By Hannah Currie, @hannah_currie_author

Have you ever sat in front of your computer and wondered why you bother? Maybe it’s just me, though I doubt it. 

You look at the books on your shelves, or think of the number of books releasing every year (spoiler: it’s a LOT), or read about a book about to release from a multi-published author that has similar notes or themes to the one you’re currently laboring over and wonder why. What’s the point? Why put all this time and effort and heart and passion and tears into this one little book when it’s just a book. What do you have to offer the world that [insert name of every famous, brilliant, respected, multi-published author] hasn’t already written or couldn’t write better?

Why put all this time and effort and heart and passion and tears into this one little book? 

Because it’s not just a story. It’s your story. And not one of those [insert name of every famous, brilliant, respected, multi-published author] could write it the way you do. 

Whether you plan it or not, each time you sit down to write, your heart shows. Your experience, your passion, your hopes, your doubts and your fears. Your writing is influenced by the books you’ve read and the ones you chose to skip. It’s impacted by the education you received, the friends you had at school, the things you succeeded in and the things you failed. It’s the way you see the world and what brought you to the keyboard today. All of that shows in the words you write. 

No one has a story quite like yours, which means no one can write a story quite like you. 

I love the Casting Crowns song, One More Song For You. Yes, it’s about writing a song, but it encourages me so much as a writer. Here’s a portion of it but go listen to the whole song if you haven’t heard it. 

Have all the songs been sung?
Is there still room for one?

Maybe one more hand in the air saying, "You are holy"
One more shattered heart singing, “You are good”
Maybe one more voice crying out for mercy
One more hungry soul declaring You're enough
As long as there's breath in me
Lord, there will always be
One more song for You

Yes, there are thousands of authors in this world. Yes, you may feel like you’re just one more flooding an already flooded market. But it’s not true. You have a place, and so does your story. 

Keep writing. 

Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story. Psalm 107:2

 

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Guard Her Heart

To all bar a few, the Guardian of Raedonleith is a mystery. To Lady Mykah, second daughter of King Lior, it’s her calling. For the past four years, the mask has given Mykah a way to care for her people in her father’s stead while she hides from them how distant their king has become. Never once has she questioned her mission nor thought the cost too high—until the night an arrow finds her. Though she has the courage of a knight and the calling of the Almighty, Mykah admits she would have died if not for the man who carried her to safety. A man who is as determined to keep his identity hidden as she is.

Six years ago, Sir Finnian lost his heart to a mysterious young archer. Though he searched, he never learned her name until the night he shot her…on his brother’s orders. Wracked with guilt, Finnian makes protecting Lady Mykah his new mission, never guessing how difficult it will prove to be. The Guardian has more enemies than she knows, and they’re closer than she realizes.

The longer Finnian stays, the clearer the price of his vow becomes. Because the only way to win Mykah’s heart will be to break his own. And the only way to keep hers beating will be to break it altogether.

Hannah Currie has loved royals—both real and fictional—for as long as she can remember and has always been fascinated by their lives. They started making their way into her writing somewhere around first grade, and never stopped. While she never dreamed of being a princess for real (way too many expectations and people watching), she certainly wouldn’t say no to the gorgeous gowns, endless wardrobes, chefs and cleaners that come with the job. A crown or two wouldn’t go astray either. Or Belle’s library. Where she’d just sit and stare at the books with a giddy smile on her face for hours.

Hannah lives with her husband and three kids in Australia, where they proudly claim the royal family as their own. She is very honored to be one of the launching authors for the new WhiteCrown Publishing line with her Crown of Promise series full of faith, romance and—of course—royals.