I felt honored to be invited to the (PNACL) Pacific Northwest Association of Church Libraries’ annual conference this year in Salem, OR for the first time, where I got to meet many terrific people who have started or are maintaining church libraries in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Wow, these people are absolutely amazing. In the face of budget cuts and many churches dismantling their libraries, these people are determined to get books to those who need them and to continue serving their congregations with complimentary reads.
All authors had a chance to speak for a few minutes about our projects, and some authors also joined an author panel where we learned about systems they use in writing (not AI!), how they outline ideas and chapters, what inspires them, and what they do when those writing blocks arrive.
God showed up in some cool ways.
I had planned to stop while in town at the new House of Light Christian bookstore and guess what! I didn’t have to. They were there too, and we had several great conversations about what their customers look for and the miraculous story of how they came to own the store in its current location. They have an attached chapel and also a room for events/Bible studies. Prayer is a regular occurrence.
There is something about having a visit to Heaven, sharing some of it, and then then sitting at a table with a banner. LOL. I lost count of the number of people who approached me, looked around, lowered their voices slightly and said, “I know someone…” or “I have a story…’
What I really wanted to say was, “Please don’t lower your voice. I’m so glad you had an experience!” Instead, I said, “Oh? Aww, I’m glad you came over. Do you want to share more with me?” And of course, they all wanted to share and I was honored to be the recipient of some beautiful stories. At one time, I leaned over to Christina, my tablemate and whispered, “Wow-you’re hearing quite the testimonies…” :-)
Author Kate Breslin facilitating the Author Panel with Darlene Panzera, Debby Lee and Cara Grandle
In case you haven’t heard the most recent news, Routed to Heaven is now in Spanish and is currently being translated into a few other languages. The English audiobook is almost done. As far as I know, there are several English Study Groups going. One lady at the conference also shared that they had been looking for a study on Heaven. Yay! So of course, I told her I would be happy to provide a visit with the group via Zoom, if they get that started. (TIP – if you are ordering multiple study guides, you can likely get them the cheapest through me).
As far as a writing update, most of my hours at this point are spent in managing my nonprofit and all that goes along with it. There have been several challenges that are preventing me at this point from applying for the grants that we are eligible for. Your prayers for that are appreciated. I have started on the second Heaven book and could still use a few more stories (hint, hint) and finished a children’s book on Heaven. I have ideas for two fiction books swirling through my brain and also am helping others edit and publish their books. I still currently oversee Cascade Christian Writers but the Lord has shared that He wants me to start winding that down-I’m sure you can see why. As much as I love it, He’s got me on other projects.
Here I am, send me!
Elizabeth Lonseth, Christina Suzann Nelson, Karen Barnett, Leslie Gould and Kendy Pearson
Melody Carlson, Kate Breslin, Kit Tosello, Darlene Panzera, Debby Lee and Cara Grandle
Julie’s Book Table
Some posts you might enjoy:
Coloring Blue Sheep with Jesus
Faith, Trauma and Mental Health with Chris Morris
Heaven Songs:
Heaven Song Play List on YouTube
Heaven Song Play List on Apple
Top Photo includes: Leslie Gould, Christina Suzann Nelson, Melody Carlson, Darlene Panzera, Beth Vice, Julie Bonn Blank, Debby Lee, Melanie Dobson, Kendy Pearson, Kit Tosello, John Avery, Karen Barnett, Kate Breslin and Cara Grandle. We are missing Elizabeth Lonseth and Kathy Deviny.
