The Write Path #42 - "Gratitude Attack," with Author Wendy Bower!!!

Wendy Bower is an Author that infuses her fun-loving writing style with wisdom that changes perspectives and impacts hearts at the deepest level. She models transformation with vibrant storytelling, offering hope and showing gratitude as a natural outcome to an authentic love relationship with God.   Wendy says a love language she shares with God is the effect certain colors have on her - it's that powerful - which is why she intentionally wears bright colors and fun patterns to spread joy. She is the mother of two adult daughters she adores, is an avid lover of nature and the arts, and has a BA in communication from Messiah University.  This is her story.  

Her Website:  https://www.authorwendybower.com/

Welcome to the Write Path Podcast, where being an author, an actual author, still matters. This isn't the place for the Chat GPT experts or the AI buffs to churn out soulless content with no heart.  This is the place where authors share their journeys, explore their creativity, examine the "Why?" behind it all and come together to celebrate each other. This is the podcast for authors, about authors, and by an author, where the truth still counts and words still have power. Join Us!  You have a story to tell!

Contact us on all our social media platforms and email us at thewritepathpodcast@gmail.com  

This is the place where authors know that every page... is a step forward. Let's move forward together, let's move forward today. Listen now.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Right Path Podcast, where being an author, an actual author, still matters. This is the place that uh is for authors, it's about authors, it's done by an author. Uh this is where we come together to share our journeys, we explore our creativity, but most importantly, we get to the why behind it all. Okay. Folks, our guest today is a remarkable lady. I've had the blessing of speaking with her on one of my other podcasts already. Uh, she's just absolutely a delight to have on, and I can't wait for you to meet her and hear about her journey and her story and her book. Uh, folks, um, please welcome to the show. Uh, she is a music educator and she's the author of Gratitude Attack: Gaining Gratitude Momentum while writing for while waiting for redemption. Please welcome Wendy Bauer. Wendy, how are you doing today?

SPEAKER_00 0:54

I'm good. It's so good to be here.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

Thanks for coming back on with me. Uh, I want to say that again because I kind of butchered the title of your book because I forgot how to speak. So let me do that again.

SPEAKER_00 1:04

The author That's part of being an author. That's part of being an author. People, people butcher your title.

SPEAKER_01 1:10

Well, I'm glad I'm not alone here. All right. Gratitude Attack. Gaining gratitude momentum while waiting for redemption.

unknown 1:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

Did I get it that time? Wonderful. Okay, beautiful. Wendy, tell everybody a little bit about who is Wendy and uh, you know, what led you to be wanting to you know, write a book like this and kind of put you here today.

SPEAKER_00 1:31

You know, it was so from God because I mean I from the time there was one Christmas, I think I was like in first grade, maybe, I don't know, but there were these books, Ramona the Pest, when I was a little kid. And I loved when when I'd go to the library reading Ramona the Pest. And um and I remember thinking, I want to write a book someday, and that was way back. And then I actually won some contests in school, you know, growing up. And then when I became an adult, it was just like, well, what would I write about? And um, and so it was quite a long time until I finally, and it wasn't even that. So I went to a conference last year starting 2025 called The Next Level. And it was talking about in your journey with God, he always wants us progressing, he always wants us growing and you know, utilizing our gifts. And um, and so going to that conference, I had no clue. I just wanted to hear from God. I had no clue what he was gonna direct me, wasn't thinking about a book at that point, and um and it was during that conference that somebody shared, one of the speakers shared something about the Lord leading, he's a financial guy, but and he never thought he'd write a book, but you know, God move works in all kinds of ways, and it sort of sparked that in me. Like, you know, I've always wanted to write a book, and then it was like this moment in one of the sessions where I just felt like God's saying, I want you to write a book, and I was like, Okay, what I had been in in I've always I've been journaling since I was 30 um daily. And um I also during 2020, when COVID hit, I got more active on social media because I sensed that God was saying people need hope and they need to be reminded that I'm good and that I love them. And um, so I started, I I've been into nature photography, and um so I just started doing these little blips, you know, posting some picture of a flower or and I still do this, I still do this. Um, I just posted one this morning, one I had never ever seen before. Um, so anyway, I I started posting like that, and then I had people back then saying, I I check social media just to see your, it's like a little devotion of the day because you're talking about something good about God, something hopeful, you know. And so I was thinking, okay, I'll write a devotional with with my photography in it. And then the my hopes were dashed because I found out that to print photos in a book is super expensive.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

Right.

SPEAKER_00 5:01

Um anyway, and then I went to a writer's conference, uh, you know, it was just like all this like that that idea to write a book, just and then so anyway, so then fast forward to 2025, and I'm sitting there and God's saying, write a book, and I'm like, well, well, I don't know, the only thing I ever was thinking I was gonna write was these devotionals, and um, and then I I it wasn't an audible voice, but it was like gratitude attack. And what had been happening within that last 2024 is I was experiencing being overcome by gratitude. And just, and I started calling them gratitude attacks, and I would post on social media. The first one I did, I I didn't think I would have another one, but and I wrote about it in the book, and then and then I had another one and I posted it. And so anyway, I had some of the book already written because in Gratitude Attack, I share one of those that I posted um for each chapter. Um, so here I was already writing a book, had no clue, had no clue, and so so I get that idea, and then I just started writing.

SPEAKER_01 6:31

I love that, I love that. That was it. I just started writing. I you know what? That's so awesome. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 6:41

I mean, you know, God, God gave me the directions. I'm like, okay, I had no clue. Here's the thing I'm going to a writer's conference tomorrow where I'm gonna map out my next book. There was no like mapping it out, any of these kinds of things. I just didn't have training like that. But I had been journaling for so many years, and I so I just sat down and started writing, well, where would the logical beginning be? You know, talking about my first, you know, or what is a gratitude attack, you know. And it just kept evolving. And all I did, because I do um teach full time, is um I tried to create windows. Like my goal was to write maybe on write the on the book three days a week, but I was still journaling for the most part because that's my way of connecting with God, and sometimes in my journaling that would lead to, oh, this is what I'm gonna write, you know, when I go to work on my book today. But it was, I have to tell you, it was such a sweet time of fellowship with God, most of it. I at times I felt so loved by him that I just wanted to cry like the best tears. Like I felt like he was right there with me and he was pleased with me, and we were sharing this, this experience of writing a book. And um, so I remember the first, so I started writing, and then every writer that I have talked to gets to a place where, uh-oh, like I wrote a couple chapters and it's like I have nothing more to say, you know. You can relate, right?

SPEAKER_01 8:39

100%.

SPEAKER_00 8:41

Like I just I just can't even imagine, like maybe I'll fill f finish this book in a couple years or something because I've given it by all, you know. Well, then the cool thing would happen is then I just I know people have different ways they go about it. For some people, they say they keep showing up. For me, I felt like take a break. Go out instead of writing in those windows, go take a walk in nature, just enjoy me, you know, just enjoy the fact that you are writing a book, you don't have to strive. And and the book's about the book is about not striving to be grateful. And so if I was gonna be in a striving mode writing it, I think that might have come through. But I have had a number of people say that it was just refreshing reading it, and that's how I felt when I was writing it for the most part. So, so the cool thing was so the first time I did that, and then I just surrendered and I was like, Well, I didn't know the time frame when I was gonna get this done. And I was like, Okay, God, well, I've started this book whenever you want me to finish it. And then it'd be like a week later, I'm journaling just in my time with him. And that, and it would be like, oh my gosh, I could explore this more in the book. And so then I'd go back and it'd be like, oh my gosh, I'm writing again, you know? And then so then when it happened again, the second time when I'm like, okay, wrote another chapter, got none left, it would be like, all right, what happened before is instead of pushing myself, I just got some refreshment and got uh a different way I was connecting with God. And then I would come back to it. And there you go. And then what was so cool is when I finished it, I was like, okay, I can't ever imagine writing another book. Well, guess what? I'm six chapters into the next one. And yeah, and I found a um I found a manuscript that I had um pitched to a publisher. It's a it's actually a children's illustrated book that was already written. That now, you know, so that's already written, that's in the works now. I'm six chapters into my next book, so it's like, okay, I think I see something happening here that's gonna continue.

SPEAKER_01 11:12

Wow. I love that you open that up that way. I I just uh it's killing me. Um it's just the process, you know, and and kind of how it happens for you. It's it is so funny. You sum that up so well. So many of us um we're bursting with what we want to write. We have this just feeling of I really want to get this out, I gotta get it on the page, and we feel like we have a novel inside of us. And then when we put it all down the page, it's like, wow, that's that's it.

unknown 11:38

Two chapters.

SPEAKER_01 11:39

It's it's two chapters and I'm and I'm out. And you have to kind of go, all right, but it's out. More to come. Yes, had to get that burst out. Let's just enjoy what we just did. Let's, you know, be be have some gratitude about it, right? Exactly. And it's gonna come again. But you have to I think that that's where the panic sets in for a lot of people, because they're like, oh, is that all I had? When you can give that gratitude for it and believe, you know, that it's it's gonna come again, then you can relax a little bit, right? And kind of wait for the reload and and more mission to hit you, and then you can put it down again. Um, you wrote when you the passion hit you. Is that how you did like sort of most of the book, or were those the key points of the book?

SPEAKER_00 12:25

Well, I didn't start writing it when the passion hit me. It was more just when God directed me, and I thought, okay, I'll get started. You know, so that I wasn't feel, you know, well, what I did is I reviewed some of my gratitude attacks that I had already written or posted on social media. Um, and then just thought, okay, you know, how would I start this book? And uh, but as soon as, I guess you would call it, yeah, as soon as I got the next idea. So I guess how did you say it when when the inspiration hits or something?

SPEAKER_01 13:04

Yeah, sure. You just get that next download and you sort of the next reload and you go, all right, I have more now. Now where's my where's my paper? I gotta get it put out and put it down now.

SPEAKER_00 13:13

Yeah, and but I know it's very different for some other authors. And even I I work with a hybrid publisher, and they they have a way that they coach new writers. Um apparently I didn't need the coaching. Sometimes I wish I had it so I could explain more. I'm more intuitive. I'm more intuitive. And so the way they teach, you know, new writers that because they don't want to just publish any manuscript, which some publishers do, they'll they'll just take your money, some hybrid publishers or whatever, they'll just take your money. And but my publisher has high standards, and so um, anyway, but the way they go about teaching it um would be to keep showing up, and that works for a lot of people. Yeah, but I find this with music as well as with what I do as an author. I get to know my student. Um, I teach piano and um and I also teach songwriting. And I get to know my student and what makes them tick. And some are more um, they need more structure. Some need more just that freedom. The freedom. And I think it's good to know which kind of writer you are and go with that because the the showing up every day really works for some people.

SPEAKER_01 14:50

Yeah, that's a great point that you bring up. Um, I interview authors every day, and so I I hear a lot of folks who are like, nope, from 6 a.m. to eight p eight a.m., I'm sitting at my desk, and if I have nothing coming to me, then I doodle or whatever it is until it comes. But but I'm gonna sit down and I'm gonna write and I'm gonna get my thousand words or my two thousand words or whatever it is written, right? If it's and then they go back and uh after it's written, they'll go, All right, I'm gonna get rid of this, I'm gonna keep this thing. Somewhere in the right, somewhere in the 2,000 words or you know, 800 that are awesome. You know, but but I had to do the other 1200 words to to be able to throw them away, you know, to be able to like skin that off and get the good stuff. So and I know a couple of writers who come on and they're like, No, I I hold my phone, and when something hits me, I either speak it or I you know get on the notepad and take it, and I might be sitting on my phone for 20 minutes tapping stuff out because it just hit me. You know, or I'm in the grocery at the grocery store, I run out to my car and I'm like, you know, okay, this happened, and then this character does this, and blah blah blah. Uh and then they go home and and then they sit down, right, from 6 to 7 a.m. and and take it off the phone. But everybody has such a different uh method, like you said. So I think that's wonderful. You're obviously an intuitive, like when it hits you, you sit down and do it. And clearly it worked because the the book's out, it's great, and you're success successful working on the next one.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

Yeah, yeah. Um, I just love how creative God is, and I'm really careful being a teacher myself, to not give any kind of cookie cutter approach, but there is an approach that you were created to take. And so I don't, I I wouldn't say what I do is like haphazard, you know, it's very mindful that okay, I'm right now purposely getting refreshment so my cup is full and I can come back to my writing.

SPEAKER_01 16:40

Got it. You were a mute music educator for a while, right?

SPEAKER_00 16:45

Oh, I've been teaching, I was in the corporate world after college, and then yeah, I've had all kinds of things, and then I went more into the arts, and um but for the last decade, I um I didn't want as stressful a job, and I really like being in business for myself, and I decide what students I'm gonna work with, and um yeah, so but I've um competed in songwriting competitions nationally, and and and my song, my songwriting, it's a lot the same way as writing a book in that it's intuitive. So I would go, you know, I would go to the Gospel Music Association, they would have these conferences for um unpublished songwriters and artists, and um, and I would sit in those sessions and it would be the same kind of thing. It would be like there are different approaches to writing, not everybody's wired the same.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

Nice. All this time that you've spent in the arts with music in different capacities, um, that's incredibly creative. That's gotta be tapping that creative part of you, you know, on a regular basis. How has that helped um when you take all that creative and all those juices and you kind of pour them into the writing as opposed to music? Is it the same? Is it a little different? Um how's that work?

SPEAKER_00 18:10

It's similar. I will say the things I okay, there's things I like about both and things like what I like most about um writing songs is all the rhymes, and you know, it's not because I write lyrics too, and it's not um, you know, I I've been told what's interesting, okay. So I like I like the rhyme aspect of the lyrics, and I just it's so fun. I play piano, and so it's just fun with music. I I love music, but um, and it's so interesting because I I took one of those tests, you know, they say, uh not there are people that say everyone is intelligence, there's just different kinds of intelligence. And and I took a test and I thought music was going to be my top, but it was actually linguistic, you know, it's the words and then the music. And I always did well with my lyrics when I competed as well as my music. But anyway, when so when I'm writing music, I like that part of the lyrics, that challenge with the rhyme, and and that it doesn't always need to be exact, you know, um, an exact rhyme, a hard or a soft rhyme. You know, soft rhymes aren't exact. But when it comes to writing a book, I I don't have to like be so few with my words, you know. You have all this you want to say in a song, and you gotta, you know, bring it down. And yet that that ability to edit and cut things down is is so important in both. And so I still love doing both, um, but never got around to getting any music published. But you know, I've got a lot more years to live, and that may happen. My illustrated children's book that's coming out in this December, it's all around Christmas. I actually wrote it. This is gonna sound crazy, and I'm like, why did it happen this way? I wrote it as a musical first.

SPEAKER_01 20:30

Oh my goodness. Well, there's a connection.

SPEAKER_00 20:34

You have to get it performed. I didn't know. Wow, I was just having fun. I'm right writing this musical, and um because I had uh because I did some work for a time in musical theater, but anyway, but I mean we'll see if that ever gets published as a musical, but I've shrunk it down to a children's illustrated children's book for now. And they asked me, my publisher asked me why why did you shrink it down what or why why did you pick an illustrated children's book? You know, you could have I don't know, done different things with this, and I said, because I was picturing it on stage the whole time I was writing it, and the colors and the scenes and the and so it just made sense to me. I wanted to have like the scenes, like actually, you know. So wonderful.

SPEAKER_01 21:21

All right, I mean, I love this. And is it a faith-based children's book?

SPEAKER_00 21:25

Yeah, it's so fun. It's called The Colorful Christmas Kerfuffle, and it's yes, all right, it's Santa and the elves, but it's the prodigal son's story. Wow, and I won't give away what happens, but there's a lot of colors in it, Rory, because colors are a big part of how you know I enjoyed life. And um the main character, Natalie, she she's an elf that is tired of wearing just red and green. She wants a much more colorful. Wardrobe.

unknown 22:02

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 22:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 22:03

And um it ends up saying that's heart is broken by things that happen. But he decides because Jesus came at Christmas and gave the gift of forgiveness to him that he can pass that on to the elves.

SPEAKER_01 22:22

Oh wow. Okay. All right. I I'm already looking forward to seeing this. So I'm uh you have to let me know.

SPEAKER_00 22:29

I guess I gave the whole story away now. Uh-oh. Somebody else can write it now. I don't worry about that.

SPEAKER_01 22:36

It won't matter. That's right. You know, God's in control anyway. So don't worry about that. No, I uh you have to let me know when that comes out, though. Do you have an idea of when it's coming out or just before Christmas?

SPEAKER_00 22:46

Oh, believe me, we are on um because it's Christmas themes, so really like it's gonna have a window every year, you know, October, November, December, and then you know, and I already have the sequel written, but I don't want to release them both at the same Christmas.

SPEAKER_01 23:04

Right.

SPEAKER_00 23:05

Yeah, October. October. But um, yeah, I'll make sure to let you know.

SPEAKER_01 23:09

Yeah, well, I mean, first I'm gonna have you back on here to talk about it when it comes up, of course. But uh no, I'm collecting I'm collecting kids' books, um especially faith-based kid books for uh my grandkids because I have grandkids coming now. So I'm you know, we're trying to get these all built up for them. So yeah, so any of my authors who come on here who have kids' books, I'm immediately like, all right, we're buying those. We're putting them together.

SPEAKER_00 23:32

That's wonderful. I'm glad to know.

SPEAKER_01 23:34

Yeah, for sure. I love what you're doing. Um let's uh, you know, gratitude forgiveness. I mean, there's a lot of themes that kind of resonate through your books in your life. Uh let's go back to the book that's out now, The Gratitude Attack.

SPEAKER_02 23:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:47

Um tell everybody a little bit about the book. Okay. Uh just you know, kind of surface level. Uh don't give away the secret sauce or anything, but um, so that if they're looking at it, they have an idea of what to expect, you know, and and um and where to find it, that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_00 24:02

It's basically, you know, it can't it was written at a very, very difficult season in my life where if you would look at me, you would think she doesn't have what other people have to be grateful for. And so it's my how I discovered trying to be grateful, trying, striving to be grateful didn't work for me, and how just uh resting in God's love and going deeper in that naturally started producing gratitude without striving. And so the book is really a lot about the love of God and getting a strong, deep connection with that, and so it explores that, but then there's gratitude right connected with it.

SPEAKER_01 25:18

Wow, I love that description. That should be on the back of the book.

unknown 25:22

Good, good.

SPEAKER_01 25:23

That description should be on the back of the book. Okay, oh my goodness. Um when we write our books, uh, most of the time, the we are writing them to someone, we're writing them for someone. Uh who did you write this book to or for?

SPEAKER_00 25:41

Okay, so this is so interesting because my publisher all the time is like, know who your audience is. I gotta be honest. I was writing it for God. I he told me to write it, I wrote it. I guess I was more just thinking like if I was talking to a friend, which so what is interesting is you know what the marketing team said it was for women ages 30 to 65 or something. That's what my marketing team said. But the very interesting thing is last week I was interviewed on a podcast by a young man, maybe late 30s, loved the book, loved the book, and wants to recommend it to get this people that have missing person situations, families, friends that are missing persons, and he runs a ministry where they try to find missing persons because the police force is very limited in what they can do. He wants to work on my book to all these people, so that's not just women age 30 to 65.

SPEAKER_01 27:11

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 27:13

But that's how God can work at times that He knows in what I've written people that maybe the marketing team wouldn't normally consider. I don't know. I don't know. It it just it it was such a shock when he was like, you know, because he read the book, you know. Not everybody that you do podcasts with has time to read your book, but he read it and um and he and he's in his late 30s and he's a male, so right?

SPEAKER_01 27:51

Go figure.

SPEAKER_00 27:51

I mean but I do I do again, so because I'm intuitive, I want to go back to, I do again think that that's very wise advice. Who are you writing this to? And when they put it in that category just for women, I was like, well, someday I'd like to write something that men could appreciate too. And so in doing my book Joy Awakened, which is to come after gratitude attack, Joy Awakened. I'm into six chapters of that. I think I do have men in mind in that in in parts of it that I think more could connect with them. But we'll see what the marketing people say. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 28:44

Love it. I, you know, at first let me just applaud you because um you you answered the question the way I asked it, and you gave me the answer that I was actually asking you for, and that you you wrote it for God. Um because yeah, every author comes out and goes, Who's my target market? Well, who's my avatar? I have to know you know who this appeals to. But that's not always who's in here or in here, you know, in our minds and our hearts for the folks who can't see me making these motions. I should know better. I'm a podcaster, I have to explain myself here. Um but that's not always who we personally are writing to or for or about, you know. And so I really appreciate you being honest about that, and just saying, this is I was called by God to do this, and I said, All right, God, here it is. And that tells people a lot about where your heart is when you're writing it and where it comes from within you, which honestly just makes it makes people want to read it even more, I'm sure. So great answer.

SPEAKER_00 29:45

Yeah, it's sort of like you know, if if um you know, my best friend, if I if I was gonna write something describing my relationship with my best friend, and and then my best friend would read it and be so blessed, like, oh, that's how you would explain it, you know. That's how it was for God. It was just like this is fun, like describing how we connect.

SPEAKER_01 30:17

Wonderful. That's wonderful. The um now, having written this book, uh, you know, you are a published author, and uh you mentioned you you work with a hybrid publisher.

SPEAKER_02 30:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:27

Um now there's there's I guess there's kind of three categories of publisher, and that it's traditional publisher, hybrid publisher, and and self-publishing. But even within all those categories, there's like 7,000 different offshoots.

SPEAKER_00 30:39

I know it's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 30:40

It's a little a little nuts. Um for the authors out there who are in that process. Um, how did you decide? You know, how am I going to publish? Uh, who am I gonna use? And which of these different choices am I gonna, you know, take up?

SPEAKER_00 30:54

Mm-hmm. Well, that was another God thing because I'm sensing a theme.

SPEAKER_01 31:01

This is awesome. Yeah, yeah, you got that.

SPEAKER_00 31:03

Um so it was January 2025 that I went to this next level conference and where I was like, you're writing a book, what book? Gratitude Attack. Okay. But in October of 2024, this is so cool. So I do post a lot of nature photos of flowers, not just flowers, I do mountains and sunsets and all that, but on Facebook and Instagram, and there was this lady that uh private messaged me. Somehow she had friended me, you know, and um private messaged me and was like, I just love how you celebrate flowers and how you, you know, connect them with God. And she was like, I would love to meet you. And um she basically scheduled a time. She lives like an hour and a half north of me in Arizona, and she said, I come down that way to where you live periodically, you know, to do certain things. And she's and we she planted time. She took me out to dinner at Cheesecake Factory, and she was telling me about this hybrid publisher that she was getting coaching from that she eventually wanted to write a book. But she was like, You really the way you write, I know you should write a book. She gave me the card of the publisher. And when she told me what some of the costs are, I was like, Oh, okay. I got in my card and I'm like, I'll never do that.

unknown 32:50

Right.

SPEAKER_00 32:52

But I kept the card.

SPEAKER_01 32:54

Good for you. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 32:56

I kept the card. And I am somebody, I I say I have a learning disability when it comes with technology. Okay. Like, I am so, it's such a stretch for me. And I knew several people that are like, oh, you can just, you know, download this software and blah, blah. And I'm like, no, you don't understand. Like, for me, that would be a nightmare. And long story short, because it was so clear that God said you're gonna write a book, um, and I was like, well, should I, you know, try to do the technical stuff, God? Are you gonna show me? But then he reminded me of that card I had. And um I actually was so sure I got a free consultation with them. I was so sure I wanted to work with them. I didn't have all the money to do it when I started. And um, they won't publish it until it's all paid. I'm sure after I stopped, well, I got like a huge tax return. It was like hallelujah. And then, right? And then um, I got like a couple more customers. I I don't advertise for my piano and songwriting teaching, it's just word of mouth. I got a couple more customers that totally made what the payment was gonna be, and and so the whole thing God provided the money for.

SPEAKER_02 34:27

Wow. I mean, wow.

SPEAKER_00 34:29

Now that's not the case with the children's book, okay? Like he's not gonna work that way every time. I was sort of hoping it would be that way. Yeah, yeah, stretching me more, but I gotcha.

SPEAKER_01 34:42

Oh my gosh. That's that's just all right, that's awesome. I I I appreciate it. I really do. I appreciate the the truthfulness in the story. Um, you know, everybody has to go through a lot of these things. Uh we've talked about some really cool things today in terms of um, you know, the process for writing, uh, how you choose your publisher, uh, the whole nine yards. As you look at this next book, is there anything about how you did the first book that you're changing for the next book? Or are you gonna basically maintain pretty much uh all of those things that you put into place, your method, your uh your style, you know, that sort of thing, the process, and still do it for the next book? Or is there something that's sort of you know uh being upgraded or changed or cut out? Uh what's the learning what's the what's the growth process like between the two books?

SPEAKER_00 35:33

Oh, it's you know, one once you do one, then I I did shop around and look at some other hybrid publishers, and um I there's just so much I appreciate about my publisher um that I've decided I'm gonna stay with them. But I did shop around and I've looked at um how to approach, you know, even just what you learn when when you have a contract. And I mean I had been in the corporate world in my after college for like a decade, and so contracts aren't intimidating to me, but um there were things in the contract, like uh when I encountered um, you know, because there's things, even when you work with the hybrid publisher publisher, it's like you're you're passing the ball back and forth. They're doing something, then you then it's your part, you pass it back. And um when we got to something that was gonna require some more technical expertise of me that I didn't have, and someone just uh let's just say I don't think they were having the best day, and they're like, Well, everybody understands that, like, you know, it felt like very like oh, um, and then after I, you know, got over the humiliation, came back and was like, you know, I'm paying for this, and I'm paying for help. And long story short, they got me some somebody on staff that could spend a little extra time with me to do what needed to be done. And then so when I recontracted, when not re when I did my next contract for the children's book, I made sure there was a section in the contract that would include that. And um, you know, so so you know, as in any contract, I think it's really important to read everything and try to understand what you're actually getting for your money. And um, you know, like so because I have a sequel now for the children's book, I want to work with the same illustrator for the sequel. And and I'm expecting that will save money because the main characters are already developed, you know, we're gonna have some things already made, you know. It's the same for my um Joy Awakened book that's coming after gratitude attack. Uh, the same person's gonna design the cover, you know. So for that reason, I I like staying because their level of excellence in certain things was just so good that I want that, and I don't want to try to cut corners and save a few pennies and not get as good of a final product.

SPEAKER_01 38:44

Love that. Great way to look at it. I mean, a nice overview sort of way of looking at the entire process. So um I'm sure that people will be able to learn from that as well. I I appreciate you sharing all this stuff and kind of like diving deep into the process like this. Um as we kind of you know wrap this down and and land the plane, like you and I were talking about earlier, which I'm telling you, I'm stealing that from you. Um let everybody know how they can find out more about you, especially on social media and that type of thing. It sounds like you're pretty active there. And uh, you know, where to find the book and so on.

SPEAKER_00 39:15

Yes. Well, the best place um is my website. It's authorwendybauer.com. And on there, it has links to where you can buy my book. I am on social media, I have a weekly presence. Um, because I have so many books I'm working on. I'm not on social media necessarily every day anymore. I used to be, but I I have a weekly presence for sure on Facebook. Um, it's just Wendy Bauer, B-O-W-E-R in Arizona and um Instagram, same thing. Um, there's a lot of Wendy Bowers, but um Arizona helps.

SPEAKER_01 39:53

Got it. Okay, perfect. Um Wendy, I again I appreciate you so much. And um I just want to ask you the question I usually like to ask with, and I'm kind of excited about asking this question, to be honest.

unknown 40:06

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 40:06

Um, there's so many people who listen to our podcast that are authors, but are also aspiring authors. And they're listening to you right now, they're inspired by what they're hearing, they're hoping that they can get to this level one day. What's the best piece of advice you can give to authors who are not quite where you are yet?

SPEAKER_00 40:26

Don't cut corners. Don't rush to just get a book out there out of your excitement. Um, I have several friends that did that. They thought they didn't need an editor. They thought, hey, I can design a book cover, that's great. And what I like about working with my publisher is they do um examples where they'll show you book covers and they'll say, let's take a I don't know, what's the one of the big name publishing houses that you know? Yeah, let's take a penguin book now. Put yours next to it. Is it gonna be obvious? Oh, that's not a penguin book. And what I love about Gratitude Attack and and and who I'm working with, first of all, they they they won't just publish a manuscript. Beware. There's a lot of people that just want to take your money, even under a Christian name. So you can't be naive when you do your research, when you decide. Um, if you're gonna do it on your own and just you know, put it on Amazon or whatever, use their thing. Um make sure you really understand what goes into, like if you really want the book to uh sell, and I'm not saying we write to sell, none of us are doing this to get rich, but you know, but if you want the message, you want the message to get out, you know, like so make sure you understand some of that. My publisher provides that for me. They provide all this, you know, this that's why I'm podcasting now. Um, my friends that I knew that, you know, they threw it together uh with the a little package and they put it on Amazon. No one told them, you know, you need to get out and you need to be podcasting, you need to, you know. So, you know, some people can just once they get they have their manuscript, they're like, okay, you know, but just really make sure what quality level do you want? I love the high standard that my publisher has and that they will turn you away. Well, but they don't just turn you away, they'll say, hey, we have these coaching services here, it'll cost you something. But I have a friend whose book is about to come out um in a couple months. And they at first, when they read her manuscript, they were like, We see your writing gift, it needs some development. And that was very humbling for her. She was almost like, screw them, I'm just gonna go do this myself. Seriously. That's what, and I told her, like, I appreciated her humility so much because she said at first she was ticked off, and she's like, A lot of people have told me I'm a good writer, and who are they to tell me? And it's like, they're professionals.

SPEAKER_01 43:40

That's who they are, right?

SPEAKER_00 43:42

They're professionals. So, anyway, you know, make sure you're in a humble place. Make sure what is that final standard you want with your name as an author on a book, and you know, even

SPEAKER_01 44:00

like book covers they there's so much that you they can be dated they can oh you you don't want your book looking like it's back from the 70s you know like right you know you might have grown up in the 70s and and so something from the 70s is in you well if your book's about the 70s maybe but you know so you know what i'm saying i too so there's just a lot there's a lot about it but if you are a christian and you're uh sincerely wanting uh to uh be a good steward of the talents god has given you and this unique message that only you could write because of how fearfully and wonderfully he made you and you pray and you ask him for direction he sent that woman to me that you know with that business card for my publisher he you know like and I at that point I wasn't even I was just thinking I I wasn't ever gonna write a book and he like stirred it back up you know so if you if you are wanting to be a good steward I had the most wonderful time with the Lord at the end of 2025 where I felt like he was saying well done you know and I just cried tears of joy because it was like man I was really stretched doing that God you really stretched me especially with the technology and um it's worth it to go about it that way and then get his well done there's nothing better it doesn't matter how many copies sell if he's happy with me man I'm gonna keep writing and you know that's what it's about utterly wonderful advice just fantastic I I I love it oh my goodness all right I need to create more podcasts so I can have you back on some other other ones hey yeah well you're a great host and so you know invite me thank you so much all right um folks uh author of Gratitude Tech Wendy Bauer Wendy thank you for being here today for sharing everything that you did with everybody and just for for being you and and putting out uh you know your faith and your hope and everything into the world I I know someone's gonna hear this and be better for it. So thank you for being here on the podcast today.

SPEAKER_00 46:27

Oh you're welcome it's an honor.

unknown 46:29

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 46:30

Folks that's been another just absolutely wonderful episode of the Right Path podcast where the truth still matters and words still have power. This is the place for authors who know that every page is a step forward and it's a step forward towards finding the right path. Until next time