Ask the Author: Michelle Van Loon
Answered Questions (5)
Michelle Van Loon
You are not alone in that assessment of the genealogies of Jesus. Some other scholars have posited that view. And while I have landed in a different place on the question, I do like your thesis about how our personal genealogies can be used to serve other ends, whether it is in seeking social status (joining the DAR, for example) or assimilating into US society (some of my husband's relatives hid their Jewishness so they could integrate into majority Gentile culture). Consumer DNA testing has challenged some but not all of those old narratives. If you ever teach a class using my book as a point of discussion, please invite me to visit via Zoom! :)
Michelle Van Loon
What a fun question, Marcia! I'm so glad you liked "Moments & Days"!
This is going to sound like a dodge, but honestly, it's not. My favorite book is the one I'm praying and dreaming of writing next. I cherish every single one of the books I've had the honor of writing. But if I was going to suggest a good follow-up to "Moments & Days" to a reader, it would be "Born to Wander" because it captures another facet of what it is to follow God here and now.
This is going to sound like a dodge, but honestly, it's not. My favorite book is the one I'm praying and dreaming of writing next. I cherish every single one of the books I've had the honor of writing. But if I was going to suggest a good follow-up to "Moments & Days" to a reader, it would be "Born to Wander" because it captures another facet of what it is to follow God here and now.
Michelle Van Loon
I'm writing a book for NavPress with the working title Everyday Eternity: How The Jewish Feasts and Christian Calendar Connect Us With Sometime More. The book is designed to invite readers to consider the gift of days the Lord has given each of us: the ordinary ones, and the red-letter ones. This book will focus on the story of how those red-letter days are meant to shape each and every one of our days. Our Eternal God has given us days and seasons that punctuate the rhythms of our ordinary days with times of purposeful rest, spiritual recalibration and shared celebration. Everyday Eternity will be an engaging historical, devotional look at the story of the special days and seasons God has given us to grow in relationship with him and others.
Michelle Van Loon
I remember being shocked the first time I read these words more than three decades ago: Don't be afraid to murder your babies.
As a beginning writer, I soaked up "how to" advice from The Writer and Writer's Digest magazines. Most of the advice was mildly helpful, and not especially memorable. But those words about murdering my babies have guided me through many a painful revision process. If I get too enchanted with a particular phrase or idea, I then bend my writing around it in order to preserve it. Sometimes, murdering those precious babies is precisely what's needed in order for something better to be birthed on the page.
As a beginning writer, I soaked up "how to" advice from The Writer and Writer's Digest magazines. Most of the advice was mildly helpful, and not especially memorable. But those words about murdering my babies have guided me through many a painful revision process. If I get too enchanted with a particular phrase or idea, I then bend my writing around it in order to preserve it. Sometimes, murdering those precious babies is precisely what's needed in order for something better to be birthed on the page.
Michelle Van Loon
I'm not sure I've ever had a case of writer's block. However, I've had "writer's burnout" - times when I've been depleted by the demands of projects and deadlines. An elixir of rest, time with people, and perseverance in the work is usually the cure. The proportions of each ingredient vary depending on the case and circumstances. There is no precise recipe.
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