Life has a way of giving you what you need when you need it. At least, I have been fortunate enough for that to be the case for me.

When it comes to work, passions, and purpose, I have always had a wandering heart. I don’t stay at most jobs for more than five years before I’m ready to move on and try something new. I’ve had many jobs and careers over the last twenty-five years: insurance agent, painter, business owner, social entrepreneur, writer, hair stylist, health coach, and I currently work at a church. Not everyone is wired that way—my husband just celebrated 21 years at the same job at the same church.

Back in 2018, after putting out The Lost Door, I was struggling with a lot of health issues, and finances were feeling tight. After years of pursuing dreams and passions without monetary compensation, I decided to get a reliable and stable part-time job at a place I loved and felt safe.

As most writers do, I tried to juggle both jobs. Another primary focus was figuring out my health issues. After a couple of years of going months in between writing and gaining momentum just to lose it again, I knew I needed to make a choice. My heart, and literally my body, was pulling me into health-related research, so in 2020, I decided to go back to school and get certified as a health coach. At the time, it was best for me and my family. Not to mention, during the height of COVID, learning about health and wellness was extremely timely.

Pushing pause on finishing the trilogy was difficult. But I trusted that when the timing was right to start back, I would know. Over the last eight years, there have been several attempts—several starts and stops. But I was always certain that it would eventually happen. Since 2018, my kids graduated high school, I straightened out my health and am now the healthiest I’ve been in a long time, and I changed jobs again. We have experienced so much joy and loss, but all of it has taught me. All of it has changed me.

So earlier this year, having margin and feeling inspired, I opened the Word document and began typing. I had always known how the story would end, but I was just not sure how to get there. But that day, it unfolded before me, and I knew this was it. It was time. I have now finished the first rough draft of The Door Closes and am working on edits.

I will say, writing the third book of a trilogy that came out years ago is weird. I get why people don’t do it. My writing style has changed so much over the past eight years, and there is so much I want to change from the first two books. But I’m committed to finishing this and letting the progression and difference be okay.

I am so excited to be back in this story that I have created and loved for so long. I missed Eden and Gabby, and I can’t wait for you to see how their story ends.