i wrote a book... and it has my name on it

I wasn’t sure how to start this one. I’ve written it in my head on the porch, at the kitchen sink, and once in the car at a red light, which I don’t recommend.

So I’ll just say it.

My book is out. A real one, with a cover and my name on the front. It’s called ADHD. A Quieter Mind, A Steadier Faith for Women, and it’s published with Hearts Notes.

Last month I told you I’d joined Hearts Notes as one of their authors, and that I was a little shy about it. I’m still shy. When they sent me the pictures of the finished book, I sat at the kitchen table and looked at them for a long time. My coffee went cold. I didn’t mind.

And no... this isn’t the Old Testament study guide. That one is still coming. I’m learning not to promise dates.

Now the part I’ve been quiet about.

I live with ADHD. Some of you who’ve read here a while might not be too surprised. The post-its everywhere, the alphabetized spice rack, the old blog I lost because I forgot the password and the email. I used to think that was just me being scattered. And I used to think my wandering prayers meant I didn’t love God enough.

I’d sit down to pray and three minutes later I’d be thinking about the laundry, or a phone call I forgot to return, or nothing at all. Then the guilt would come. If you really cared, you’d manage this.

That’s what the book is about. It’s for Christian women who live with ADHD, or who wonder if they might... women who love the Lord and keep losing their place in their own prayers. Wives, mothers, women at work, women sitting in church wondering why everyone else seems to cope. I’ve been every one of those.

It walks through prayer that wanders, feelings that go to ten, hormones nobody ever explained to us, marriage and motherhood and work, and church. The last chapter is about growing older and growing kinder, and I think I needed to write that one for myself more than anyone. There’s a little humor in it too. I couldn’t help that.

I’m not a doctor and the book doesn’t pretend I am. It’s just what I’ve learned, slowly, over a lot of years. Some of it in our women’s Bible study circle, some of it at the kitchen sink, some of it in waiting rooms this past year. Mostly I learned that God isn’t waiting for me to become someone tidier. He meets me in the mind He actually gave me, instead of the one I kept wishing I had.

I keep thinking about Elijah under the broom tree... worn out and done. God didn’t send him a lecture. He sent rest, and food, and then “a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12). Not the wind or the earthquake. A quiet voice. I think a lot of us with busy minds are waiting for the earthquake when He’s been speaking softly the whole time.

If you’d like a copy, you can buy it now on the Hearts Notes shop:

https://heartsnotes.com/products/adhd-a-quieter-mind-a-steadier-faith-for-women

There’s an ebook, and the ePub version can go straight onto a Kindle, which my daughter tells me is very easy. I’ll take her word for it. And for those of you who like to keep a book, the kind you underline and leave on the nightstand, there’s a printed paperback too. It’s a good-sized US Trade softcover, and it ships from the USA. I’ll be honest, that’s the one I love most. I like writing in margins.

Now... something for you.

Over the years some of you have told me, in comments or after Bible study, that you’ve always wanted to write. A book about your mother. A devotional you’ve been scribbling in notebooks for twenty years. What you learned in a hard season you somehow came through. And then you say, “but who would read it?” or “I’m not a real writer.”

I said those exact words. More than once.

The truth is I almost didn’t do this. I was afraid it would come out wrong. Afraid people at church would read it and think less of me. Afraid I was too old to start something like this. Maybe you have your own list. Mine was long.

But fear is a poor reason to keep a story in a drawer. I think of Ruth walking into a country she didn’t know, with nothing but Naomi and a promise. She didn’t know how it would turn out either.

So if there’s something on your heart, maybe start small. One page. One notebook. One honest paragraph at the kitchen table before anyone else is up. That’s how this little blog started back in 2012... me typing into a white box and wondering if any of it mattered.

And if you get further than that, Hearts Notes is open to new writers. They have a page called Create with Hearts Notes where you can share your idea. You don’t need a finished manuscript. They say a clear idea, an outline, or some notes can be enough to start the conversation. You can use your own name, a pen name, or stay private if you’d rather. And the writer keeps 85% of the net proceeds, which surprised me when I first read it. If you’d like to ask a question first, there’s a contact page too.

I’m not saying this to sell you anything. I just know how it feels to carry something for years and not believe anyone wants it.

Someone wanted mine. Maybe someone is waiting for yours.

A Prayer:
Lord, thank You for this little book... for every scattered morning and every wandering prayer that went into it. Let it find the women who need it. And for anyone reading this with a story tucked away, give her the courage to write the first page. Quiet our minds enough to hear You.

Thank you for reading... and for staying with me all these years.