When I knew my stories were more than just a dream, I needed to decide what name I would write under. Hoping I would get married one day, I wanted a pen name that I would not have to change. I assumed I would not stay a Gimenez forever. Unless the Lord had other plans, of course. I decided to use my middle name instead and keep my penname the same whether I get married or not.
I do not know when it became more than a dream. When I published my book or before that? When my Grandma told me I was doing so good? When my dad heard the first draft of my first book, told the storyline to someone else, and looked over at me and said that it sounded really interesting when he described it? I cannot say the answer to that.
I started writing when I was fifteen. Brenna had started a Western book about a girl going on a cattle drive, and I decided to write a story based on her heroine's sister. I had fun writing a few scenes and plotting out the story. When Brenna decided she did not want to be a writer, I took over her book deciding to write a series called "The Ring Series". I have not finished that particular series, but I hope to someday.
My Grandma was my first cheerleader. One of the things we liked to do together when I visited from St. Barths, was to go to Mexican restaurants. When I started writing, I took my stories along so I could read them to her. We had so much fun on these outings.
The first writing book, which I still have a copy of today, was an old book written by Gilbert Morris. I loved that book. I read it and read it, and tried to put into practice what I had learned. It is a dated book, but I still like going back to look at it occasionally. Soon, I was creating Pinterest boards and reading writing blogs. My first (and only) youth book was a children's book called "A Fawn for a Pet" which I never published. Later on, I hope to start a series about young Bible characters.
As I was showering one Sunday morning in 2019, an idea formed in my brain. I do not remember if I had watched a princess Hallmark movie the night before or what. I was probably reading about Esther during then, too. I wondered, "What would I do if I was taken to a new country to marry a king I did not know." Ideas kept coming, and I hurried to get out of the shower so I could quickly write down my thoughts before I forgot them. And so, the idea for The King's Heart in the LORD's Hands was formed. When I finished the first draft, I asked my parents to read it. There were so many parts of the story that I needed advice on. The next question was: how would I get it published without paying a lot of money upfront? Thankfully, God brought a Christian lady in my path who had used Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing. After researching, I knew that it was the route I should go. I was so excited when my dream came true, and I got my first book published.
My Grandma had once sent me an article about National Novel Writing Month. I decided to give it a try. After many late nates and loss of sleep, I was so amazed when I reached the 50,000-word count goal in 30 days. I was also introduced to the world of Fictionary. When I finished the first draft, I plugged my manuscript into Fictionary. It really helped me with the storyline and the plot. I decided to use it for the next book as well. I was able to ask a dear lady in our church to help me with the editing. Within 2 years I had finished and published a book. I was so excited to finish it more quickly. Hopefully, the next book will come along even faster, and I believe it has so far. The first draft took only one year and four months.
My goal as a writer is to encourage young ladies to keep their hearts pure whether they are single and waiting for their Prince Charming or waiting for their Heavenly Prince of Peace to come.
So, as I like to say...
May you keep your heart while waiting for Him.
Elisabeth Kristine
(Isa. 43:1b-3a; Eccl. 3:11)
heartofpurityliterature2023@gmail.com
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