You know when people used to think the world was flat, and they thought if you sailed far enough, you’d just topple off the edge of the world? They were quite concerned about it. If you didn’t sail too far, you wouldn’t have to worry, but if you went further than the map… Whoops!

Being an author is very much like that. There really is only so much functional brain that I’ve got.

I didn’t used to know that! Back in my twenties, I used to think that I was relatively intelligent, and I’d never experienced the edge of my brain before. I was full of ideas, full of concepts, constantly making new connections, growing, learning… and maybe that’s just youth! Then I started writing six books a year, and I had edits, marketing, fresh writing, blogging, and caring for my family all going at once. Six novels, full of new characters, new developments, new relationships, new issues… Six novels that move on to various stages before publication… And guess what?

We have found the edge, folks!

I forget words… I forget names! Like, of people I know, people who are friends, who I spend time with. And I have to introduce them, and just stare at them blankly for about three seconds until it kicks in. It’s terrible! Because obviously, people’s names matter. People matter. Then I look at someone and think they look remarkably like a celebrity, and I forget the celebrity’s name, too. My brain has only so much space for readily accessible information, and it’s all used up with pretend people.

And while it’s a little disconcerting to realize that you’ve found the edge of your mental abilities, I suppose there is some comfort in having used all you’ve got. 😉 At least there isn’t some untapped well of wasted creative potential. right?

 

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Have you picked up my Amish romance? It’s on the shelves now in Walmart, Target and bookstores everywhere.

In this poignant, beautifully written novel, a faithful young Amish widow is reunited with her wayward first love . . .

As a bishop’s daughter and good Amish mother, widowed Sadie Hochstetler teaches her young son that God blesses those who try their best to please Him. But her brief marriage taught her that life is infinitely more complicated than that. Older, and serious, her late husband seemed a sensible choice—especially compared to Elijah Fisher, the spirited boy with whom she butted heads and hearts. Then Elijah abruptly left for the Englisher world, taking Sadie’s beloved brother along with him—a double betrayal she still strives to forgive. Especially now that Elijah has returned . . .

Elijah plans to stay in the Amish community only as long as he’s needed, helping his family and working for Sadie’s ailing father. The outside world has changed him, leading him to question rules and restrictions that others take on faith. Once, he’d been head over heels in love with the bishop’s daughter—a girl he was judged unworthy of courting. Nine years have changed so much between them. Yet something remains—a spark that, for all their differences, might light the way home again . . .