Autumn Slaght's Blog: Inspired Words

Have you ever noticed how the world is more beautiful after a storm? The torrential rainfalls cleanse the air. Once the clouds migrate to the east, they leave behind the freshest scent that no scented candle, perfume or laundry detergent can duplicate, no matter how they advertise. The ground, saturated with its drink, brings forth a more verdant shade of green and colorful flowers carpet the fields in shades of pink, yellow, purple, red and others. Rich colors soak the world and a quiet calm settles where once was din and howl. The birds cautiously emerge, sending out a few test cheeps before bursting forth into a song of rejoicing that the storm is over, and they withstood yet another tempest.

My friends, in my absence on my social medias, blogging and all other online presence, I've been the timid bird withstanding a tempest. For me, sadly, the tempest was not an hour-long thunderstorm, but something akin to a hypercane with storm surges that plundered what was once my peaceful life. While I don't intend to share anything personal on any social media platform or in any of my blog posts or novel write-ups, I do wish to say that there were times when I felt the storm would never end, and that I was just trapped on some sort of eternal raging storm, like that one on Jupiter that just never quits. I relinquished all hope of ever seeing a sunrise and surrendered to the midnight which caked my day-to-day existence. But through it all, there was one thing that I clung to, grip slipping at times, but the only thing that acted like a gurney to carry my through.

My Savior.

How many times I cried out to Him for deliverance, bleated for comfort from His staff and rod, and spread my hopeless emptiness at His feet and begged him to change it. Well, my friends, I can officially say something. He did.

The thunder let up. The lightning went from strobe-light consistency to an occasional flicker. The rains turned from waterfalling from the sky to a gentle patter. Then the sun finally began to emerge.

I can't say that I'm fully under a blanket of blue sky. But I can say that the Lord heard my cry in the midst of my hypercane and answered. One of my favorite verses was from Micah. "But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. Though I fall, I will rise; Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me." Micah 7:7-8.

I didn't write this blog post to whine about my storm or my troubles. I did mention them partly to explain why I have been little more than crickets on my social media accounts, of late. But I also wanted to quietly and humbly, yet publicly thank the Lord for hearing my cry and lifting me out of the pit.

I also wanted to give you hope, dear readers. Hope that whatever your situation might be, that there is still hope. I know as you read this, your situation may be similar to mine, where you think that this raging storm will never let up, that this is your life for the rest of your days and that sunrises are a thing of the past. But my dear reader, I beg you, do not give up hope. I felt the same way, that I would never see a better day. And the only reason that I have was because God is merciful. He heard my cry. And He can hear yours, too.

Our God comforts. Delivers. Sometimes through and sometimes out of, but He delivers. If you are in a despairing situation, I urge you to cry out for Him. Deliverance may not come the next day or the following week, but remember what Micah's verse said. "I wait for the Lord." "Though I fall, I will rise. Though I walk in darkness, the Lord is a light for me."

Even if you're still in your tempest, the Lord God is right there with you. Hold on, cling to Him. Ask for prayer from your trusted brothers or sisters. And if you have no one, as sometimes we walk alone, feel free to reach out to me on one of my socials and I'll add you to my prayer list.

With the personal note aside, I wanted to let my readers know that I'm slowly starting to get back into this side of my life again. The Lord God not only delivers, but He heals, and as I'm walking through a healing journey, I'm starting to do things I enjoy again and not just as a duty. I'm reactivating the socials that I previously left unattended, and I hope to see you on some of them!

My latest adventure was seeking out a website and I came across the ko-fi website. I'm delighted to say that I now have a place where my books are for sale and you can actually find them, rather than wading through the confusion that Etsy has become. On my ko-fi account, you can follow me. I plan to post weekly videos and do blog posts in between where I can. You can find me at https://ko-fi.com/autumnslaght

I'm going to be updating my readers more on what I'm doing as well. There are so many exciting things planned that I hope you are able to be a part of them. Thank you so much for sticking with me, and I hope to see a lot more of you, soon! Take care now.

In Christ's service,

Autumn Slaght

Good afternoon, everyone,
I realize that it's been a long time since I've written a blog post or posted any new updates. So far, the year 2024 has been a full year for me. Myself and also my father have been having an onslaught of medical issues that we are relying on God to get us through!
My medical issues have kept me offline for the most part but they haven't kept me from writing! Indeed, I have been busy behind the lines writing, editing and ready to introduce you to more of my characters and their exciting stories!
I have a few exciting things I want to tell you about. First off, my first novel, First Soprano, is no longer a stand-alone novel - it is Book One in a new series titled "His Majesty's Lights." Since so many of you begged me to go on to tell the story of Katie and Sarah, I couldn't resist and now there will be three new books which tell the story of what happened to Sarah, Joshlyn and the other contestants that Joshlyn sang with. The second novel for this has been released, titled Mezzo Soprano and the third one is set to release this month!
While His Majesty's Lights can be enjoyed by people of all ages, it mostly appeals to youth. Therefore, I have more exciting news. This year, I'm preparing to share a novel that's been on my heart for over a decade. My characters, storyline and country that this is from (You've heard me talk about Lamoria? ;) ) are ready to be published. Keep an eye out for the new release of a book that is currently in the undergoing editing process and the release date is going to be announced very soon! In the meantime, I'm going to be talking about it on my social media web pages.
And speaking of social media, please check out my pages when you get a moment! I'm on Facebook as "Autumn Grace Slaght" and "River Tree Press." My instagram is autumn.slaght.1 and my TikTok is @autumnslaght. Lastly, I'm in the process of making a website so you can find my novels on my website at www.autumnslaght.company.site. (the .com is coming, soon.) Thank you all and may your reading be enjoyable!

Hey everyone!

I am using this to officially announce that I'm making a comeback as an author.
Due to some circumstances in my life, I haven't been able to advertise or write as often as I would like, but that that's not the case anymore! I have lots of exciting new updates. I'm working on one stand alone novel right now that deals with the Sovereignty of God. And I'm also working on a four book series. Did you read and like First Soprano? Well, guess what? First Soprano is now a 4 book series! First Soprano will be re-published with a few grammatical mistakes corrected and a fresh new cover!

Goodreads isn't my only marketing platform. I have joined the world of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Patreon!

You can check out my current novels at www.autumnslaght.company.site (the .com is coming soon, but I need to build some things up first.)
Check out my author page on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok! Look me up and support me on Patreon! And stay tuned for more exciting events coming up soon.

Happy reading!

In Christ's service,
Autumn Slaght

Faith.
It’s the substance of things hoped for.
It’s also the evidence of things not seen.
So...if I just have faith, then everything in my life will turn out okay, right?
Wrong.

Dear readers,
I apologize that it has been so long since I’ve jumped on my blog to write a post...so much for New Year’s Resolutions to write a blog post a week, right? I would have, but this first quarter has been difficult. My family has been hit with some health problems that have stopped the progress of many things for us. I have been dealing with some personal storms that will probably later come out in my writing and have faced the difficult situation of discovering who among my new friends are actually my friends and not just fair weather chums. Due to a commitment to a theater, my business has been suffering and my car has had trouble that has cost me more for the repairs now than it would have cost me for a brand new used working car. Needless to say, it has been a dark and stormy first quarter.
But it has not been without it’s sunshine. And one of the bright points of my life this year has been the things I’ve been discovering about God, such as the topic I was writing about above.

Faith.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes this word makes me bristle. It’s not because it’s a bad word, but rather that it is so misunderstood. With the Word of Faith movement today, and the Faith teachers that falsely say to “name it and claim it,” it’s easy to get caught up in the stuff like that. But I have learned something very important about faith during these rainy trials in the first quarter.
Faith isn’t trusting that God will make all your problems disappear.
Faith is trusting in God’s character for Who He is, trusting in His promises and in the Hope that we have in Jesus our Savior.
Of course, there’s more to it than that, but this is a small portion of something that reached out to me.

Take a look at the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11. Many of those names had faith in God but were martyred, left with their infirmities, never actually saw the “goodness” come about in their lifetime. Look at pillars of faith like William Tyndale, Patrick Hamilton, Bonhoeffer, etc. Many of them had strong faith in God, but still suffered loss and martyrdom. So...if that’s not what faith is for...what is it?

Faith isn’t a magic formula to abra-kadabra your problems away. When we start using it as such, we are in the wrong. That's now the way God intended us to use this marvelous gift.

If you are facing challenges in your life I challenge you this today. Instead of saying “God get me out of this! I have faith You will deliver me!” start beginning a journey to get to know God for Who He is. It may seem like a cancer patient starting heart treatment, but it all ties in to every aspect of your life. Such an adventure is one that few are prepared for, nor do they realize the wild ride it will take them on. It’ll turn you inside out, upside down, humble you and lift you up all in one. But it’s worth it. It’s so worth it.

Do I have it perfect? No. Absolutely not. My name will never be in the Hall of Faith that will be passed down through the ages, but I can only hope to say that I learned this one lesson. Faith is never letting go of God...no matter how shaken you are in this life.

And then acting upon it.

I'm not even going to apologize for getting that song stuck in everyone's heads. You're welcome. :)
I love September and early October. I live in the South where the culture resembles the simple culture of 50 years ago, or so. A culture with more freedoms. You see barefoot boys walking to an open creek, fishing poles launched over their shoulders. You see girls fishing for shells on the shores of the lakes you can visit any time you want. But one of my favorite parts is the harvest.
My flower shop isn't a "shop" per se. It's more just the space that occupies the awning under my dad's shop. So I work outside all the time right off of a busy highway. All day long, I see farmers going up and down the road. Hauling hay on their large John Greene tractors, large trucks flinging delicious smelling fertilizer in the air (sarcasm alert) and the smell of fresh cut hay as it fills the air around me.
Harvest time is one of my favorite times of year. The smiles on people's faces are larger, the smells (except for the fertilizer!) are sweeter and the air descending into a chill provides sweet relief from the scorching heat of the summer.
Harvest time reminds me of a spiritual aspect as well. Luke 10:2 states "And He was saying to them, 'the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'"
Think of the terms that Jesus Himself is saying in this passage. The Lord of the Harvest...whom does that sound like to you? Doesn't it sound like God to you?
"Beseech." Beseech means to urgently and fervently ask someone to do something. To implore. Why would Jesus put such a heavy emphasis on asking the Lord of the Harvest to send out workers? Because it is very, very important!
Think of who the harvest is. They are sinners facing eternal judgment in a place full of despair, devoid of love, life and all things beautiful for eternity. And these "sinners" aren't just people you see on TV, or nameless faces in a department store. These sinners are our family members, best friends, loved ones who are heading for a death that no one can imagine if they do not turn to Jesus!
So, yes...it is of the utmost importance that we ask the Father to send out laborers! But we also need to do our part. Bringing them to church isn't a sufficient way to lead someone to Christ. I have been in church my entire life and have only recently discovered what it really means to be saved and walk with Jesus. The things you hear at church usually go in one ear and out the other nowadays because people turn into different people because it's...church.
What can we do? We've all experienced the saving love of Jesus, haven't we? Why don't we share the Gospel with those whom God has brought into our lives who don't know Him or are trying to know Him, but just don't know where to look. If you're not sure how, spend some time in prayer. Spend some time in the Bible. Ask God to send you, ask Him to open the hearts of the unsaved friends and family that you know and love.
The harvest is plentiful. The laborers are few. Let's all be counted as one of the "few laborers," working hard to please our Master!
Happy Harvest! Love to all!
In Christ's service,
Autumn Slaght

No, this is not a post about your favorite movie coming out in 3-D...although I wish it was. This may be different from anything I've written so far, but who wants to read a blog that is nothing but writing and life updates? Certainly not I, so here goes.

The Three D's. What are they?

They say that Satan uses three basic weapons to try and take down the Christian and they happen to start with D.
Deception.
Despair and...
Discouragement.

Deception is an easy one, because we all know the story of Adam and Eve in the garden. Yes, even Eve herself whined to our Creator, "The serpent deceived me and I ate!" Every day, we are faced with Satan's lies.
"It's okay to sin against God...after all, you've had a rough day and it'll make you feel better. " "Go ahead and yell at that driver...they deserve it!" "God hasn't forgiven you," "You are more important than anyone else," Etc, etc, etc.

Then there's despair. Let's face it. The news is blowing up with horrible stories about how awful humanity has gotten. Sometimes it's easy to fall into a state of utter hopelessness and...despair. But despair is often prefaced by something else.

Discouragement.

And that, my friends, is my struggle right now.

I don't know everyone who will read this post. But if you are reading this, I am going to be perfectly honest with you that sometimes authors and musicians and Christians alike face that nagging feeling of discouragement. That feeling that no matter what you do, you'll never amount to where you want to be. None of your friends care for you anymore. And it goes on, and on, and on.
Discouragement has no one specific...it has thousands. Chances are, if you've been alive and ever tried to create or achieve something, you've faced discouragement. The drive to give up and never go back. To curl into a fetal position for the rest of your life.

I don't know why I'm discouraged. After all, life is pretty good right now. (Dare I say). I am getting closer to getting engaged to a wonderful man...the man I've dreamed of my entire life. I have three published novels, I've been in countless stageplays, I own my own business after leaving three horrible jobs...so why do I feel this way?
The world today is a sad place. No one wants to go deep with our Creator today. No one wants to be a true friend. They're your best friend, until someone better comes along, or until you move 800 miles away and aren't around all the time. "That's just life." Don't give me that. It doesn't have to be just because culture says it's normal. It still HURTS.
I have lost a lot of friends in my lifetime. Most of them in 2019. But this year would not be complete without the loss of one of my best friends and the excitement of thinking that I had made a bunch of new friends...only to find out that they don't really care about me at all.
Not to mention that I'm in my mid-twenties and had high hopes of where I would be right now...but few of them are coming to fruition and some of them aren't happening as quickly as I'd like for them to be. I feel like I wasted two years of my life when I sold my soul to a job that was soul-sucking and life-draining. I regret those two years where I lost all connection to my online friends and my writing, because I was always too busy to write.

I'm sure you're ready to put away this post right now...but just hang with me a little bit longer. Because in my fight against discouragement, I am learning one thing.
Don't give up.
What I have to quote isn't from the Bible today, so I hope you'll forgive me. There will be plenty more Bible verses in the upcoming posts, but the quote that sticks out to me the most today is one from none other than J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King."

Sam: "...It’s like in the great stories Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end.
Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come.
And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.
Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now.
Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something."

Frodo : "What are we holding on to, Sam?"

Sam : "That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for."

Samwise Gamgee has always been one of my favorite characters of fiction. This is one of the reasons why.
So if you are battling discouragement this week, I ask that you just stop. Take a breath. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. There are millions of us battling this. I have but one request for you this week. As hard as it might be, as difficult as this week may seem, as bleak as your life has become? Don't give up. Keep on fighting, keep holding on and remember.
Even the Darkness must pass one day.
And on that day when we stand before our Creator, able to say that we never gave up, even when things are hard?
Those are the stories that really...really...matter.

Thank you for reading with me today. I hope this blesses your week. Happy last day of Summer everyone!

Good evening, friends and readers.
I am ashamed to say that I have not kept up on my blog post as I should have been this entire time. My life has been an out of control ride and I have let it become so. So this month, I am starting over.
For those of you who are new to my page, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Autumn Slaght. I am a young author in my early twenties, seeking many things. Two years ago, I moved from my home in Colorado due to circumstance that were beyond my control and, quite frankly, completely God's control, to a little home in the South. I am the author of three published novels, all of which you can find right here on my page. I am the owner of River Tree Press, my own personal self-publishing book company. I am a musician, who loves the violin and voice. And I'm a stage and film actress. But most importantly, setting all of that aside, I am a Christian.
This month, my life is taking steps towards a new direction. I am leaving the workforce and working from home by designing flowers and running River Tree Press full time. So be on the lookout for many more updates from me, as I will have much more time to dedicate to them! In addition, I hope to finish four books this month.
Thank you all for reading. For many of my old friends and followers, this has been nothing new to you, but here's something. I'll leave you with a riddle, so this post isn't completely review.
What should you always, ALWAYS keep after giving away?
Comment below and let me know! The answer should be in my next blog post!
Happy reading!

What are you thankful for? This is the most asked question around this time of year...or is it?
Honestly, it could be just me, but I have not heard anyone talk about Thanksgiving at all this year. And I have seen through my work at the grocery store that it seems like people have all of the sudden realized, "Oh! Thanksgiving is next Thursday! Better run out and get the cranberry sauce and turkey!"
But have we really given much thought to Thanksgiving this year? It seems as though we've skipped right over it and went from Halloween to Christmas...not to mention, it's no longer Black Friday. It's Black November. Instead of having one day, it's many days throughout the month. How do we keep it all straight.
I want to invite you as you read this post to pause and consider...what does this time of year mean to you? And could I challenge you to go a little bit deeper and rather than saying "Good food and time with family," Go a little bit deeper. Yes, family and food are important, but is there something more to this season?
For instance, we have a God Who loves us, who stopped at nothing to show that love to us. This year, I have had a deeper insightful look into His love and it has been refreshing and quite the journey.
Ah, speaking of His love. For those who might be interested, I am going to be hosting a four-week Bible study via Zoom and Facebook starting November 29th, at 7:00 Pm CST. The Bible study is going to be centered all around the birth of Jesus Christ and will serve as a reminder what the Christmas season is truly all about. If you are interested, you can contact me or visit my author's Facebook page. If you want to participate but don't want to do it Via zoom, then contact me and we'll come up with another creative way to do it!
I hope this Thanksgiving is a wonderful time for you. A time to relax, enjoy your family, your food, your home, and everything you love. May God show you His love this year in ways that you've never experienced before and draw you deeper and closer to Him. Happy Thanksgiving!
Autumn Slaght

Yes, yes, I know you are probably cringing at the incorrect grammar tenses on my blog title. Truthfully, so do I, but I intended it as a play on words on a line from a song.
You see, whenever I would think of the way things used to be, my recent graduation year when life was perfect, I would always sing the strains of Barbara Streisand's song "Memory." "I can dream of the old days; life was beautiful then." If any of you have read my most recent blog post, you'll understand that life has not been so beautiful, especially in 2019 and 2020. Well I can tell you that much has changed since then.
I departed my last post, leaving you with the words "never lose hope. Even when it seems pointless." My family and I, especially myself, were beginning to lose hope. But my God is faithful and I don't mean that in a cheesy Christian phrase either. His faithfulness has been proven to us. Our hope rests in Him.
Let me give you a few updates that may make sense. Between my last blog post and this one, my family and I did move out of Colorado down to a most beautiful Southern state. My dad and I are staying in a couple campers and my mother and grandmother were in my uncle's spare room until just a few days ago. The Lord granted a new home to us! We will be able to move in within four to six weeks.
Since I have not been faithfully posting the story, I cannot express the relief or the excitement that we feel over this gift from the Lord. But let me assure you, in our darkest time, His light was our guide. And He led us into blessings beyond comprehension.
Dear readers, times are dark right now. Many of us are doubtful, even scared. But can I encourage you dear readers, spoken from someone who has been to the edge and back (thank you Michael Card) please. In addition to never losing hope, let God's light be your guide through these dark times. Seek Him with your whole heart! Give everything to Him. Scary? I never said it wasn't. Worth it? Even if it does not result in earthly blessings, I can say with all certainty: Yes. It is worth it.
Now that life is settling down for me, I hope you'll be seeing more posts regarding updates for River Tree Press and latest novels coming out. Until then, my readers, take care!

Good evening, friends and fellow readers,
I know it's been forever since I've updated my blog and profile. A book here, a message there. Unfortunately, 2020 so far has proven to be quite an arduous year.
With a sad heart and hope that there is still hope in the future, I announce that River Tree Press Headquarters and Lamoria are no longer at the same location we have been. In other words, sometime last February, our landlord decided that he wanted to sell. After a long and very depressing time, my family and I are all moved in with some friends and at this time are uncertain of what the future brings. We desire to move out of state but there are some major obstacles that prevent it so far.
Between losing the property that I have loved for 12 years, where all of my beautiful stories - my life's core moments and inspiration for my latest novels - and looking into an uncertain future, we haven't been in the most beautiful of times but God is teaching my whole family and I some valuable lessons through all of this.
It was my desire to publish my latest novel during the month of February. After all, my next novel is a romance and how perfect would it be to publish around Valentine's Day? However, with all of the things that went down, we were unable to complete that goal. As we start to settle down, we are looking at a tentative date of some time around Mother's Day. The main character loves his mother very, very much had a very strong relationship with his mother, so Mother's Day would be a good fit for it, too. And would make a perfect Mother's Day present for all your moms who love romantic or medieval stories!
I hope you all are surviving the COVID-19 outbreak well enough. I'll say that this gives us lots of time to read and write I hope! With all this in mind, I shall leave you with this post and one simple request. Never, ever let go of hope. Even when it seems pointless.
In Christ's service,
Autumn Slaght