Tupps_Mist_Teasers_Face02_02Can you believe it is already the beginning of February? Time moves so fast and if we don’t have a plan or a vision for our future; we can miss out altogether.

Now that my second book, Shadow of the Mist, is out and available for sale I am beginning to think about what might be next for me and for my character Selena Goodwin.

As for Selena, I already have a direction and readers will be happy to know that the next couple of books are finished and in the editing process. But what about for the author?

The foundation of my life is based in faith and a love of God. However, there are days when I wake up and plan my day without first asking for guidance and it is usually those days when things fall a little flat. I’m reminded of the scripture from James that speaks to that folly:

James 4:13-15 The Message (MSG)

13-15 And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.”

So, if it is God’s will; here is my hope for the future:

My first hope and prayer is for the continued good health of my husband and the health and well-being of our entire family. As a writer, my hope is that my books find an audience. I hope that the message of trust, faith and perseverance is one that resonates with readers.

I hope that the sale of my books generates enough revenue to provide for my family but also enough to give back to those in need.  Over the years, many people have walked into our lives and provided comfort, encouragement, their time and even their money to assist us during our challenges and I want to be able to pay it forward.

I long for the opportunity to reach out to other families experiencing similar health and medical challenges and to be a voice and a spirit that provides comfort. I want to reach out to other working women who want to become authors and offer my advice and assistance and encouragement.

As I look back on my life thus far, I know with certainty that when my faith wavered or my mood was low that God provided just the right person or experience to help me through. I want to be a similar vessel for others and I believe that the exposure I may receive as an author of the Shadow Realm series will be just the right catalyst to place me in the right place, at the right time for the right person on any given day.

Being a writer is so much more to me than just telling a story. At various times in my life it has provided different things; distraction, laughter, answers, and comfort.

I look forward to this next chapter, not only in the lives of the characters living between two realms but also in the life of this humble writer.

Psalm 31:15-16The Message (MSG)

Desperate, I throw myself on you:
you are my God!
Hour by hour I place my days in your hand,
safe from the hands out to get me.
Warm me, your servant, with a smile;
save me because you love me.