Reflecting back on the past year
A Letter of Celebration
The Path to Becoming a Proverbs 31 Wife was released on April 1, one full week earlier than it was scheduled to, which sent me running to catch up. And I’ve been running to catch up ever since! With the early release, and the official book launch party being scheduled for April 12, I wasn’t quite sure how in the world I would ever get those very important ratings that take place upon the first week (not the third week) of release. Don’t you just hate when things don’t go according to your well- thought-out plan?!?
To my surprise, the first week of April the book climbed the charts each day, finally making it to #3 on the New Release chart (with barely any advertising or promoting at all). I am still amazed by this as I look back. Thank you, Jesus! Then, the “official book release” and launch party took place on April 12.
The past eight months have been jammed pack with activity. We have managed to squeeze in two local book signing events, two radio interviews, and speaking engagements at four women’s conferences and women’s ministry events. In July, I released the eBook version on demand. Not only did the eBook make it to #1 on the New Release chart in its category that month, but over 1,600 copies were downloaded from all over the world within the first few weeks! Good eBooks featured the devotional book on their center page entitled New Releases, and the book took the number one spot on their Biblical Gold page of their website. In August, The Path to Becoming a Proverbs 31 Wife was featured on eBook Christians website as the eBook of the day and I was featured as the author of the day as well. It was so exciting to see these things unfold.
This fall, many churches began to take their women through this book as a group study. Several requests have been made for a teacher’s guide that would be available to those leading the group studies, and questions have been asked about a companion study for men. I am happy to say that I am working on the leader’s guide right now and it should be available after the first of the year. And I am very excited to tell you that my husband and I are co-writing the companion men’s devotional book so husbands everywhere can begin to learn how to lead their homes and families, and love their wives as Christ loves the church. Who’s ready to put some good teaching in the hands of husbands, many of whom have never had any real examples or role models in their own lives?
I have been working hard on a couple projects over the past few months. I am currently putting together two online courses, one exposing common pitfalls that lead to the destruction of a marriage and the other focusing on the right building materials. I will be sharing more information about these with you very soon! Online videos, personal testimonies from Proverbs 31 wives, and other good things are coming this new year. Stay tuned!