Friday, November 11, 2016

When Roadblocks Stand in the Way of Publication by Dawn Kinzer



Dawn Kinzer

Sometimes we fail to reach our goals because no matter how hard we try, roadblocks keep standing in our way. We may wonder why God isn’t clearing the trail for us to reach our destination.  After all, we’ve prayed. We’ve worked hard. We believe that God placed those desires in us—he gave us the gifts that seemed to lead us down a certain path. Why aren’t things working out the way we want them to? It’s not only frustrating, it’s painful.

But a roadblock isn’t an excuse for giving up on the journey.

My husband, Sonny, is a linear thinker—that’s just how he’s made. His normal thought process is that to go from Point A to Point D, you must first go through B and C, in that order. But he’s learning that you can still reach D by taking a route that curves around, goes under, or goes above. There may be several ways to reach the same place. But if we get fixated on only one, we may find ourselves stuck in front of a roadblock or possibly turning around, feeling defeated.

I belong to the Northwest Christian Writers Association. At each monthly meeting, opportunities are given for writers to share news about their projects. Some talk about books or articles being accepted for publication, and we celebrate with them. But others talk about the rejections they’ve received. Only we don’t call them rejections; we use the term “redirections.”  We celebrate those too! Why? Because they were brave enough to submit their work to publishers, and through rejections, they can possibly learn what to do better next time. They may also decide to try something different in pursuit of their publishing goals.

There’s another type of roadblock—one that’s familiar to most of us. It may be different where you live, but every summer, we have to deal with a lot of road construction. It seems no matter which direction we take, we’re forced to pay attention to signs telling us to stop, drive slowly, or take a detour. It’s easy to grow weary of the hassle. So, I try to focus on the end result of having nicer roads, which will help make travel—and my life—more pleasant.

Like dealing with road construction, the journey to fulfilling our dreams may be bumpy, and it may take us a long time to get there. But we need to avoid giving up. If roadblocks stand in our way, let’s either find a way to move them—or redirect and be willing to take a detour.

Arriving will be worth it!


What roadblocks are standing in the way of you fulfilling your dreams? If you were to redirect and take a different approach, what steps would you need to take?





In 1904, Hope Andrews, an aspiring fashion designer, struggles with leaving New York City. But with no job, her parents leaving the country, and an abusive ex-fiancé refusing to accept their broken engagement, Hope doesn’t have much choice but to give in to her parents’ wishes that she move far away and live with her cousin indefinitely.

Talented Benjamin Greene can’t deny his passion for painting, but guilt over a painful incident in his past keeps him from sharing his gift. Instead, he devotes much of his days to helping his younger sibling rebuild a farm inherited from a great-uncle. Only his brother is aware that Ben spends his spare time in a studio on their property.

In the small rural town of Riverton, Wisconsin, Hope and Ben can’t help but be thrown together. But as feelings for each other deepen, tension thickens over how talent should be used. Their mutual passion for art brings them together, but will it also drive them apart?



Dawn Kinzer is a freelance editor, and her own work has been has been published in the Christian Fiction Online Magazine, Backyard Friends, The One Year Life Verse Devotional, A Joyful Heart: Experiencing the Light of His Love, and featured numerous times on the radio ministry, The Heartbeat of the Home.  She co-hosts and writes for Seriously Write. Her personal blog, The Garden of Dreams, focuses on encouraging women to find purpose and pursue their dreams in the different seasons of their lives. Sarah’s Smile, Book 1 in the historical romance series The Daughters of Riverton was released in October 2016. Hope’s Design, Book 2, will be available November 11, 2016.

A mother and grandmother, Dawn lives with her husband in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Favorite things include dark chocolate, strong coffee, the mountains, family time, and Masterpiece Theatre.

You can connect and learn more about Dawn and her work by visiting these online sites: Author Website, Dawn’s Blog, Goodreads, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.