What's up in 2024?

It's hard to believe but 2023 is fast coming to an end. In just a few days we will have a new year laid out before us with all of its opportunities, ups, and downs. Every year at this time, I look ahead and give you a glimpse of what the new year looks like in my writing world. This is only an abbreviated list of the writings that I know at this time will be published in 2024. Many more writing opportunities will come up as the days go by. 

January:

·        A memoir article looking at my brief involvement with the Miss West Virginia pageant titled, "Musings on my Pageant Days" will be published in Goldenseal , West Virginia's state magazine.

·        Two devotions I wrote will be published online in Arise Daily .

·        A devotion I wrote will be in The Secret Place magazine.  

February:

·        My co-writer, Shirley Crowder and I will be up to our neck in edits for our new devotional book that will be releasing soon. Also, I will have hand surgery. (I have arthritis in my fingers which have required numerous surgeries already and now another. This one will replace the knuckle in my left index finger.) 

·        Two devotions I wrote will be published online in Arise Daily

March / April: 

·        An Article titled, “Sometimes All You Need Is Ice Cream” will be published in Blue Ridge Country Magazine . This magazine is a regional magazine that sells in about ten states in the Blueridge Mountain area and Eastern Seaboard.

·        Shirley and my new book, “Wonder and Worship” will release from Entrusted Books . We do not have a release date or cover yet but I will share these with you as soon as we do.

·      Midsouth Christian Writers Conference  MSCWC is happening in mid-March. Though I am on the board and had been slated to be on the faculty as a mentor, I will likely have to miss it this year due to my hand surgery recovery. It’s my favorite writers conference and I hate to miss it!

·        Selah Finalists are announced.

May / June

·        Seven Devotions I wrote will be published in “The Quiet Hour” June 3-9

·        Selah Awards in late May

July / August:

·        My first children’s book, “Made for the Middle” will release from Elk Lake Publishing . When I know the exact release date and have a cover to share, I will. 

·        An article I wrote titled, “How God Works” is tentatively slated to be published in Bible Advocate magazine.

*This is as far as I can see ahead, but in addition to what is listed, I will have devotions in Arise Daily at least monthly, and probably will have more published in “The Secret Place”. They only notify me quarterly of the next quarter but have published one of my devotions every quarter for over ten years. Also, I have a contracted article that will be published in Answers in Genesis but I do not have a publication date yet.

 

Writing Updates

I have not posted in a while, mostly because I am waiting with bated breath for some updates on "A Stand for Truth", the soon-to-be-released book I co-wrote with my husband, so I could pass that on to you. But the publishing process always takes longer than authors like. Frankly, authors would like a publisher to complete his work in mere days but in actuality, publishers put an awful lot of work into a book and I am just thankful to have found one brave enough to publish this tell-all book about the conservative resurgence at Southern Seminary.

So, instead I will give you some freelance updates. Coming out in the next few months:

SEEK: this magazine is closing soon but they published an article by me on May 19. I sure am going to miss them!

Green Prints: is a gardening magazine who has contracted with me for a humorous article about weeds which will appear in their magazine sometime this summer.

The Secret Place: I received notice (and a check) from them for a devotion they will be publishing in their fall issue.

Bible Advocate: I have an article on missions coming out in July titled, "Catch the Fire."

Blue Ridge Country: Contracted with me last year to publish a memoir titled, "High School Football and the Age of Innocence." It is a regional magazine and I am thrilled to have a cross-over piece in a secular magazine. It will come out late summer or early fall.

Many of these pay on publication. The work is done and now comes the fun parts--complimentary copies coming in the mail and payment!

In addition to these, I have received word from Purpose Magazine and Bible Advocate of acceptances for articles coming out in 2020 and apparently am still in the final cut list for a story in Chicken Soup's Christmas book.

I also still speak and have book signings. I just spoke to an amazing group of girls and their mothers at a Mother-Daughter dinner at a local church and held a book signing at my mother's church in Augusta, SC. (Btw, I welcome speaking invitations, if any reading this are in need of a speaker.)

And I keep busy writing and mentoring. In fact, on my agenda today is to edit a piece that a new, unpublished writer hopes to submit to Chicken Soup, post two blog posts, and work on a freelance submission to another magazine.

But meanwhile, I am still super busy with book-writing. On the docket are two books to be released this year (one of them being "A Stand for Truth") another manuscript due to my publisher by my co-writer and me this August, and one we are just starting that is due next Feb. All of these will require a lot more work requested by me from the publishers before the books actually make it to press. Whew! It's a good thing I love what I do!