Hey there, friend!

It’s been some time since my last update, but so many incredible things have transpired since I last reached out in January!

Though with this, I’ve discovered burnout is a real thing. *nervous laughter*

I don’t know if anyone else is like this, but I’ve seen a lot of posts recently where authors have encouraged others to not overdo it and be mindful of burnout, but each time I give an internal nod and keep going full speed ahead “Because surely I’m not going to experience that!”

…

Rightttttt. LOL!

So this is a friendly reminder that burnout is a thing and to take it easy or pull back or whatever is you need to do to feel like you’re not drowning and not having an emotional breakdown while taking your kids to school.

(Yes, that may have been me last week... *awkward laughter*)

On that note, I do have some fun things to share with you, but the biggest bit of news is one that is not the happiest, so let’s do that first.

Today I shared a really (unexpectedly) transparent video on how I felt that when one is working on a manga, they are not in control of the actual manga-making process. 

I realize that may sound contradictory (because we are the writers of our stories after all), but I explained why I felt this way and it leads into the big news that…

*sad drumroll*

My manga will not be releasing this spring as I had been planning.

Not going to lie, I did not handle this news very well a few weeks ago when I found out and for some odd reason have dealt with shame. I know I have nothing to be ashamed of, but it was there regardless. 

However, so many good things have come from the delays of Gathering Faith being published, and strongly encourage you to watch today’s video on what some of those things are. <3

Take Me to Youtube

In the meantime, what have I been up to?

Well, if you follow my YouTube channel, you might have noticed I interviewed a few different manga writers and artists last month.

It was such an incredible experience! I honestly felt like it was a month-long  “writer’s retreat” and learned so much from these creators. (I cried after the last interview, though not on camera, because I was so moved by Trey’s words.) 

I’m going to be interviewing author C.S. Johnson next Tuesday and really looking forward to that! If you’re an author who is curious about the process/experience of turning a novel into a manga, please tune in next week!

Another bit of exciting news (but much happier!) is that I was invited to join Beneath the Tangles, a faith-based anime website and community!

They have such an incredible ministry and so very blessed to be part of it! My first blog post was recently published and it’s all about anime characters I would love to hug in real life!

I highly encourage checking out their website/Discord/social media if you love Jesus and you love anime and want a combination of the two!

Lastly, but certainly not least, Moriah Jane (my co-organizer) and I have been hard at work getting the anime-inspired devotional, Finding God in Anime, ready for publication this summer! 

Though how fast things are moving, we might just be releasing it this spring!

Our editor/proofreader sent back the edits this past weekend, our illustrator is working hard on the small illustrations we commissioned for the devotion pieces, and our cover designer is starting to work on the cover this week! 

Talk about a whirlwind! 

But it has been very exciting and Moriah and I are so eager to share this anthology with you! 

I’ll keep you posted, but until then, I’m planning to take a break (of sorts) over this next month and continue to bother friends about doing Instagram reels (because they are the coolest and I am obsessed with doing collaboration reels LOL).

Oh, and read all the books. *winks*

Thanks so much for being here friend and hope you have a lovely upcoming April! 

Blessings,

Laura