Can you believe it’s already 2026?
A new year often makes us pause and look ahead. The calendar flips, and suddenly it feels like everyone is making resolutions—promising to fix, change, improve, or finally get something right. We’re tempted to look back at who we were last year or sideways at other people to judge how we’re doing.
But our lives aren’t meant to be judged by comparison with the world. They are meant to be shaped by Christ. Jesus is the standard we look to. And sometimes what we consider to be “improvement” looks different in Christ’s eyes. He is not measuring quick change, but the slow work of obedience, faith, and trust taking root in us.
When we measure our lives against Him, the question shifts from Am I doing better than before? to Am I walking in step with Him today? Do I look more like Christ today than I did yesterday?
In God’s kindness, we don’t have to figure everything out on our own. God isn’t dangling His plans for us just out of reach. He’s already made it clear. The call hasn’t changed with the calendar.
“He has shown you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justly, and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God?”
—Micah 6:8
This year doesn’t need a perfect plan. It just needs faithfulness in the next right thing. God isn’t waiting at the finish line with a checklist. He’s walking beside us, step for step, already present in the days we haven’t reached yet.
As this year unfolds, my prayer is that we seek the Lord and trust that He is already at work in us “both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” May we be like Paul…
A Little Writing Update
· I’ll be signing copies of Whispers of Kith and Kin at The Kentucky Bookstore, 126 S Main St, Lawrenceburg, on February 28 from 11:00-2:00. This bookstore is a Kentucky treasure, and I hope to see you there! (Note: this is a date change from the previous newsletter.)
· I’m deep into finishing the first draft of the next book in the Whispers series, Whispers of the Blessed. I’ve been working on this story for about a year now, and it’s roughly ninety percent complete. This story has all the ingredients for chaos—a blizzard, snowbound guests, a curse of all things, and finally…murder.
· I’ll be starting work soon with Emilie Fuhr, who will be creating the interior illustrations for Chaney Bridges and the Christmas Cold Case. I’m beyond excited that she will be working with me on this project.
A Christmas Novella … Last month, I shared a free copy of Chaney Bridges and the Christmas Cold Case, exclusively offered as a thank-you to my newsletter subscribers. This story is full of fun, faith, and fur! My plan, Lord willing, is to publish this in the middle grade market in late 2026.
A Note on Ratings & Reviews
If you’ve read Whispers of Kith and Kin, one of the most helpful things you can do is leave a quick review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews are how books keep moving forward after launch day. When a book receives steady feedback, it’s more likely to appear in search results, “also bought” lists, and recommendations. When you mark a book as “read” or “want to read” on Goodreads, your friends see what you’re reading and curiosity is sparked.
For an independent author, that visibility matters more than ads ever could.
And it doesn’t require anything elaborate. A single line like “I liked it!” is enough.
Thank you for reading, for supporting my stories, and for walking alongside me as these chapters unfold. I’m looking forward to all that lies ahead, one faithful step at a time…until He calls us home.
~~ Kaye
