Thank You, Authors

I've had it on my heart for a little while to express just how much I appreciate Christian authors and all that they are doing to encourage, inspire, and bless their readers. I can't imagine the amount of work and time it takes to carefully craft words together in not only a captivating manner but more importantly, in a way that is God-honouring. I'm in awe of how many authors juggle writing amidst other responsibilities in life and yet possess the passion and drive to keep adding to their word counts because of what God has laid on their hearts. I'm also grateful for the creativity involved in how authors continue to interact with their readers.

Honestly, I'm astounded by how much easier it is to connect with authors now. When I was in elementary school, one of my favourite things to do was to send authors handwritten letters by way of the publishing house address sometimes included in books. Amazingly, I had a few write back! I used to think of authors as pen pals since I was already writing letters to other people, but what a joy to know at a young age that authors appreciated hearing feedback. (I cringe when I think back at all of my grammatical errors, though I hope that coming from a child, it's more forgivable!)

I don't want to take it for granted today that I can just simply tag an author, et voila—instant communication. If I remember how much harder it was to let authors know that I appreciated their books and yet I persisted in sending letters to publishing houses in the hopes that they would get forwarded, how much more can I do now when authors are on social media and access is literally at my fingertips? It's a little mind-blowing to know that authors aren't as inaccessible anymore and that we can not only learn more about their books, but also their lives. I love praying for authors and seeing firsthand all that is involved in getting books out to the world. If anything, this look behind the scenes is probably something a young bookish fangirl like me would have loved learning about.

Apart from being able to connect with authors more directly now, I'm incredibly thankful for the friendship that many authors have extended online to readers around the world. It is such a joy and a privilege as a reader, and is something that is at the back of my mind whenever I read a book now. Getting to see the author's heart through content outside of their books has really helped me when reading their books.

In summary, I just want to share the following: Thank you so much, Christian authors, for being faithful and obedient to God's call on your life. Thank you for imparting God's truth and grace through the words flowing through you. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to writing when there are many challenges in this world and other directions that you can go instead. Your voice is appreciated, and your voice is heard. May God bless your work as you serve Him as an author.