A little while ago, my publisher asked me a question. He told me not to sit and think about it. "Give me your first response."

"All right." To be honest, I was a little nervous. I'm one of those people who won't answer in church unless I know it's the right one. Usually "Jesus" works a good fifty percent of the time!

"Why do you write?"

"So that people will know they're not alone."

The words popped out before my brain really had time to figure out the answer, as if they'd been sitting underneath the tip of my tongue for years.

When readers grace me with their letters and emails, many of them will say, "You say the things I think but don't want to admit out loud." Or, "I've been asking the same questions for years now."

You see, I don't write because I have all the answers. I write to ask questions, and I know they are the same questions a lot of you are asking. (I'm not that unique!) So I think of my books as a conversation between me and you as we experience the lives of my characters and go through the waters of conflict and the fires of trial with them. If we can both walk away with the need to love God, our families, our friends, our community and our world a little more, I rejoice.

God's peace be with you.

lisa