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August 20, 2021
This fall Ave Maria Press is going to be releasing The Ave Prayer Book for Catholic Mothers, a beautiful, full-color collection of favorite prayers and #PrayerStories of more than 70 faith-filled, inspiring Catholic moms with children of all ages and stages. (Preorders go on sale September 1, 2021.) More about that later, except to say … As this book was in development, I got to thinking about the thousands of Catholic women across the country who needed this kind of encouragement, and I started praying about how I could connect with these sisters of mine in a very practical, personal way. During this “season of COVID” I […]
May 7, 2021
I’ve been told (by those who have experienced both life-changing events) that there are some surprising similarities between writing a book and giving birth to a child: The process can often be painful, messy, and even a little embarrassing. But there is great joy in the end. Because of this, I like to offer a rosary on Fridays for my authors. In his book Forgiveness Makes You Free, Fr. Ubald Rugirangoga (RIP) writes about the “rosary of my life,” identifying five painful moments from his own life that he continually offered back to God (see pages 10-15). His early memories of his parents, both of […]
December 12, 2013
Yesterday I arrived at Ave Maria to find my coworkers had transformed the office into a real “winter wonderland.” Up to and including the fireplace, fashioned from glittery paper and Christmas lights hidden behind a Yule log. Clever, huh? Made the sixteen-hour journey in the snow the previous day via train, two airplanes, and car . . . worth it. “Journeying” is a popular metaphor in the publishing world. A good book is supposed to be transformative, leaving you better off simply for having invested yourself in it. Parenting is also a journey. You start out with a little bundle (or, in my case, three larger ones), […]