I remember scrawling in notebooks as a child, stringing together words and sentences to create stories. One time when I was a kid, I looked through some sort of book with writer's guidelines for different publishers (we didn't have internet at the time, so I used books to learn about everything).
I kept writing, thinking, and dreaming; dreaming of publishing a book "someday."
The years flew by, and I continued to write. I birthed children and kept writing, sometimes at a coffee shop in the early morning as a baby played on the floor by my sandal-clad feet.
I wrote and wrote and wrote, unable to keep thoughts stuck in my sleep-deprived "mom brain." And I believe it was sometime when I was pregnant with my second child that I realized that I could take actual steps toward my "someday" dream of publishing a book. I laughed and cried my way through Jennifer Fulwiler's wonderful memoir One Beautiful Dream and began putting together an outline for a nonfiction book. I worked on it endlessly, bouncing ideas around with other people.
Anytime I saw opportunities for Catholic writers online, I took them, eager to learn more about writing and getting "in" with a traditional publisher. I knew that self-publishing didn't have the stigma it once did, and I was enthusiastic about people I knew who self-published; however, I wanted to do the "legit author thing" and work with a publishing house...or so I thought.
As time passed and queries were rejected, I began to see benefits to self-publishing. While yes, my queries were--I'm confident--mostly rejected because my vision was not as strong or coherent as it should have been, I also began to realize that this particular book may not fit well with any of the existing Catholic publishing houses. Should I consider self-publishing?
Immediately, I shot that idea down because I thought: I can't make a book cover, so I NEED to be with a trad publishing company that can take care of cover design.
Eventually, I realized that it is possible to hire cover designers, and I decided to look into the self-publishing world.
And what a world I began to discover! Resources abound for self-published authors, and I discovered that truly beautiful and professional books can be created outside of traditional publishing houses. In fact, I began to really see the wisdom of using the term "independently publish" instead of "self-publish," because often, several people are involved in the book process: beta readers, freelance editors, cover designers, proofreaders, etc.
I began to get excited about this path, but then ran into a problem: I had, at that point, spent at least a few years working on my manuscript and I cared about it a lot. It was also rather large (in all honesty, too large), and I thought I should do a "trial run" first with a different book. A book that was smaller and simpler; one that, I thought, I "didn't care about as much."
When I began putting together this new book, I quickly began to realize that I cared about it A LOT. (so much for my plan of "make a book I don't care about as much" haha!)
I poured my heart into this little book and obtained a new respect for people who write shorter books--I never imaged how much work can go into a small book! I never imaged all of the steps and details and hours upon hours of endless rewriting and brainstorming that goes into a little book. The whole saga of this little book is another story for another time.
For right now, we need to bask in the beauty of the gorgeous book cover that I just received!
Yes, I am absolutely laughing at myself and my former ignorance, with all of my prior thoughts of "I need to work with a trad publisher that can take care of the cover."
I love this cover; it fits my book so well! My cover designer, Kelsey, has been wonderful to work with (plus, I really appreciate her commitment to not use AI) and I am beyond thrilled at what she put together.
Here's a little bit more about my book:
Monastic Motherhood: Ancient Wisdom for New Moms draws from the wisdom of Catholic monastics throughout the centuries to inject peace and purpose into days that are filled with dirty diapers and unwashed dishes. Monastic Motherhood brings together Scripture, monastic wisdom, and personal stories that offer perspective, solidarity, and hope to the sleep-deprived and overwhelmed first-time mom.
God-willing, I'll publish Monastic Motherhood: Ancient Wisdom for New Moms in December 2026. I'm trying to give myself plenty of time to navigate the whole process, and I'm pretty positive that I'll make mistakes. This whole publishing continues to be a massive learning experience, and I am so grateful that God continues to guide me on this journey.
I'll be sharing more details here on the blog and in my newsletter soon!
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