Bridges
Sunday, December 14th, 2008
The function of a bridge is to safely carry someone or something from one piece of land to another. In the Bay Area, where I live, there are seven major bridges, including the world famous Golden Gate Bridge. One day during my morning commute, I peered at the Bay Bridge, which connects Oakland to San Francisco and reflected on the bridges in my life.
In this inaugural post I’d like to highlight some of the “bridges” that have carried me from the conception stage of my literary career to the present. My bridges may not be as infamous as the Golden Gate, which is orange by the way, but to me they are invaluable. Each has been a solid anchor for me as I drift through the intense waters known as the literary world.
I begin by offering thanks to my Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ, for entrusting me to minister to His people through written word. It is a fact that without God I can do nothing.
My husband, lover and best friend, Craig, is the bridge that has carried me over storm waves and tsunamis. My life partner of nineteen years reads every manuscript and promotes me to anyone who will listen.
When the Lord commissioned me to write I didn’t have a clue where to begin. One day while sitting in my office, I decided to browse the website of an author whose book I’d picked up at a Christian gift store. I was pleasantly surprised to learn the author was holding a writer’s workshop. According to the advertisement, the four-hour workshop contained everything I needed to learn how to write and publish a book. There was one problem: I live in the Bay Area and the workshop was in Smyrna, Georgia. It did not make good financial sense to attend, in fact, it wasn’t common sense. However, as the plane taxied down the runway at Oakland International Airport that Friday night, Isaiah 55:8 became real to me. God sent me on an overnight flight to Georgia for a four-hour workshop. At that workshop the foundation for the next bridge was laid. I embraced the knowledge shared by the author and five months later my first short story, Mommy’s Present was published in the anthology The Midnight Clear. Two months after that, my debut novel, First Sunday in October released. Now, two years later, I have a multi-book deal with Urban Christian.
Unlike most bridges, this bridge isn’t large and can’t be seen from afar, but you know she’s there. Nearly three thousand miles separate us, but she’s always just a phone call or an e-mail away. Wherever and how far this journey takes me, I am forever grateful to my literary American Idol, Kendra Norman Bellamy, and the Writer’s Cocoon.
Many days on this journey I felt lost and confused. During my disorientation, God in His most loving way, sent bridges to navigate me to the places I needed to be, but didn’t have a clue how to get there. Tyora Moody, Lacricia A’ngelle, Denise Gressler, Joylynn Jossel, Linda R. Herman and Linda Beed without you, I’d still be standing on the shore trying to figure it all out.
The TLB Book Club will always hold a special place in my heart. These ladies were the first to host me and have remained active supporters. Sisters in Harmony/Sisters in Conversation and Sisters with Books (SWB) have also been gracious hosts.
Finally, and most importantly, the readers who have sent e-mails stating how much my work has blessed them. Your testimonies of healing and deliverance encourage me to continue the work He has designed for me.
During this holiday season and everyday, I admonish everyone to acknowledge and appreciate the bridges in your life. Bridges have two-way traffic and you never know when you’ll have to cross back over.