Please welcome this weeks guest Angela Meyer for The Journey. She answers the question: How have you seen God work in your writing journey?

God has always been a part of my writing. Since junior high with the first pen scratches, poems of angst and attempts at stories. My heart poured out to God in written prayers and lessons He taught me. He drew me closer to Him in those early years on my journey of faith.

About 7 years ago I wrote my first full length novel and over the course of 5 years, I edited and rewrote major portions multiple times. I also entered my novel into a contest. Still no contract.

In the fall of 2011 I made plans to attend my first writer’s conference, but had to cancel those plans due to family budget. A few weeks later, God intervened. I was notified that I had been awarded an anonymous full scholarship to this conference. I never applied for one. My friends who were attending had room in their car and would not let me pay for gas. We stayed with friends. My only cost was food.

Little did I know the life journey ahead of me. The one that had nothing to do with publishing a book. But God did.

I presented my story to an acquisitions editor and she invited me to send my entire manuscript to her publishing house. I went home and went through my novel one more time, editing and making a few changes before sending it to them. A few weeks later, I was offered a contract.

It was the hand of God. I had no platform. This was my first novel. It just doesn’t happen this way. But God knew what I needed and in His grace, provided.

I went to work building a platform and often felt like I was trying to take off in a plane tied down by massive weights. Growing up we weren’t encouraged to promote ourselves. It was somehow more noble to be less than to do something of significant. At least that is the message I received. The task before me felt huge. But I learned. I grew. I stuck with it.

And then life threw me a curve ball. One that required forgiveness. The theme of my book.

If I had not been working on my book, I might have just isolated, curled up in a ball and focused so much on me I would have gotten lost. At least for a while. God knew I needed a different focus and because I had made a commitment, I held on and kept going.

Every time I worked on my book, wrote a blog post, added another plank to my platform I was faced with the theme of forgiveness. Would I live in authenticity and practice what I wrote about? Would I forgive? Would I walk out all that meant for me in my life and circumstance?

I didn’t feel like it. At times I resented this path I was on. But God knows my heart and provided exactly what I needed. Each day it got a bit easier. Each day I walked a little straighter. Each day I forgave a little more fully. All because God walked with me on this journey of writing and life.

Easy to look at any life event as just in the physical – but God uses those circumstances to teach us spiritually. What God has taught me during my journey.

Short Bio:

Angela D. Meyer lives in Omaha, NE with her husband of more than 22 years. She homeschools their daughter and recently graduated their son who is now a Marine. She taught Bible class for over 35 years and served for almost three years on the leadership team of her local Christian writers group. She loves God, her family, the ocean, good stories, connecting with friends, taking pictures, quiet evenings and a good laugh. Someday she wants to ride in a hot air balloon and vacation by the sea.

Social Media:
Website: www.angeladmeyer.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAngelaDMeyer
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/angeladmeyer63/
Google+ : https://plus.google.com/u/0/100594512535685420838/posts

About the Where Hope Starts:
In a city full of dreams… Karen Marino’s life is a nightmare. The New York City restaurant manager is a professional success, but her marriage is in shambles. When her husband, Barry shows up drunk at her restaurant, she loses both. She flees The Big Apple and returns to her Midwestern home to sort through her options. But instead of answers, she finds an old boyfriend ready to rekindle romance, a family full of secrets and an angry brother bent on revenge.

Still in New York, Barry fights his own demons. He knows he messed up, but is powerless to stop his rage and addictions. A fist fight on the streets of the city lands him in jail and forces him to face the possibility of a future behind bars.

Karen knows holding onto her bitterness won’t repair her marriage. But how do you forgive someone when you don’t feel like it? As she searches for the answer, she uncovers the family secret that threatens to tear them all apart. Can she find her way back to the place Where Hope Starts?

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com
First chapter: https://drive.google.com
Purchase link: Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Where-Hope-Starts-Angela-Meyer