Often the things we were interested in as kids stay with us and carry through into adulthood. That’s often true with readers/writers, and it certainly is with me.
I was always a reader, but it wasn’t until the seventh grade that I had an English teacher who encouraged me to write. Her name is Ms. Grammar (Yup. Really!) and she started an after-school critique group. Through the group and in class, I wrote some of my first “books.” They featured a forgetful pig, kids who pretended to be a crew on a spaceship (I love Star Trek), and a tragic ghost story of sailors lost at sea. It was through these stories that I worked through mistakes and expressed the big feelings of a middle schooler trying to navigate that often confusing and frustrating age.
What twelve-year-old Kristen knew back then, and what a … uh, well, a much wiser Kristen still knows, is that stories are an amazing learning and teaching resource. Kids learn from a character’s mistakes, sympathize and cry along with another’s situation, and they gain empathy by walking in someone else’s shoes through their imaginations.
That is why I write books. Life is tough for kids, but I hope stories can bring a glimpse into lessons learned and experiences lived. That kids won’t feel so alone, and that maybe they can avoid mistakes my characters make. I also hope they’ll gain a little inspiration and encouragement. As I write with these aims in mind, I’m so grateful to look to the One who did it first and infinitely best.
The Author of all has given us the same kinds of stories. We can read His word and read it aloud to our children and grandchildren as we all learn lessons and gain inspiration and motivation to live lives worthy of the call. We can read of others in the Bible and feel less alone, and hopefully we can avoid some of their mistakes too.
He is a God of stories, and it’s amazing to me that He allows us to join with Him in their creation and enjoyment. I love that as Christians, we can tap into the most rich and fruitful imagination database. As we read stories written by Christians, and maybe try to write a few ourselves, we can commune with God in ways that shine hope and light into a world that is screaming to know Him. I hope you’ll share stories with others that point to Him.
To that end, I hope you’ll check out my first published book, Ophelia Starcluck Saves the Galaxy. While it is not a “Christian book,” it was written through the lens of Christianity and speaks to how He has uniquely gifted us all. I hope His love, laws, and leadership are seen within this humble “chickens in space” story. It was inspired by some kids I know well and the situations they’ve been through. I’d be honored if you’d also leave a review so that others can travel along with Ophelia as she navigates friendships and challenges in her life.
May God bless you!
Happy reading!
Kristen Gwen grew up as that kid who always has her nose in a book and a pen in her hand. When she pops her head up from her computer, Kristen enjoys singing and acting, hiking small mountains in search of huckleberries, and hanging out with her husband and two daughters. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
