Joy for the journey of daily life.

How to overcome discouragement as an author.

Have you ever wondered about your purpose? Are you fulfilling it? Or what is it? This short will give you some Biblical insight on living your purpose.

I spent some time over the weekend soaking in Lowcountry inspiration for a new book I’m currently writing. This book is my second currently being pitched to editors at various publishing houses. The twist is, this book unlike my novel is nonfiction. I never imagined I’d have fiction and nonfiction works looking for a home at the same time. And I hope and pray they each find one soon. While exciting, the waiting is wearying. Some days, I wonder if I’m too late to pursue this n

I recently made a change in the trajectory of my career. Through prayer and petition it seemed like this was/is the right choice. I left my full-time office job to pivot to full-time writing. After signing with an agent, the realization hit me that I have more days behind me than ahead. So, cognizant of the ticking clock, here I am. At home. Alone. Me and my keyboard. This is a step of faith for an extrovert, I assure you. I resigned on January 2nd. My last official day was J

Lord, I give thanks for all that You’ve done in 2023. The prayers that have been answered with “yes”, and even those with answers of “wait, and even “no.” I look to this new year with great hope.  In all things, help me fix my hope on You this year. You have promised that hope in You will never disappoint. Teach me to hope for what I do not see and to wait for it with patience.  Give me strength to persevere, courage to pursue Your plan for my life, and peace in knowing that

Southern fiction author Dawn Wallis holding a literary contract from Steve Laube Agency

I recently pitched my manuscript to a literary agent that I have researched and prayed about querying for the past two years. I wanted to pitch to this particular agent because I believed and still believe she would be a wonderful fit for me. But let me back up. Originally, I was supposed to work with a writing coach beginning in January of this year. I was counting on those sessions to help prepare me for this pitch opportunity. However the coach had to postpone due to vario

"“Humor is the spiciest condiment in the feast of existence. Laugh at your mistakes but learn from them, joke over your troubles but gather strength from them, make a jest of your difficulties but overcome them.” L.M. Montgomery Fans of the "Anne" books or movies know that Montgomery's stubborn, red-headed protagonist often found herself in precarious situations. Whether popping off at Rachel Lind or taking a dare to walk a ridgepole, Anne Shirley had something to prove. And

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." Colossians 3:23-24 I am eager to work heartily when the task is something I enjoy, such as writing, web design, and reno projects on my house, to name a few. However, serving the Lord in a place where I feel discontent, disconnected, and distanced from purpose, that's challenging. For the past few month

Over the past 14 months, I've lived in 5 states and 6 different houses - whew! This was never the intention, but rather the way events played out. Two of the homes were transitional living, but still... In addition to all of that craziness and chaos, I finished writing a novel, which I hope to have traditionally published. So where to begin? My mind is swirling with thoughts as I take a few minutes during lunch time to write. Honestly, the last week and a half have been disco

A writer on her journey towards becoming a published author.

So, it's been a minute since I've posted an update on my novel. While I'm not one for making excuses, I can say that I believe relocating to another state qualifies as a reasonable explanation. More on that in a minute. Since my last post, I received the edited version of my manuscript from my editor. There were just a couple of suggestions and tweaks needed to be made. Easy, peasy, right? Yes and no. I took care of the revisions ASAP, but in delving deeper, I realized that

Another step in my process towards getting published.

Follow an author as she waits to get published.

Finding the perfect editor for your book

Learn about the editing process after finishing the manuscript draft.

Practical tools for becoming a better writer.

The first step in finding an editor for your book.

Following your childhood dream to becoming an author.