Every once in a while a debut author comes along that you just know is one of those extraordinary people who is going to rock the publishing world. I’m thrilled to introduce you to Jolina Petersheim today. She’s gifted and personable – a go-getter whose book, The Outcast, has just released to rave reviews. I think you’ll see why when you read this post. Welcome, Jolina!
Debut Author Finds Her Identity in Christ
A few weeks ago, I purchased a children’s board book, You Are Special by Max Lucado, from a bookstore where I will be having a signing. Honestly, I didn’t even crack the cover. I just wanted to support the bookstore that was supporting my debut novel, The Outcast, and thought it would be fun to bring my one-year-old a treat after I’d been away all afternoon, preparing for my book launch.
A few afternoons later, I filled my daughter’s sippy cup with milk and we settled on the glider next to her crib. She leaned over the padded chair to peer at the book basket and stretch her chubby arms toward the one that I had recently purchased.
I obliged and put the book, You Are Special, in my lap. Snuggling her close, I began reading about a village of wooden puppets called Wemmicks, who give each other stars for accomplishments and dots for flaws. One Wemmick named Punchinello receives only dots, and when he tries to explain why he keeps receiving dots, he says something silly and receives even more.
Poor Punchinello is downtrodden until he meets his friend Lucia, who flits around the village without the weight of stars or dots. They just won’t stick to her. When he asks why, she says that she goes to visit her creator, Eli, every day, and that Punchinello should, too.
Desperate, Punchinello does as he is told and visits Eli. There, in his work shop, Eli confides that he does not see the Wemmick’s accomplishments or flaws because he has created them. To Eli, each Wemmick is perfect. Punchinello begins to believe Eli, and just then, one of the Wemmick’s dots falls off.
Closing the book, I tucked my daughter in with her satin-edged blanket. I grabbed the baby monitor and carried my laptop out to the porch, where I hoped to write during her nap. But I could do nothing but stare at the empty page. I peered over the screen and looked at the green field, stippled with round bales, and knew that God had used a children’s book to speak directly to me.
Days before The Outcast’s release, I was standing on a precipice where I was about to receive both stars and dots. I had received a few already. The Outcast’s “stars” touched my heart and even made me a little teary with gratitude. But the “dots” were what stuck like burrs, refusing to shake loose.
Foolishly, I had reread and reread the negative reviews, pondering what I could’ve done differently. I had spoken with my husband and mother-in-law, who had encouraged me to write the story more than anybody else. Both had said that not everyone would appreciate The Outcast’s message concerning the price of desire, but that it was necessary for our “anything goes” generation.
Now, back on the porch, I remembered how God had orchestrated so many things so The Outcast could be birthed: meeting my agent, writing the story, submitting it to publishing houses, signing a contract. All of these steps had taken place in less than a year, which was close to a miracle.
Yes, I’d sat down and worked on The Outcast for forty-hour weeks for six months. But, in the end, I was just my Creator’s conduit. Just as He had fashioned me down to the tiniest cells, He had fashioned The Outcast’s story. My identity was not found in the amount of stars or dots I wore, but in His love for me, and my love for Him.
With this realization, I stared up at the sky and could almost feel the weight of the stars and dots sloughing off my body. Then I smiled, leaned over the laptop, and continued writing.
About THE OUTCAST:
Raised in an Old Order Mennonite community, Rachel Stoltzfus is a strong willed single woman, content living apart from mainstream society until whispers stir the moment her belly swells with new life. Refusing to repent and name the partner in her sin, Rachel feels the wrath of the religious sect as she is shunned by those she loves most and eventually coerced into leaving by her brother-in-law, the Bishop. But secrets run deep in this cloistered community, and the Bishop is hiding some of his own, threatening his conscience and his very soul. When the life of Rachel’s baby is at stake, however, choices must be made that will bring the darkness to light, forever changing the lives of those who call Copper Creek home.
“Petersheim makes an outstanding debut with this fresh and inspirational retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Well-drawn characters and good, old-fashioned storytelling combine in an excellent choice for Nancy Mehl’s readers.” Starred review (Library Journal)
Jolina and her husband share the same unique Amish and Mennonite heritage that originated in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, but now live in the mountains of Tennessee with their young daughter. You can learn more about Jolina here.