On Writing, Reading, and Purpose

One thing I don’t keep a secret is that I’m an author. With two books out, and more on the way, it would be pretty hard for me to write one of these newsletters without mentioning that fact.

The one thing I also don’t believe is a secret, but isn’t always at the forefront of what you see from me, is that I’m a Christian. And oddly enough, despite years of telling myself I would never get on TikTok, it was one of the posts there combined with a couple other influences that made me update my bios everywhere to make sure my faith isn’t a hidden fact.

The TikTok post went something like this “Christian BookTok girlies, where are you at? Let’s make heaven full.” And maybe it’s silly to get caught up in that, but it did make me pause. I did in fact leave a comment, and look through all the other profiles of those who commented to see if there were folks I resonated with to follow.

Not too long ago, I came across a YouTube short by Elisabeth Wheatley. And I would agree with her in that I am Christian, but I don’t write specifically for Christian markets (I don’t write allegory, or super tight parallels between God and my faith into my fantasy worlds). I carry themes that I believe are important and uplifting: hope, redemption, forgiveness, and the value of relationships to name a few. She had one post in particular where she said she was confused about being ‘outed as a Christian’ as she wears a cross necklace in almost every post.

But to tie the thread to those two seemingly unrelated experiences, there’s an in-person element to it too. At my first (and so far only) in-person faire, I met some lovely people from a local church giving away books for free. And one of the ladies there made a comment about the fact I didn’t have my faith on my bookmarks, and that I should include that I’m a Christian.

It took me awhile to come back full circle to that comment, and to embrace her advice, but as I’m branching out into the social media world I think she’s right. It’s great to have thematic elements and story arcs that are uplifting and demonstrate hope and redemptive power. But without a platform to share why that’s important? Why I write those themes and believe that there is hope in this world, beyond just fiction? People should know what I’m about.

So maybe that seems all round about to say what most of you reading this already know about me, and it probably is. And it’s probably not an earth shattering thing to put ‘Christian’ in my Instagram or TikTok bio, but we all have ways we can reach people. We all have a sphere of influence, and if we can use that to share our faith or at least own it? I think that’s worth something.

Onto a writing update! To those of you who have purchased a copy of Imprinted, thank you! If you’d be kind enough to leave a review on the platform of your choosing, that helps more people find and read the book.

As for book 2, it’s actually already written! The title is set, the cover is designed, and the interior formatting is complete. After I do a couple test prints, the book itself is final. More on that soon as I set a release date!

Book 3… currently exists as a partial rough draft. I’m trying to break out of my ‘publishing a book every 4 years’ cycle, and the completion of this book is key to that. I want to complete this trilogy without making you wait too long, but also I’d hate to have a gap if it’s just not quite ready. I’m probably overthinking that, but rest assured it’s in progress and this trilogy will be completed.

After the Imprinted Trilogy, I have a couple ideas kicking around in my head… If there’s one that stands out to you, vote for it! I can make no promises, but this would be the first book I’d get to share my writing journey from idea to final product!

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I’m in the works of moving away from Goodreads, which surprising to no one, means I’m having trouble tracking my books at the moment… But here’s some things I’ve been reading recently, non-fiction, fiction, and here on Substack:

Happy Lies: How a Movement You (Probably) Never Heard Of Shaped Our Self-Obsessed World by Melissa Dougherty - an EXCELLENT read, I’m halfway through and cannot recommend enough. If you’re curious how our culture has managed to redefine ‘Christianity,’ embrace the spiritual, and create their own image of ‘Jesus,’ this book is for you. It’s a challenge to return to our Bibles and hear God as he is, not who we want him to be.

Winds by Onjel Bercier - such a great Christian-inspired story! We’ve got light bearers, forces of evil, and a very real battle for the main character’s heart, identity, and purpose. 4/5 for this historical fiction novel, and looking forward to the next book in the series!

The Standard Book of Anything by Andrea H Rome - I’m working on getting into this one. I’ve mostly picked it up at inopportune times so I haven’t gotten far, but I’ve already bought book 2 in the trilogy so I’m committed.

^I think the title of that one alone is enough said.

^And a thought provoking follow-up to a previous essay. Would highly recommend reading the first part before jumping into this one, which you can find here. (also linked in her post)

And, onto long-form YouTube content that’s actually inspiring and uplifting, rather than doom scrolling on the social medias. (Positives: I’ve quit scrolling YouTube Shorts! Negatives: I’ve started scrolling TikTok…..)

Yes, I am on the Tiny Glade train. It was worth every penny of $17 USD to me. And, quiet gameplay like this makes for great background. Plus, I learn a new technique in game every time I watch!

Because why not watch a nice little documentary on Hummingbirds on a random Wednesday evening?

…can you tell yet that I am excellent at confusing the YouTube algorithm? Sometimes a girl just wants to learn something that might just spark a novel idea.

The graphic designer in me LOVED this one. Plus I always like to learn a little about game design. There’s so much thought, creativity, and technical skill that goes in to creating a game. I love to see the behind the scenes!

Thank you for making it to the end! To learn more about me and my books, visit my website at brookestemmebooks.com. I’m so glad to share my stories with you, and look forward to hearing yours. Or, connect with me on Instagram and TikTok.