That’s the bit of grace I’m aiming to make available to you before the last day of May goes by. The story is written. The cover is ready. I’m just busy jumping the last few technical hurdles to make it easy for you to access through your favorite reading machine (though wouldn’t it be fun if I sent you a story you could actually roll up and carry in your back pocket?).

Now, I just need a bit of grace from you as you wait.

I’m clumsily jumping those hurdles, but the finish line is in sight. (I’m pretty sure that’s it up ahead in the distance : )

The post Grace for a Warm Spring Day appeared first on Jody Evans, Author.

I remember when I learned such a malady existed. It was a staggering moment in elementary school when a fellow student casually mentioned he didn’t read.

It gave me something like the feeling I’d had while lying on the living room floor during a boring grown-up movie my parents were watching. One of the characters, upon being asked what he would like to drink, answered, “I don’t drink.”

That got my attention. I didn’t understand how it was possible for a person to live if he didn’t drink.

So it was with the kid at school. I couldn’t fathom it. Not read? It was as if he’d said he didn’t breathe.

I learned, as with the case of the movie teetotaler, there was a reasonable explanation. My young friend wasn’t saying he didn’t read at all, only that he didn’t read anything for pleasure. He limited himself to the bare necessities of literary hydration. Reading, for him, consisted of compulsory assignments. A pile of school books. A sentence of sentences. Not something a person would choose to do in his free time.

I’m pretty sure, since you’ve chosen to hang out with me, that’s not your story. I’m pretty sure you enjoy carving out moments in your afternoons or evenings or weekends to spend with a good tale. But I’m wondering if, like me, you find it increasingly difficult to justify the time when there is so much to do. And so many compulsory reading assignments required of you just to function in and understand all the important things going on in the “real” world.

If so, I hope this little interview with my oldest daughter might put that struggle to rest and send you back to your reading corner confident that your fiction habit is not only pleasurable but also highly beneficial.

Ashly, a middle school English teacher and mother to two adorable and precocious children under nine, is also an avid reader. So, as part of an assignment for a course I was taking, I asked her a few questions about her fiction habits.

ME: Why do you read fiction?

ASHLY: Really, I like stories. And I think my favorite thing about reading fiction is just being taken away from

my life and put into a different experience and a different world. I think the greatest thing about fiction is that

it teaches empathy and understanding of other people’s experiences because it shows you something new that

you can relate to. Because humans are humans (or there are human qualities in everything that’s written about

even if your subjects aren’t human).

I read more fiction, I think, because I read to fall asleep at night. Nothing settles my mind or takes me out of my

own cycle of thinking about things than reading someone else’s story. I can do the same thing with story-based

fiction, like history or memoir. But if it’s something like a parenting book or any kind of informational book,

then I’m thinking too much. I need fiction to take me out of my own head and let me fall asleep at night.

ME: Where do you go when looking for your next read?

ASHLY: I enjoy The New Yorker and will often look up the synopses of books mentioned there. If I like a short

story published in the magazine, I’ll look up the author and find many of those authors also have novels.

A lot of people on Instagram will post about five or so of their favorite recent reads, so I get a lot of

recommendations that way and also from friends. My friend Kelly is always posting books she’s read and liked. I

have a few other teacher friends who will post when they finish a book they really like. I’m also in a book club so

sometimes the book I’m reading is because somebody put its title in the hat.

It didn’t come up in that conversation, but I do know, like me, Ashly enjoys rereading her personal favorites. Depending on my mood or circumstances, I like to revisit particular fictional friends. I like knowing what I can expect. There’s something comforting in spending time with people whose stories and character arcs haven’t changed in the interim. Folks who, paradoxically, sometimes show me ways I’ve changed since last we met.

I do love the excitement of opening a new book with the possibility of discovering new worlds. But between times, revisiting old literary friends does something settling in my soul. It’s like stretching out under a tree in my own yard.

I know September is, for many of us, a busy season. A time to get schoolbooks and school schedules and school activities in order.

But maybe this transition from summer to autumn is also a time to put on a light jacket, stretch out under a shady tree and open a book. A time to remember what it is to live in another world for a while and see life in new ways. Or a time to visit old worlds and discover how you yourself have become newer.

Here are just a few of the titles I like to revisit: The Anne of Green Gables books, Gone with the Wind, Peace Like a River, Miss Benson’s Beetle, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, The Scent of Water, The Far Pavilions, Christy, A Wrinkle in Time, The Dean’s Watch, The Chronicles of Narnia, Still Life (the one by Christa Parrish), All Creatures Great and Small 

What keeps you reading fiction (or do you stick to non-fiction)?

Do you see some mutual friends in my list?

What stories do you like to revisit from time to time?

Do you like to reread favorites, or do you always reach for something new?

What books are keeping you company this September? I’d love to know.

The post Why Read Fiction? appeared first on Jody Evans, Author.

A Hammocky Invitation

I’ve heard more than a few people found the days of summer more crazy and hazy than lazy this year.

If this is you, please carve out a few minutes to find yourself a quiet place in the shade for a late summer read (or even two!). I’ve picked out a selection of stories from my blog shelf for you to choose from. Just click on whichever is most inviting to you today and enjoy.

• Non-fiction (10 minutes): The story behind my stories (Just in time for election season!)
• Fiction (18 minutes): A little romance (He’s not your everyday romantic hero)
• Fiction (15 minutes): A story of contentment (for when your life isn’t shaping up to be what everyone expected)
• Fiction: (14 minutes) A nudge in a Christmasy direction (reflections on the one Story that’s always in season)

(And if you really want to do it up right, may I suggest a frosty glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade?)

How about you?

Was your summer crazy, hazy, lazy or something else altogether? Please share your summer thoughts in the comments below. Or if that’s not the kind of sharing you want to do today, perhaps you might like to share this reading invitation with a friend who could use a quiet break. Of course, you are always welcome to do both : )

The post A Breath of Summer Air appeared first on Jody Evans, Author.

How are you feeling about the world today? I don’t mean the baby-quail-trailing-around-your-backyard, blue-sky, branches-dancing-in-the-breeze world. I’m talking about the peopled world. Your peopled world.

The authors you read, the singers you listen to, the influencers you follow, the leaders you voted for (or didn’t vote for).

Your co-workers, church family, neighbors, friends, friends of friends.

The people you live with or used to live with, and the more distant ones you reunite with from time to time.

How is that world going for you?

I ask because, in my peopled world, I’ve noticed a lot of conflict buzzing around lately. A lot of harsh and hopeless words. Friendship-splitting, marriage-ending, church-leaving words. People falling short, turning away, shutting down.

And these are people who love God and bear the name of Christ. People who, it seems, should be able to work through and forgive misunderstandings. Work through to peace and reconciliation. People who are not strangers to these words from Colossians 3—

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts since as members of one body you are called to peace.

It sounds good, but it can be oh-so hard to do.

This kind of escalating conflict has happened to all of us, hasn’t it? Don’t we all bear the scars of torn-away relationships? Don’t we all have a sad story or two about a Christian friend, co-worker, or church acquaintance who is no longer someone we would choose to eat lunch with? We can get to the point where we don’t even want to think about them at all.

Though, sometimes, we suspect we maybe should pray for them. (It’s hard to read our Bibles and not suspect that. Every once in a while, at least.)

But even to pray for that person feels pointless. And risky. Feels like a pain-point of connection that will only keep us caring. Keep us hurting.

Anger is easier than prayer sometimes.

And that also goes for those who aren’t so close to us. We all know stories of pastors, speakers, authors, actors, and singers who slipped up or gave up or in some other way failed to live up to the hopes and expectations of their admiring fans.

Those who once inspired and encouraged us fall hard, sometimes. You can probably think of one or two right now with a sad sort of pain in your chest. I know I can. It’s the kind of fall that takes with it all the good hope and encouragement we once found through the things that person said, sang, or did.

So, what I really want to know is this. Do you pray for them?

Because, when your heart is in a tangle, as nice, and right, and Christian as it sounds to pray for the ones who tangled it, I find it’s often the last thing most of us want to do. The last thing anyone wants to be told they should do.

This isn’t my usual kind of blog post, I know. You may wonder where I’m going with this. I usually focus on stories, right?

Well, here’s where I’m going.

We live in stories.

Every one of us.

Family stories. Work stories. Salvation stories. Political stories. Marriage and friendship stories. Tragedy and recovery stories. And some of those turn into Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter stories.

And however things may look, there is always more to the story.

I believe prayer is a powerful way of entering the stories of others. A thing that, even if it doesn’t change the way the story goes, can most certainly change the way we perceive the story and those who are living in it. And that in itself is a change.

It’s a way of stopping and noticing stories everywhere and saying, “However things may look, this present moment is not the whole story nor the end of it.” I find it’s a way of aligning with the Writer of all stories. A way of playing a part in the furthering of His will and His Kingdom even now. Not by judging, complaining, fearing or manipulating, but by prayers that teach me to watch with interest and hope, and plant in me a growing willingness to see things from a heavenly perspective.

I believe it’s important for God’s people to pray for those who are in positions to influence others. I’m not alone in that. I’ve heard more than one speaker encourage Christian writers like me to prioritize building a prayer team over building a platform because, whether a person serves many or few, there’s an enemy who prowls around like a roaring lion.

The most talented singers, speakers, actors, writers, preachers, and teachers can and do inspire dangerous levels of admiration that no human can live up to. So, even though your favorites might look like they have it all together, that could crash in a flash of overtired rudeness or misdirected friendliness. All the good those people are doing today could be dismantled by family drama or sudden success and the sneaky tendrils of pride that goeth before a fall.

Perhaps, as you read this, you are thinking of your pastor or Ann Voskamp or Amy Grant or the woman who runs the crisis pregnancy center or a teacher in the Christian school or Co-op your child or grandchild attends. Or perhaps, you are in a position of Christian influence or leadership yourself and God is stirring your heart to the idea that you should maybe ask a few folks to form a prayer team for you.

If you do have someone in mind, I’d like to encourage you to contact them to see if they have a prayer team you can join. And if they don’t, you could perhaps offer start a prayer team for them.

If you aren’t sure how to pray for a person of influence, here’s a prayer I found and adapted as a lovely way to lift someone and their ministry up to God:

Almighty and Eternal God, so draw (name’s) heart to you, so guide her mind, so fill her imagination, so control her will that she may be wholly Yours–utterly dedicated to You. Then use her, I pray, by Your will, and always for Your glory and the welfare of Your people.

I hope we are all faithful to pray for those who live with us and church with us and cross our paths in other ways. But I think it is right that we should also do the battling work of prayer that serves as Aaron and Hur did when holding up the arms of Moses during battle. (Exodus 17:8-13)

And if God does put someone specific on your heart to do this for, or moves you to form a prayer team for your own work, would you mind mentioning that in the comments? I think it would be a wonderful encouragement to many (including me).

The post The Unfancy Power of Prayer appeared first on Jody Evans, Author.

• What if you’re doing all this work for just one reader?

• Would you do all of these things for just one person whose life and heart will be nourished by this story you’re writing?

• Will you do it for just one person even if she doesn’t read your book until after you die?  Would you, will you even then?

Honestly, besides feeling I might have landed in a Dr Seuss story, I was at that moment deep in the waters of overwhelm from conference classes that opened this hopeful writer’s eyes to exactly how long and arduous the road from idea to bookshelf was bound to be.

My answer didn’t come easy.

But, when it’s God asking the hard questions (and since I am His actual property) I know the only answer is yes.

And knowing that, why would anyone risk filling the time between question and answer with a bath in the stormy sea and an uncomfortable ride to shore? (Right, Jonah?)

Still, though I did say yes that day, the questions haven’t stopped. More questions keep coming and coming even now. Only they have a different quality to them.

Instead of,

How can I convince an agent to take me on?

and,

What is the largest group of readers I could thrill with my book?,

I entertain questions like,

Who is she, this mysterious reader?

What do I need to do to reach her?

and,

How can I be faithful to keep writing the words her heart needs if she’s the only one who will ever want or need them?

In pondering that question, Who is she?, I’ve come to see her age or location or career or hobbies don’t really matter all that much. Of course, she will have such things. Everyone fits in the demographic somewhere, right? She will be young or old, rich or poor, short or tall. These things, I don’t know.

The more important thing for me to understand is her interior landscape.

In an effort to do that, I put together a sort of Missing Person’s description. A way to get to know and understand this someone I may never meet.

And as a step toward figuring out all the things I might need to do to reach her, I’m sharing my Missing Person description with you.

Because she might just possibly be someone you know.

She could be your mother or sister or co-worker.

She could be the new woman at church you’ve yet to say hello to, or your best friend.

She may, in fact, be you.

So, if you find her, would you please point her in my direction? I’m making something just for her.

Do You Know This Woman?

She once perched at the edge of her pew and reveled in the idea of the thing. She was wooed by the romance and imagined her fully surrendered life as this shining work of art. Then she stood at the edge of the abyss. She stood at that “What if I jump and God isn’t there?” place and jumped scared. She jumped and discovered the wild glory and wonder of the bold, true life she had imagined, and the lonely, dry corners of wrung-out, heart-breaking silence she had not.

Even so, on her best and bravest days, she revels (a bit more quietly) in the romance of being God’s possession—To do with. as. He. will.

She is a mess of contradictions. She is weak and stubbornly tenacious, an optimistic pessimist, a shy performer, an authentic phony, a brave chicken. She is a woman grown bold in her faith, still taunted by anxiety—and, in some black seasons, depression. She is a church girl who knows the bolstering companionship of God’s loyal, caring people and the devastation of being left to struggle on, alone, at the far end of the pew. She is the scarred friend you go to for deep talk and dizzy laughter into the wee hours. The one who remembers the just-right words of God and blushes to hunt for the address.

And right now, she’s a worn-out servant longing for a quiet space just to sink her roots deep in the soil of God’s love.

To this woman, by way of words, I offer relief. A break. Fresh water for those thirsty roots. Space to breathe. Room to re-leaf her feeble sheltering limbs for God’s next too-big-for-her assignment. To this woman I offer a place to ponder and pray, and a people to walk with in her gloriously messy, surrendered life.

The post Have You Seen This Woman? appeared first on Jody Evans, Author.

^{(Matthew 5:16 KJV)}

I went to bed steaming after watching yet another seminar on platform-building. I’d had just about enough of all the worldly self-centered talk on how to elevate myself and elevate my number of followers into the tens of thousands. I did NOT want to do this platform-building stuff and I told God how I felt about it.

I figured He’d be on my side.

My devotions the next morning started with a familiar line from Nehemiah 8, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.”

I liked that. The joy of the Lord. Not a big ol’ platform. Not a giant following of faceless numbers of people.

With a will to dig up more proof and get off the hook for this so-called “necessary” platform-building thing, I opened my Bible to read the joy of the Lord passage in context.

It turns out the context is the occasion of Ezra the priest (also referred to as Ezra the scribe) reading the Book of the Law of Moses to the Israelites. This particular reading occurred soon after they’d returned from their long exile in Babylon to rebuild their home in the Promised Land.

And right there in Nehemiah 8:4, just a few verses before that lovely joy passage, I read this–

“And Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform that they had made for the purpose.” (ESV)

What was that? A platform? Right there in the Bible? Oh, no!

It looked like maybe God wasn’t entirely on board with my high-minded platform refusal plan, after all.

So I studied that section of Nehemiah 8 and what struck me deeply was the purpose for the platform. Not at all to make a big deal out of Ezra. The purpose was to lift up the Word of God so more people could hear the words Ezra had been given to deliver. Words meant to point the people’s hearts back to God.

After that, I stopped griping (mostly) and decided to approach the hand-blistering work of platform-building with a new heart and a different mindset. One focused on the task of delivering my words to the people they were meant for.

Because, God assured me, someone way out there on the far back fringes of the milling-about crowd needed the words I’ve been given to deliver.

I’m not saying my words are anywhere near as important as the Book of the Law of Moses. Those Holy Words, the story of the Word from which all life, and hope, and love, and words do flow, never miss the mark. And they certainly never required editing or revising.

Mine are just small, human words, crafted and recrafted until they’re fit for a few dear souls who might find comfort or inspiration or even entertainment within them.

Still, small as my words may be, I’ve been tasked with writing and delivering them.

And they, too, are meant to point to God.

So, I keep learning. I keep building that platform. And for the next four weeks, that learning includes how to use my platform-in-progress as a launch pad to send my books to faraway places where someone on the far fringes is waiting for Godward pointing words. Someone who will recognize my voice with a feeling of yes, this is it, in her chest.

You know what I mean, don’t you?

That feeling you get when you turn the last page of a book you know will stay with you always because it has spoken to your soul.

For me, that was The Scent of Water, Words, Peace Like a River, and even, Anne of Green Gables.

There are others, of course, but for me, as much as I love books, it’s not a thing that happens with every book I read. The ones that deeply resonate only come along every few (or many) years. Which is why I’m working hard and long to shape and deliver my books to you. I’m so grateful to those authors who didn’t give up. So grateful for their work of shaping and reshaping words. And also grateful for all the businessy, platform-building work that went into delivering those words from their hearts to mine.

If you are one of the far-flung souls awaiting such a delivery from me, may I suggest a little something while you wait?

That yes, this is it, feeling delighted me just this week. If you’re the kind of reader who loves stories that invite you into deep and quiet spaces and ask something of you, I suggest you read the sample chapter of Never a Mere Mortal and see if it just might be another of the books your soul is waiting for.

And if you have a few minutes, would you let me know what you think of it? Is Never a Mere Mortal your kind of book or does your heart beat to the sound of a different kind of story? Please share in the comments below a few of the titles that sit on the forever shelf of your bookcase. I’d really love to know. Perhaps, I can point you to where another hard working author has built a platform with a light shining just for you.

The post The Good Thing About Platforms appeared first on Jody Evans, Author.

People don’t know how to say goodbye well these days. We let relationships fade away, or end them with painful emotional scenes. At least that seems to be the way it goes when we decide to leave a church, or a romance, or a friend. It’s right that sadness should be a part of parting, but do we have to have awkwardness, anger, and confusion?

I’d like to do things differently and I see this one small and simple way I can do so.

Today, as I begin writing this blog post, I’m thinking about the 20,762 unopened email messages sitting in my inboxes. I signed up for many of these. I wanted the free chapter or handy organization tool, or series of devotions offered by a writer whose work I appreciated. The me of yesterday wanted to read more of what they offered through weekly, monthly, or quarterly email messages. Yesterday’s me wanted to learn something, or practice something, or just curl up and read something.

The me of today, though, has way too many somethings in her inbox!

When I look at those rising unopened email numbers I’m starting to see reading as an unfinished chore. It’s looking very much like a task on my to do list. One for which I’m earning a big fat F. For a person who believes words are a gift, that just won’t do!

It’s time for some goodbyes.

I know when enough time passes without me opening their email messages, some of the senders will unsubscribe me themselves. That’s the fading away method, but I want to do better than that.

In the almost two years since I joined the ranks of group-email senders, I’ve come to understand that many of the email subscriptions I have as a reader are not sent by faceless corporations, but by sometimes-nervous authors who might check to see whether or not I read their carefully-crafted letter or clicked on any links therein as a sign of my interest and engagement.

I know what a boost it can be to see readers are opening their gift from me and even clicking on a link or two. Or, better yet, when readers reply to those messages to say how they’ve enjoyed or otherwise benefited from what I sent. This shows engagement that not only gives me a hint that I’m doing some good in the world. It also shows potential agents and publishers that I might be someone whose readership would benefit from wider publication of my work.

Another thing I’ve learned is when readers never even open those messages, well, it doesn’t help the writer’s work or ministry or career at all.

It can actually hurt it.

I’ve written something about this before, but this month I’m going to do something about it as a reader. And, if you’re nodding your head (or just thinking about nodding your head), I’d like to invite you to do something about it right along with me.

So, here is Part One of my two-part plan for becoming a less harried reader of email, by thoughtfully reducing the email we receive and becoming better supporters of the smaller number of writers whose writing we will get to more peacefully enjoy.

Seven Simple Steps

To get started, look through your unopened email and choose ten (or more) email subscriptions you’ve rarely (or never) opened in the last six months to a year. Then, apply the following steps to each one of these addresses.

1. Reply to the most recent email received from that person or organization, thanking them for what you’ve gained by being a    subscriber and explaining why you’re now unsubscribing. Be specific: My interests have changed, I no longer need your services, I love what you write and pray for your success, but I just don’t have time in my schedule to read it anymore, etc. This is also a good time to offer suggestions or make requests like, I’m interested in knowing when you have a book coming out, but I don’t want to receive anything unrelated to that. If you have a separate list for book news, please sign me up for that instead.                 

2. Do an email search for all the email you’ve received from that sender and delete all but the last email to which you just replied.

3. Move that last correspondence into an email folder you designate as Unsubscribed. (That way, you can see which ones you’ve unsubscribed from and why, so you can easily resubscribe later if you have need of their services in a different season or want to recommend their newsletter to someone else – see #5)

4.  Remember to click the unsubscribe link and answer any questions that might pop up. This will help the writer better know who is and who is not in the community she or he is called to serve. This can be extremely helpful for writers who want to better understand and serve their people.

5. If you think of anyone who might enjoy a subscription to the email you will no longer be receiving, send that person a link along with a line or two about why you think he or she might benefit from those offerings. (What no longer suits you might just be perfect for someone else!)

6. To make this process quicker both now and as an ongoing habit, make a template of your thank you and goodbye message so you can easily adapt it for each email from which you unsubscribe.

7. Just for fun: If you decide to do this, too, I’d love to know how many subscriptions you unsubscribe from and the before and after numbers for your unopened email. Write to me and I’ll reply with a personal message letting you know my numbers, too : )

My prayer is that we can all be more intentional and selective in our email subscriptions, reading the good words we sign up for, and graciously saying thank you and goodbye when the time is right.

One last thing: If you are one of my subscribers and discover my twice-a-month words are in that top ten list of your unopened email, don’t hesitate to follow these steps to unsubscribe. My feelings will recover. My heart’s goal is to bring you something informative, encouraging, or delightful, not to clog up your inbox. If I’m not doing that for you, I’m sure there is someone else who can. I want your reading time to be used for those things that serve your heart, mind, and spirit well.

I look forward to learning about your progress! See you in a couple weeks for Part Two, where I’ll focus on a few simple ways we can support the writers whose words most beautifully continue to address the needs of our hearts, minds, and spirits.

P.S. In the time it took me to write this post, my unopened email number rose from 20,762 to 20,769. I’d better get to it!

The post How To Spruce Up Your Inbox – Part 1 appeared first on Jody Evans, Author.

The problem isn’t only the time it takes to read a book, either. Think about the time it can take to hunt down one specific and often elusive book to make your specific heart go pitter pat. And if the books you love are not the type that garner big sales, I hate to tell you this, they could wind up on the endangered species list.

So, what’s a booklover to do?

***

Remember that old shampoo ad with the woman who told two friends and so on and so on?

She employed an exponential power that still exists.

As a writer peeking into the backside of publishing, I’ve learned I have more influence as a reader than I ever imagined. Word-of-mouth is still one of the most effective ways to promote the work of authors we love and even the types of books we want to see more of in the world. Especially when word-of-mouth partners with click-of-mouse.

Ten of my favorite ways to influence the book market (plus one more that’s entirely tech-free!)–

1. Sign up for email news and messages. Many of the writers whose work you enjoy have websites where you can exchange your email address for a free gift and/or a free subscription. However wonderfully talented and hardworking a writer may be, a publisher needs evidence of an audience that’s likely to purchase that writer’s yet-to-be published books. I’ve been told a growing email list packs the biggest punch.

2. Forward interesting e-newsletters and blog posts. If you read something you think others will enjoy, pass it on. You just might add another happy reader to your favorite writer’s fanbase.

3. Comment on blog and social media posts. Publishers look at an author’s online activity before deciding to offer a book contract. Engaged followers who do more than “like” an author or his/her work, show publishers their gamble is more likely to pay off.

4. Preorder. When your favorite blogger or YouTuber announces a book is on its way, your preorder is one way to start that book’s life with a bang. Plus, many preordered books come with freebies not available when you order after the release date.

5. Apply to join a launch team. This is a fun way to help your favorite author and get an insider’s view of the book business, too!

6. Become a crowd funder or Patreon. When serving a small, select audience, or just trying to make a noticeable splash as a small fish in an ever-growing pond, authors can run into prohibitive costs. If you want to play a financial role in getting someone’s book from concept to finished product, these are two options to look into.

7. Write reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. Reviews just before and just after a book is released have an especially big impact on helping it rise to the top of the Amazon page or find a home in a bookstore.

8. Join a Facebook group that focuses on the genre/s you love to read. Authors looking for beta readers (those who read their pre-published drafts and offer feedback) and applicants for their book launch teams will often reach out to subscribers, but Facebook groups are another place you can learn of those opportunities. They can also be a fun way to discover new authors and engage with your book-loving tribe.

9. Email your favorite authors. You know those questions that sometimes appear at the end of the e-newsletters you subscribe to? Authors really want to know how to better serve you with their work. If particular blog posts or emailed messages affect your day in a positive way, let those writers know. If their writing takes a turn you don’t appreciate so much, let them know that, too. It can take a while for a new writer to shape her work and find her voice and audience. Your encouraging and insightful words can serve that journey well.

10. Request and check out your favorite books from the library. Even if your budget won’t allow you to purchase every book you enjoy, you can help get them into the hands of more readers by influencing the selection found on your local public library’s shelves.

BONUS: Pray. I’ve saved the best for last, as this is surely the most powerful thing you can do for a writer and her work. This one isn’t a click-of-mouse power, but it’s one I use more and more often since I’ve come to know the behind-the-scenes struggles most (all?) writers contend with. You can wield this power without Wi-Fi, internet, or even electricity. And not only for the writers whose work you love and whose messages you agree with. Behind every article, post, and story are stories only God knows. Through prayer, you can be a part of those unknown stories, too. Your prayers can serve works of truth and beauty in the way Aaron and Hur propped up the arms of Moses and contribute to the story of victory on distant battlefields.

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How about you? Do you have trouble finding books you truly love? What are your favorite ways to be a modern-day patron of the arts? You can help out this writer with your answers by commenting below or emailing jody@jodyevans.com

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