Friends

 

Have you ever held a lump of gold? Australian gold at that? We did last night! My oldest son is very keen on gold. And when I say very keen, it means that his favourite colour is yellow, because it’s the closest to gold. To hold real gold was the highlight of his evening, and he told me this morning he’d been dreaming of gold all night.

For me, the fact that we had lovely friends staying nearby, who spent a whole afternoon and evening with us, in their busy time over in the UK, was worth more than gold. I had seen Katy in various Zoom calls, she has been an amazing supporter of my books and is such a kind and supportive friend, so to spend time with her and her husband and daughter was wonderful.

Fortunately, we’re both pantsers, so instead of driving all the way to Bourton-on-the-Water for cream tea, we stopped in Cirencester for waffles instead. Of course, if you would visit me, and you’d be an avid planner of your stories, I would make every effort to plan what we would do, and would happily stick to the plan as well. Just saying.

Katy is now on her way to see another wonderful friend, all the way in North Wales. Did you know it’s Joy Margetts’ birthday today? Joy’s book is on its way to me, and I can’t wait. It just made me smile thinking of all of us Christian writers, worldwide, of different ages and backgrounds, knowing each other, praying for each other and supporting each other.

It’s such a blessing to be part of a wider network. Especially as a new writer, it was so lovely to meet other writers who were kind and supportive. Some writers can get you into all kinds of scrapes, I’m not mentioning any names here, Wendy, but I still remember making that PowerPoint presentation in a rush for that fabulous Canadian initiative...

Our local Christian writers group is very small, but it’s so wonderful how we manage to meet more or less every month and encourage each other. Writing can be hard and lonely and imposter syndrome feels so much worse when you’ve been by yourself for a while. Social Media can be great, but it can also greatly hurt you, and to meet with other Christians is important, even if they live Down Under.

So be an encourager today. Pass on that light and bring a little warmth to another writer. You don’t necessarily have to sign them up as a speaker at a writers’ symposium, although that was a wonderful experience, but just say something kind. And say a prayer for a fellow writer whilst sipping your coffee, or even if you’re drinking tea... Look for the image of God in the other’s creativity and their written word. Breathe some of His Spirit into them, and like this morning, forgive them if they think syrup should not go on bacon pancakes!

 Maressa Mortimer is Dutch but lives in the beautiful Cotswolds, England with her husband and four (adopted) children. Maressa is a homeschool mum as well as a pastor’s wife, so her writing has to be done in the evening when peace and quiet descend on the house once more. She loves writing Christian fiction, as it’s a great way to explore faith in daily life. Because of her interest in writing, Maressa is part of Creativity Matters: Find Your Passion For Writing, an anthology encouraging people to write.

Her debut novel, Sapphire Beach, was published in December 2019, and her first self published novel, Walled City, came out in December 2020, followed by Viking Ferry, a novella. Beyond the Hills is the second book in the Elabi Chronicles, and was released in 2021, followed by stand-alone novel Burrowed, released in 2022. All of Maressa’s books are available from her website, www.vicarioushome.com, Amazon or local bookshops.