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| Patrick E. Craig |
The
Road Goes Ever On and On…
by
Patrick E. Craig
The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say. ~ J.R.R. Tolkien
Often these days, as I stare at a blank page in front of me,
that little song from The Lord of the
Rings goes through my head. I'm on this road, and it started with A Quilt for Jenna, my first book for
Harvest House. Last year I was traveling through wonderful territory, out in
the sunlight, surrounded by beautiful meadows, with blue skies and songbirds as
my companions. Three books out in a year, the reviews were good, and my star
seemed to be on the rise. This year I seem to have stumbled into the slough of
despond.
Jenny's
Choice came out in February, in time for a huge drop in the
publishing business that has publishing houses jettisoning new authors that
don't quite make it into the best-seller ranks. My agent has my latest
proposal, the people who read my first series gave me wonderful feedback, Jenny's Choice has a 4.8 star rating on
Amazon, but I still don't have a new contract. In the midst of this, I've been
working full time and getting ready to sell the home that I've lived in for
fifteen years while preparing to move to another state. So by the time I get to sit down to write, my
mind isla tabla rasa, the blank
slate. Oh, it's not that I don't have any ideas for books; it's just that right
now I can't seem to put them into words. Has that ever happened to you? What's
the solution?
When I signed my contract to write the Apple Creek Dreams series, the event was totally engineered by the
Lord. I didn't do anything except listen to Him and go where He directed. Of
course I had to write the books, but here's what I discovered. Writing is a
gift from God. He is The Word, and He communicates through His written word.
When we write, we discover what it means to be created in His image. And what
we write is from Him and it is to be used for His purpose, in His time, and for
His glory. That takes a real load off.
A book is not about fame and fortune, even if your mind is
demanding recognition. For a Christian, writing is about presenting the Gospel
of Jesus Christ in a way that brings your readers to a deeper relationship with
God—millions of people or maybe only one. But if one person finds eternal life
in the words you write, that is reward enough. So keep writing, be strong, fear
not, press through when the words won't come. For the Lord is with you and you
must follow, if you can.
Tweetables:
Writing is a
gift from God. He is The Word, and He communicates through His written word.
Click to tweet.
When we write,
we discover what it means to be created in His image. Click to tweet.
What we write is
from Him and it is to be used for His purpose, in His time, and for His glory.
That takes a real load off. Click to tweet.
Keep writing, be
strong, fear not, press through when the words won't come. For the Lord is with
you and you must follow, if you can. Click to tweet.
In the
concluding novel to the Apple Creek Dreams series, Jonathan and Jenny
Hershberger are happily settled in Paradise, Pennsylvania on the farm Jenny
inherited from her grandfather. But when a tragic accident takes Jonathan’s
life, Jenny and her young daughter, Rachel, return home to Apple Creek, Ohio to
live with her adoptive parents, Reuben and Jerusha Springer. As Jenny works
through her grief and despair, she discovers she has a gift for writing. A
handsome young publisher discovers her work and, after the publication of her
first book, Jenny is on the verge of worldly success and possible romance. But
when a conflict arises with the elders of her church, Jenny must ask herself
how far she’s willing to go to pursue her dreams. A touching story of devotion and triumph over
adversity.
Book 3
in the Apple Creek Dreams series
Patrick E. Craig
is a lifelong writer and musician who left a successful songwriting and
performance career in the music industry to follow Christ in 1984. He spent the
next 26 years as a worship leader, seminar speaker, and pastor in churches, and
at retreats, seminars and conferences all across the western United States.
After ministering for a number of years in music and worship to a circuit of
small churches, he is now concentrating on writing and publishing both fiction
and non-fiction books. Patrick and his wife Judy make their home in northern
California and are the parents of two adult children and have five
grandchildren.
To learn more and connect with Patrick, please visit:
http://www.patrickecraig.com
(Website)
https://www.facebook.com/PatrickECraig
(personal page)
https://www.facebook.com/PatrickECraigWH?ref=tn_tnmn
(Facebook Writing Page)
http://www.amazon.com/Patrick-E.-Craig/e/B007YLSVTK/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1
(Amazon Author's Page)
