My Story

I’ve been reading to my babies since 2010.  Today, my husband and I are raising and wrangling three sons and a surprise daughter.  The adventure is very hard, and also very good, and the further in we get the more we realize just how thoroughly we need to cry out, “God, help me!” And in every season with these children, we have found that immersing ourselves in stories is a treasure.   

I’ve always, always loved stories.  I learned to read so I could get to the end of the stories that put my mama to sleep at bedtime.  When my family switched churches so we’d be close enough to be involved in youth group, it was months before I knew how to get to that five-minutes-away place, because those few minutes of riding in the car had me buried in a book.  

But a semester into college, I realized I hadn’t read a book for pleasure in quite possibly years, simply for lack of leisure time.  And so I began to utilize the entire floor of the campus library devoted to children’s books.  I would go through a stack in a week; I loved them, because I could fit an entire plot, and beautiful artwork to boot, into a quick lunch between classes.  Oh, so good for the soul!  

I learned to write under the tutelage of Catholic-school grammar teachers–and I happen to think they did a great job.  A few years later, in a high school creative writing class, my love for the craft began to bloom. My first children’s book, “The Colors Danced,” was actually birthed in that class.  

But the thing about school is that it ends.  Assignments are no longer required. I didn’t know what I might have to say that anyone else would read.  In 2012 a little detour changed my mind, and with the following post my first blog was born, shortly before my second son:

 “Something To Say”

I’ve thought before about writing a blog, and felt that I had nothing much to say.  But two weeks ago I lost my voice–really, thoroughly lost it–and I find that, yes, I have some things to say.  I am choosing to trust that someday, before too long, the Lord will restore my whole voice. And in the meantime, I will practice the discipline of saying things that matter through my writing, using my writer’s voice to highlight the goodnesses of my God in everyday life…  

-from the first post in the blog “Before A Word Is On My Tongue”
February 2012

For nearly twenty years, writing children’s books had been a vague, bucket-list goal of mine.  For Someday. But my husband rightly told me, “Lydia, there’s never going to be a Good time. Just do it.  Now is the time.” Thank you, Husband.

Now, armed with a manuscript and an efficiency manager, I am launching into new territory as I pursue publication of my first children’s book. I’d be honored to have your support in the adventure!