As I sit here today, I find my mind drifting away from the farm and the medication schedules and back into the foggy streets of Locksburg. For fifteen years, this world lived only in the back of my mind and in the digital dust of an unfinished manuscript. Now that Walking with Shadows is finally out in the world, I have been reflecting on what it actually takes to build a story that can survive a decade-long hiatus.

When I first started this book, shows like Grimm and dark reimagining of fairytales were everywhere. I was captivated by the idea that the stories we tell children, like the boy who cried wolf or Little Bo Peep, are often warnings wrapped in wool. I wanted to explore what happens when the wolf is something much more complex than a simple predator, and when the sheep decides she no longer wants to be protected.

The heart of gothic fantasy is the atmosphere. It is the feeling that the woods are watching you and that the secrets of the past are buried just beneath the floorboards. In creating the character of Rylee, I wanted someone who felt the weight of her father’s protection as both a shield and a cage. We all have fences in our lives, whether they are physical boundaries or the expectations others place on us.

Writing this book was also a lesson in the evolution of a storyteller. The person who wrote 85% of this book fifteen years ago is not the same person who finished it this month. Through my work in emergency management and the daily responsibilities of managing a rural property, I have learned a lot about what true resilience looks like. I think those years of real-world experience helped me give Rylee a voice that is more grounded, even in a world filled with the supernatural.

One of the most rewarding parts of this process has been utilizing modern tools to honor an old dream. Using AI as a creative partner to bounce ideas off of and streamline the plot has been like having a digital sounding board. It helped me bridge the gap between the inspiration of 2011 and the technology of 2026, ensuring that the story remained fast-paced and polished for a modern audience.

This week, I am stepping away from the clinical updates to talk about a fire that has been reignited in my soul. While the physical three-week wall of my medication has been a reality, something else has taken flight. It is a strange irony that through a cancer diagnosis and starting this blog, I found my voice again. Facing this valley provided the clarity I needed to pick up a pen I had set down fifteen years ago and finally reignite my creative flame.

I am reminded that our God is a God of restoration. He doesn’t just see our unfinished chapters as failures; He sees them as seeds waiting for the right season to bloom. If you are sitting on a dream that feels like it has gathered too much dust, let my journey be your encouragement. It is never too late for a second wind, and your story is never too far gone for Him to finish.

There is something profoundly different about seeing your work in the digital space versus holding it in your hands. I recently received the physical proof copies of Walking with Shadows, and I am completely amazed at what has been accomplished. After the manuscript sat eighty-five percent finished for over a decade, seeing it as a tangible book—now available on Amazon, Google, Apple, and Barnes and Noble—is a victory I cannot quite put into words. It serves as a physical reminder that even when life feels like it is on pause, God is still moving.

But the creativity did not stop at the final page of the first book. In fact, the momentum has only picked up speed. I have already completed about eight chapters toward a sequel that follows Rylee into the next chapter of her life. After spending so many years wondering if I would ever finish her first journey, it feels like a gift to be walking alongside her once again as she navigates her new reality.

On top of that, I have been playing around with a new book idea that feels very timely for the season I am in. It is a story that looks at spiritual warfare and what it truly means to put on the armor of God. When you are in a valley, you realize very quickly that the battle isn’t just physical or medical; it is spiritual.

Exploring these themes through fiction is helping me process my own strength and faith in a brand-new way. It reminds me that while the enemy may try to use our circumstances to silence us, the Lord uses them to give us a louder, more resilient song to sing.

Whether it is Rylee’s gothic world of shadows or this new exploration of spiritual armor, I am learning that my story is far from over. Thank you for being a part of this creative rebirth. It is proof that even in the toughest seasons, there is still so much beauty to be created when we trust the Author of our lives.

Behind the Scenes: A Legacy of Resilience

Sometimes reality provides the best research for fiction, but it also brings the hardest lessons. We have lost many chickens over the past year, several to coyotes at our old home. We hoped our new property would offer more safety, but we have lost just as many here.
Today, we said goodbye to Scrappy, the very first chicken we ever hatched. She was born five years ago from an incubator we set after a tragic incident decimated our initial flock. When we thought the eggs were too young to hatch, I heard that faint chirp one morning before work. Scrappy earned her name every day since, living through five years as an incredibly tough bird.

Her story, much like Oakley River’s, our 80-pound Great Pyrenees mix who guards our property, is a reminder of the protective instincts and resilience that find their way into my writing. While Oakley successfully chases off coyotes to protect the flock, we still face the grief of loss. My prayer for you today is that you find the courage to look at your own shadows and see the light that God is ready to pour through them.