Hello friends!

I know it has been sometime since my last newsletter, but I’m going to jump right in with updates!

My manga is officially finished! 

It truly feels nothing short of a miracle and really started to believe I would never see this manga completed. I still don’t think it’s really hit me yet that this story will be published…

However, my “plan” is to release Gathering Faith in the fall, but I have no idea when because I don’t really have a plan in place. LOL! (I’m more of saying I’m aiming for fall because that is what my website says. Ha!)

Right now, I also officially have my incredible cover (truly, it is so shiny and have been deeply thankful for the same reaction from the few who have seen it!), but I have “passed it on” to a friend’s daughter who is doing the placement of the font and layout on both the front and back covers. I sent her mockups of what I was hoping for, and she has already blown me away with the one update she has sent me! I can’t wait for you all to see the front and back because they are both equally shiny!

Here's a sneak peek of the front because I’m so excited!

Outside of my manga, I have not worked on anything fiction-related (minus a little bit of fan fiction) and I do think that will probably be indefinitely. While I’m not saying I won’t try writing fiction again or even more manga, I did finally realize that I experience real joy in regard to my writing when I write anime-inspired devotional pieces (or devotional-like as the pieces I’ve written for Beneath the Tangles aren’t necessarily devotionals).

The humbling irony is not lost on me as devotionals were the first pieces I wrote as a newbie writer, but I “walked away” from writing those pieces because past me thought it wasn’t as “popular” as my fiction-based posts…

It makes me a little bit sad to be honest (okay, really sad), but I am so thankful for a second chance to pursue what I have loved writing from the very beginning!

And speaking of seconds, volume two of Finding God in Anime is coming!

I can’t share a release date just yet, but goodness, I am so excited for this volume! It is just as impactful and encouraging as the first volume and can’t wait to share more news on it soon! (Hopefully the next time another newsletter comes out, I will have a cover reveal signup form for you!)

While it’s been a few weeks of waiting on a few different things, I am so pleased to share that I was able to contribute ten manga reviews to the amazing Clean Fiction magazine!

The spring edition has been out for about two weeks now and if you are in need of finding some new clean reads (manga included!), please go check it out! The magazine is fully colored and absolutely gorgeous! The amazing content and reviews make it even better!

Let Me See This Magazine!

I also featured it in my latest YouTube video yesterday and shared why I am so thankful to be part of what Amy Lynn (the publisher) is doing!

Also, I would love to hear your thoughts on the content of that video above and what YOU think! That’s a new kind of video for me, but I’m trying to push myself outside of my comfort zone and film videos that are not just reviews!

Watch the Video!

I suppose that goes perfectly with the new video series I’m filming for Beneath the Tangles because I’m trying to see if I can find shojo manga for every letter of the alphabet! 

This past week I shared manga that started with the letter “B” and I'm already looking forward to all the new shojo manga I’ll discover during the filming of this video series!

Show Me These Manga Choices!

I suppose that is all the updates I have for now! 

I deeply appreciate all your support and being with me on this journey! The past few months have been one of healing, realization, and second chances. I look forward to seeing what’s in store!

Blessings,

Laura

P.S. Want a sneak peek of what Gathering Faith is about? Maho's Journal: An Inside Look to Her Journey is a companion photo book that is perfect for seeing what my manga is about but without the spoilers! 

I Want to Read It!

(Note: Use the password newsletter to download it for free from my website!)