How Has Intermittent Fasting Helped Me Manage Time and Creative Inspiration – Releasing My First YA Novel – The Stolen Bible

Before I started fasting, I was constantly living in a place of two nagging forces – either procrastination or rush.  There was never enough time and I would feel the weight of the world on my shoulders. Some moments felt like stones tied around me neck dragging me down into murky water.  I had so much to do, not just household tasks, but personal, family and world goals too.  I wanted to serve in the community, volunteer at my kid’s school, keep up with church callings and read all those assigned books on my kid’s grade-level reading chart!  Time wouldn’t let me have any of it.  In the mean time, I felt like everything could be started tomorrow.  Exercises, clean rooms, vacuuming out the car, eating healthy, etc. There was this constant pressure, but no true deadline.  I spent so much of my energy trying to juggle all these things and more, only to feel like a total failure at the end of the day.

I just knew I could do better, I needed to do better or I would lose my mind underneath my own unfulfilled expectations. Something had to change. That change was fasting.  By the second day of my 16-hour fast, I knew something amazing was happening.  So how did fasting effect time?  Well, first of all, it cleared up all that unnecessary guilt, specifically that harassing inner voice reminding me how unorganized I was, how out of control my children were, how I could never change and how irresponsible it was I’d forgotten to add lunch money to my daughter’s school account. Through fasting, patience was a virtue I could grant to myself.

Yes, from the start, fasting stopped my internal negative voice and replaced it with sometimes silence, but most often clarity, awareness and self-love.  I could prioritize my daily tasks, and wouldn’t get muddled in afternoon fog of forgetfulness that in the past had resulted in mouthfuls of chocolate chips and too much time on social media.  I believed in myself like never before and found when I had impressions, especially creative ideas, I would follow them.

After I wrote my memoir Starving Girl, I prioritized my other writing projects.  I’d been writing young adult fiction for almost 10 years and had 3 completed novels and 4 works-in-progress.  I prayed about which one to work on and got busy.  My book I'd been working on for five years, The Stolen Bible best fit my current mental and emotional state.  Why? Because the story demonstrated how with God, all things are possible. 

     Christians were denied access to the Bible for a thousand years, but in 1522 German professor and priest Martin Luther changed all that. Risking his life, Luther bravely translated the Bible from Latin to German and for the first time, made the Bible became available to the average person.  But, what if the story of the reformation had a twist and without a young woman named Luci, Martin would have never found the Bible?  Fighting corrupt politics, covetous religious leaders and power-hungry royalty, Luther can’t do it alone. He needs Luci, whether she wants to help him or not.

Christians agree Martin Luther changed the course of western history for the better by starting the Protestant Reformation.  A Biblical scholar, he questioned the practices of a church teaching hell, fire and brimstone, controlled by the government and practicing indulgences (the paying of a monetary price to have your sins forgiven). Through Luther’s Biblical faith and determination, he found a path not only to God’s love, but to a revolution. 

You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say.

Martin Luther 1483-1546

So, how did it happened that I’ve spent the last five years of my life writing about this time and researching this spiritual giant?  As an author, I hoped someday I could write a meaningful, even important book.  One day, I felt in my heart, “The most important book in the world has already been written.” I knew right then and there that I needed to be reading more from the Bible.  I could learn much about the writing craft from New York Times Best-Selling authors, but was I reading from the men and women, many who risked their lives to share their faith and write down their words?  Somehow, my desires to learn more about the Bible lead me to 16^th century Germany.  

I asked the question: What if the Bible ceased to exist?

In 16^th century Germany tyranny reins, reading is outlawed and the church has control over an oppressed people.  16 year-old Luci Pohlman has spent her life in hiding with a paranoid mother who teaches from a book of strange markings filled with words of prophets from long ago.  When her mother is imprisoned for witchcraft, Luci is kidnapped and dragged into the black forest.  Her mother knew too much and now, so does Luci.

 As the German Army, a band of gypsies and a man named Martin Luther seek Luci, she must figure out how the words of the book she was never meant to possess can set her and her country free.

“In my home, there is nothing to spare.  We waste nothing; not time, not meaning, not remorse, but there is one thing we have too much of . . . truth.”

                                                                                    -Luci Pohlman 

I feel there is an untapped market for the Christian audience.  I know I want to read exciting, fast-paced, character driven stories that not only entertain, but teach and inspire. I have started a series called S.H.I.N.E.  

S.H.I.N.E.

Some History Is Never Expected 

is the exciting new series by author Laura Lofgreen – retelling historical events in a way it could have happened if those forgotten by time could have shared their story.

Will you shine?

The first in the S.H.I.N.E. series, is The Stolen Bible.  I love writing about history and historical figures and telling their stories in a new light, from a new angle.  I have two more books almost finished and I’m hoping to release the second book in November.  Currently titled The Swing, it is the story of why there was no room at the inn the night Christ was born. Visit www.vintagebirdpress for more information on upcoming titles.  The Stolen Bible is now available on Amazon.