Sweet friend, if you’ve ever felt a nudge in your heart to write your story, I want you to lean in close today because this one is for you. 💛
I never in a million years thought I’d call myself an author. Not me. I didn’t go to school for writing. I didn’t have a literary agent or a fancy publisher knocking on my door. I didn’t have a single connection in the book world. What I had were stories inside me that would not leave me alone — characters who talked to me at 2 AM, scenes that played like movies in my mind, and a quiet whisper from God that said, “Write it down.”
So one day, I just started.
And four books later, here I am — still pinching myself.
Four Books That Started With One Step of Faith
I want to introduce you to the four books that God helped me bring into this world. Each one holds a little piece of my heart, and each one started with nothing more than a blank page and a prayer.
📖 Keeping Promises — To everyone but herself. Have you ever been the person who shows up for everyone else but forgets to show up for yourself? This story is about a woman who does exactly that — until life forces her to face the one promise she’s been breaking all along. The one she made to herself. If you’ve ever put your own dreams on hold to take care of everyone around you, sweet friend, this book was written for you.
📖 I Saw The Signs I Just Ignored Them — Four girlfriends. A European cruise. And a childhood game that saves their lives. This one is pure fun with a heart of gold. Four best friends celebrate their 50th birthdays with a European cruise, never imagining that a silly game they played as children would end up being the thing that saves them. If you’ve got those ride-or-die friends who’ve known you since forever, this story will make you laugh, cry, and pick up the phone to call them.
📖 Johnny’s Gift — He used his gift to save his soldiers’ lives, but could he use it to save his heart? Book 1 in The Luck of the Irish Gift series. Set during WWII, Johnny is a soldier with an extraordinary gift — one that keeps his men alive on the battlefield. But when he meets a nurse with a healing touch of her own, he discovers that some gifts can’t protect you from falling in love. This is historical romance with a touch of something magical.
📖 Sarah’s Gift — Sent to Miami to find a thief, she never imagined she would find her heart instead. Book 2 in The Luck of the Irish Gift series. Sarah inherited her family’s gift, and she’s been sent to Miami on a mission. But what she finds there isn’t what anyone expected — least of all her. If you love strong women, warm romance, and stories where God’s plan is bigger than anything we could have imagined, Sarah’s story will speak to your heart.
Every single one of these books is clean Christian fiction — written for women like you and me who love stories that make us laugh, make us cry, and remind us that God is always working behind the scenes.
All four books are available now on Barnes & Noble. 💛
The Day I Decided to Write My Story
Can I be real with you for a minute?
The day I sat down to write my first book, I was terrified. My hands were shaking. My brain was screaming every excuse in the book — you’re not good enough, nobody will read this, who do you think you are?
But there was another voice. A quieter one. And it said, “Write the vision and make it plain.”
That’s Habakkuk 2:2 (NIV), and sweet friend, it changed everything for me.
I realized that the stories inside me weren’t just random ideas floating around in my head. They were placed there. On purpose. By a God who doesn’t waste anything — not our experiences, not our pain, not our imagination, and not our dreams.
So I stopped waiting to feel “ready.” I stopped waiting for permission. And I started writing.
Was it messy? Oh honey, you have no idea. That first draft looked like a hot mess covered in sticky notes and coffee stains. But it was mine. And it was real. And for the first time in my life, I was doing the thing God put on my heart to do.
Why You Should Write Your Story Too
Here’s where I need to look you right in the eyes, sweet friend.
You have a story inside of you. I know you do. Maybe it’s a novel. Maybe it’s a memoir. Maybe it’s a blog, a poem, a journal, or a children’s book you’ve been thinking about for years. Whatever it is — it matters.
And I’m not just saying that to be nice. I’m saying it because I believe it with everything in me.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” — Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
Did you catch that? God prepared works for you in advance. Before you were born, before you ever doubted yourself, before you ever whispered “I’m not good enough” — He already had a plan. And maybe, just maybe, writing your story is part of that plan.
Five Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before I Started Writing
If you’re thinking about writing your story, here are five things I wish someone had told me on day one:
You don’t have to be perfect to start. Your first draft is supposed to be messy. That’s what first drafts are for. Give yourself permission to write badly. You can fix it later. You can’t fix a blank page.
Write the story only you can tell. Nobody in this world has lived your life. Nobody has your exact combination of experiences, heartbreaks, joys, and faith. That’s what makes your voice irreplaceable. Don’t try to sound like someone else. Sound like you.
God will meet you in the process. I can’t tell you how many times I sat down to write and the words that came out surprised even me. Writing became a form of prayer for me. A conversation with God that I didn’t even know I needed.
Someone out there is waiting for your words. You may never meet them. You may never know their name. But somewhere out there, someone is going through exactly what you went through — and your story is the one that will make them feel less alone.
Just start. Not tomorrow. Not when you feel ready. Not when the kids are grown or the house is clean or you’ve taken a writing class. Start now. Start with one sentence. Start with one page. Just start.
Write Your Story — The World Is Waiting For It
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” — Psalm 119:105 (NIV)
Sweet friend, stories are one of the most powerful ways God lights our path. They teach us. They comfort us. They show us that we’re not alone. And they remind us of truths we’ve forgotten and hopes we’ve buried too deep.
I wrote four books because I couldn’t NOT write them. The stories wouldn’t let me rest until I put them on paper. And you know what? Holding that first finished book in my hands — seeing my name on the cover — knowing that my words were out there in the world, touching hearts I would never meet — there is no feeling like it.
If God has placed a story on your heart, please don’t ignore it. Don’t let fear or doubt or that lying voice in your head steal it from you. The world doesn’t need another perfect writer. The world needs YOUR story, told in YOUR voice, straight from YOUR heart.
Start messy. Start scared. Start with one sentence on a napkin at the kitchen table.
Just start. 💛
Have you ever thought about writing a book? What would your story be about? I would love to hear — leave me a comment below. And if you’re already working on something, tell me about it! I’ll be your biggest cheerleader. 👇
📖 Want more daily encouragement? Visit findinglifesmagic.net for a new faith-filled blog post every single day.
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📚 Read my books: All four novels are available on Barnes & Noble.
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With love and faith, Marilyn 💜