Career Stalled and That’s All Right
Hi there my friends! It’s been a long time, I know, I know, but I’ve been so busy and happy and really haven’t known what to say. Here’s the thing: my career is absolutely stalled and in kaput, but before you type, “Oh I’m so sorry El,” please stop and smile. It’s really okay. It’s just temporary and while I’ve been in a financial holding pattern, I’ve been following my calling and getting a lot done.
Over the past 12 months, I’ve written five complete novels which I consider readable in their current states: The Key, A Phoebe Thompson Story; The Unlikely Prophet; The First Lost Gospel of Mark; Shutdown, Book 1 of the Robe of Light Series; and Strays Welcome. These books are all very different, for each is a part of a different series . . . for example, The First Lost Gospel of Mark is historical/spiritual fiction and it’s being written under the Elaine Phoenix pen name. Strays Welcome, on the other hand, is YA-family fiction and it’s being written under my name along with the Chance Stevens pen name and it combines wacky family humor with spiritual teachings directed at kids and teens.
I’ve also written another full novel which is a total mess and have set aside a half-finished work, which I will come back when I’m ready for it. Meanwhile, I’ve been studying the Bible as well as other revealed sacred scriptures such as the Hindu Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and all the works of the Sufi mystic and man of God known to the world as Rumi. It is my belief that God reveals his Word to people from different countries throughout the ages and to best understand what I am hearing from God now, it is wisest, most prudent, to study the writings of all the great messengers who’ve come before me. So that’s what I’m doing. I’m listening and learning and praying.
Speaking of praying, here’s the rest of the story of what’s going on with me. I do have a manager who I love dearly. Will always love dearly. My beloved manager is unable to continue on in this role for very good reasons and I’ve been waiting, hoping that things would change in this respect. I am still waiting, for whenever I pray and ask God for guidance, He tells me to please be patient and wait. In time, He says, your work will reach its intended readers but for now I want you to sit still and listen and grow as a messenger. 
I always kind of smile and shrug at this point and say, “But wait, I’m not supposed to DO anything?”
“No, just listen and study and pray and wait.”
“Trust you, right?”
“Yes, that.”
And so that’s where I’m at. I’m not self-publishing these books. I’m not giving up on reaching an audience in the long-run either but the stuff that I’m writing isn’t really my own. It belongs to God just as I do, if that makes sense, so when the time is right I suppose RandomHouse will call and send me a contract . . . or something crazy like that. As strange as it sounds, I’m praying and I’m waiting and as I pray and wait I’m doing my best to make sure that the words I write are His and not my own.
How else am I doing and where am I? On a personal level, I’ve never been happier. Finding God and walking and talking with God makes me happy. It may not seem like I’m as happy as I am because I’m so much quieter than I used to be–that’s because I shut my Facebook Page down.
Yes, you read that right. I walked away from 59,000 fans and I have no regrets other than I do miss seeing and hearing from other human souls who I very much care about. But the thing is the purpose of my page, even its name, Running from Hell with El, really didn’t reflect my mission. I’m no longer running, for one thing; for another thing, I’m no longer haunted or tortured or running away from troubles. And finally, my writing is not ego-driven anymore–it’s no longer about me. It’s about serving others and sharing stories that will help other souls get Home.
I do miss walking and talking with you all but for now I gotta be walking and talking with God. And at some point I think I’ll be back but never in exactly the same way. I’ve changed and so has my message.
But one thing will never change–the love. It’s why I’m here. I don’t have much else to share right now–just the love. And I’m thinking that’s more than enough. I miss you all and send lots of love to you.
