Jonah Vine

Jonah 4:6 Then the Lord provided a vine and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was happy. Remember what happened to Jonah after he finally went to Nineveh? He sat back and rested under a vine that God gave him. And when that [...]

Freelancing to Support My Fiction Habit

Before I became a novelist, I was a journalist. I wrote for my high school and college newspapers, rising in the ranks to news editor. After college I began my first novel, got married, had a baby and stopped writing. Then had three more babies. Unfortunately, I didn’t know I could write and raise children. [...]

Using Interruptions To Encourage and Inspire

Through God we shall do valiantly, And it is He who will tread down our adversaries. Psalm 60:12 Turning on my nightlight, I looked at my clock. Only 2:00 a.m.! I’d been laying here since 10:00 pm, unable to sleep! It was one of my rare and frustrating nights when sleep kept eluding me and [...]

Do Aliens Exist?

Sadly, God’s people have a history of trying to straddle the fence between the kingdom of God and the world around us—we long to fit in and belong. Though it was forbidden, the ancient Israelites even paid tribute to the pagan gods to open the door for trade and political power. They didn’t want to [...]

Are You a Writing Tortise or Hare?

I’m revisiting an old question that I wrestled with a few years ago when trying to figure out why it was taking so long to get published. My thoughts then and now seems to ring true for me. How about you? I’ve come to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter how fast I run this [...]

3 Tips for Beating Discouragement in Your Writing Career

Sometimes I’m discouraged at the long road behind me and the longer road ahead as I seek to build a career as an author. I’ve now sold my first article, but it’s been months and no new bites. When I’m discouraged I find these tips helpful. Pray for Perspective: Re-evaluate my purpose and where I’m [...]

How do YOU Celebrate After Hitting Send on Your Manuscript?

It’s official! I hit send on my Rosie manuscript…again. Well, technically I hit send again on the proposal since my manuscript is not finished. And while it’s a BIG relief having that off my shoulders, there’s still work to be done. Yet, sometimes you just have to take a break and celebrate little successes. Yes, [...]

Publishing Doesn’t Validate My Life

With the results of the Genesis contest semi-finalists still fresh in everyone’s mind, I think this post from Mary DeMuth is a good reminder about perspective and validation in our writing. -Gina Mary DeMuth’s articles have appeared in Marriage Partnership, In Touch, HomeLife, Discipleship Journal. Her books include Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God (Harvest House, 2005), Sister Freaks [...]

Interrupted by the End of the World

Admit it, it’s okay. As a writer you know your craft requires years of, early mornings over a keyboard,a nd approximately 6000 gallons of coffee before you even get your first hand written rejection letter. But as a Christian, you know that our tour of duty here on terra firma is temporary at best, often [...]

Rejection Doesn’t Make You a Loser

From the Archives and worth a revisit! Every year emotions run high after the Genesis contest results are discovered. I’ve experienced the disappointment of not finaling and hard critiques and want to offer you hope and encouragement through my story. I never finaled in the Genesis or any other contest, unless you count the time I [...]

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