When I first started writing, I thought being an author was all about the story — crafting characters, building emotion, and pouring my heart into every page. But as I began connecting with other writers and readers, I realized there’s another part of the journey that’s just as vital: author branding.
More →
In faith-based fiction, a character’s backstory is the thread that weaves depth and authenticity into their journey. As a Christian author, knowing how and when to share a character’s past is key to keeping your readers engaged without bogging down the narrative.
In Christian fiction, character development is central to storytelling. One of the most powerful tools a writer has is dialogue. More than just talk, dialogue reveals who a character is—what they believe, what they fear, and how they grow. Used with intention, dialogue becomes a mirror to the soul and a map for transformation.
The Question
Perhaps one of the most-asked questions I’ve been on the receiving end of across my authorial journey is, “Why did you decide on the Christian genre?” I think the answer most expect is that I believe I was “called” by God to explore the genre. While that’s a very good reason to write in the genre, it never really felt like it was my reason. I’ve always believed that what I’ve been called to do is use the gifts God has given me to share the message of His love with others – some of which might not ever hear it outside of having possibly picked up my book by chance. A handful of years after stepping into writing in the Christian genre, I can still say that is my primary motivation behind everything I write (or hope to write).
A Look Behind the Scenes
Recently, however, I’ve been doing some pretty deep soul-searching because I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was another, more personal, reason behind just why I ventured into the world of the Christian genre author. The reason finally made itself apparent to me today as I was trying to put together a mental plot outline for my latest book, “More than Promises.” I started this book quite a while ago, and have written roughly 1700 words to date – and every thought was a struggle to put into words. I’d sit down and attempt to do so, but usually just end up walking away from it. Trust me when I say that there’s not anything that’s more frustrating to a writer than being at a loss for words. Why can’t I get it, I ask myself almost angrily. This just isn’t me, God – please help me with this. Please give me my words…
First Things First
It was as I was pacing back and forth through the house this morning that God gave me part of my answer. I suddenly realized that before I could write another word, I had to know why I wanted to write them – or, in this case, why I needed to write them. It became clear to me that the more personal reason for writing within the Christian genre – at least during this season God has put me in – is because I’m writing through grief. I’m trying to make sense of questions like, “Why does God let bad things happen to good people?” or “We prayed for healing…something we KNOW God can (and does) do…but that healing didn’t come – He chose not to heal that person. With those thoughts in my heart, I looked back on my first novel, Light of Grace, and could clearly see that I was trying to write through the grief of unexpectedly losing my mom in her sleep one night. When I started writing “More than Promises,” I had a general idea of where I wanted the story to go but couldn’t put my finger on the reason I wanted to write it. Lo and behold, there it was again – writing through grief.
When the Answer Doesn’t Come
Sometimes – most times, actually – when we’re suffering, we’re looking for answers that will help ease our pain. As a Christian, I look to God for those answers. But here’s the thing – sometimes – most times, actually – those answers don’t come. Or, at least not in my timing – when I want them to.
I recently lost a very dear friend to a glioblastoma. It seemed as if her diagnosis was sudden, but the cancer had been growing inside of her brain for a long time – she just had no idea. I mean, who would have ever thought something so unimaginable was going on? It wasn’t until her symptoms manifested themselves to the point that it was obvious that something was wrong that she was taken to the hospital. Within a day of this, she’d withdrawn into herself…and she never came back to us…to me. She underwent surgery but it made no difference. In four short months, this beautiful, godly soul was gone – and while I’m happy that she’s home with the Lord now, the hole left in her absence is one that I feel each and every day.
God chose not to answer my prayers. He chose not to heal her, but to call her home to Him instead. Even as a believer, that’s a tough one to deal with – to simply accept the fact that there are so many “reasons” that we will never know.
Back to My Journey
So…for now at least…the Lord has shown me that a big part of my journey as a Christian author will be to write through grief. I want to work through it in the lives of my characters as they struggle with the same questions I’m struggling with. And one day, in His timing…if it’s His will…I will walk through my season of grief and find that He did answer my prayers – only instead of healing my dear friend, He has healed me.
So, Join Me
I fully understand that not every one of us is immune to the grief the loss of a loved one brings to our hearts. My prayer is that we might walk through this journey together – that maybe we can join with the characters of “More than Promises” and learn from them as they walk the same paths with us. And if it’s God’s will – maybe someone will find healing within the pages. So, please join me. Please pray for me as I walk through putting this grief into words. May the peace of God that surpasses all understanding guard your hearts.
BEAUTY FROM ASHES
In my first novel, Light of Grace, the reader walks alongside Sara Jacobs as she navigates the path of shattered dreams and grief toward learning to live again. What God teaches her along the way is that He does, in fact, make beauty from the ashes of our lives if we are willing to let Him. I’ll be transparent here and admit that, in so many ways, I still haven’t been quite able to open myself up completely to learning that lesson. But, like each one of us, I’m a work-in-progress.
WHAT WILL COME NEXT?
That was a question I was asked more than once by a few people who were kind enough to read my book before I published it. As I fumbled around for a response only to answer, “I don’t really know,” it was suggested that I write a second novel focusing on a character introduced briefly in the epilogue of Light of Grace, Lilly Wilkes. Lilly was the gift God created from the ashes of Sara’s life.
I have to say that I wasn’t really captured by that idea at first. I pulled out my first novel manuscript (one that never saw the light of day and probably never will) and toyed with the idea of re-writing it, moving it from the Romance genre to the Christian fiction genre. I tried. Many times. But it just wouldn’t come together. As I prayed about it, it felt as if the Lord was steering me towards picking up where Light of Grace left off and following Lilly Wilkes’ story. To date, I’ve only written about 4800 words, but the idea is slowly coming together. Once again, the spark came from a song: Broken Together by Casting Crowns. I’m currently struggling with making a plot outline while simply sitting down and writing, to see where the story will go – but it is my goal to have the novel completed by the end of 2025.
COMING in 2025:
So, please allow me to introduce my next novel, “More than Promises.”
Lilly Wilkes left her hometown with her dreams and her faith tucked away in her heart. Being accepted into Julliard promised the chance to make those dreams come true. Choosing between pursuing the path she believed God had put before her and the road paved by the pressures to fit in was never part of her plan. When a chance meeting with Marcus Allen, one of the biggest names in the music industry, catapults her into living in the spotlight, choices are made and lines are crossed. With her innocence lost, will her buried faith be enough to save her? Or will the person she used to be remain lost in the darkness of who she had become?
In the meantime, please check out Light of Grace, available on Amazon, in both a Kindle and paperback edition. Thanks for your support!
It’s a New Year…
The arrival of a new year is typically accompanied by the desire for “new” things: new goals, new dreams, and even contemplating what the list of the best Christian books of 2025 might look like. Because of my own search for both Christian fiction and a new yearly devotional, I thought I’d go through my own book collection and compile a list of some of my favorites. These are not new titles for 2025, but titles I definitely would recommend as the books to read in 2025, with my own books taking the top spots on my list 🙂
Christian Fiction:
Christian Non-fiction:
Devotionals:
Have Fun Reading!
I sure hope that sharing some of my favorites will guide you in picking out your best Christian books for 2025. Thanks in advance for (hopefully) choosing to add mine to your list!
Christmas Past
I have so many fond memories of the Christmases of my childhood. Each year, no matter where my dad was stationed, he would load us – and all the Christmas gifts – into the old station wagon and head to my grandparent’s house in West Virginia. It was a trip we looked forward to every year regardless of how many days it took us to get there. My brother, sister and I would sit there in the back seat, watching the miles roll by, with the question, “Are we there yet?” never far from our minds.
So, when I had children of my own, I had this innate drive to make Christmas as special as I could. We couldn’t always traverse the miles between our military base and home, but my family always made sure the kids had lots of gifts to open on Christmas morning (even when I was stationed in Frankfurt, Germany, which really took some doing!). As the years passed, the Christmas gifts went from toys to electronics, but we always managed somehow.
Christmas Present
Now, all my kids are grown, with children of their own. I love Christmas shopping for them! I remember walking into a Toys-R-Us a few years ago with my sister-in-law and we both stood in awe of the enormous selection of toys. I’ll confess that I’ve really come to love the online shopping available now, but every now and then, I get the urge to actually go into a store and just wander the aisles looking for the “perfect” gift. Not only has my family grown – I have four grandchildren now – but my sister has four as well. So, a few years ago, we came together as a (large) family and made the agreement that we would focus our gift-giving on the kids. Doing so has actually made it more fun because the budget doesn’t have to be stretched as far.
A Little Different this Year
For some reason, this year feels a little different for me, so I decided to shop for the adults in the family along with the kids. That’s what I told my dad I wanted for Christmas. Little did I know the chaos this would add to things. I sent out all the texts, asking for gift ideas – and the replies I received came with a discovery: Christmas gifts for the men in the family are considerably easier to shop for than Christmas gifts for the women in the family. Believe it or not, most of the men simply said they could use some new socks. I can remember as a teenager getting clothes and stuff for Christmas and I never quite understood it – but now I know why. It’s easy – or, at least for the guys, I should add. The responses I received from the women in the family (or their spouses when I asked them about it) ranged from, “I don’t really need anything,” to “I’ll have to think about it.” In short, they answered without really answering. In light of this discovery, I now realize that I’m on my own in terms of finding the “right” Christmas gift for the women in the family. Just the thought of it is daunting.
A Little Help
As Christmas draws near – it’s just two weeks away – I’ve turned to asking my grandchildren for some ideas for their moms. Granted – they range in age from 3.5 years to just turned 7, so it’s hard to tell what we might come up with. But one thing is for sure – whatever it ends up being, it will be given from my heart. And isn’t that what matters most? Isn’t that the best kind of gift there is?
Just a side note here – if you have a reader on your list of Christmas gifts for women, please check out my novel, Light of Grace, and my collaborative devotional project, Journeys of Faith: Two Ordinary People, One Extraordinary God – available on Amazon as both a Kindle and paperback edition.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
Lori Domingo
My journey as an author of Christian books has taken me down paths in both faith-based fiction and devotional literature. I’ve always enjoyed exploring creative nonfiction, but when the idea of a collaborative devotional project came to mind, I honestly wasn’t sure what it would involve. I had a library of devotionals to guide me, giving me an idea of the “moving parts” I’d need. However, I wasn’t certain where those “moving parts” would come from.
And So It Began…
As I reflected on it, it became clear that for the type of project, we wanted to create, those elusive moving parts would have to come from my own life — from the mundane moments to the hidden “skeletons” in my closet. That realization made me extremely uncomfortable. I’ve always been a private person, protective of my personal struggles. Opening up felt daunting, but one day, the Lord impressed upon me that it was time to be what I had avoided the most: vulnerable. Despite my resistance, I realized that vulnerability was necessary.
Painful…
Each devotional piece was born from prayer and deep reflection. Some stories brought humor, but most unearthed painful memories and emotions I had long buried. Writing through the pain allowed me to illustrate how the Lord kept His promise to never leave me. By sharing my mistakes and heartaches, I hoped to convey this message of God’s unfailing presence. While I often couldn’t see His hand during those difficult times, looking back, His guidance was unmistakable.
The End…
Surprisingly, the easiest part was connecting each story to the perfect Scripture verse, which helped me see the beauty of God’s promise to always stay by my side. I was even more surprised when many readers commented, “You were pretty vulnerable.” God held my hand through one of my greatest fears — vulnerability — and, in doing so, created a connection others could relate to. As a writer of Christian books, what more could I hope for?
If you enjoy devotional literature, please feel free to check out my collaborative project, Journeys of Faith: Two Ordinary People, One Extraordinary God, available on Amazon as both a paperback and Kindle edition. I’d love to hear about your journeys of faith, so please share!
WRITING A BOOK IS EASY…
Said no one ever. Or, at least no one who has ever seriously given it a try. I remember when I made the transition from the Romance genre to trying my hand at both faith-based fiction and Christian nonfiction. It seemed to come rather naturally to me – and because of this, I had not counted on hitting the same roadblocks I’d run into prior to switching to the genre. I envisioned the words flowing generously onto the pages as my endless well of ideas overflowed with inspiration. It turns out I have not found that “easy button” I thought I’d stumbled onto.
JUST THE OPPOSITE
It’s not that my life isn’t still full of situations that are way out of my control. It’s not that I don’t still find comfort in the pages of God’s word. As I sit here, looking back at the last several months, I can see so many times where it was only by God’s grace that I pulled through. What I can’t seem to figure out is why I feel so “dry” inside whenever I sit down to write – when I try to share what I’ve been walking through in hopes of helping someone else find hope and encouragement when God seems to be so far away – so quiet.
I STILL BELIEVE
I have to say that it’s pretty frustrating to not be able to do what I feel I’ve been given the gift from God to do – to share the message of His love and forgiveness through my writing. It would be easy to just say that maybe I was never supposed to be an author of Christian books after all. But what I do know is that’s not the “easy button” I’ve been searching for. What I do know is that I still believe in God’s promises and that He is faithful – and that, while He may seem far away and quiet right now, He is still right here with me, where He always has – and always will – be. And maybe in times like these, all He wants me to do is to be still and know that He is God.
KEEP ON WRITING
So, I’m not going to give up just yet. I’m not going to walk away without even trying. I’ll get past the disappointment and doubts that the enemy is working so hard to plant in my heart and mind. And I’ll keep on writing with purpose – making use of the gift that God has given me. I’ve actually penned the first few hundred words of what I hope will be my next faith-based fiction novel (with a working title of “More than Promises”). As I work diligently on completing the first draft of that one, feel free to check out my novel, Light of Grace, available on Amazon as both a Kindle and paperback edition, and share your feedback (good or bad) with me. Oh – and if you’re so inclined, prayers would be appreciated!
