I wrote Truest with God.

That might sound crazy, but it’s true. From beginning to end, this book was a collaborative project. I conferred and brainstormed with God on a continual basis. Any time I got stuck, I would retreat to my prayer journal and talk it over with God. It was typically during these conversations that the Spirit would give me his best ideas. I was more than happy to take them.

I understand that for those of you who aren’t theists this sounds preposterous. You’re welcome to believe that those brainstorming sessions were actually between me, myself, and I, but I know my limitations. I was not alone.

One of the cool things about Truest is that it’s a story for everyone. People who aren’t religious can enjoy the story at one level, and people who are will enjoy it at a different one. How to make that happen was itself a revelation.

It was a Monday evening. I had plans later that night in Hudson, Wisconsin, about forty-five minutes from my home, and I was lying down in bed, thinking over how in the world to make Truest the story I needed to tell while at the same time the story my agent believed could sell. As I lay there, a word came to my mind: parables. The word burrowed in.

I read and re-read what Christ said about his parables: that they were the way they were so that people who were seeking the deeper meaning would find it and people who weren’t would not. I prayed about it a lot and sat down to re-frame some of my most important scenes.

While I, of course, hope that many people will read between the lines of my story, I know that many will not– and I believe that that is okay. The book is written (or rather, was re-written) so that anyone at any level should be able to jump in and participate.

I cannot wait for you to read it. September 1, folks. Get pumped. I am.