Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall…in my case, literally.

After a diagnosis of Retinitis Pigmentosa in 2001, I immediately stopped driving at night since it was clear I was 100% night blind. My pride got in the way of giving up my freedom to drive entirely. In 2011, when it was time to renew my license, I knew I could not ethically sign my name, and I was below the 20% peripheral vision allowance.

I was legally blind.

Even in my dark moments, God provided as my oldest received her license a few months later and received a unique accommodation to drive at any hour as my transport. Where many parents grieve the loss of car time with their teen children when they begin driving independently, mine was extended, and I spent several more years with each of my girls, now with them as my chauffeur.

My pride also kept me from using a white cane. In 2017 I made plans to visit a friend in China the following year. After many tears, I swallowed that pride and allowed God to grow me even more. I was trained in white cane use, set off for China, and made it through multiple airports before arriving safe and sound, if not a little harried.

Proverbs 16:18 says: “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

God worked on my pride again when I wrote my first novel. I have no formal experience in writing, although I am an avid reader and audiobook listener. I served as a beta reader for other authors for years before giving it a try, thinking, how hard can it be? Hard. Very hard. My first attempt was pitiful, and I didn’t publish, using the excuse that it was too much work to get it right and I didn’t have the time to make it something I would sign my name to.

Covid took away the “I have no time” excuse. The English as a Second Language program I founded and directed closed. It was the platform I had used to share my faith. With that gone, I had no excuses. God and I had a heart-to-heart, where he helped me with my haughty spirit, He put me in my place and let me know I wouldn’t be writing and publishing for my name on the cover; I was doing this to glorify Him. I wrote my debut novel during Covid and published it in November 2021.

God let me know I wouldn’t be writing and publishing for my name on the cover; I was doing this to glorify Him.

That book, Desire of my Heart,* helped me work through many personal issues. Rachel, the main character, experiences tremendous heartache and loss. Her loss is different from mine, but the significance is universal. She also chooses joy to get her through life’s trials. I share more about how I choose joy daily in a light-hearted podcast.

God honored my obedience, and I have since written eight books. The prequel to my Discerning God’s Best Christian historical fiction series is free when readers sign up for my newsletter. I also have written several Christian contemporary romantic comedies, with a new one releasing in October.

In my first contemporary romance, Dial E for Endearment,* I am not Everly the main character, but she experiences most of the mishaps from my personal adventures. “Tree in the face” is a phrase my friends and I use too often. This novella stretched me again. I reached outside the Christian community to share Christ, explicitly targeting the blind community. I believe God has been glorified through my efforts.

If you haven’t read my books, please take advantage of the FREE copy offered by Amazon Prime. You may download Desire of my Heart, book one in the series, on Amazon Prime for FREE until June 1, 2023.*

*Please note this is an affiliate link. As always, it costs you nothing extra and goes to my chocolate fund.