Sometimes, I feel like I’m not allowed to have a personality as an author.

Everyone has an opinion on how to do my job:

• The algorithim.
• The book buyers.
• The librarians.

I want to do it right! In fact, I want to do it with excellence to the glory of my Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. I want to fill my reader’s lives with the powerful light that only comes from God.

But I’m really tempted to be a people pleaser. “Success” is a goal I find myself blindly chasing. The longer I put myself under public criticism, the less motivated I feel.

Here’s the truth…

God made me Vella. He didn’t make me generic Christian author #243.

So he must’ve had a reason for that.

Confession #1: I’ve lost my joy.

I used to love the quirky, atypical genre that I write. Because who else writes about God allowing people to teleport as a way to draw out themes of trust?

But to be honest, it seems like only the romance, fantasy, and historical fiction authors are actually connecting with readers.

Confession #2: I stopped posting because I was tired of doing a bad job.

I made some mistakes. So I decided to give up on writing and posting articles for awhile.

Honestly, I would really love for my articles to be a place where we actually connect and have conversations. If there’s anything you’d like to see from me, drop a comment and I’ll try it out.

Confession #3: I like clickbait-y headlines.

Gotta be honest, articles with titles that catch my eye, like “NEVER put foil on this one food” and deliver something a little different, like the best way to cook a baked potato if you want it crispy (which shouldn’t involve wrapping the potatoes in foil), don’t upset me.

A lot of people are really annoyed by clickbait-y headlines.

But I clicked on that foil food article I mentioned, didn’t want to learn how to make better baked potatoes, and clicked away.

And you know what?

It made me smile.

If my article headlines ever sound clickbait-y, that’s why. (Although I try to be very intentional about promising what the articles deliver, which some articles don’t.)

SUPER EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

You guys are awesome people. Seriously. If you made it this far, give yourself a pat on the back.

I’m proud of you (even if you skimmed some of the middle parts.)

Ready for the big announcement??? If you’ve read any of my writing, you are an official member of THE STARBURSTS!!

Wait, I haven’t joined anything…?

You don’t have to join or opt-in, or anything. Reading one of my books (or even a short story) officially makes you a Starburst. I’ll be sharing more about this soon, but for now y’all are the first to know.

Drop any questions you have in the comments, Starbursts. 🙂