MANUSCRIPT COMPLETE: I'm just waiting on feedback from my beta-readers so I can edit and polish the book before submission.
CRYING on Your Shoulder: If you are a praying person, I REALLY need to land a legit literary agent soon. I've had two, and both had to leave for medical reasons. My present publisher won't even pay me royalties because promotion of the books is so poor, even though I have contributed $$$ to that task. And at the present moment I am in a place of financial dearth -- there's nothing like having to LIVE what you WRITE for others to read!
INTO THE DREAM OF SAINT CLARE:
"You should write YOUR story..."
My life is such a mosaic/jumble/crazy quilt, it will be some time before I even begin to tackle my Story. I don't even know how to do God justice in that task... However, SINCE you asked... Into the Dream of St. Clare: Reflections on Divine Dependence is now a complete manuscript looking for a publishing home.
The Reflection piece cobbles together scenes from Saint Clare's vision in the 13th Century, Clare's advice to people wanting a more intimate relationship with God, and my reflections and memories of insights related to my dependence on my Creator and Lord. A Franciscan since 1999 (formally; my leanings that way go back to the 1970s), I have been inspired by Clare's calm trust in God to meet her every need, bring sisters to the Order she began in 1212, and to loan her quiet Power to heal and restore.
In this Reflection Piece, I tackle the intersection of sexuality and spirituality, at least in my own life and in those of the Mystics, and share memories of how I learned to depend upon God's Goodness both as a widow and a Franciscan. (Yes, I know I was divorced, but I intentionally did not re-marry and went celibate, and the government considers me a "Survivor" even though they won't pay me a widow's benefit unless I make less than 21,300/year.) I 'pay forward' much wisdom I've gleaned from spiritual directors and Big Sisters in my life.
If you want to know my own journey, or if you crave a quieter and closer walk with the Lord, or even if you find 'dreams' fascinating in the Jungian sense, I'm sure you will find Into the Dream of St. Clare an insightful read.