Today, I want to introduce you to a very special little guy named Patch. Some of you have already met Patch, however, now is the time to introduce him to the world.

World, meet Patch. Patch, the world…

The Dream

As long as I can remember, I have loved the use of words to create worlds and stories. In middle school, I created simple fantasy lands. In high school, it was more like a daytime soap opera (thank you teenage years). In adulthood, a desire to encourage every individual to find their true identity, to know who they were designed to be, to encourage, and to inspire.

To be able to create a world that people can get lost in, to create a history believable enough to identify with, and to create characters that one can fall in love with or hate fiercely (or both at the same time), is a huge desire of my heart.

Patch’s Beginning

One of the questions I get asked the most is, how did I think of Patch’s story. The answer to this question is a great platform for encouraging people to always do the best in every assignment/situation you are given.

You see, Patch was originally a Language Arts assignment in college. In a middle-level education Language Arts class, we were assigned to write and illustrate our own story.

Patch was born.

I began to ponder what theme many people deal with in life…loneliness. I began to imagine what character could portray loneliness – a single piece of scrap material, with none of his own kind left. Aha! What could be lonelier?

I played around with the character of Patch and how I wanted him to look, drew the pictures in colored pencil, and folded together a book. Assignment done. And yes, I did get an A!

After getting Patch back, he was put on the shelf and life went on.

The Becoming

Life did go on, and on, and on! I graduated from college, started my teaching career, got married, and had kids. All the while, the desire to publish a book never faded.

However, I realize now, that I was battling a mindset. I was stuck. You see, I wanted to be taken “seriously” as an author and so I wanted to first publish a novel. Because, honestly, I thought I would be taken more seriously as a writer if I published a full-length novel first.

Can I tell you, that was a false mindset. I had not even asked God what He had planned for me as a writer. It took me almost 17 years to understand how off that thinking was.

After a bit of healing and maturity that comes from walking with God, I began to realize, my desire to be an author was from Him. But, I needed to be willing to do it His way, and follow His plan. Once I yielded to Him, things started flowing.

I heard from God…

“Use the resources you have.”

I knew exactly what He meant. Patch was ready to go – put together in page format, and had illustrations already.

Although armed with a healthy mindset, I had no idea how to make it happen. Traditional publishing, self-publishing, indie-publishing? So many options nowadays. Conversing with God, I let Him know I was willing to go whatever avenue He had planned for me.

I looked into all three options and was leaning toward indie-publishing. Yet, I had no upfront money. I trusted God and waited, watching for the resources to come.

The main thing I knew was that I needed help in making my colored pencil illustrations into digital pics. I felt the vibrant color was a must-have for Patch to become a reality.

The Resource

Being poised in this yielded, waiting place was the key to moving forward. I was, at the time, selling crochet items at local craft fairs. In March of 2016, I was participating in one of my usual craft shows. Lo and behold, in the booth behind me sets up a publisher and three of her authors.

My spirit leaped! This had God written all over it! I began asking God to open up an opportunity for conversation. Mid-morning, the publisher left the booth for a bit, and I made my move.

Going over to the booth, I asked the three authors how they felt about their experience being published by this specific person. They all had wonderful comments and experiences to share.

Just a bit later, I was able to have a conversation with the publisher and she said she would love to read my book. Calling my husband immediately, I asked him to bring my college-assignment copy of Patch when he brought my lunch.

That afternoon, the publisher, Beth Wilson from Hear My Heart Publishing, read Patch and fell in love with him! She told me she would send me a contract that weekend and the rest is history, or reality – however you want to word it.

As far as the illustrations, God worked all of that out as well. Since I had everything drawn, the illustrator stuck with my pictures but brought them into the digital style they needed. Patch is a beautiful blend of my original design and Lynn Mohney’s wonderful artistic expression of Patch.

Patch 2

Many of you have asked whether there will be a Patch 2. My response is, I hope so! Again, I am yielding to the timing, imagination, and plans of God.

Until then, join me in the expectation of whatever comes next!