The Writing Journey | Tracie Peterson

I recently returned from a book tour trip that took me all over Minnesota. I have to say that while on this adventure I was blessed to meet hundreds of readers and hear their stories of how my writing has encouraged them.

One woman told me how the books had helped her through 160 days of her husband being in the hospital. Another told me how the books helped her through her depression. Yet another spoke of how the books helped her to forgive someone in her life who had wronged her. One woman told me that the books were such a blessing to her and helped her to draw closer to God. Someone else shared that they had walked away from God and family and that the message God gave them in one of my books helped to bring them back.

It always amazes me to know how God uses something I enjoy so much to touch the lives of other people. Then I stop and think about how other authors have done that for me. I have been an avid reader all of my life so there are a great many authors who have touched me and helped me to grow—far too many to name them all here. I’m sure you know what I’m saying, however. There are always books out there that we will remember for a lifetime—books that have made a deep impact on us—books that have changed our lives.

I doubt that any writer ever knows the full impact that their work has on the reader. It would probably terrify us if we did. I know for me, writing is often a huge responsibility that can be rather daunting. I want to encourage and be uplifting, but I also want to share hard truth and be authentic in my sharing. I want the stories to entertain the reader, but more than that, I want the stories to educate and encourage. I want to share honest insight into Biblical truth and to extend a glimpse of hope in Jesus to my reader.

It’s a labor of love to be sure, but it does cause me to take a step back and think long and hard about the person on the other end of my book – the reader. The journey I travel to create the book is only the tip of the iceberg. There is a journey that the book will take the reader on and hopefully that will be one which will leave them a better person for having taken it. My heart’s desire for you as a reader is that you will come away from your time spent in one of my books and find yourself closer to God, more deeply established in His Word and uplifted in spirit. I want you to have a good time – a fun and entertaining time with each of the stories. But when you complete your journey through one of my books, I don’t want you to say, “Wow, what a great writer she is!” Rather, I hope you will say, “Wow, what a great God He is!”

Tracie is the best-selling, award winning author of over 95 books. She is married to Jim and has 3 grown children. In her writing career Tracie has acted as managing editor over the Heartsong Presents bookline, taught at a variety of writer conferences and workshops, and has hosted writer retreats to offer encouragement and inspiration to fellow writers. Writing for Tracie is a ministry in which she hopes to reflect her deep, abiding love for God and encourage others to know Him better.

Tracie’s website: www.traciepeterson.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TraciePetersonAuthor

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