As Earth Day comes this year, I’m reflecting on my work to Write for Change in how we treat the Earth. And so today, I want to tell you why I wrote my most recent book, Mariah of the Wind.
First of all, let me say that I keep writing books because I believe that God is still speaking. I believe God speaks through us. I believe God and I write together. We are writing important things for people to hear today.
Every morning, I begin the day in God’s presence in meditation, and then I write. I let my book unfold as I write, rather than plotting it out. In Mariah of the Wind, I hoped to celebrate the beauty of God’s creation, and to speak up about climate change.
I started this book with a young woman, Mariah, who loves the Earth like I do. You’ll see her walking among autumn trees, taking fall leaves back to the diner to share with her customers. You’ll watch her twirl through the winter snow. You’ll see her planting seeds in the greenhouse, and later transplanting them into the ground in spring. You’ll accompany her as she enjoys spring wildflowers, tulips and daffodils. Later, comes summer. I wanted to celebrate the miraculous transformations of the seasons with my words.
She meets a grieving wind scientist, a target of a troll from the fossil fuel industry. And the story continued to unfold from there, during the pandemic.
As a Christian, I believe I am called to be a good steward of the Earth. I invested all the time to write, rewrite and edit this book to join the cacophony of voices calling us to change our ways, move away from fossil fuel use and take better care of God’s miraculous creation.
One of my early reviewers started her review saying, “if you like happy endings, you’ll like this book.” I have to admit that I do like happy endings. I choose to remain hopeful. But as the Catholic priest, Thomas Berry, once wrote, we live in the Ecozoic Age in which we must come to terms with our relationship with Earth. We must make needed changes now. He also said, “We will walk together into the future as one sacred community, or we will perish in the desert.”
Some of my readers tell me this is my best book yet. I hope you’ll read it and enjoy it and that it will inspire you to love and care for God’s magnificent creation!
You can read more about it on my website with links to purchase at: Mariah of the Wind. Watch a trailer about the book on my YouTube channel at: Mariah of the Wind Trailer. Listen to a podcast version of this blog at Why I Wrote Mariah of the Wind. Listen to My interview with Jean Bloom, the Audible narrator of the book.