Linda Yezak: Is My Work Worthy, Lord?

Everyone's Story welcomes author Linda Yezak. Linda snagged my attention with the word "cat" and I'm glad we connected. Linda joins us this week with heartfelt and candid words that's not easily spoken about from writer to writer or for that matter, from writer to reader. I applaud Linda for sharing this with us. We'll be interested in knowing whether you can relate. And do check out Linda's lovely BookGiveaway. Both Linda and I are looking forward to hearing from you!

BookGiveaway:

Linda is offering 1 copy of her novel, THE CAT'S LADY'S SECRET, to 1 randomly chosen commenter. The winner will be announced here on Friday, November 27th between 5-6 PM EST. To be entered in the Giveaway, please leave your contact information within your comment (you may choose to use the Contact Me form to privately send me your email address--the form is in the right-hand sidebar on the blog's main page, toward the bottom).

How I Learned To Like Where I’ve Been Planted by Linda Yezak

Recently, I attended a writers conference at a Baptist university in Texas. The town may be small, the college may be small, but the speaker and guest list included some heavy-hitters in my field. Cecil Murphey, who ghost wrote both Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story and 90 Minutes in Heaven with Don Piper, the preacher who is the subject of the story. Don Piper was there, also. James H. Pence, singer, artist, and author of Terror By Night, the story of the brutal murder that took the lives of the Caffey family in 2008, an event that hit all the major news outlets, because it was Terry Caffey’s daughter who masterminded the murder along with her boyfriend.

I got to visit with these authors and others personally, aside from attending their classes. I couldn’t help being a tad bit star-struck and more than a tad bit jealous. I write romance and women’s fiction, fun little stories intended more to entertain than to deliver a deep message.

I want to be one of the authors who delivers a deep message.

One of the things that struck me during the conference was the number of times someone would tell me of the horrible things going on in their lives or awful things that had happened to them. Some were already turning their traumatic tales into devotionals or non-fiction books or fact-based fiction in hopes of helping someone else in similar problems. How beautiful to be God-led to help others.

I’ve never wanted to write of the things in my past. I’m fine with them buried where they belong. Perhaps that makes me selfish, I don’t know, but I’ve never felt a calling to write about them. And for that, I am truly thankful.

Although I enjoyed every minute of the conference and the entire experience of spending a couple of days with peers, talking of the one thing we all have in common, I came home under a cloud of sadness. I want God to use me like He apparently does those other authors. I want to be a tool for Him, to glorify Him, to help others realize how precious He is.

But I write romance and women’s fiction. Fun little stories intended to entertain.

I wrote about the conference on my blog, 777 Peppermint Place, leaving out all the specifics of my doubts and disappointments, mentioning only that I had a lot to pray about. And I did spend quite a bit of time in prayer–everything from is my work worthy, Lord? to am I being arrogant to want more? to am I even doing what You want me to do?

Self doubt is a wicked thing. It steals your confidence, leaves you questioning your very worth as a person sometimes.

But God is so amazing in His love. He uses His children to uplift each other and to deliver His special messages to us. How precious is He and our siblings who call themselves by His name?

The very day I posted about the conference, one of my friends, a dear sister in Christ, typed this in the comments:

Feeding the Poor

Feeding both body and spirit – complimenting someone, listening, caring, writing stories that feed the heart and mind with God’s love.

See that? “Writing stories that feed the heart and mind with God’s love” is feeding the poor, both in body and in spirit.

Authors of Christian romance pen not just stories about love between a man and a woman. We write about a love that is to be treasured and based on more than physical attraction. We write about hope and forgiveness and second chances and first loves and last loves and long-lasting, till death do we part love. We provide a glimpse of what the marital relationship should be according to God’s greatest scheme and gift–a relationship that keeps God at its center, loving and being loved in return.

There’s far more to it than that, of course, but really–how can you beat that?

So, let me introduce myself: I am Linda Yezak, blessed to be an author of Christian Romance and Women’s Fiction.

Linda's Ah-hahs To Tweet:

Everyone’s Story: Meet @LindaYezak, “blessed” to write #ChristianRomance and #WF. #BookGiveaway. (Tweet This)

@LindaYezak: #Writers, can you admit your self-doubt over the stories you write? (Tweet This)

@LindaYezak: #Writers, how is God using you and your writing? Are you content? (Tweet This)

Author's Bio:

Over twenty years ago, after a decade of life as a "single-again," author Linda Yezak rediscovered God's love and forgiveness when He allowed her a second chance at marital happiness. She is now living her greatest romance with her husband in a forest in East Texas. After such an amazing blessing, she chooses to trumpet God's gift of second chances in the books she writes. Linda's novels are heart-warming hallmarks of love, forgiveness, and new beginnings.

Places to connect with Linda:

777 Peppermint Place/blog

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

Pinterest

Amazon

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Please note:

--I will soon launch a specially designed website that will incorporate Eveyone's Story blog. I hope you will follow me on this new site. When it goes live, I'll make the announcement!