Are You in the Middle of a Drought?

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by Carol James

The first question people usually ask me when they discover Im an author is, Have you always wanted to be a writer?” And the answer isNO!

Unlike so many authors, I never aspired to write, but Ive always enjoyed reading. I majored in English in college for two reasons. 

  • I liked grammar. Not writing. (Weird, I know.) 
  • And I felt English was the subject that would allow me to really get to know the hearts of my students.

first began writing inspirational/Christian romance in 2010. My goal? To encourage others the way Christian fiction writers had encouraged me. But, my writing journey really began ten years earlier, when the idea of writing anything, much less a novel, sounded as grating as fingernails scraping against a chalkboard.

I was blissfully teaching kindergarten part-time at a private Christian school. I loved my work, I loved my coworkers, I loved my students and their parents. My life was overflowing.

Then came the drought. My husband lost his job due to some health issues. We had one daughter in college, one headed to college the next fall, and four car payments (on top of a house payment)We were obviously in need of some serious financial counseling. 

 Knowing my family couldnt make it on my part-time teachers salary, the father of one of my students offered me a full-time position with his company. I knew if I left the school, Id be giving up more than a job. Id be losing what had been my personal ministry for years. Yet, I had to do something I felt unprepared to do. Make a decision.

One morning I sat at a local park guiltily savoring my Chik-fil-a chicken biscuit (Some things are just worth the calories!) and reading my Bible. I came upon some verses I had never noticed before. 

Isaiah 43:18-19: “Forget the former things;    do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness    and streams in the wasteland.”

Wow! On that day, at that very hour, it was as if the passage had been written just for me. God was promising He had something new for me to do. I just had to find it.

A decade of searching, and lots of trial and error, passed before the idea of writing Christian romance to encourage others began to nudge its way into my heart. Insanity or early dementia must have set in. Writing couldnt possibly be the New Thing” Id been searching for.

Sure, Id always loved stories, especially ones with happy endings. But romance? Anything but writing romance, Lord…  People laugh about romance writers.

And then a quiet voice spoke within my heart.

Carol, the greatest story of all time is a romance. A redemptive romance. The story of a loving Father pursuing the hearts of His people.

When I typed the first words on the first page of my first manuscript, I knew this was the new work,” my Stream in the Wasteland.

So what can I say to encourage you?

No matter what your wastelandor how bad the droughtthe rains will come, and the streams will flow. Often in ways you might never have guessed. Sometimes it may be in sprinkles. Sometimes it may be a flood. But God is faithful.

So if youre in the middle of a drought right now, look carefully. Can you see that trickle of a stream beginning?

About the Author:

Carol JamesStreams in the Wasteland, Redemptive Romance by Carol James:

Carol is an author of inspirational fiction. She lives in Lilburn, Georgia, a small town outside of Atlanta, with her husband, Jim, and a perky Jack Russell “Terrorist,” Zoe.

Having always loved intriguing stories with happy endings, she was moved to begin writing to encourage others as she’d been encouraged by the works of other authors of inspirational fiction.

Retired from her “real” job, she enjoys spending time with her husband, children, and grandchildren, traveling with friends, volunteering at a nearby school, and serving in the production department at her church.

She is also a soccer fan extraordinaire and keeps her DVR busy recording Atlanta United and English Premier League games.

And, most days in the late hours of the night or the wee hours of the morning, she can be found bringing her newest novel to life.

Follow her on social media:

www.carol-james.com

Facebook.com/CarolJamesAuthor

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https://twitter.com/CarolJamesAuth

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19149238.Carol_James

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/carol-james

Visit her website at: www.carol-james.com Sign up for her newsletter and receive a free short story.

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1 Comment

  1. Carol James

     /  December 16, 2020

    Thanks so much for letting me share about my writing journey.

    Reply

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