September 2022 Featured Article

Borrowing Courage

I love writing stories about characters who, amid trials, find courage at the intersection of faith and grit. Sometimes the circumstances are gritty and raw.

Why do I choose to share such hard stories?

Because I believe we learn from how other people—in this case, fictional characters based on what real people do—navigate the hardships of life, where they find the strength to follow God, and do right. No matter what.

My characters—and people—don’t always get it right the first, or twentieth, time. But eventually, deep in their faith and grit, they outwit the enemy of their souls.

I get some readers immerse themselves in books as an escape from the real world, to be entertained, and to finish the book happy. I read those kinds of books, too. But I also like to read something that transports me to conditions I may never find myself in and to challenge me as I learn how others navigate those circumstances.

While my books’ endings aren’t always the traditional happily ever after, I think they leave the reader with a glimpse of God’s work and that gives hope and encouragement. Did you know to encourage (in + courage) means to put courage into someone else, to lend that person courage? Reading stories that encourage is a way to borrow someone else’s courage.

Writing articles for the #BecauseFiction magazine over the last two years, connecting with like-minded fiction readers, has been an honor and a privilege.

Keep reading!

Praying each of you finds your courage at the intersection of faith and grit.