than $100 (after D2D take their bit) on the platform.

After receiving this news, I checked what my previous year’s takings on D2D were. My heart sank. I already knew it was well below the $100 threshold, but it was also well below the $12 fee. I would now be paying more to D2D than they would be paying me. I would be making a loss just by being on the platform. In a situation like this, one may legitimately ask, what’s the point of even being there at this point?

I was struck with feelings of unfairness. This policy puts authors from developing countries at a greater disadvantage, and even here in Australia, the exchange rate means we’ll end up paying a lot more than $12. But most of all, it felt like I was being kicked while I was down - fined for my failure.

This choice has resulted in a lot of emotion and discussion. Many people have immediately withdrawn their books from the platform.

For me, this was an eye-opening moment. I was forced to face the truth of my lack of success. I’ve always known that I wasn’t making many sales, but I tried not to compare myself to others. Afterall, we’re all on our own journey, proceeding at our own pace. But as I stared at a flat line of zeroes on my KDP dashboard, and considered I was now paying more than I was making, I felt the message was clear. You’re not a real author. You’re not good enough. You are not valued.

My purpose here, is not to throw hate at Draft2Digital. They are doing what they believe is best for all concerned. My purpose is to examine how we react to these kinds of difficulties.

So how did I respond to all of this? I allowed myself a day to feel sad. To live in my emotions as I wrestled with these feelings of inadequacy and failure. But after that, I knew I would have to get back to work. I chose to view this setback as a challenge - a call to arms - to try to raise my sales, to at least see if I could reach that $12 mark to break even. And I remembered that my value is not in how much money I’m making, or how many people are reading my books, it’s who I am in Christ. I’m proud of my stories. I believe in my stories, and I know there are people out there who have enjoyed them.

This experience was also a good reminder to involve God, not only in my writing, but also in my marketing. For us, writing is more than just a business, it’s also a calling. We have words of encouragement and life to share with the world. If God wants those words to be read, doesn’t he have the power to help make that happen in his time?

Draft2Digital’s new policy isn’t the first challenge we’ve faced, and it won’t be the last. I predict things will only get harder as time goes on. Despite this, we are still living in a great time. We still have the ability to publish our words, relatively free of gatekeepers. We still have more opportunity than most writers throughout human history.

It can feel wrong to ask God to bless our marketing efforts, to help our books find success. It feels selfish somehow. But God has given us gifts. He has put words in our hearts that I believe he wants us to share.

Today is the launch day for my latest book - the fourth installment in my Jewel of The Stars series. I have worked hard over the last 30 days to promote it, and I have seen some results. Not earth-shattering results, but I’m no longer seeing a flatline of zeroes. That little glimmer is enough to keep me going, because it sparks something in me that tells me it will be worthwhile some day. It’s not stubbornness, it’s not self-delusion. It’s faith. The story is not over yet. God still needs to write the ending. Until then, I keep working, keep striving, not in my strength, but in his.

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14

Adam David Collings is a science fiction and fantasy author from Tasmania, Australia. He draws inspiration for his stories from his over-active imagination, his life experiences and his faith. Adam is the host of the Nerd heaven Podcast where he discusses works of sci-fi and fantasy on the big and little screen. You can find him at AdamDavidCollings.com

40 Years . My Life Is His Story

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Brigg) — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 19:00:00 +0000

A Personal Testimony of How God Has Been Crafting

My Life As A Writer

It is 40 years since I came to Christ.

April 1986.

I was 16 years old and in year 12 at school.

I had been writing for a few years ...

In my formative years I had always enjoyed telling stories, often with my brother late at night as we wrestled together with our Dad’s sickness. These stories were often didactic fables or adventure stories, bringing comfort, giving hope, building resilience. God was helping to write the story of my life as my author. I didn’t know Him yet, but He knew me.

When Dad’s sickness took a turn for worse, stories were there to help me dive deeper into a growth curve catalyzed by my Grandfather. His inspiration to discover the meaning of words I did not know by finding their definitions in the dictionary lead me to reading the dictionary from the beginning to end to encounter and learn and document and utilize each new word in speech and stories and writing. I was in year 7 (primary school). I became dux that year, even though it was a new school for me. I was awakened to a God who seemed to be interested in caring for me. He was watching me. But who was He?

My high school music teacher, musical director and family friend took me under wing as part of our school musical team to write multiple scripts for comical and dramatic dialogue. She released something in me that propelled a self-recognition of a gift that I was happy to intentionally craft. I took whatever opportunity there was to develop my skills at school: a brief foray into the debating team, writing and making mini movies, and developing multimedia storied projects. These were all foundational as I had well begun writing, producing, and directing a huge school wide movie project for my senior year project when my attention was captured by The LORD. I was born again. God was my Saviour. Jesus saved me.

The Creator was creating in me

My salvation occurred in the maelstrom of year 12 including the movie project, a core role in the school musical “Godspell” (I played Judas), deciding on career paths, navigating relationships, Dad’s ongoing illness, adolescence, my own deep - sometimes dystopic and dark- perspectives on life, and an autodidactic survivalist sensibility. Godspell helped to disciple me in the narrative, parables, and chronicling of the book of Matthew. My new life disciplined hope out of despair. It was this year that I began writing what has become my major (still ongoing) writing project. An adult adventure coming-of-age trilogy. The Creator was creating in me all the right stuff. He had been doing it all along.

As year 12 finished I took on summer work as a kid’s holiday program worker. I wrote the formative explorations into characters and plot of my trilogy. A group of young friends surviving a “Lord of the Flies”-meets- “Tomorrow When the War Began” experience. I hadn’t even engaged with these materials, but there was something in the zeitgeist and my own psycho-social experiences that was crafting these narratives. As my university studies started, I shelved my creative writing to dive into my science academics. I even contemplated discarding my stories. Creativity found me though. In the margins of lecture notes about the chemical compositions of soils and rocks, hydrology equations, biological nomenclature, physics theorem, and sociological philosophy, there emerged plot ideas, sketches of characters, maps, landscape features, poems, songs, sayings and quips. Our fledgling university Christian group discipled me in pioneering, prayer, purpose and pursuing Christ in mission. A good mate saw me scribbling story notes one day on the back of one of our computer syntax printouts. We soon had a fledgling indie production company started and I wrote the screen play for a Christian movie we hoped to produce.

Can my creative story telling serve Jesus’ mission well?

Uni continued, youth programs were created, manuals of discipleship were written. The movie was pitched to potential sponsors; it had variable support. Pre-production artistry was undertaken and then the story of my life turned with economic difficulties that necessitated a radical resolution, repositioning, and reframing. A year off uni, and a brave family move to a regional town. I held all my creative work in my hands prepared to relinquish it to the cleanout bonfire and I found myself caught by God’s attention. “Hold on to it. It has a purpose”. I wrestled with this idea for many years though : “Can my creative story telling serve Jesus’ mission well? Could my writing have a purpose?” It took many years for me to see how God saw my writing. I think I needed to see my creativity from a re-created position, and that has taken time.

Uni was completed a year later. I was engaged to be married (my beautiful wife and I met in that regional town). Employment was gained. I was writing as part of my role working in a school and in youth and children’s ministry. Discipline policies, newsletters, articles, programs, discipleship materials. I could not let go of the scibbled and formative notes I had made over the many years. They sat in an archive box awaiting their purposeful revealing.

God has led and leads and wants me to be shaped by His creativity

Many more years. Ministries. Moves. Mission opportunities. Our precious children were in school. During an appointment with one of the young men I was discipling, a fresh plot line and character was awakened. I rushed home, grabbed a pen and note paper and began writing and reframing the material in that archive box. I discovered new characters and narratives that have now formed a significant body of work that has been underway for a couple of decades. Age, time and experiences have produced wisdom, deepened my relationship with Jesus, and insights for my story telling. I am now in a season (amongst other responsibilities) where I have dedicated and concerted space and time for beginning to bring all this work to some kind of completeness. It may still take some time (I hope it is not another 40 years) until it is published. I am happy for how God has led and leads and wants me to be shaped by His creativity and timings for my life.

My history is a story of God’s crafting

There have been tough and joyous experiences that have honed my hope. My parents have passed. Our children have married. Our daughter fought and conquered cancer. They have produced beautiful grandchildren. Life goes on.

I am truly grateful for every plot turn, twist, trouble, trial and triumph.

My life is His Story.

He is my author and perfector. I have related how it is a special milestone to have been journeying with Jesus for 40 years, but I honestly and heartily believe He was journeying with me before then. He was and is designing my journey.

He is writing the story of my life.

I am forever thankful for His crafting of my life. This testimonial is simply a brief expression of thanks to our Maker. There seems always more to express (write).

The times of my life are in His hands. I am intently aware of His penmanship in my own writing journey too.

One day the story I have been writing (that trilogy) will be finished. In God’s time, in His way and how He wants it completed. Blood, sweat and tears. Other works are being formed and expressed regularly. Examples are the research and writing of a biography of a missionary, articles for encouraging missionaries in their journeys, support letters, research works, creative inspirations. There is much writing to be done, but the real writing (the most crucial one for my own personal journey) is to allow the story of my life to be written by the hand and heart of God.

I hope to encourage us all to know this.

May we keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and the finisher (perfector) of our faith

(Hebrews 12:2).

He is well able to complete the good work He has begun!

(Philippians 1:6).

Pastor Shane Brigg. Missionary. Member Carer. Chaplain. Mentor. Writer

A Closer Walk

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Robinson) — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:00:00 +0000

by Rebekah Robinson

'How about we pray?' Captain Obvious, a.k.a. my pastor, has a knack for the gentle suggestion when I've lost my balance.

I was frazzled. It was music practice night; the turnout wasn't great, I was worried I hadn't prepared enough, and I was apprehensive that the new songs would fall in a heap.

So yes, we did the obvious captainly thing: we prayed. And lo, the sky declined to fall.

How on earth do I keep forgetting that none of my gigs — despite responsibility — are really riding on just me? Since that day I've made it a point to begin every rehearsal and every service with prayer. It isn't a token gesture; it actually grounds us, and invites the Lord to take an ever more practical role in what we do. It — He, really — lightens the load.

This applies with work as well. I like to ask for His agenda to rule, and for help with my tasks for the day. This goes double for the daunting ones! There's something about committing the day to Him and deliberately asking for His involvement that smooths the way. Obstacles loom a little less. A way opens up. There's not as much self-condemnation if I don't get through my To Do list quite as thoroughly as I'd like. And I'm a great deal less tizzy.

So ... why shouldn't we begin our writing sessions with prayer?

The Holy Spirit is our business partner, our inspiration, our guidance, our wingman. He's the one who anoints us to do what we do. We are His work and we do His work. If we want to produce the very best work, it's only logical to call in our Heavenly Expert.

The Lord cares about what we do. According to Ephesians 2:10 NIV, ministry opportunities have been intentionally lined up for us. 'For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.' That means He's invested in us. He doesn't sit back and dare us to try to impress Him. Rather, He is eagerly waiting to coach and coax the best out of us, if only we are willing to be taught and to let Him have a hand in it.

In a few weeks, I'll be attending the Christian Authors Showcase Queensland — a weekend I look forward to every year. It's a chance to be immersed in the craft, revelling in the company of other writers. But it's also a chance to worship: to seek the Lord, to lift Him up, to let Him speak into what I do. We open with praise and we close with blessing. It's special and it's meaningful.

Sometimes what I write fails to get lift-off, and I struggle to nail down what I'm trying to say — if anything! But other times I look back over a decent chapter and think, 'Did I really write that?' And those are the times I'm sure I've been carried.

So, I'm recommitting to pray every time I sit down to write. I'm praying for wisdom, ideas, insight, and authenticity. It doesn't have to be a fancy prayer, just something from the heart. I'll put a little visual reminder near my keyboard — maybe a Post-It note, or an object from another room whose unexpected appearance jars me out of my rut.

We can be as intertwined with the Lord as we want to be. The Heavenly Father isn't someone we outgrow, but someone we grow towards. Maturity becomes a greater reliance on and enmeshment with Him. It's only the juvenility of ego that makes us seek to do things 'without any help.' In this lifelong apprenticeship, the wise soul heeds the master and takes care of the tools — and seeks 'just a closer walk' with Him.

Rebekah Robinson loves God and people, and writes about Christian living. A missionaries’ daughter, she was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, and lives in Brisbane, Australia. She and her husband have two adult children. Freelancing as a graphic designer, she enjoys singing, songwriting and worship leading, and may have a slight digital scrapbooking addiction. https://www.beckoncreative.biz

Lifting the (Writing) Bar by Ruth Bonetti

noreply@blogger.com (Ruth Bonetti) — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Confess I’m challenged. After a lifetime writing nonfiction my foray into fiction forces me to explore character arcs and hero journeys. Sure, I’ve long known these concepts, but I’m stretched to action them. To show-not-tell.

The editor of an anthology has challenged me to lift my game.

‘Please take onboard this feedback and resubmit.’

After editing thirty-odd Mosaic of Grace submissions, I hastily resubmitted my rework. It was apparent my brain was fried. But I’m grateful that she sent back my story several times, for objective eyes see what our own misses.

Anne Hamilton had taken the lion share of editing the first two collections, Palette of Grace and Symphony of Grace, even rewriting some stories. As 2-i-c editor, I felt guilty that thus far my easy ride had been to rubber stamp her decisions. Last year Anne returned from an interstate tour exhausted and unwell. So I hesitated to moot a third anthology.

‘Sleep and pray on it first.’ But I couldn’t resist adding, ‘Remember those writers whose confidence blossomed since Palette of Grace publication? Our collections eased them through the pain threshold into print. Isn’t this our goal, to offer such opportunities? Promise, I’ll take the active role to save your time and effort.’

So many submissions! Thirty contributors, some of whom submitted several pieces. I realised that editing is rewarding but challenging. Sometimes difficult. For some borderline instances, I enlisted second opinions from Rosemary New as beta reader. A few text exchanges directed her to Review>Track Changes, which she embraced. Her insightful responses gave me tactful angles to suggest how writers might improve stories. By the time our tired brains reached final decisions, Rosie had earned her way up to co-editor. Justifiably.

‘Sorry, I can’t come to tonight’s service,’ I told a colleague who’d submitted to Mosaic of Grace. ‘I must do another rewrite of a story.’ Did I overwhelm him with a flurry of brainstorming to bring his character to life? ‘What’s the back story? How can you express his culture in senses like taste, smell, clothes? Describe!’

Subtext: ‘Show don’t tell’.

Sub-sub-text: ‘It’s not just you—it’s me and all of us! I teach what I needed to learn.’

He took a while to respond but his final was far more engaging.

Writers enjoy a wonderful opportunity: expert editing, free publication with no submission charge, an entrée into print with a couple of free copies thrown in. What a great deal! As her ministry, Anne (‘Annie’) shoulders all costs of design and printing.

Each anthology, I buy fifty copies to offer as a fundraiser at church. Birthday, Mother’s and Father’s Day presents are at the ready. Contributors can also support this ministry by purchasing additional copies at 45% off the RRP. This not only defrays the cost of publication, it brings us closer to the goal of being able to release a family of brick-kiln labourers from slave bondage in Pakistan.

I’d hesitated to ask friends and colleagues to rewrite, but was encouraged by that anthology editor’s example. She insisted that I cull teenage slang and portray the senses using active verbs—aspects I knew but needed to put into practice. We teach what we need to learn. With the help of my trusted home editor, Rosie. We are blessed to form working relationships with fellow authors!

Contributors Rev. Robin Payne, Ruth Bonetti and Terry Hatfield

By asking similarly of other writers, we encourage fledgling authors to embrace the learning process and lift their game as writers. Together, we can all polish our gifts to greater glory. Working together, we, the fellowship of writers lift each other up. What a blessing!

Mosaic of Grace will launch on May 2, at CASQ Don’t miss it!

Christian Authors Showcase Qld returns for the fourth year —an inspiring program awaits us!

ROCHELLE STEPHENS of Rhiza Press is keynote speaker and we look forward to her wealth of experience and insight. As traditional publisher who has gained respect in the mainstream market, she knows the Kids Lit to YA marketplace inside out.

Who could forget Grammar Grinch? His/her cousin Grammar Grouch will return. Speakers will be announced by fanfare but in a tight two-room program, they will be hauled off with the shepherd’s crook. As is the norm in the popular Pop Up ops which means 90 seconds to tout your book(s)—(so start rehearsing NOW) and hope readers look for it on the book table. BOOK NOW!

We look forward to seeing you there! https://www.casq.online/event

RUTH BONETTI

Ruth’s career in classical music became a passport to the world. Destiny led her to Sweden and Finland where she researched her grandfather's story and those of Finnish relatives, resulting in her award-winning Midnight Sun to Southern Cross trilogy (historical biography/memoir).

Her passion to chronicle fighters against oppression has opened an exciting new vista, researching Finnish, Estonian and Russian history. Ruth’s vision is to write a series about Musicians Who Changed History, as she resonates with the healing power of music in the lives of those who fought against oppression.

Ruth's many publications (by Oxford University Press and her imprint Words and Music) cover both historical biography, and titles to motivate and inspire confident performance of words and music.

The Crowded Cosmos

noreply@blogger.com (Paula Vince) — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 18:30:00 +0000

It's a pleasure to be addressing my tribe of fellow writers and readers on Maundy Thursday this Easter week. Allow me to pull the veil back for a moment on what we can't see.

Writer and Anglican priest Tish Harrison Warren dares us to believe in what she calls 'a crowded cosmos.' It is not a popular stance to take in our modern era. After the Enlightenment captured our western world with its intellectual revolution, our collective imagination robbed the world of supernatural life. Once upon a time our vast cosmos was envisaged as a canvas full of enchantment, bustling with mysteries, teeming with angels. Now a mere three centuries later, our subconscious default is to regard it as a vast, empty sea. Anything regarded with a whiff of superstition or whimsy is scorned at worst, or chuckled over and swept aside at best.

The shift is more dire than we may imagine.

Consider this for a moment. Separated by a slab of time, counterpart citizens of the world conduct their normal routines with polar opposite worldviews. These impact how they approach their families and leisure time. Jack Brown the thatcher in 1726 regards himself as beloved of God, watched with interest by angels, treasured as part of a divine order, while Jack Brown the roofing contractor in 2026 chooses to lose himself in drinking, gaming, and social media, trying to ward off a never-ending sense of futility and existential crisis. Sally Smith the seamstress in 1726 trusts that a recent chain of unhappy events in her family may be redeemed as part of a greater, invisible plan, like a design feature in an intricate tapestry, while Sally Smith the Spotlight shop assistant, suspects there's no rhyme or reason behind any of it, and consequently lives life on a razor's edge, waiting always for the next shoe to drop.

But say our historical forebears had the right end of the stick. That would imply 21st century sophisticated denial doesn't remove the supernatural denizens of the cosmos. They are still there. Dismissing them as non-existent merely restricts and narrows the very same human lives we assume are growing broader. What if we are ostriches with our heads buried in the deepest sandpits. In The Screwtape Letters, senior demon, Screwtape, gleefully tells his nephew acolyte, Wormwood, that this is precisely what their cohorts aim for. They don't need to be believed in to wreak havoc.

I came across an Instagram interview featuring poet and academic Malcolm Guite. He discusses how, in his opinion, we need to 're-enchant' a disenchanted world. Guite imagines what it must have been like to be a medieval knight, when living in a parallel world with dryads and naiads was commonplace. Then he imagines with horror, how this man might feel if a sudden timeslip occurred, and he was whizzed to our vantage point, a quarter way through the 21st century.

'The poor chap wouldn't know what hit him. He would be aghast.' Guite calls our world 'utterly alienated, reductive, mechanistic and materialistic.' We, like frogs in the gradually boiling pot, haven't realized how frightening it has become, but any time traveler might be confronted with the fact that we profess a weird, abnormal way of looking at the universe, especially compared with civilisations which have hummed in presumed harmony with the supernatural for centuries.

Easter, then, is a gracious time for us to reassess what we really believe. Wherever we turn, it is easy to see others divesting the season of its significance. Some who merely pay lip service to a historical Jesus reduce his death to the unfortunate execution of a good man; a popular teacher who got on the wrong side of the religious powers of their time and place. Extra scriptural details, such as the falling of sudden darkness, the spontaneous tearing of the Temple curtain, his sinless substitution on our behalf, and his wondrous Resurrection are swept away as folklore. They certainly don't match the tone of our reductionist, pragmatic era.

To be a Christian at this time of year then, we recalibrate what we believe. We do, in fact, take the subversive point of view that our narrow world of five sense evidence is framed by a far greater world of cosmological power plays, mysterious substitution validated in heavenly courts, authorial footnotes written on the canvas of the world which we can see. Our savior surely died for the sins of the world, as we've been taught, but by accepting this, we're making a rebellious stance of clinging to a storied world, refusing to be swept away by the brutal tide of 'sense'.

Hooray for Jesus, and also for the magnificent storied, supernatural world which is still influencing our affairs.

Paula Vince is the award-winning author of several fiction novels, mostly set in her state of South Australia. She also has post graduate diplomas in Divinity and Creative Writing. Once based in the Adelaide Hills, Paula now lives in the breathtaking coastal region of Adelaide. Once a homeschooling parent, she and her husband are very recent empty-nesters.

Writers Helping Writers by Jo Wanmer

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Wanmer) — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Writers helping me.

‘Do you know how to write books?’

Mary Hawkins' gentle question slid through the phone. I’d never met her but she’d read my manuscript and been asked to mentor me. This manuscript was my first attempt at serious writing.

‘I guess not.' I replied. 'I just sat down and wrote.’

‘I thought so.’ Mary paused. ‘It shows. But this story needs to be told. It will need a lot of work to lift it to publishing standard. I’m willing to teach you if you are willing to put in the effort.’

Mary had many fiction books published in the Australian market. A few weeks later I met this delightful lady at a mentorship retreat. There were two other fiction writers sharing Mary as our mentor. Other groups worked in their genre with different mentors. We gathered together in a couple of units near Noosa for a week. Within an hour of arrival, we started work, fingers hovering over our laptops, minds keen.

Mary’s printed copy of my book, which I’d posted to her, was covered with red pen. Under her instruction I deleted the first three chapters. My gut wrenched but she convinced me those pages were irrelevant to the main story. I complied. She taught me how to sharpen the first line and then adjust the first paragraph. Moving amongst the three of us, she read, critiqued, corrected and changed, always telling us to rewrite. I typed, deleted, adjusted and rewrote. And we laughed as she corrected and encouraged us. Fingers sore and brain spent, I completed the first page and fell into bed. Only 369 pages to go!

The week resembled a boot camp. We worked from morning to late evening. In meal breaks we built great relationships. Every moment we learned from each other. When we closed our computers to go home, I’d made new friends and I’d successfully polished seventy of those pages.

‘What happens now?’ I asked.

‘I’ve taught you.’ Mary hugged me. ‘Now you edit the rest using the skills I’ve given you.’

Reviewing the mentorship on the drive home I was both grateful for Mary’s patience and teaching and overwhelmed by the task ahead of me.

Sixteen years have passed since that pivotal weekend. The book we slaved over, Though the Bud be Bruised, won a Caleb prize for best unpublished manuscript and was published in 2012. The skills I learned from Mary have become my automatic way of writing. Since then, I’ve learned more about making my words sing, through events, workshops and meetings, mostly under Omega Writers and other gatherings of Christian authors.

Writers helping Writers.

Paul exhorted us in Romans 10:24-25 TPT…

Discover creative ways to encourage others and motivate them toward acts of compassion, doing beautiful works as expressions of love. This is not the time to pull away and neglect meeting together… In fact, we should come together even more frequently, eager to encourage and urge each other forward…

The encouragement I receive from other Christian writers builds my determination to push onward, to fulfil the goals God has placed in my heart.

Helen Hudson talking Holy Spirit and art. Check out her Facebook page

A couple of weeks ago our Omega Writers Sunshine Coast group held a writer’s retreat. The aim was to spend time together and learn from each other. We gathered at our leader’s beautiful home on Friday night, meet together all day Saturday and Sunday morning. Our shared meals were prepared by Sue and her amazing mother. We stayed close by, some of us sharing a cabin, and we revelled in fellowship. One of our members, Julie Modra, shared from her vast knowledge and taught us about writing structure. Printed sheets helped us apply her wisdom… wisdom she has learned from others. We practised hearing the Holy Spirit through a Zoom training session by Lynne Hudson using art! We prayed for each other and planned events. What a rich weekend!

Our representation of Holy Spirit's nudges

I also belong to another smaller group led by Jeanette Grant-Thomson. Four of us meet once a month. We write in different genres for different reasons. Each month we email every group member two or three pages of our work. We critique each other’s writing and then gather to share. At the end, a ten-to-fifteen-minute writing exercise stretches us. We read our stories aloud and encourage each other. The relationships are sweet and our skills are growing under this discipline.

Any success I’ve enjoyed as an author is attributed to the Holy Spirit firstly and then fellowship and instruction from other writers.

Sunshine Coast members at retreat

Writers Building Writer Community

Omega has organised a writer’s conference in Adelaide in October. It’s a great place to learn and a good place to meet other writers, build relationships and invite others to connect with you. Large gatherings can be impersonal, but it’s the small groups and conversations where I’ve been impacted.

When I was writing El Shaddai, I had stalled and closed the file. God and I had agreed to write a book where He was one of the characters. But I panicked when I realised I was writing His words. Feeling totally inadequate, I stopped. Months later, in a small prayer meeting at a conference, God whispered, ‘What’s wrong with the book I’m in?’ Challenged, I came home and wrote the story as quickly as I could, not allowing myself to second guess anything. And God says some amazing things in that book… things I didn’t know until I typed the words.

Our Sunshine Coast group grew organically. In a post on Omega Writers page on Facebook, Sue Taylor-Reeves asked for anyone interested in meeting together. A few of us started to connect and then gather. And it grew. Commitment to the group keeps it healthy.

Our groups book launch in March

Jesus taught about sowing and reaping. If you want support with your writing, start by finding someone you can help. Find a writing buddy. Share your work. Give constructive feedback and receive other’s suggestions with grace. Offer prayer and encouragement.

Reach out to help others. Volunteer to be a beta reader. Write reviews. Help with someone else’s book launch. Be active on the Facebook pages, Christian Writers Downunder and Australasian Christian Writers. These groups connect us to writers across Austrlalia and New Zealand.

Christian community is important for Christian authors. Even Jesus didn’t walk alone. Often he was surrounded by thousands, but he always withdrew with his twelve, or three. We know he needed their prayers. They accompanied him, served Him and learned from Him.

Likewise, in love we lift each other up and help carry each other’s burdens.

Closing brunch after a great weekend

How has the writing community helped you? How have you helped other authors?

Jo Wanmer is a story teller, that has had to learn how to write those stories into acceptable prose. She writes with the help of the Holy Spirit. Without His inspiration, there would be no books. Though the Bud be Bruised was published thirteen years ago. Late in 2024 El Shaddai was released and its prequel, El Roi, was released late last year.

She lives, with her husband of nearly fifty-four years, just north of Brisbane. Family, God and writing are her three passions. Eleven great-grandchildren now fill their home with love and chaos.

Perfection Not Required!

noreply@blogger.com (Anusha Atukorala) — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 20:30:00 +0000

by Anusha Atukorala

Ever since we came to this beautiful Land Down Under, 27 years ago, our local library has enjoyed plenty of custom from all three of my family, and especially from little old me! I’d often emerge after a browsing session, carrying over 40 books. And how wonderful to know that that number was still less than half the number of items anyone is allowed to check out at a given time! Amazing! Thank You God for libraries!

A few months ago, I discovered that I had plenty of unread books in my own personal collection. The fact is, I always gave priority to my library books, since they needed to be returned by a certain date and therefore, I never seemed to get to my own. I had to do something about those unread books! Before my two cataract operations, the first in mid-January this year, I plunged into a frenzied de-cluttering and re-arranging spree of all of my books in our bedroom, and placed all my unread books (mostly gifts) on one shelf for easy access. Brilliant!

After my first surgery, I was delighted that I could SEE clearly again! What a difference good eyesight made! The titles of the books on my bookshelves were not a vague blur as they used to be … I could even read the titles while lounging on my bed, a fair distance away. I stopped borrowing too many from the library so I could concentrate on those close at hand. One of the first books that I read was Christian fiction – a long novel it was. I had no idea if I’d found this book at a second hand bookshop or if someone had gifted it to me. I mostly read secular fiction or Christian nonfiction, so this was unusual.

At first, the story seemed to be a basic plot. There was also quite a bit of head hopping … hmm … how good would this story be? And was it worth my time? As I kept reading, I decided it was. I even began to find great enjoyment in the story. Its main character Sophie became very real to me. She had a beautiful faith and a gentle heart that impacted others around her for good. Although the Christian content was perhaps too explicit for my liking, it still continued to capture my interest. I stayed with it for all 425 pages of it, finally loving the story and especially the happy ending.

And what did I learn from reading this story? That as Christian writers, perfection doesn’t have to be our aim. Yes, God calls us to excellence, and we need to do the best we can. Yes, we must take our writing seriously. We must work hard to polish and cultivate our craft. But … perfection? Now that is another matter! Perfection rarely exists on this side of eternity.

The thing is, that if we don’t get to publish our writing because we can’t stop editing it … no one will ever read our work. If we compare our writing with other gifted writers, we might give up in frustration, hanging our heads in shame down like a child who’s been sent to her room as punishment for bad behaviour. We each have a calling from our Almighty God. Psalm 139 verse 16 says, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16 Which means that He who created us, planned that you and I would write for His glory, well before the beginning of time! Wow!

So here’s my encouragement to you today, dear friend. If you feel less than enough as a Christian writer, think again. If He called you to write (and you know He has), your best is good enough. Your efforts to write as well as you can for Jesus is enough. You can communicate the love of God, even without a perfect story. You can communicate the heart of God, simply by following the whispers of the Holy Spirit. Yes, we need to aim at excellence in our craft and with all of our being. But self-condemnation and comparison with other writers is not required.

What IS required is a humble trusting heart, a pen yielded to the God who writes our own stories and a desire to be used of Him. So ... what are you waiting for? Keep sharing the stories He laid on your heart. In the bigger scheme of things, reviews or the lack of them, the number of books you sell or don’t sell isn’t what is most important. Reaching hearts, one at a time, is a goal we can all aim at. Doing what you can, when you can, how you can, with our faithful God’s help, is all that’s needed. So keep those stories coming, dear friend and let your voice be heard. God’s created you to bless and build His world. It won’t be complete without you and your awe-inspiring stories! Keep writing!

P.S. As for our spiritual lives, now that is a tad different! Jesus said to his disciples, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48 Like our books, our lives too will not reflect His perfection, this side of heaven, but our goal is to become like Jesus. So let's work long and hard on our books, and let's work even harder to become more like our Creator, the Author of each of our stories, JESUS!

Anusha’s been on many interesting detours in life, as a lab technician, a computer programmer, a full time Mum, a full time volunteer, a charity director, a full time job chaser, until one golden day (or was it a dark moonless night?) God tapped her on her shoulder and called her to write for Him. She has never recovered from the joy it brought her. She loves to see others enjoying life with Jesus and does her mite to hurry the process in her world through her writing and through her life. The goodness of God is her theme song through each season, as she dances in the rain with Jesus.

Her first book Enjoying the Journey contains 75 little God stories that will bring you closer to your Creator. Her 2^nd book ‘Dancing in the Rain’ brings you hope and comfort for life’s soggy seasons. Her 3rd book, ‘Sharing the Journey’ is a sequel to 'Enjoying the Journey'.

Do drop in on her two websites to say G’day! She’d love to connect with you.

Dancing in the Rain

Light in the Darkness

Creative Seasons

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette O'Hagan) — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 18:00:00 +0000

I know it's autumn here in the Southern Hemisphere - but in the creative space, I feel like I'm emerging from a long winter. Not a Brisbane winter, where the trees keep their leaves, and wattle and poinsettia splash flamboyant colour against the cloudless cobalt blue of the sky. More a Melbourne winter, with grey low skies, dizzling rain and the cold that seeps deep into your bones.

The main reason for this long winter over the last few years, where everything seems an effort and motivation is hard to come by, was grief due to family drama (which I won't go into). It was hard to focus on the complexity of my characters' journey and intricate plots when my heart was dealing with the jagged edges of emotional pain.

Thank God for short stories - that keep the creative juices going - and poetry. And time and healing and mending.

Short stories are bite sized - though mine tend to be giant-sized bites - with simplier arcs and shorter timelines. Poetry is even more condensed, where every word can matter - and can express emotion in a way prose can struggle to do.

Despite a hiatus of a couple weeks travelling, I participated in the Month of Poetry again this January - with a special challenge each Saturday - ranging from ekphrastic poems inspired by an art work (sculpture, painting, photograph etc), writing a poem inspired by or in the voice of a favourite book character, writing a compunctual poem (two poems interlaced in interaction with each other - hard to do), a poem inspired by a line of poetry you admire, and finally, a poem about what poetry means to you (Five Saturdays in January this year).

I also went to my very first Genre-Con this year - on the theme of Inklings - and it was particularly inspiring. Apparently even after 15 years of seriously pursuing writing and getting a Masters in writing, there are indeed new things to learn. I loved the Manga stream under Professor Belne from Japan with a hands-on workshop. The three golden nuggets I took away from the weekend (as Lori-Jay Ellis encouraged us to look for)

1 ) the comparion of the 3 Act Hero's Journey popular in the West with both the lesser known Heroine's Journey and the 4 Act Eastern Kishōtenketsu (with a unexpected asteroid-sized shift in Act 3) (Thanks Belne, Queenie Chan, Genieve Flynn and L.E. Daniels).
2) Scott Wilson's enthuiasm was uplifting as he explained the making of the Indigiverse - and how the powers of his superheros are based on the character and strengths of his great-grandmother, mother, and other people important in his life.
3) I also enjoyed Michelle Birrell's demonstration of using mind-maps to take an idea of a story to one with legs (or rather characters, conflict and context).

And the whole weekend was so much better sharing it with a friend.

Filling the creative well helps keep the creatve spark alive (to mix metaphors).

Though, in many ways, it's also time and God's healing presence that mends.

I prefer to avoid pain, like things to be easy - yet life isn't easy and sometimes it can break you. God walks with us even when we can't feel his presence, maybe especially then. And it's often in those dark winter fallow times when nothing (or very little) seems to be happening, that the soil is broken up and enriched and the seed grows.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases:
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV*

Have you experienced fallow times - what has helped renew your creativity?

P. S. here's two of my poems form MOP (I resisted the urge to share a third) - the first on the stillness of cats, the other an acrotic on inspiration. Enjoy.

The Stillness of Cats

The stillness of cats
a movable feast of perfected rest
stretched out trapeze like to impossible length,
curled pretzel close, nose to tail,
spine twisted in unlikely spiral,
or paws curled in post-mortem pose
not a whisker or a muscle twitching
as still as death, yet replete with curled up life
a fracture in reality and time.

The stillness of cats, majestic, magical, mystical
suspends time, tears at the curtain of reality

triggering inexplicable yearning

like the infinite arch of the blue, blue sky
the effortless stretch of the restless ocean
the song of the wind dancing between the leaves,
whistling whistling across country,
the slow sink of the sun, the rise of the plump fullfaced moon
the exuberant splatter of stars against the purple-black sky
the wonder and thisness of the world
stirring emotions hard to name, an unspoken promise
unreachable perfection wrapped in eternity
the great beyond calling, calling, calling
further up and further in.

28 January © Jeanette O’Hagan

Inspiration - an Acrostic

Inhale the shy sparks of imagination
Nourishment for mind and soul
Simmering, swirling, unspooling
Percolating in quiet places and the routine
Incubating in dreams, in the shower, on walks
Reverberating with rhyme and rhythm and rhetoric
Activating, unannounced, in media res, bums on seats
Torrents of creation causing creek banks to overflow
Incited by the everyday, the minutiae of living
Outrageous too, sparked by the weird, the wonderful
New emerging like phoenix from the cinders of the old.

2 Jan 2026 © Jeanette O’Hagan

*Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

They’re not your books!

noreply@blogger.com (Jo-Anne Berthelsen) — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Before I began writing, I remember standing in a large, Christian bookstore thinking, ‘Why would anyone ever want to add to the enormous numbers of books already here on these shelves? Surely we know enough about living the Christian life, without any more “how to” books from anyone? Perhaps there’s room for more Aussie novels, but how could I compete with all the American ones already here?’

Have you ever felt like that in your own writing journey? You may not have stood in an actual physical bookstore, feeling overwhelmed and intimidated, but perhaps as you have noticed online what others are writing, you too may have begun to doubt your own writing efforts. It can be so easy to compare ourselves with other writers and end up completely discouraged, can’t it?

I can also easily become discouraged after reading how others manage to promote their books in ways I have never explored. My current publisher, Authentic Media UK, tries hard to encourage all their authors to be more proactive promotion-wise, especially on social media, by providing excellent monthly coaching for us online via Teams. Even while taking part in this, however, I can manage to compare myself to others and wonder if I am doing enough.

In times of discouragement, one key thing that has helped me is remembering how God called me to start writing. I was overseas visiting a friend and, one morning while reading Isaiah 42, I sensed God saying, ‘Come on, Jo-Anne. How many times do I have to show you? Go home and start writing!’ I had wanted to write for years – but now I sensed God was giving me permission to do something I had felt might be self-indulgent and actually start. I am forever grateful for this strong challenge as it has helped keep me determined to do my best for God in my writing and speaking. So … do you have that same sense that God has called you to write? If so, may God continue to give you the strength to be obedient and persevere.

I remember too how, way back when I doubted the wisdom of adding to the plethora of books already out there, someone said gently, ‘But they’re not your books!’ That resonated with me, especially in the light of believing God had called me to write. God had created me as I am, with my own unique gifts and abilities, and taken me on my own unique journey through life. Surely then it was possible that God had things for me to say that no one else could say in quite the same way? And of course this is true for you too. Yes, we need to research the market and know what other similar books are out there already, but God is quite able to guide us in all that and show us the unique contribution we can make through our own writing.

I am so grateful as I look back on my writing and speaking journey of around twenty years and remember God’s encouragement and provision through it all – and God’s continued strengthening as I keep writing in 2026. Whatever unique writing journey God has called you to take, may you too know that same encouragement and provision, now and for many years to come.

Jo-Anne Berthelsen is a Sydney-based author of seven novels and four non-fiction works. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked in teaching, editing and local church ministry. Jo-Anne loves encouraging others through both the written and spoken word and is a keen blogger. Jo-Anne’s latest book, God Moments, is available via her website, Koorong Books and Amazon

Highlighting Members Recent Releases

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette O'Hagan) — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 18:00:00 +0000

Christian Writers Downunder is a diverse group of writers, editors, bloggers, illustrators. As a group we support each other through our Facebook page and blog.

Today's blog will highlight some of the recent releases of our members from Aug 2025-Feb 2026

Historical Fiction

The Hunter fo Macquarie Collection

The Hunter fo Macquarie Collection - 1795-1822

by Sara Powter

This collection of stories offers insight into life in the colony during the early days of settlement, as seen through the eyes of the governors and trusted convicts. Of the first ten governors, seven were recalled to face inquiries, and all were later exonerated.

Book 1 When Upon Life Billows
Book 2 The Saddler’s Song
Book 3 Tuppence to Pass
Book 4 His Majesty’s Pageboy
Book 5 A Fist Full of Holey Dollars

Sara Powter worked with her mother, Sheila Hunter, to research their family history. Through this, they discovered many wonderful Australian Colonial stories from the four Convicts they found in their tree.

https://www.sarapowter.com.au/

Universal buy link to collection:-https://mybook.to/CbMaqV

Romance

A Heart to Treasure

A Heartto Treasure

by A Heart to Treasure by Dienece Darling

The vicar’s son and the draper’s daughter have fought against all odds to be together, yet both are ignoring the cracks in their relationship. And a storm is coming. One that will shatter everything. Can two hearts torn apart by pride find their way back to each other?

Dienece Darling is a former Georgia Belle who calls Melbourne home these days. She writes first person inspirational historical romance, and her first name is a variant spelling of Denise.

Find Dienece on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063748350005

Buy link:
https://books2read.com/ahearttotreasure

Not Running Away

Melissa Gijsbers

Gemma Duncan isn’t running away — she’s running towards something new. A temporary job in Sapphire Bay was meant to be a quiet escape, but friendship, community, and an unexpected connection with Adam make her question everything. When a permanent opportunity arises, she must choose familiarity… or the life that feels like home.

Author Bio: Melissa Gijsbers is a late-diagnosed AuDHD woman and Gippsland-based author who can't stick to one thing. She has written picture books, middle grade books, novellas, and more. You can find more about her on melissagijsbers.com or https://www.facebook.com/MelissaGijsbers (feel free to leave out the Facebook link if you only want one link).

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com.au/Not-Running-Away-Melissa-Gijsbers-ebook/dp/B0GHJ1JBH6

Holly Hartmann Romances

One Cabin For Christmas: A forced proximity, second chance, fade-to-black, holiday romcom with rescue horses and a gassy beagle (Christmas in Vermont Book 1)

By Holly Hartman

One job. One cabin. One second chance at forever.
☃️Expect:

Small-town Christmas magic
Forced proximity
Second chances
Found family
Veterinary workplace
Rescue horses
Heart and humour
Swoony, fade-to-black chemistry and guaranteed HEA

Buy: https://books2read.com/u/mVJa5r
Or get it free: www.hollyhartmanbooks.com/bonus-Christmas-romance

Running from Christmas: A Grumpy-Sunshine, Snowed-In, Christmas Romance with Heart (and Paws) (Christmas in Vermont Book 2)

By Holly Hartman

She hates Christmas. He lives for it. One rescue dog thinks they're perfect for each other.

☃️Expect:

Small-town Christmas magic
Reverse grumpy-sunshine
Aussie veterinarian fish out of water
Snowstorms with great timing
A huge rescue dog
Widower finding love again
She’s leaving town (ticking clock)
Swoony, fade-to-black chemistry
Guaranteed HEA

Buy: https://books2read.com/u/boJazp

A Very Merri Christmas: A Second-Chance, Snowed-in, Holiday Romance About Brave Love and Finding Home (Christmas in Vermont Book 3)

By Holly Hartman

She's marrying the safe choice. He's the deputy who never stopped loving her. One blizzard means there's nowhere left to hide.

☃️Expect:

Small-town Christmas magic in snowy Vermont
He’s always loved her / she’s been playing it safe
Animal rescue
Snowed-in survival intimacy
Poignant and funny
Swoony, fade-to-black chemistry & guaranteed HEA

Buy: https://books2read.com/u/b5LG7k

Bio: Holly Hartman writes contemporary, small-town romance, with warmth, wit and swoony fade-to-black chemistry. Her stories are filled with longing glances, emotional misfires, and love that feels like coming home.

https://www.facebook.com/HollyHartmanBooks/

Contemporary

Spiralling Solo

Spiralling Solo (book 3 of the Spiralling Trilogy)
by Michelle Dennis Evans

Stephanie is determined to stand alone, juggling finances and past trauma while her friendship with Tabbie fractures. Tabbie faces heartbreak in her final school year. The girls drift apart just when they need each other most, both drawn to the newly confident dancer Joey. Navigating loneliness, loss, love, and temptation, they must discover their true selves before their bond breaks.

Podcaster and YA contemporary author exploring life’s challenges, victories and the joy of hope. Michelle Dennis Evans balances her writing by empowering others to live with health, vitality & freedom.

MDE link:https://michelledennisevans.com/

Buy link: https://www.booktopia.com.au/spiralling-solo-michelle-dennis-evans/book/9781923533073.html

Paint the Walls Red

Paint the Walls Red
by Suzie Peace Pybus

Meg has carried the weight of one devastating choice for forty years. Now as strange events unfold in the hospital where she works, she senses they are tied to her past. With her memory failing, she must race to uncover the truth before she forgets completely.

Suzie lives on a small fruit and vegetable farm in Tasmania. She writes distinctly Australian stories about courageous women facing social challenges, each threaded with mystery.

Suzie's website: https://www.suziepeacepybus.com/

Buylink: https://tinyurl.com/y3u4s9nv

Restoring Hope

by Philippa Cleall

After escaping harm, Hope returns to Wombat Valley to rebuild her life. But when a charming, dangerous figure from her past returns, can she stand firm in the new faith and friendships that she’s found? Restoring Hope is a heartfelt story of resilience, rediscovery, and finding a safe place to call home.

Philippa Cleall is a Children’s and Family Counsellor and volunteer Court Chaplain. She has a heart for seeing faith communities become more trauma informed so they can care for those hurting with greater wisdom, compassion, grace, and truth. www.philippacleall.com

Bu link: www.amazon.com.au/Restoring-Hope-Philippa-Cleall-ebook/dp/B0F4H6WWY4/

Speculative Fiction (Sci-Fi & Fantasy)

The Wells of Callystra

The Wells of Callystra Book 8 (published 31st October, 2025).
by Elizabeth Klein

A perilous journey to the mountains of Karakor is undertaken by elf prince, Aeron Bregolas. Once there, he manages to unite his elven tribe with the largest dwarf kingdom in Bethloria. But at a terrible cost. To save both himself and his men, he is forced to activate an ancient talisman with devastating consequences to himself.

Elizabeth Klein lives and writes in a caravan and has over 100 published works. She enjoys writing YA fantasy and fairytale retellings.

Website https://www.elizabethkleinauthor.com/

Buy Link: https://www.ama:zon.com/-/e/B07ZBTVVX4

Flare Up

Flare Up: Adventure with Jett Faraday, much loved character from the Blaine Colton trilogy
by Adele Jones

Eighteen-old, Jett Faraday is pushed to the limit when gym manager, Luca, discovers his interest in a bodybuilding competition and pressures him to take an illicit performance enhancer to accelerate his gains. When Luca makes physical threats, and he grows increasingly erratic. Jett digs deeper, unearthing a high-tech operation formulating ingestible products for engineering mind-manipulable super-humans. When that technology is turned on him, Jett faces a fight for survival that may cost him everything.

Adele Jones writes fringe and near young adult "Science fiction for the real world". Fuelled by her passion for family, faith, music and science, she tackles complex teen issues including self-worth, disability, loss, domestic violence, youth crime and more. To learn more visit: www.adelejonesauthor.com

Buy link:

Rise of the Consortium

by Jeanette O'Hagan

A young blind woman, an ambitious math genius, a rejected splice clone, a cynical detective, an angry post-doc student, or an agent trying to correct the mistakes of her father?

Nine interwoven stories that stretch from the seat of Nardvan power in Pelinor to the far reaches of the sun-system. Ten different and diverse people forced to face their own demons and overwhelming power, privilege and corruption. A growing band of rebels fighting against the might of Endira Corp.

Will their courage, choices and resolve save Nardva or will they die trying – or worse – be transformed into one of Endira’s mindless cyborg slaves?

Find out in Rise of the Consortium, a thrilling collection of sci-fi short stories by Jeanette O’Hagan, set in the future of the world of Nardva.

Jeanette O’Hagan began spinning tales in the world of Nardva from the age of eight or nine. Her Nardvan stories span continents, millennia and cultures. Some involve shapeshifters and magic. Others include space stations and cyborgs.

Buy link: https://books2read.com/u/47ow8A

Christian Life and Reflection

Stories of Life - Turning Ten

Turning Ten

Edited by Claire Bell (Editor), Pete Court (Editor), Esther Cremona (Editor)

The Title Story (Jenny Woolsey): Explores a child's ordeal with major surgery, featuring themes of comfort, support from adults, and faith during a challenging time. Turning Ten is, appropriately, the title story of this tenth annual Stories of Life anthology. Once again, ordinary people have sent in wonderfully varied stories of how God met them in everyday situations readers can identify with. Some stories span many years, others a single afternoon. Some are a little sombre, and some are laugh-out-loud funny. Many, like the title story, recall childhood experiences of God’s comfort and provision in difficult times. Other writers drew inspiration from road trips, hospital trips, family life, and walking in nature. But one theme shines through them all. No matter how small or large our need, God always watches over us in love, to guide, protect and equip us.

CWD members include authors Karen John Roper, Jenny Woolsey & Barbara Jean McKay & editors Claire Bell, Peter Court and Esther Cremona.

Buy link: https://storiesoflife.net/product/turning-ten/

Congratulations to all our members for your milestones and achievements.

Jeanette O'Hagan

Finding Christians in Unexpected Places (by Susan J Bruce and Holly Hartman)

noreply@blogger.com (Susan J Bruce) — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 19:30:00 +0000

It started like every sensible writing decision starts: with me doing the responsible thing.

I’d just decided to shelve a Christmas romance idea so I could stay faithful to my mystery series. I even prayed about it with my husband. I stood up, walked five steps toward my study, and prepared to get back to the safe, sensible work of murder.

That’s when the still small voice cut in—clear as anything: “Christmas is in Vermont.”

And just like that, my neat little plan went out the window.

But let me back up.

Most people in Christian Writers Downunder know me as Susan J Bruce, a cozy mystery writer. I’m currently editing Mostly Dead, book two in my Ruthless-the-Killer mystery series—and loving it.

But that voice led me into an initially secret identity: writing mainstream Christmas romance under the pen name Holly Hartman, set in a town called Christmas, where Christmas happens all year round.

The books are mostly sweet, with a dash of heat. Swoony, fade-to-black romances—mainstream stories about love, hope, and second chances, written for readers who want heart with their happily-ever-afters. And yes, some faith content does seep in because it’s Christmas, and it's really hard not to have it there.

Unexpected? You have no idea.

The idea began with a grumpy Australian veterinarian who hates Christmas and a sunshine game warden who loves the season. Add a stray dog with a knack for matchmaking, and it became Running from Christmas—a heartfelt rom-com about finding love after loss.

But the surprises didn't stop there.

When Characters Take Over

The story spawned a prequel (One Cabin for Christmas) and then, somehow, a book three (A Very Merri Christmas).

I was almost finished the draft of the latter when I realized it needed something. The story was set against the backdrop of Jack and Mia’s destination wedding (the couple from book two), but it didn’t feel Christmassy enough. That’s when my characters did what characters do: they took over. Secret carols appeared. A grand gesture started looming. And Liam—my male lead—casually revealed he could sing.

Who am I to argue with a handsome deputy?

Once I accepted that the wedding needed music, I had a new problem: what songs were playing in the background? I can’t quote lyrics unless they’re public domain, but I still needed the soundtrack in my head. Songs set the emotional temperature of a scene, and I wanted a Spotify playlist for readers who like stepping deeper into the story world.

So I went hunting for warm, heartfelt, country-rock-leaning love songs. It turns out that even in snowy Vermont, the Nashville sound feels like home. That search led me to something I didn't expect at all: Christian artists in the mainstream.

(Unexpected side note: I didn't see myself writing Christmas romance, and I definitely didn't see myself enjoying country music this much, although I don't mind country rock. God is full of surprises.)

Christians in the mainstream,,,

Brett Young was my first small jolt of recognition. I loved the sincerity of In Case You Didn’t Know, then discovered he’d worked with Chris Tomlin and spoken openly about faith shaping his life. And I thought—wait. He’s one of us.

Then Russell Dickerson showed up in my recommendations with Yours.

The music video is amazing. Dickerson is singing against the backdrop of a huge storm, lightning flashing (apparently there was a tornado warning that day). The lyrics are strong and song has the intensity and sincerity I needed for Liam.

But even though it was a mainstream love song, the lyrics had a distinct Christian flavour.

I dug deeper.

I found Russell and his wife Kailey's testimony—shared openly in interviews. And the story behind the song got me. Russell had been dropped from a record deal. They were broke, newlyweds, and Kailey had to take side jobs to keep them afloat. They kept going anyway, following God’s call to bring Russell’s music to the world. The video was slow burn at first but then built into a massive hit.

I love stories like that. God at work while his people keep showing up, creating anyway. Then he steps in and shows off—lightning and thunder included!

It’s unexpected—and deeply encouraging.

Then there was another song of Dickerson’s that I couldn’t get out of my head. This was only a few days ago, after book three was published.

Happened to Me is another huge hit of his, but very different from his other work. On the surface, it's just a fun breakup song. It went viral on TikTok—catchy, cheeky and full of energy.

And it got stuck in my head. All week. It even made me feel a bit teary. I couldn't work out why until one day it clicked.

The song is about a woman on the run from a breakup and a guy who falls for her even though he knows she's going to wreck him. He’s falling for her, taking every second he can while knowing this can’t go well.

Cue the facepalm. I can be dense sometimes.

That was essentially the back story of the characters I’d been living with for the past two months.

The details in the song are different, but the mess of feelings is the same.

In A Very Merri Christmas, Liam met Merri right after she'd had a nasty breakup. He spent the next two weeks falling for her hard, then watched her pull back because it was too much, too fast.

Six years of her being the one that got away—until a destination wedding and a snowstorm finally made them stop running.

It's a thrill when a song nails the emotional truth of something you wrote—like proof you tapped into something deeply human.

It was like it had been put there as an Easter egg for me to find.

Totally unexpected.

But I digress…

Making Beautiful Work

Accidentally finding Christians lurking in creative places. Hearing how God breaks through for talented people creating, working, persisting, creating beauty and heart, and trusting God through the hard times.

It shouldn’t be unexpected, but it is.

It’s easy to put on blinkers and create a false dichotomy between the sacred and the secular and limit our understanding of what a Christian work is.

There's a quote from philosopher Jacques Maritain that I love:

"If you want to make a Christian work, then be Christian and make a beautiful work, into which your heart will pass. Do not try to make Christian."

Be a believer, make the best work you can, and infuse it with your heart. Who knows what the Lord will do with it?

Christian author and editor, Iola Goulton, recently wrote an article about this. I found these words from Covert and Crossover Christian Fiction empowering:

"If you don't feel called to write Christian fiction, don't. Write to your calling. Trust that God's light will shine through in whatever you write. And trust that God will bring your words to the people who need to read them."

In that same article, Iola shared a story about a family who came to faith after the father read The Da Vinci Code—a book nobody would ever call Christian. He'd never heard of Jesus, but the novel sparked his curiosity. He researched, became a believer, and started bringing his family to church.

If God can use that, imagine what He can do with the words you and I are writing right now. He can bring fruit from work that doesn't have a label stamped on it. He can use songs and stories about love and life to soften hearts, to give courage, to stir hope, to remind someone they aren't alone.

He can take mainstream US musicians and use them to encourage the faith of an author in Australia. He can take the creative work you and I are called to do and carry it further than we can imagine.

If your call is to write Christian fiction. If your passion is to encourage Christians and create stories that outline the path to salvation, then please do so. Your words are needed. But if that's not you, that’s okay too.

The world needs your words, your heart and your hope.

Photo courtesy of www.svklimkin.com on Pixabay

Your Turn

Finding Christians in unexpected places over the last few weeks has been like finding a light left on the porch outside. It's hope. Our brothers and sisters are out there. Faith isn't confined to one section of the bookstore, or one playlist category, or one approved pathway.

God is at work—everywhere.

So here's my encouragement to you, especially if you're a Christian writer who sometimes wonders where you fit.

Write to your calling. Write with beauty, truth, and integrity. Pray over your work—not only for success, but for God to use your words in ways you will never see. Pray that it strengthens other believers who stumble across you out in the wild. Pray that it reaches people who would never pick up something labelled Christian, but who might still be hungry for hope.

You might never hear the results. That doesn't mean nothing happened.

You may be someone else's unexpected find.

Is there a "mainstream" song, movie, or book that has deeply encouraged your faith recently? Share the title in the comments below so we can add it to our reading/playlists!

__________________________________________________

If you’d like to explore more:

Susan J. Bruce is a former veterinarian and self-confessed animal addict who writes mysteries with heart, humour, and plenty of fur. Find her binge-worthy Ruthless-the-Killer series at www.susanjbruce.com.

She also writes funny-with-feeling romantic comedy as Holly Hartman, where falling in love feels like finding home. Follow Holly Hartman on Amazon for swoony, emotionally rich, fade-to-black romance with small-town warmth, second chances, and excellent coffee instincts.

LISTENING TO THE STORIES OF OTHERS

noreply@blogger.com (Shane Brigg) — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 19:00:00 +0000

I just spent an enriching day immersed in the wilderness of a deep gorge, with beautiful waterfalls, cascades, forests and fauna. What made it significantly enriching was not just the wonderful environment but the time spent hearing the tireless stories of this area's custodian, geographer and eldered mentor.

Often as authors and story tellers we are more interested in telling our stories to others than taking time to hear other’s stories. This may be true of us as authors, but it is often also the case when we are considering points of view in a world that has so many. What our world needs is some humble listening to help us navigate the monumental changes and fluxes happening across our planet and in the intimate realities of people. People who Jesus cares for.

Jesus demonstrated great listening by giving people his undivided attention, fostering trust, and validating their worth. I love the story of Jesus' interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4). Jesus didn’t just do all the talking. He listened patiently to her, providing a safe space for her to open up about her life and spiritual questions, allowing for a deep, unhurried conversation. In doing so he circumvented cultural norms and ignored his own needs to address her shame, fear, and spiritual hunger. In like manner when Jesus came across blind Bartimaeus (despite the crowd trying to silence him), Jesus heard him, stopped, and asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" (Mark 10:46-52). Jesus valued, affirmed and ‘saw’ Bartimaeus so he could fully give him agency in the healing that took place. This was modelled many times.

Listening to others' stories is important. It is crucial for fostering empathy (listeners can begin to relate to others as they recognise that the messenger has feelings and experiences just like them (Colgate 2008)). Listening to other’s stories catalyses our connection with others and takes our relationships to a deeper emotional level. It helps to build stronger communities by creating closer relationships, trust, and empowerment and encouragement for others to tell their stories. Sharing in people’s personal stories helps others gain new perspectives, understand diverse experiences, and promotes personal and collective growth. We learn from each other’s journeys.

My wife and I are “Member Carers” involved in the vital work of helping to support mission individuals, couples, families and teams on the cutting edge of community development initiatives and humanitarian responses. We are bringing much needed care to those reaching the unreached. Decades of Chaplaincy, pastoral care, community development and cross-cultural service have produced our unique skillset to help bring this care and support. Simply listening to their stories is one of the most valuable assets we bring into this space.

We recently met face to face with many long-serving and new-to-field workers in restricted access areas. They face constant significant challenges to their own health, safety and the effectiveness of their operations. The personal cost of service for them encompasses insecurity, loneliness, physical risk, and heightened psychological burdens. Visiting them and providing care by our presence and listening has helped maintain their active service.

Robyn Fivush (2020), Professor of Developmental Psychology at Emory University and the director of the Family Narratives Lab confirms these sentiments: “Knowing how to listen to others’ stories is just as important as being able to tell your own story. When we listen, truly listen, to someone else’s story, we understand who they are in a new and different way, we hear their perspective, their interpretation, their understanding of the world and of themselves. Closely listening to others’ stories creates a shared moment of compassion.”

Colgate (2008) adds another powerful reason why it is important to tell our own stories so others can listen: it brings healing for us and sets others up for their own healing journeys. “As we recall our own stories, we begin to uncover old wounds, hurts and traumas. We also begin to identify the ways in which we have tried to cover over or to deny our pain. Then, by the gracious touch of Jesus and often with the help of a friend, we can experience healing and release. This whole process of healing, release and renewal has tremendous impact.”

I have learnt over the years (with all the cultural immersion and care work I have been blessed to be engaged in) that respecting the culture and history of peoples requires a wise acquiring. This is empowered by access, understanding and actioning of endemic communication methodology and storying that requires listening, adapting, and adopting creative methodologies.

An example of this are my relationships with Indigenous friends who have welcomed me like family. When I was considering the recent musings and discussions of Australia Day, I took time to reflect on the blessing of interactions and family connections with many ethnicities (my family were immigrants in the 1800's and 1950's. English, German, becoming generations of Aussies) and multiple indigenous embracings.

I remember always caring, sometimes intense 'Aunties' sharing stories, welcoming, praying over, calling forth my formative, eyes-opened, heart-responsive, listening and learning, loving and growing, going and journeying in community, family, mates and markings. Nows and futures. Together. 'Uncles' doing likewise with practiced hands teaching to walk and talk the land, gather and collect, hear and hunt, treading, trusting, braving, sometimes slow, moving, mustering, making, moulding, and mentoring.

Lessons of humility stand out with stories of responsibility and storied teachings of reverence, sacred ways of giving thanks, awe of life and spirit, Creator and created, experiential teachings of giving, kindness, caring, justice, mercy and love, orality, oral pronouncements and wisened sayings by meaningful adult interactions. They are oral in spoken words as well as in songs, in utterances, and the sounds of sight and sounds of thoughts and feelings shared on journey together, perhaps gathering foods or hunting or wandering with purpose together on an adventure, sitting in the dust around a camp fire and simply being together, and sometimes this means sitting in silence for a long time and simply sharing space together in the presence of The Almighty.

I am humbled and honoured for their welcome. Thankful for teaching me and helping me listen. To see. I am glad we can join hands with all our diverse backgrounds to journey into our future together.

There are many other examples of relationships with many different peoples I could share of the vitality of listening.

Finally, when stories are shared to listening ears and hearts, they are spiritually powerful:

“We overcome by the word of our testimony and the blood of the lamb” (Revelation 12:11).

It may even be considered to be a form of spiritual warfare as it is truth telling, helps to break down deception, and reveals Godly purposes, plans and prophetic insights therefore countering isolation, judgment, and spiritual darkness. Honest testimonies and authentically hearing others, can help bring freedom, build hope and faith, and testify of God’s power.

Jesus took time to listen to people. Perhaps we can too.

Listening to others’ stories empowers their future story. I believe it is also a potent way for us as story tellers to have more powerful future stories.

My wilderness journey and storied immersions have changed my life. I hope your adventures in listening do too.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Colgate, J (2008) Relational Bible Storying and Scripture Use in Oral Muslim Context,

Fivush, R. (2020) Listening to Stories: The Power of Story Circles Story Circles build compassion and connection during challenging times. In Psychology Today.

Lausanne (2004) “Making Disciples of Oral Learners” Oral Communicators and Oral Cultures in the Lausanne Report (pages 14-18) Making Disciples of Oral Learners Can we in our day do for oral communicators what Gutenberg in his day did for literates? In Report from the Lausanne Committee on World Evangelization Issue Group Pattaya, Thailand. Sept. 29-Oct. 5, 2004

Strauss, R. (2018) “Tell This Man We Were Sleeping” EMQ, October–December 2018, Volume 54, Issue 4, Missionexus Introducing-story-strategic-methods/

Unity in Volatile Times

noreply@blogger.com (Nola Lorraine) — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 22:03:00 +0000

I've been thinking about unity a lot lately, or perhaps disunity is the more correct word. Christians have always had different opinions on some elements of doctrine and practice, hence the emergence of difference denominations. Though hopefully, we agree on core aspects of our faith, often expressed in words such as the Apostle's Creed.

God also gave us all different spiritual gifts, talents, personalities, and passions to serve Him in different spheres of influence. I think most of us have some idea of what that looks like in a church context, or at least what it should look like. We are all parts of the one body (1 Corinthians 12), we're called to 'make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace' (Ephesians 4:3, NIV) and we're to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). But what does that look like as Christian writers?

I should warn you that this post has more questions than answers. I am genuinely trying to work this out myself and I'd be interested to see how you're navigating this space. So here's my problem.

A Volatile World

In the last six years, I feel like the world has been in more upheaval than it has been for decades, perhaps even since World War II. With that upheaval has come a lot of issues that have polarised people, including those in the Christian community. It seems we all have different views on the COVID crisis, vaccinations in general, the war in the Ukraine, unrest in the Middle East, world politics, the Voice referendum, free speech and a host of other issues. There's nothing wrong with having different opinions. Yet sometimes we act in ways that make an enemy of the person with a different view. I've found myself reacting negatively to some social media posts, and then in turn, harbouring negative feelings towards the person who circulated that post. I know this is not how Christ would want us to behave towards each other, but what is the solution when we feel so strongly about certain issues?

Separate the Person from the Idea of Action

One way is to remember first that the person is of great value. Afterall, Christ died for them even if we disagree with them. Funny that! He desires that all come to a saving knowledge of Him. However, that doesn't mean we don't challenge their idea or offer alternative viewpoints. Try to remember that it's the idea or opinion we don't agree with, and keep that as the focus rather than personal attacks. And also remember that we are to speak the truth in love, which doesn't always happen as it should within the Christian community.

Look for Common Ground

It might seem that people have very different ideas from us, but if we dig deeper, we can often see that there is some common ground. For example, we could find three Christians who are all concerned about the erosion of family values and want to see families strengthened. Yet those three people might approach that issue in completely different ways. One will run a marriage enrichment course in their church because they believe that a strong marriage is the key to a strong family. Another will be concerned about a particular issue that they feel is undermining family values (e.g., some content in the school curriculum), so they will lobby government, write letters to the editor, get petitions going and so on to try to get change made to that curriculum. Someone else might feel that there aren't enough opportunities for families to come together, so they'll organise community events that are suitable for the whole family. All concerned about the family, but all tackling the issues differently.

So next time it seems like someone has a very different idea to you, try to dig deeper and see what's driving that idea. Ask some questions to try to get behind their reasoning. You might have more in common than you think.

What If You Can't Agree?

Sometimes different ideas are incompatible and you won't be able to find that common ground. That's okay. You have to be true to what you believe God has called you to do. Are you meant to challenge the other person or let it go? (I feel a song coming on!). Are you meant to write about it? If so, how will you do that in a respectful way? Are you teachable and open to the idea that your own ideas might need to be challenged and change as well?

Prayer and Humility

Above all, are we willing to seek God's perspective, humble ourselves and repent where necessary, and write the words God would have us write in these challenging times? As writers, we don't just represent God with our words, but with our lives. We can't divorce what we would put in a book from what we put on Facebook. It's all a witness, whether in a way worthy of Christ or not.

Some Questions

So here are some questions to think about, and I'd love to hear your responses.

What does it look like to have unity, yet diversity, within Christian writing circles?
What does it look like to represent Christ as Christian writers at a time when Christians disagree with each other on a lot of topics?
How can we bring hope to a hurting world when we are hurting as well?

Let's always remember that Jesus is the 'author and perfector of our faith' (Hebrews 12:2, NASB). Whether we write specifically for the Christian market or not, let's remember that we reflect Him in everything we write.

Sources

Featured photo by John Hain on Pixabay. NIV = New International Version and NASB = New American Standard Bible.

Author Bio

Nola Lorraine has a passion for faith and social justice issues, and loves weaving words that inspire others with courage and hope. Her books include the inspirational historical novel Scattered, the Christian devotional book Comfort Zone, and the Christian charity anthology Glimpses of Light which she co-edited with Jeanette O’Hagan. She also has more than 150 short publications, including fiction, poetry, devotions, true stories, magazine articles and academic papers. She loves sharing the words and stories God impresses on her heart, and prays that He will use them to bless others.

All Things New

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette O'Hagan) — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 18:00:00 +0000

by Rebekah Robinson

I am a weird little person who likes Mondays. And mornings. And Januaries … it’s like opening a brand new journal with that fresh, clean page smiling at you, all inviting.

God makes us a powerful future promise in Revelation 21:3-5 ESV:

‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And He who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’

Speed the day, Lord! A world with no hurt? Forever in Your presence? Bring it on.

In the meantime … we have moments like New Year’s Day. We stop and consider how we might improve our corner of this old world, or our performance within it. We resolve to try harder, do better. Perhaps we even resolve to restfully trust in the grace of our Lord more fully.

I have goals for the year, and aspirations, but I am too old (and maybe too jaded) for resolutions. Most of us have enough going on without piling more expectations onto ourselves. A quiet continuance in the right direction is also to be commended: to keep going with that book, to remain embedded in the Word, to inch closer and closer to the heart of God, surrendering more fully every day (even days that are not Mondays!).

Time is a construct, and God is not particularly obligated to pay attention to the numbers on our calendars. But being the gracious Person He is, He does often play along. There’s no reason He can’t give us a boost on January 1^st. He’s not going to withhold blessing because ‘calendars are ridiculous.’ If a date means something to us, chances are, it means something to Him. We are, after all, immensely cherished!

We are headed for the new world without pain, the world where God moves in with us. Yet while we find ourselves still in this world, we have work to do, rest to enjoy, people to love. Win the lost, be the family, build the Kingdom. This is our window of opportunity, and as writers we squeeze meaning and metaphor out of everything that passes by. What a privilege it is! What will He show us next? His ingenuity is endless.

And so, whether you’re making resolutions or not – be encouraged. Take motivation from the clean slate of the newborn year, or simply Keep Calm & Carry On. Be blessed in 2026 with Jesus’s presence, inspiration and power, and remember His declaration in Matthew 28:20 NIV:

‘And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’

Celebrating the Prince of Peace

noreply@blogger.com (Nola Lorraine) — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 19:00:00 +0000

If you’ve been in church circles for a while, you would have heard Isaiah’s prophecy about the Christ child many times.

‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ (Isaiah 9:6)

The word translated as ‘peace’ in Isaiah 9:6 is ‘shalom’. Jewish people often use it as a greeting, but it has a broader meaning of ‘peace, completeness, welfare, well-being and prosperity’. A real blessing.

Yet many aren’t at peace this Christmas. The war is still going on in Ukraine and there are numerous hotspots around the world where violence and death are daily occurrences. Closer to home, we have just experienced our greatest terrorist attack on Australian soil, with the horrendous mass shootings during a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach. Many also experience a lack of peace in their relationships with family, friends and colleagues; while others struggle with internal peace.

Has the Prince of Peace forgotten us? Is He powerless to stop the evil in the world and soothe our souls?

A resounding, ‘No’!

He has already won the battle over the powers of darkness and He is still active in our world. He still longs for us to experience His shalom.

Peace with God

First and foremost, Jesus came into the world to seek and save the lost. We were far away from God, but Jesus died in our place as a sacrifice for our sins. If we put our trust in Him, we have peace with God and a new life through Him now and in eternity.

Peace in the World

Not many of us are in a position to directly affect world politics or engage in peace talks with feuding nations. However, we have God’s promise that one day there will be peace. In the Good News translation of the Bible, the section from verses 1 to 9 of Isaiah 11 has the subheading ‘The Peaceful Kingdom’. Jesus ‘will rule His people with justice and integrity’, and one day even ‘wolves and sheep will live together in peace’ (verses 5-6).

Peace with Others

Jesus has also given us a blueprint for living in peace with others. Confess our sins to one another, seek forgiveness and reconciliation where possible, see others as valuable in the eyes of God and treat them accordingly, serve others’ interests rather than our own, and so much more. We often fail, and sometimes the other person won’t budge, but their reaction is between them and God. As Paul urges us in Romans 12:18: ‘If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone’.

Peace Within Ourselves

When we look at the challenges we’re facing or consider the troubles in the world around us, it’s not easy to feel at peace. But the good news is that we don’t have to face our anxieties or fears by ourselves. Jesus wants us to have peace and He has given His Holy Spirit to help us.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27).

It is not what the world views as peace. It is God’s peace—a peace that is beyond our human understanding (Philippians 4:7).

Final Thoughts

As writers, we have a unique opportunity to use our words to spread the message of peace and reconciliation that comes through our Lord Jesus Christ. You might like to pray through the Prayer of St Francis of Assisi, which reminds us that we are God's instruments; or offer God another prayer from your heart. May Jesus empower us with His Holy Spirit so we can partner with Him in bringing hope and healing to a hurting world. This Christmas, let's be channels of His peace as we celebrate the birth of our precious Saviour—the Prince of Peace.

Sources

Main photo by Congerdesign on Pixabay. Author photo by Wayne Logan from Encouraging Photos.

Definition of 'shalom' from Lexical study on Bible Hub.

All scriptures taken from the New International Version of the Bible unless otherwise stated.

Author Bio

Yep, times have changed

noreply@blogger.com (Jo-Anne Berthelsen) — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 17:00:00 +0000

During a recent Grandparents’ Day at our youngest granddaughter’s school, I was definitely made to feel my age when her class asked what school was like for us.

‘We sat on forms – long wooden seats – behind long wooden desks that had holes for inkwells,’ I explained. ‘When we practised handwriting in our copybooks, we would use a pen and nib and dip the nib into the ink. We had to be careful not to make a big blot on the page!’

Their eyes rounded. But at least they did not ask the same question our granddaughter once asked me: ‘Nanna, when you were at school, did you use one of those things like a feather? Was it called a quill?’ Hmm. Imagine our grandchildren’s disbelief too when I showed them a small slate my father made me and a slate pencil I used in my first year of school in Queensland in the fifties!

We may complain about aspects of producing our manuscripts today as writers, but at least we do not have to use a quill and ink as Charles Dickens did – or my great-great-grandfather’s brother, R D Blackmore, as he wrote Lorna Doone in 1869! How did they do it? I well remember how long it took to write and rewrite by hand my many essays at university in the late 1960s. Thankfully, by the time I returned to study in the 1980s and again in the 1990s, things had changed. By then, we had a huge, old desktop computer at home – yay!

Things have changed too in the area of book promotion since the 1990s. When my first novel Heléna was released in 2007, while online promotion was vital (Amazon arrived in 1994 and Facebook in 2004), my then publisher ensured my novel also featured in the printed Christian bookstore catalogues mailed to subscribers, as well as in printed Christian magazines. Now the picture has changed indeed. These days, whether we have a traditional publisher or choose to self-publish, we need to be enthusiastic, innovative self-starters, willing to promote our own books as much as we can and to be as tech-savvy as we can.

Yep, times have changed – and those of us who are older may find this a challenge. Yet it is also interesting and even exciting to keep learning new things, don’t you think? And what a bonus too that, at the click of a button, we can promote our books far and wide rather than rely on print advertising only or word of mouth! But most wonderful of all to me is the fact that God surely did not make a mistake when calling us to write at this exact time in history. What a privilege, whatever the challenge, to be Christian authors in 2025 and beyond!

In the light of this then, could I suggest you take a moment now to stop, put your hands in your lap, breathe deeply and remember the Lord is with you and in you right where you are? Sit back and rest in his loving presence. Then, before moving on, thank him that he knows you intimately, has given you the desire and ability to write and will never leave you, whatever twists and turns your writing journey may take. The Lord is so faithful. May we in turn be faithful writers for him.

Jo-Anne Berthelsen is a Sydney-based author of seven novels and four non-fiction works. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked in teaching, editing and local church ministry. Jo-Anne loves encouraging others through both the written and spoken word and is a keen blogger. Jo-Anne’s books, including her latest, God Moments, is available via her website, Koorong Books and Amazon.

Side Quests and Finding an Audience

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanette O'Hagan) — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 18:00:00 +0000

by Jeanette O'Hagan

Brisbane Supanova 2025

A couple of weekends ago, Rendered Realms, aka, Jeanette O'Hagan, Lynne Stringer and Adele Jones had a table our seventh (or eighth) Brisbane Supanova (since our first one in 2017 & Covid in between). In many ways, it's rinse and repeat - we dress as characters in our story, we display our ever-expanding stock/inventory of books, we put up banners and posters, we hand brochures and bookmarks to interested patrons, we enjoy the creative display of cosplayers prarading past our table, we thrill at return customers and the friends we'd made over the years at the different pop-culture cons.

This years had a different vibe for one reason only. As some excited customers exclaimed - they loved a sidequest. Those smaller filler quests that branch off the main quest line in a RPL (roleplaying) game. They also love bling. Talking of side quests - let me backtrack :)

To diverge - Finding an Audience

I started telling stories a long time ago.

For many years they had an audience of one (me). Well, two, to inclule God who knows our thoughts before we do. At any stray moment, my characters would clamour in my head, telling me their adventures, suprising me with twists and turns along the way. Villains with backstories and redemptive arcs, new lands and new peoples, family dynamics and farflung journeys - which only I was privy to. I drew maps, invented an alphabet, made extensie genealogies, drew and painted pictures of different aspects of my world and its peoples.

Until one day, a family friend challenged me to write the stories down for others to read. Soon, I was in search of an audience - readers who I hoped would love my world and characters as much as I did.

Broadening my audience gave my stories more substance and structure. Instead of a rambling ever-branching, ongoing adventures, they started taking the form of short stories and novels. And instead of pleasing myself and allowing my daydreaming mind to roam where and when it will, I had to think seriously about audience expectations - target audience (Young Adult, Adult), genre (Fantasy, Science Fiction), story structure and style (point of view, show don't tell, strong prose, pacing etc).

Writing the stories is the fun part.

Editing them is necessary. I enjoy editing, though I wish it didn't take five times longer than the actual writing.

Getting the stories published has it's own challenges - finding a publisher, deciding between traditioanal publishing or Indie publishing, Hybrid etc,

But the hardest thing about seeking an audience - is being noticed in the crowd. In other words, promotion and marketing. And whether we are trad published or indie (self) published, we need to market our books so people can find them.

Each year, 2.7 million books are added to Amazon. And once a book is electroncially published, it's generally stays published. So in the hustle to find our readers, we are not just competing with all the new books out there, but everyone else's backlist - including all the republished classics from decades to centuries ago.

When we look at the figures, it can be disheartening.

There are various ways to find an audience - connecting with groups, schools, libraries, book clubs, social media, etc, collaborating with othe authors, competitions, giveaways, promotions, advertising, newsletters, street teams, etc

One way, Adele, Lynne and I have found to connect with our potential readers is though Pop culture festivals like Supanova, Oz Comic Con, Fraser Pop, Comicgeddon. The people in cosplay streaming past our table are interested in our genres - science fiction and fantasy - and a good proportion of them are avid readers. Many of love supporting local and small arists and authors in artist alley.

Even though many others are more interested in merch and art than books, these events attract crowds of people - tens of thousands with Supanova. If the book lovers are ten or even five perscent - that's a lot of people. Enough to make the event worth while. And certainly, I know I sell far more books through such events than through Amazon or Draft2Digital.

But each event, I find I have to fight against the temptation to funnel down on how many sales I am making (have I covered costs). Each sale means either a new reader or someone who has returned for the next book (both are fantastic). Having someone relieved to find our table after seraching for it beause they are desparate to buy book 2 (Rasel's Song), is magical. But it's not just the sales - it's the real connection we make with fans and other authors ,and being a presence, that is just as important.

A Wayward Dragon

So, back to sidequests, what was different about Supanova this year?

Last November at Supanova, one of the authors had the birght idea to do a charity anthology open to all the authors at Supanova, to be launched at the 2025 Brisbane Supanova. Many of us thought it was a great idea.

Each author wrote a short story set in the author's world - my story, of course, was set in Nardva.

Each story would include a palm-size dragon with a single gold coin hoard, whereever the coin went, so did the dragon. The dragon connected the stories, changing as he went from world to world.

The book itself was shiny - a special edition with foil and dragon scales on the edges. Each author also got a small green dragon and a golden coin to display on their table. More than one person commented on the fact that they kept seeing the same book seemingly everywhere.

The book was a limited edition - only sold in print, only available through the authors.

The book had a uniform price with a portion going to charity - over $1000 raised.

Most of the authors were at the event (over ten) & those buying the book were encouaged to look out for the little green dragon and make sure they got as many signatures from the authors as possible. This was a hit - a number of people were excited about this 'side quest' or treasure hunt (to find the other authors).

We even had one 'roving author' with the dragon on his shoulder.

Supa Hoard of A Wayward Dragon was a complete success. The only possible drawbreak was it may gave overshadowed our other books to some extent - but not complerely. We still sold our own books. And the whole experience strengthened connections with the other authors, added a buzz to the event, as well as attracting people to our table.

I wonder - what is our main quest, what is a sidequest. Sometimes it can be easy to get caught up in a side-quest, and forget the main quest.

For me, that's a reminder that, yes, I believe God has called me to write books so others might read and be blessed by them. And yes, I need to work towards gaining an audience through writing the best books I can and doing what I can to bring them to the attention of readers. Yet, in the end, it's not numbers or sales in themselvest that matter - but connecting with the audience God gives us and being a presence in a secular world.

And now for a side quest, if you are up for it - how many times does the wayward dragon appear in the photos in this blog - answer in the comments below or on the FB page :)

Jeanette O'Hagan has spun tales in the world of Nardva from the age of eight. She enjoys writing fantasy, sci-fi, poetry, and editing. Her Nardvan stories span continents, millennia and cultures. Some involve shapeshifters and magic. Others include space stations and cyborgs.

She has published over forty stories and poems, including the Under the Mountain Series (5 books), Ruhanna's Flight and Other Stories, Akrad's Children and Rasel's Song, the first two books in the Akrad’s Legacy series and more recently in Stepping Sideways and Supa Hoard of a Wayward Dragon. Her story in Stepping Sideways, 'In a League of Her Own' won the 2024 Aurealis Award for YA Short Stories.

Jeanette has practised medicine, studied communication, history, theology and writing. She loves reading, painting, travel, and pondering the meaning of life. She lives in Brisbane.

Find out more about Jeanette at:

My Website | Facebook Author Page | Amazon | Books2Read | Goodreads

The Rewards of Writing God’s Books

noreply@blogger.com (Jo Wanmer) — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 20:00:00 +0000

‘I’m reading your book to my grandchildren.’ My friend casually dropped this information into our conversation.

I blinked, taken aback. ‘Which book?’

She grinned. ‘El Roi.’

‘But…’ I was more than a little disturbed. I write books for adults, mature adults and I write about adult themes.

She laughed at my reaction. ‘They love it. Some of the scenes I adjust a little, but they are engrossed.’

I was still floored. I know these kids. They are under ten years old. But observant enough to ask what my name was doing on the cover.

In my last blog I wrote about the high cost of writing. This time I want to talk about the immeasurable rewards to be reaped from writing, for walking in obedience without counting the cost.

God and I have an agreement about my books. He helps me write, yes, but promises that if I get them published, He will distribute them. It seems He’s more interested in getting a book in a particular person’s house or hand than selling them by the hundred!

Occasionally I get feedback about His unseen work. A stranger emailed to thank me for El Shaddai.

Hi Jo,

Thank you so much for writing El Shaddai! I came across it in an Op Shop in Ipswich whilst visiting my daughter! Of course I was led by God as the title jumped out at me. What a blessing!

Please know how precious your writing is as the conversations with God in the story bring Him even closer.

When I stood behind my novels at a stand in at the Koorong bookstore in Toowoomba a few Saturdays ago, I was amazed by the number of people who stopped to tell me how much they had enjoyed “Though the Bud be Bruised”. We published that book thirteen years ago and it is still affecting lives. I know that for everyone who shares or comments, there are many who don’t.

A book is like a stealth bomber. It glides in through Kindle, a loan or a bookstore, looking innocent. But it can be an explosive weapon that helps set people free.

Let’s see what happened with my friend’s grandchildren who couldn’t wait to read more each night. When it was time for them to go home, the story wasn’t finished. One of them read aloud for the full hour’s drive to their house. to finish it.

‘We see demons like that coming through our window.’ They told their grandmother. This opened a conversation and my friend used the book to help them learn the power of Jesus and how to deal with demons.

In my ideal world, children don’t know about demons. But most kids today are not being raised in an ideal world. It would never enter my head to talk to my grandchildren about demons, but this book does and brings promise of a Light that the darkness can’t put out. It’s a message of hope that so many need to hear.

In the early hours of Saturday morning in Toowoomba a truth burst into my mind. ‘Your writing is not a business or a hobby. It’s a ministry.’

What perfect timing the Lord has. This was the morning I was preparing to sit in Koorong. I knew then that my job was to spread God’s love. It wasn’t about sales, but being God’s ears and mouth. During the day further understanding came. I worry about the finances when I perceive it as a business. Or even a hobby. But I don’t have any problem sinking cash into ministry. This understanding released me into a new freedom.

Monday morning we were still resting at the BNB in the suburbs. A truck, a loud, large truck rumbled past our little place and stopped. To understand the significance of this I need to explain that for about 15 years God has used OVERSIZE trucks to remind us of His plans for our lives. We see these beasts a lot. But on this particular morning the truck went past, stopped, ground back up the hill, kept backing and filling until he had parked in the cul de sac facing our bedroom. By then I was out the front taking pics.

I think God was yelling at me! Once again promising us OVERSIZE blessings in our lives, in this ministry.

As I said, the rewards of writing His words, publishing, and distributing them are beyond our imagination.

Do you have a similar story? Do you get abundantly blessed by this calling?

Jo Wanmer is a story teller. But struggles to put those stories into accepable prose. She writes with the help of the Holy Spirit. Without His inspiration there would be no books. Though the Bud be Bruised was published thirteen years ago. Last year El Shaddai was released and it's prequel, El Roi, has just been published.

She lives with her husband of fifty-three years just north of Brisbane. Family, God and writing are here three passions. Eleven great-grandchildren (under 6) now fill their home with love and chaos.

How to Have a Fabulous Author Event

noreply@blogger.com (Nola Lorraine) — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0000

What do you get when you mix a local bookstore, an enthusiastic manager and her staff, twenty-seven Aussie authors, 25% discounts and lots of customers looking for Christmas bargains? A fabulous 'Meet the Author' event, that's what!

The Koorong Christian bookstore in Toowoomba recently held an author event in conjunction with their nationwide Family and Friends Day. Twenty-seven authors were initially scheduled, though two were unfortunately unable to make it on the day due to unforeseen circumstances. But that still leaves twenty-five who were in-store. That's a lot of authors!

Most of the authors came from southeast Queensland, though we also had two interstate visitors from the ACT and Victoria.

It was a very successful day, with lots of customers coming through the store from the first minute it opened at 9.00, and interesting conversations still being had during the last half hour before closing at 5.00. There were a lot of sales overall, and the manager was very happy with the way it went, but the conversations and connections were also key.

So What Goes Into an Event Like This?

We're very fortunate in Toowoomba because the Koorong store manager, Kirsten Hart, really champions the cause of Australian authors. She and all of her staff were enthusiastic about the event and put in a lot of work beforehand to ensure it was a success.

Here are just some of the tasks the staff did beforehand.

Building these events up over a number of years so that they got bigger and better each time.
Coordinating dates so that it coincided with Koorong's family and friends day and associated discounts.
Contacting authors months in advance to obtain photos and blurbs that were used in advertising memes on social media and professional posters on the day.
Ordering everyone's books well in advance so they were in store on the day.
Taking care of logistical issues such as catering for the authors, hiring extra chairs, liaising with other store owners re parking.
Rearranging the whole store and setting up everything needed for the day, and I'm sure there were many more activities behind the scenes. These events are a lot of work and not something you can throw together in five minutes.

Kirsten also organised for local radio station, 92.9 The Voice FM, to broadcast from right outside the store all morning. A number of authors were interviewed, and it really did make a difference. I spoke to several people during the day who said they came into the store because they heard about the event on the radio. One person even came up to my book table and said she had heard my interview. Apparently the station also got some leads for future interviews, so it was mutually beneficial.

Although the staff did so many things to help with the day, it's also essential that the authors do their bit by promoting the event on social media, inviting people to the event, sharing photos on the day and so on. The store is doing a lot to promote us, so we need to also help them.

It's probably also worth mentioning that the Koorong store in Toowoomba is in a central location surrounded by other stores, a cafe next door, and not far from the CBD. So the visibility of the store also helps with random or spontaneous drop-ins. Bonus!

Importance of Prayer

Although I'm mentioning this after the other tasks, it's crucial at every stage. I know the staff and authors were praying in the lead-up to the event and on the day. Prayers have also continued for the people who bought books, that God would touch them with His love and that the seeds planted through the stories would continue to grow and bear fruit. All the marketing and preparation in the world are to no avail unless God is in the plans from the beginning. We're full of praise and thanks to Him for what was achieved through the event and the many blessings we saw and continue to see. To God be the glory.

An Author's Perspective

Vanessa Foran was one of the interstate authors who travelled up for the event. I asked her if she could share a few words about her experience of the day and this is what she wrote:

"As a new author I was excited to attend the 'meet the author' event. I wanted to experience my first book signing, as well as meet some other writers. I was thrilled to see how much effort had gone into organising the event. The store manager appeared to have thought of everything, including a 'passport' to encourage customers to engage with authors (to qualify for a free hot drink from the cafe next door customers had to get their passport "stamped" by each author). Authors were seated according to their writing genre, and I had some wonderful conversations with Linda Watt, Ruth Bonetti, and Stephanie Walters, all fellow memoir writers.

Throughout the day, visitors engaged with the passport activity, got books signed, or asked about our writing journeys. As well as the joy of signing books, connecting with other writers and readers, and even praying with one customer, perhaps the most valuable moment in the day occurred when I noticed the reaction of two young Mums to my book cover. They seemed very interested in my story of my travels with young children, Travels of a Wimpy Mum, but their expressions changed when they noticed the subtitle: 'Finding courage through the Book of James'. My older readers tell me the book is funny, engaging and inspiring, so I wish more young parents would read and be encouraged by it. Based on the reaction of those two mums, I'm now considering a more general interest sub-title, such as 'Finding faith on the road', that I'm hoping will appeal to a broader age-range of Christian readers, and introduce them to the life-giving wisdom of the Book of James. So the day was beneficial for me on a number of levels."

Thanks for sharing that, Vanessa. It's always interesting to get on-the-spot feedback and reactions to your books at events like this. I spoke to many of the authors and know they were blessed by the event in various ways, and we trust that God will continue to minister to the readers through the stories we've shared in our books.

Full List of Authors

I'm sorry I couldn't include photos of all authors in this post, but here is a full list of those involved: Adele Jones, Anne Hamilton, Ben Boland, Hannah Currie, Ingrid Dacker, Jeanette Grant-Thomson, Jennifer Mistmorgen, Jessica Kate, Jo Wanmer, Judy Rogers, Karen Roper, Lexia G. Mackin, Linda Watt, Lucy Khan, Lynne Stringer, Nola Lorraine, N. R. Eccles-Smith, R. A. Stephens, Rebekah Robinson, Rian Roux, Ruth Bonetti, Sarah Alison, Stephanie Walters, Ted Stubbersfield, Vanessa Foran; and in absentia, Frances Prentice and Glenn Cox.

Thanks and Disclaimer

Thank you so much to Kirsten and the team at Toowoomba Koorong who made it all possible. It's amazing what can be done when you have booksellers who care about Australian authors.

Also, a little disclaimer. I was a participant in this event, but I am not a Koorong employee and therefore cannot speak on their behalf. If you are interested in other questions, such as how to get your books into Koorong, it is best to contact them direct.

If any of the other authors who were there on the day would like to share their experiences, please add them in the comments section. We'd love to hear what you thought.

___

Author Bio

www.nolalorraine.com.au

Rules? What rules?

noreply@blogger.com (Jo-Anne Berthelsen) — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 17:00:00 +0000

I am glad I went to school in the fifties and sixties, for various reasons. Back then, we learnt 'proper' cursive handwriting that few younger people seem able to read today. We did not have the luxury of calculators so mastered the art of doing simple mathematics in our heads. But, above all, we were taught those many punctuation and grammar rules involved in communicating via our English language. What a bonus for me as a writer today!

Perhaps you disagree about those pesky punctuation and grammar rules. After all, language changes or evolves over the years in all sorts of ways and, if we insist on continuing to use all those commas and apostrophes today, our writing could seem unnatural, stilted and pedantic. I understand that – and, as writers, we want today’s potential readers to be able to connect easily with our books, stories and blogs. Yet how much easier it can be, it seems to me, if we know those punctuation and grammar rules well. Then we can make wise decisions about whether and where we use them or not in our writing in this day and age.

As far as punctuation is concerned, take this sign, for example, that I saw recently outside a café:

Perhaps there was only one scone that came with jam and cream? Or only one sausage roll? And what was inside that the open fire could possibly possess? How tempted I was to march in and proceed to explain to the owner that simple plural nouns ending in ‘s’ do not need an apostrophe. At that point, I remembered Lyn Truss’s (yes, an apostrophe is needed there!) clever book, Eats, Shoots & Leaves, and wished I had handy the ‘Punctuation Repair Kit’ she mentions so that I could easily plonk a sticker over those unnecessary apostrophes or rub them out.

In the case of this sign, at least we still know what it means. So why the fuss, some may ask. But when it comes to our use of commas, that can be another matter. Take the title of Lyn Truss’s book, for example, where that comma after ‘Eats’ makes all the difference. With it there, we understand that the panda walks into a café, proceeds to eat whatever, then shoots someone, then leaves. Much more exciting than a sentence about pandas eating shoots and leaves!

At times when editing manuscripts, I have to reread certain sentences to understand their meaning, all because a few commas were missing in relevant spots. Take the question, ‘John was that difficult?’, for example, or the statement, ‘I know Mary.’ Without a comma after ‘John’ and another before ‘Mary’, the intended meaning of both is unclear until we perhaps read on further or work it out from the context. How much better if we remembered the simple punctuation rule that, when we are addressing someone, their name (a ‘proper noun’) needs a comma (or perhaps two) to separate it from the rest of the sentence.

I understand not all writers have had the opportunity to learn those pesky punctuation and grammar rules well at school. But all is not lost – there are plenty of books and courses available on the subject, so why not check them out? This may well save editors’ or proofreaders’ costs in the long run, as well as stop future generations from writing signs like the one above outside cafes!

Jo-Anne’s latest book, God Moments, is available via her website, Koorong Books and Amazon.

Omega Writers Retreat: Views from the Pews

noreply@blogger.com (Nola Lorraine) — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0000

On 10-11 October, many of us tuned in to the Omega Writers online retreat. Omega Writers is an Australian Christian Writers network that helps to encourage one another, and provide skills and resources to help others in their writing journeys. This year's theme was 'Transformation: Renewing Our Minds, Sharpening Our Skills, Writing With Purpose'. We had the chance to hear some amazing speakers and network with fellow writers flung near and far.

It started out on the Friday night with the annual AGM and writing workshops in our smaller genre groups. Then the main retreat day on the Saturday included:

A keynote address by American author Lori Roeleveld, with some insights from the book of Nehemiah to strengthen our writing.
An action-packed advertising and marketing presentation by Carolyn Miller.
An AI panel with Pete Court, Karen Brough, Susan Bruce and David Rawlings.
A panel on publishing models with Meredith Resce, Jenny Glazebrook, Rochelle Stephens, Carolyn Miller and Gina Walters.
More time in our genre groups.
Later that night, we capped off the event with the CALEB awards for unpublished manuscripts.

I asked some of the attendees if they could share something they got out of the retreat and here are their responses.

Barbara McKay, Southeast Queensland

As iron sharpens iron, so likeminded people can sharpen and challenge you, refine you, and strengthen you. This is what I experienced from the girls in the Toowoomba Omega chapter who warmly welcomed me to the Online Retreat last Saturday. Their kindness was overwhelming.

As an octogenarian with physical challenges, I loved fellowship with these girls and others in Omega Writers online. Our speaker, Lori from Rhode Island in the USA, shared insights from the book of Nehemiah highlighting how she coped with adversity. I love this Old Testament book. Her words did encourage me to keep writing. I will listen again to her words, and like Nehemiah, take on board those Biblical principles of prayer, total dependence on a living God and planning, to help me achieve my writing goals.

Donna Gains, North QLD

It was so nice to see faces I haven't seen for a year and to be able to spend time with my tribe—writers with similar hearts and connecting beliefs. Lori's words spoke to my core reason for being a writer; God has called me to this, I am assigned and designed for these times, and I'm needed to build my part of the wall. So encouraging, like a vitamin shot in the arm.

Sara Powter, Central Coast NSW

Having never done an online retreat, I was somewhat fearful of what to expect. I had no idea whether there would be ten people or a thousand (not that it really matters). But I loved it. Due to various family commitments, we couldn’t attend the face-to-face conferences, but having them online was great. Although meeting other known names was fabulous, I selfishly wondered how this would help my writing. Well, it did!

I loved the talks from Lori and Carolyn, but the completely new area of AI—something I have NEVER been game to experiment with—was eye-opening. Consequently, I have been playing with ChatGPT using an incognito window. Ask it, 'What sort of books does so-and-so write' (in my case, Sara Powter), and it's amazing what you can find. I then asked it more questions—How many books has she written? How can she improve her writing? How can she improve her visibility (re advertising)? Potential areas for improvement & strategies for growth? And lots of other questions. This is BRILLIANT.

Then I played with shortening blurbs (I have done this through Grammarly Pro before). Once I had the blurb, I entered my draft title and asked it to suggest other options. I’ll probably stick with my original, but their suggestions make great subheadingss for advertising. When asked about other plots, it supplied those and suggested both how to make the main characters stronger and how to make the secondary characters more interesting. So, to the Adelaide team who led the AI panel, I bow with thanks. I still won’t use it for my writing, but for a dyslexic girl like me, this is a game-changer. (N.B. You can find Sara's books here.)

Adam Collings, Tasmania

There was a lot to love at the Omega Writers Online Retreat last weekend, from the many useful tips shared by Carolyn Miller in her marketing session, to celebrating the amazing winners of the various CALEB prizes. But for me, the standout was Lori Roeleveld’s keynote talk. I especially connected with her second point: “you were specifically designed and assigned to these times and this place.” While we can sometimes feel out of the loop here in Australia, I feel that doubly so in Tasmania. I love my state with a burning passion, but I sometimes identify with Luke Skywalker’s words. “If there's a bright centre to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from.” We don’t have comic-cons or a large assortment of author markets (although we do have the biggest dedicated indie author book fair in the southern hemisphere!) But while I may not have the same opportunities as others, God chose me for here and now. And that’s exciting. (N.B. Adam writes as Adam David Collings)

Wrap-Up

Thanks for those comments, everyone. I can reiterate what everyone has said. I too got a lot out of Lori's talk, especially regarding writing the assignment God has given you without fear. Carolyn shared a lot of helpful tips on marketing. The AI panel was thought-provoking. I'm probably one of those who had looked on AI with trepidation, so it was good to hear more about the pros and cons and how you can think through ethical uses of AI that could help in your writing tasks. I appreciated that the publishing panel also explained a bit more about how to tell the difference between genuine author services that help you to self-publish your own work versus the vanity presses that rip you off. And the genre groups were a great way to liaise with others who are writing in a similar area.

Thank you to the Omega president, Carolyn Tonkin, and to all of the office-bearers, committee members and helpers who organised the retreat. Thank you to all of the presenters and genre group leaders for your efforts, and a big shoutout to Tamara Wenham and the judges who did so much work towards the CALEB awards.

Next Year's Conference

The 2026 Omega conference will be held at the Nunyara Conference Centre in Belair, Adelaide from 16-18 October. Guest speakers have already been lined up from the US and the UK, and local speakers will be announced at a later date. So mark your calendars now.

If any of the other retreat attendees would like to share what you got out of the retreat, we'd love you to add a comment below. It was a blast!

____