Articles by Katelin
I’m afraid of publishing.
I don’t like putting myself out there to be seen, read, noticed by people I don’t know. They might form opinions about me, judge me based on my writing. I can’t see their reactions and I don’t know whether they like me or not. If they misunderstand me, I won’t know and can’t correct them. Or worse, they might go public with negative statements about me.
And if lots of strangers end up liking me and my writing . . . .
Jason Simon, the President of The Evangelical Catholic, published a book last year: Mission-Ready Friendship: A Blueprint for Deeper Relationships and Life-Changing Faith. I had the privilege of reading and giving feedback on one of his drafts. It’s an accessible, engaging read that provides a fresh look on how to help your friends grow closer to Jesus.
The Evangelical Catholic is a nonprofit that helps Catholic parishes and campus ministries create systems to train and support lay people for mission in their communities. . . . .
The first quarter of the year will be over soon. You know what that means? Time to make goals for next quarter!
For those of you writing a book:
Where are you at with your book project at the moment?
Where do you want to be with your book by the end of June?
What would you have to change about your writing habits to get there? . . . .
Thomas Salerno published his debut children’s nonfiction book The Riddle of the Tongue-Stones: How Blessed Nicolas Steno Uncovered the Hidden History of the Earth on February 3, 2025!
This is such a fun, beautiful little book. Nicolas Steno’s scientific discoveries and story of faith is written in a simple yet interesting style with lots of great illustrations. I love geology, so I easily fell in love with this book.
In this interview, Thomas shares her journey of writing and publishing . . . .
Mary Rose Kreger published her first novel, Avalon Lost, last year. It’s exactly my kind of book: a YA portal fantasy featuring plenty of sword fights! I especially appreciate that the main character is a fencer. Mary Rose and I share a background in that sport! Avalon Lost was one of my favorite reads last year and I highly recommend it.
In this interview, Mary shares her journey of writing and publishing Avalon Lost. I hope you find it as inspiring as I do!
Why did you write this book? What was your inspiration? . . . .
For several years in my twenties, I wondered if writing fantasy stories was a waste of my time and energy. What good did it do anyone? Surely God would want me to do something useful that concretely helped people instead of obsessing over my invented imaginary worlds and characters.
On top of that, I had trouble believing that God would want me to do something that I actually enjoyed. I should do what God wanted and not what I wanted, so maybe that meant giving up writing. . . . .
I’m preparing to query my novel Bound by Charcoal and Clay.
It’s been a long road to get to this point! Ideas can develop into novel-length stories in any number of ways, and it can be a fast or slow process. This one took about two decades and five drafts (so far). I’m sharing this journey to introduce you to my creative work, demystify the writing process, and to help others whose projects seem to be taking forever not feel alone.
I’ll start by giving you my current summary of my novel . . . .