There is a reason why I haven’t picked a set date to send my newsletters out on. Maybe I should.

I have not forgotten you, dear cupcakes. Quite the opposite; I’ve been haunted by the knowledge that I needed to get this newsletter written. But April has proved busy. My family even accidentally double-booked dentist appointments with my important appointments twice. Plus there’s Easter, which is a lot of work for pastors’ families. And it’s less than a month until I fly out to the wedding. But the good news is, I passed the test that allows me to skip math and go straight to the secretarial course. Now I have to sit down and figure out the next step, but we won’t think of that right now.

Honestly, I’ve been exhausted. Anxiety cut into my sleep a lot and there were days I was so physically tired I did nothing but lie on my bed because I didn’t have energy or strength to do anything else. But after a week or so, I finally have gotten to where I had the energy to contact an accountant to do my taxes (I promise I’m never this late, y’all; but also, God was so faithful last year?! I can’t believe how much I made from my editing work! It’s such a comfort to realize that just like he provided last year, he can provide this year); clean my fish tank (sorry, Flor...); and write this newsletter. 😉

I feel like April has buzzed by and I haven’t even appreciated it; but it’s okay. There’s no point in looking back, is there? I’m so grateful for the endless chances to start over. Personally, I’ve always been a “binge-er.” Hyperfocus on one thing, get it done, then pick a new thing. I’ve never been good at routines or habits. And after 25 years, I’ve decided to lean into that instead of fighting it. I won’t ever be good at habits, because I’m impulsive and easily bored. As long as I get the stuff done during the day, it doesn’t matter when I get it done or if I get it done at a different time every day. And if I spend a whole month writing like mad and getting no reading in, it’s okay to take the next month to read and put writing away for a while. No, I’m not stressed about that; why do you ask?

It's really amazing to get to know yourself and realize that God gives us all different strengths and different flaws. There are some things that aren’t morally better than others—just preferences. It’s so freeing to understand that.

It took too long to realize that, but “there’s no point in looking back, is there? I'm so grateful for the endless chances to start over”... in big and small ways 😉

Isn’t that the eternal appeal and message of April? Restoration, resurrection, and regrowth. 💙

With love,

Katja

|| April’s Freebie ||

// I am featured in The Bookworm: Spring Edition! It is a Christian and clean reader’s guide featuring over 100 books in a variety of genres. Peruse the selection and find some books to add to your purchase list or to-read pile. You can download your FREE copy here.

// I’ve chosen to remove all the links to my free books and only share them with my newsletter subscribers now, so you’ll no longer be able to find a link on my blog. Therefore, you might want to save this newsletter somewhere 😉 I hope to upload a new story or three in the next month or so, but in the meantime, I’ve created a folder for free bookmarks and another for free wallpapers as well, so by clicking this link you’ll find them and the free stories all cozy together. It should work but let me know if it doesn’t!

|| News ||

// Don’t forget: the LBFJ Story Contest is back!! After a great first trial in Quarter 1, I decided to host the contest again for a second quarter. Please do read the rules as we have some new ones. 😉

// Sarah Brazytis and I had a guest post swap! You can read her amazing post about writing WWII fiction here, and my post about writing bilingual characters here.

// I created a new spring blog tag! It was absolutely delicious fun and I’m loving seeing others do it.

|| Posts ||

• Writerly Resolutions Tag
• Tomorrow // Q1 1st Place Winner
• Favourite Characters This Year // 2025 Edition
• February Wrap-Up // 2026 Edition
• Happy Birthday, “A Noble Comfort”

|| A Poll ||

Since I got conflicting answers on last month’s poll, I've decided to do a grand poll next month with a giveaway included, so look out for that! But in the meantime, I have a fun little poll for y’all today. Answer here!

|| Books Reviewed Recently ||

• “Five Wonders for Wyn” by Constance Savery
• “The Clue of the Velvet Mask” by Carolyn Keene
• “Birds on a Wire” by Katie Powner
• “The Wit of a Duck & Other Papers” by John Burroughs
• “S.O.S. Titanic” by Eve Bunting
• “Titanic Crossing” by Barbara Williams
• “A Difficult Problem” by Anna Katharine Green
• “On the Other Side of the Hill” by Roger Lea MacBride
• “The Mystery of the Headless Horseman” by Kathryn Kenny
• “Wives & Daughters” by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
• “Better Together” by Kallie George
• “The Highland Heist” by Pepper Basham

|| A Thought ||

April 23rd is Books & Roses Day, and as a bibliophile obsessed with roses, I need ideas on how to celebrate! I thought of making little caramel tarts with apple roses, but I don’t have time or energy for that today... maybe I'll celebrate this holiday a bit later?