I Owe You An Apology

I can’t believe it.

I wrote two whole books in 2025, and never told anyone, here on the blog.

This. This is my “sorry” face. I. am. so. sorry.

I have now written a sum total of four books, three of them self published, and one published with the Jeanne Oliver Creative Network (I will be re-offering that one, titled “Salt and Light”, from my own company/web shop in late 2026).

The two I published last year are “The Art of Middle Marriage - Preaching Good News To Your Own Soul And the Soul of Your Soulmate” and “God Alone - A Glance At The Trinity”

I will never be able to resist a subtitle…or an ellipsis…

I began this book all the way back in 2019, when The Preacher and I were scheduled to minister at a marriage retreat in Lake Como, Italy for 2020. And we all remember what happened next.

Covid.

Not to be deterred, I reformatted what was begun as a beautiful take-home supplement to an in-person conference, to be a stand-alone book. Best decision we ever made.

This book has rocked worlds, changed lives, and altered marriages. Those aren’t my words or opinions, these are things my husband and I have heard again and again. And though we still have the plan in place to host a marriage workshop in Italy one day, we are more than satisfied with this book finding its place in your heart and in your hands for way, way less than the cost of a five-digit, once-in-a-lifetime trip to Italy. (Though if you want to be on the contact list for when that Italian opportunity opens up, email me here.)

…the second book I released last year…

The story behind “God Alone” is amazing to me. I was preparing for art shows - an arduous task of painting originals and carefully titling, packaging, and keeping inventory. In the middle of all that work, I got a phone call from an older woman in the faith.

Her voice was warm with confidence in the Christ in me as she said, “Sheila, after I heard you teach on the Trinity, down in Jekyll Island Georgia, at that Grace Conference, hosted by Jeremiah Johnson Ministries I have been thinking. That message must become a book.”

I am sure I explained my situation - deep in art show preparation. I love this woman of God, and I wanted to be a blessing, but it felt impossible.

Then, she said, “The Lord is leading me to tell you that if you will just write the book, I will pay you for writing it.”

And just like that, for the first time in my life, someone commissioned me to write a book, just like a collector commissions a painting.

I was stunned.

I have the sweetest, clearest sense that it will not be the last time someone commissions me to write a book. What a brand new and beautiful (powerful) model for publishing! (At least it is a new model to me.). A generous patron pays a writer whose message(s) they truly believe in! They pay her for her time, as an offering to God, and as a blessing to the writer. And that writer can take time off to write, without the backing of any mainstream publisher, without worrying about her bills.

How amazing.

And so now you have my apology, and the stories behind both books I released in 2025. While I am really bad at marketing and self promotion, the messages in ALL my books matter enough to me, and should matter enough to me to talk about.

I hope you grab your own copies, available (of course) on Amazon.

PS. If you’re interested in the most wonderful summer conference, with dynamic speakers and beautiful beaches and fellowship, here is a link to info about this year’s conference (I won’t be speaking this year…The Preacher will be speaking, and I will be hanging out on the beach and enjoying friends…)