In this episode of Created to Write, Christian author Roberta Brown opens up about one of the most raw and redemptive memoirs you'll encounter on A Mother's Wilderness Journey.

Roberta's story is not for the faint-hearted. A widow raising eight children, fighting to save her daughter from drug addiction, navigating serious health battles, and through it all, documenting her faith-driven resilience with unflinching honesty. Her journey to publication is as powerful as the book itself, including a transformative sabbatical at Cambridge University that shifted her focus from academic ambition to a deeply personal calling to share her testimony.

For writers wondering whether their story is worth telling, Roberta's answer is an unequivocal yes. She believes that every documented testimony has the potential to offer hope and direction to someone walking a similar road, and her life is living proof of that conviction. It's the kind of faith-based writing that doesn't just inform, it rescues.

Her creative output extends well beyond memoir. Roberta also writes songs, paints, and is currently working on a novel centred on spiritual warfare - making her one of the more creatively expansive voices in the Christian writing space.

For anyone overcoming writer's block as a Christian or wrestling with whether their hardships are too heavy or too personal to share, this conversation is essential listening. Roberta's message is simple and urgent: your trials are not just your story, they're someone else's lifeline.

Roberta Brown is a widowed mother of eight and grandmother of seventeen. Born in Scotland, raised in Canada, and now living in Australia, her life has been marked by faith, family, and resilience.After her husband’s sudden passing, Roberta raised her children alone while returning to nursing. Her greatest challenge came as she fought for her daughter Sarah, who struggled with addiction and loss. Through prayer and spiritual warfare, Roberta witnessed God’s miraculous restoration.Her first book shares this journey of courage and faith. Inspired during a sabbatical in Cambridge, it took eight years to complete. Today, Roberta continues to write devotionals, fiction, and poetry, her life a testimony to hope and the power of God’s love.

In this episode of Created to Write, Melbourne-based Christian author Simon Camilleri shares a writing journey that is as intentional as it is inspiring, rooted in fatherhood, rhythm, and a deep love for making faith accessible to children.

Simon writes theologically grounded children's books designed to help parents introduce Christian faith and prayer in ways that are engaging, age-appropriate, and beautifully crafted. For parents and Christian writers alike, his approach to biblical literacy through storytelling is both refreshing and deeply purposeful.

What makes Simon's Christian author process particularly fascinating is where it begins... not with a plot outline, but with rhythmic poetry. He crafts the sound and feel of a story first, then collaborates with illustrators to add symbolic visual layers that deepen the theological meaning. It's Christian creativity at its most deliberate and its most artistic.

His self-published book When Santa Learned the Gospel is a standout moment in this conversation — a personal project that grew into a traditionally published international success, warmly embraced by the professional Santa community worldwide. It's the kind of story that reminds every beginner writer that you genuinely cannot predict where faithful, quality work will take you.

Simon also speaks about the need for intentional quiet space in the writing process, a counter-cultural conviction that the best words come not from busyness, but from stillness and attentiveness to language.

Simon is a Christian writer based in Melbourne, Australia, where he lives with his wife and two awesome kids. He loves creating gospel-focused resources, learning magic tricks, training people in public Bible reading and labouring over a rhyming paragraph where the metre just works. And rocky road. He LOVES rockyroad. Just in case you're looking for a gift. Follow Simon: / simoncamilleri "When Santa Learned the Gospel": https://www.santagospel.com/"Wow God! Thank You, Sorry, Please" & "Read, Think, Pray, Do": https://www.kidsguidebooks.com/

In this episode of Created to Write, Michelle Dennis Evans tackles one of the most avoided conversations in the Christian writing community… how do you actually pay for your writing career?

From editing costs to publishing expenses, the financial reality of being a Christian author is real. Michelle reframes it around creative stewardship - managing your time, energy and resources as gifts entrusted to you for a purpose.

For Christian writers juggling career and calling, she offers practical strategies for finding time to write. Because writing as a Christian means carving sacred space out of an already full life.

She also shares her personal journey through home-based businesses, from candle making to her current wellness venture, making a compelling case for supplemental income that buys you the freedom to write without financial stress.

Christian creativity flourishes when the practical foundations are in place.

https://michelledennisevans.com/contact/

In this episode of Created to Write, Christian author Susan J. Bruce takes us on a fascinating journey from veterinary science and science journalism to writing uplifting cozy mysteries that leave readers with hope, warmth, and a renewed sense of empathy.

For anyone exploring writing, Susan's story is a masterclass in playing to your strengths. Her unique blend of theology, science, and storytelling gives her fiction a grounded authenticity that's hard to manufacture and her mission is refreshingly clear... produce high-quality stories that help real people face real challenges.

Susan also gets honest about the mistakes many beginners make early on - namely, getting so consumed by marketing and technical tasks that the actual writing gets pushed aside. It's a trap she's navigated herself, and her advice is practical and direct.

One of the standout moments of this conversation is her passionate case for writing communities - not just for peer support and accountability, but as a vital safeguard against predatory vanity publishers.

Susan's warm, grounded approach to faith-based writing is a reminder that stories rooted in hope are never small, they're some of the most powerful tools we have.

What separates writers who finish from writers who dream? According to writer and editor Kiara Thomas, it starts with one non-negotiable: you have to be a reader first.

In this episode, Kiara brings sharp, experienced insight into the craft, from beating writer's block through meticulous planning and outlining (and why "pantsing" might be quietly sabotaging you), to her fascinating reframe of the editor's role. Forget red pen and ruthless cuts, Kiara sees the editor as a "book midwife," walking authors through four essential stages: appraisal, structural editing, line editing, and proofreading. Each one exists to deliver your best work into the world.

But Kiara doesn't stop at craft. She gets honest about what actually builds a sustainable literary career, formal education, real community over hollow networking, and the kind of intentional growth most writers skip in their rush to publish. Her challenge to anyone waiting for the right moment? A blank page gives you nothing to work with. Start writing - then make it brilliant.

If you're serious about the craft, this episode is required listening.

Kiara Thomas is a communications specialist focusing on writing and editing. Kiara is particularly interested in editing faith-inspired works of all genres, writing and editing children’s literature and editing non-fiction, including memoirs and biographies. Website: https://kiarathomaswriter.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581688283636LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiara-thomas-261b35370/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576049229424

In this special episode, host Michelle Dennis Evans gets personal, reflecting on her writing journey that began with a secret passion and survived the kind of discouragement that silences too many voices too soon.

Michelle opens up about teachers who dismissed her creative efforts as immature and impractical, and the years she spent writing poetry in secret. Her story will resonate with every Christian writer and author who has ever been told their dreams are not serious enough.

Professional training through a correspondence course gave her the skills and confidence to publish. A poetry book, a verse novel and a young adult trilogy later, she is living proof that investing in your craft is never wasted.

Her message to aspiring writers, beginner writers, and those new to writing is clear: your critics do not get the final say. Perseverance and the courage to embrace your unique voice will always outlast the doubt.

Celebrating twelve months on YouTube. The best is still ahead.

Subscribe to Michelle's Novelish News on her website https://michelledennisevans.com/

Books by Michelle Dennis Evans are available on Amazon and all your good book sellers.

Life Inspired

Sink, Drift or Swim

Spiralling out of Control

Spiralling out of the Shadow

Spiralling Solo

Fantasy novelist Justice Tilsher didn't start with a keyboard; he started with a love of visual storytelling. In this episode, Justice traces his creative journey and delivers some of the most practical, faith-rooted writing advice you'll hear - stop measuring yourself against other authors and start measuring yourself against who you were yesterday.

For writers stuck in the comparison trap or paralysed by perfectionism, this conversation is the reset you need. Justice unpacks his belief that writing is divine stewardship, a calling bigger than your word count, and introduces Jesus Writing Month, his faith-based alternative to NaNoWriMo launched in November 2025. Think prayer, accountability, and a community built to help authors actually finish their manuscripts.

If fear is the reason your story isn't written yet, Justice's message is simple: your creativity belongs to something greater than your self-doubt. It's time to share it.

Author and illustrator Alexia Macken left academia behind to follow her creative calling and she hasn't looked back. In this episode, Alexia walks us through her published works, from a practical discipleship guide for mothers to an illustrated children's book rooted in spiritual prophecy, proving that writers don't have to be boxed into one genre.

For aspiring writers, this one's gold. Alexia shares her signature "brain dump" writing method, how she tackles the unique challenges of editing across multiple genres - including verse and young adult fiction - and her honest take on modern book marketing. She also gets real about imposter syndrome and how her faith became the bridge over it.

Her message to anyone sitting on a story? Just start. Your creativity exists to inspire others — so use it.