I breathed a sigh and cradled my forehead in my hand. Attached to the email I’d just whisked into cyberspace were many late nights, bouts of insomnia, and months of stress. It was near dawn, and I’d yet to seek my pillow. I’d met my publisher’s deadline for The Promise Tree, the first installment in the Montana Treasure western historical romance series. That had been no easy task while my nation dealt with a pandemic, a contested election, and national unrest. As I blinked my bleary way to bed, I wondered how my author friends were faring. Since I’d mostly ignored social media for months on end, I had little idea.

I could guess, though.

Living in lockdown with your family tends to diminish the ability to spend time alone. That’s not good for introverts, and most writers fall into that category. I’m no exception. I like being with people, but it drains me. Spending time alone recharges me. An introvert isn’t necessarily shy or socially awkward, although I was painfully shy as a child. I still struggle at times with a desire to retreat from a social situation. Once I realized that most people focus mainly on themselves, I stopped fretting over what others think of me.

My inner hermit is alive and well however. Give me books to write and read, a garden to tend, online shopping, and a chance to create in the kitchen, and I’m content. Add in meaningful travel, homestead living, work from home, and my loved ones near or a phone call away, and life is perfect.

A fellow writer posted the following meme on one of my social media feeds: You know you’re an introvert when lockdown changes little in your life. That rang true for me. That meme should have warned me, but I wasn’t prepared when the masses began to emulate my lifestyle. It became popular–even necessary—to stay home, grow a garden, stock the pantry online, learn homestead arts, and cook from scratch. People took up reading, spent more time with loved ones, and traveled judiciously (if at all). Suddenly everyone worked from home or wanted to. Some started writing books.

I can only think that the change traumatized a lot of people. It took me years to transition into this way of living, and it suits me. Gaining the requisite skills takes time. I’m still learning, in fact. The pandemic taught me that I needed to move over for others. Having the advantage doesn’t mean you should always use it. Sometimes others’ needs come before my own. Donating to the local foodbank prevents me from turning into a hoarding dragon like an errant character from a C.S. Lewis novel.   

I am joined to humanity, it seems, despite my best efforts to hide from it.

Over the past year, my ability to focus nosedived. No matter what, I needed to write. Otherwise, I would disappoint my publisher and ultimately my readers. All I could do was hold on keep going. I concentrated on the next deadline, and the next, and then the one after that. It felt like I imagine rock climbing to be—where you are suspended above certain doom and everything fades but the next handhold.   

That’s not a bad way to live in some respects, but I prefer a more comfortable existence. I would rather dole out my writing time in measured increments than in these fevered marathons. A part of me is more like Bilbo than Frodo. Give me home fires and creature comforts! And yet…my soul yearns for the open road. The Lowara Roma, a tribe of people known as gypsies, call the wild wind ‘balval.’ They would perish without it, they believe. I am certain they are right.

Creativity is a lot like balval. It rises without warning, and nothing can control or restrain it. Sometimes the wind is so strong it carries you along. Other times it’s a gentle breeze you barely feel whisper across your cheek. Writing a book takes a lot of creativity, and it also demands a good work ethic. When life is hard, you write anyway.  

That’s when the magic happens, and the wind begins to blow.  

This has been a Book Journey for The Promise Tree (Montana Treasure, book 1), which is now available in print and ebook formats at presale discounts.

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A preacher’s daughter shouldn’t encourage a troublemaker—no matter what her wayward heart desires.

Liberty has always believed she should marry a man of God, but Jake doesn’t qualify. The promises they’d made at age twelve can’t change that. If only Jake would stop pursuing her, she might keep from falling in love with him.

Jake fears he’ll lose Liberty to Beau, the new man in town. He doesn’t trust the smooth-talker—and certainly not with Liberty. Expressing his opinion sounds jealous and pushes Liberty further away. Jake’s efforts to forget the woman he loves lands him in jail for a crime he didn’t commit.

A bounty hunter on the trail of a notorious outlaw gallops into town, and Liberty finds herself in unexpected peril. When Jake rides after her, he faces a test of faith. Jake and Liberty must each overcome their own false beliefs. Only then can they experience the truth of God’s redeeming love.

Set during a troubled time in America, the Montana Treasure series explores faith, courage, and love in the Wild West. Read this heartwarming story to affirm your faith in love.

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