Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrie Stephens.
Hi Carrie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always loved books and words. I didn’t plan to be a writer, though. My early passions in life were art and design. Before I moved to Texas, I worked for a production designer in Hollywood, designing sets and interiors. But marriage and motherhood derailed my design dreams. For a few years, I was a little lost to the creative part of my soul.
Then, in the middle of the early 2000s blogging boom, a trusted friend randomly suggested I begin blogging. At the time, I was overwhelmed with mothering four children under the age of six, and blogging became the place I felt like a whole person.
My writing developed over the years into a mix of spiritual thoughts and sarcasm. My Christian faith and love for mystical themes and ideas inform a lot of what I write about, but I try not to take it all too seriously. If I couldn’t laugh about how everything is completely bananas, I doubt I’d be able to get out of bed every day.
My first book, Holy Guacamole: A Glorious Discovery of Your Undeniable Worth, released in February of 2020. During the lockdown, I began writing another nonfiction book, titled Jesus, Love, &Tacos: A Spicy Take on Lordship, Community, and Mission. It will release in October of 2022.
I’m currently co-authoring a book with my husband about the power of diverse friendships in the world, and finishing a novel about women and art, and how our love for one another and our creative pursuits rebirth us. I’m really excited about it but also terrified because I’ve never tried to write fiction before.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Publishing is not a warm and fuzzy place. Rejection is a common, frequent, and relentless part of the author’s life. Some rejections feel incredibly personal. Others just seem like an unemotional pass on your work. I’ve been tempted to quit writing a few dozen times over the years when the rejections have been painful to process.
A few years ago, I decided to make a cake and decorate it with a big, beautiful “NO” written on the top of it when a publisher rejected one of my book proposals. “No cake” has become a regular dessert in our house. It’s my way of celebrating the work, tenacity, vulnerability, and courage it took to submit another proposal. Those cakes are a sort of discipline, reminding me that disappointment and failure can have a sweet ending and that they don’t last forever.
Aside from rejections, the marketing side of writing greatly challenges me. I love thinking and writing. I do not love selling books or the strange (to me) world of platforms, which often feels like selling myself. But marketing is a big part of any book, so I try to set up camp in that territory even when it’s uncomfortable for me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Most of my writing orbits around the ideas of how incredibly endless God’s love is for us, the importance of owning our own stories, and how much God wants to laugh with us. I also write about tex mex food a lot. Given the titles of my books, you’ve probably deduced that I love tacos and chips & guac. Food metaphors are a big part of my spiritual life.
Spiritual writing rarely includes humor, but for me, faith and humor are inseparable. Laughing with another person relaxes us; it creates a bond between us. Inside jokes are evidence of a shared deep relational connection. If we believe in a divine relational being who loves us, then why wouldn’t our relationship with God involve laughter and humor?
I’m also very passionate about how vital women are in spiritual leadership. I long to see women arise confident in their contributions in their relationships, communities, and churches. I love seeing passionate women live their stories well. They inspire me to do the same.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success, for me, is loving well. I hope my books fill people with the joy of being beloved and inspire them to love other people out of the abundance of their joy.
Contact Info:
- Website: carriestephensauthor.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wordsbycarriestephens/
Image Credits
Meredith McCann
