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Book releases and ovens that won’t come clean

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Listen.

I don’t even know what to say about how y’all have supported Everyday Holy. It means the world to Richard and me. I mean, look what you made happen.

I posted that picture on Instagram along with this caption about Richard wanting to rename the devotional book Richard Calling since Jesus Calling is pretty much the bestselling devotional book of all time.

And then look what happened next.

The Jesus Calling folks are totally supporting Richard and his quest for a book deal. My heart couldn’t be more full. There will be no living with Richard from here on out. I’m concerned that he and Mabel may team up for a book deal and totally cut me out of the equation. As it is, I see Mabel taking notes behind my back all the time. I suspect she’s compiling information for her eventual tell-all.

But in all seriousness, I am so grateful for your support. I’ve mentioned several times that Everyday Holy was so hard for me to write and some of that was because of all the pressure I was feeling about the fall release of Church of the Small Things.

(I’m about to share a little behind the scenes of how the book sausage gets made so feel free to either keep reading or just click away if you prefer to believe that books just magically go out into the world carried on the wings of songbirds and fairies.)

First, let me say that I love Church of the Small Things. It was the book that God put on my heart and in my head and it’s a message that I believe in so much. It’s actually my personal favorite of all my books. But the thing about having your fourth book published is that it comes with a lot of expectations and goals for it to surpass your previous books. I was essentially a dancing monkey trying to make sure that I wrote every article and was a guest on every podcast and basically did anything and everything I could to make sure it would be a success. And I want to clarify that this was pressure I was putting on myself more than anything. I am a people pleaser by nature and I wanted everyone to be SO HAPPY.

Here’s the thing, Church of the Small Things has done well. It just hasn’t necessarily sold over and above what my previous books have sold. It hasn’t set the world on fire. No one is offering to turn it into a movie and Reese Witherspoon still hasn’t called me. (Although if I’m picking, I’ve always thought Sandra Bullock should play me in my life story because she confirmed she can do a good Texas accent in Hope Floats) And I’m totally fine with that. In fact, it’s been a good lesson to me that where I belong – where I live my life – is truly in the small things. That was the whole point of that book from the beginning. It’s just that behind the scenes of it all it started to feel messy and I lost the joy of what it means to get to write books because it felt like it was under a microscope. It was the book that broke me. I forgot that all of this was a dream I didn’t even dare speak out loud just six or seven years ago.

All of this say, I approached the release of Everyday Holy with zero expectations. I basically said no to everything I was asked to do. It was all part of my YEAR OF NO. And I felt great about it. God has absolutely used the last six months of my life to bring my focus back to what really matters and to not worry about the rest. You know what matters to me right now? Soccer games, track meets, dinner with my people, wine time with my girlfriends, and sitting out on the back porch on a pretty day. The end.

So it’s been a fun couple of days because everyone has been so great about Everyday Holy and welcomed Richard with open arms. I’ve already gotten so many kind messages about the first couple of devotions and how they have spoken to you or encouraged you in some way. And that’s what this is all about for me…letting God use whatever meager little offering I have to help someone in some way.

Thank you for that.

And since so many of you have asked, Heather Gauthier doesn’t have a print of Richard’s Third Espresso available at the moment, but she is working on it and we’ll let you know just as soon as it’s ready for purchase.

Also, for those of you who pre-ordered the book, your free matching journals will ship separately from my publisher in the next week to two weeks.

Finally, I shared on Instagram that book release day is always super glamorous for me. This time I managed to do three loads of laundry by 9:00 am. and then I almost hesitate to tell you what I did next for fear the envy will overtake you.

I cleaned my ovens.

We had an Easter brunch tragedy over here that involved a french toast casserole that boiled over onto the bottom of both my ovens. The whole house filled with smoke as I inadvertently created burnt caramel inside my ovens. Nothing says gracious hostess like not being able to see your brunch guests through all the haze.

Then I did what I always do in these situations which is forget all about it after the smoke clears. So when I went to make baked ravioli for dinner on Monday night, all of that burnt caramel concoction on the bottom of the ovens heated up and smoked up the house all over again. It’s moments like these when P is so glad he married me.

And so I vowed AS GOD IS MY WITNESS that I would clean the ovens the very next day, which happened to be book release day. I used a Pinterest solution I read about that involves baking soda and vinegar.

Sadly, this is the after picture.

So if any of you have any great ideas about how to get baked on grease off an oven door and burnt heaven even knows what off the bottom of an oven, I’d be so appreciative. I mean, I probably won’t actually clean it again anytime soon but it will give me something to do the next time I have a book release.

Once again, I’m sorry to make life the life of an author seem so extravagant and over the top. All I can say is don’t hate the player, hate the game.

And somewhere right now Caroline just felt embarrassed and doesn’t even know why.

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  1. Ha! Randy is going to be so excited that track meets made the cut for the things that matter. We all know that good gas station creamer is what matters to him ??

    • Apparently emojis don’t show up in comments! Lol!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for the laughs this morning! Love love love your books- so excited to start on the devotional!

  3. Oven cleaning- does yours have the self cleaning feature? If so, use that feature and leave the house for a few hours while it works it’s magic ( because the stink..). You should be able to wipe off the funk with a damp cloth afterwards. Might not work perfectly, but better than scrubbing and sticking your head in an oven. Unless of course, that’s your thing.
    Good luck!

  4. I so so love your honestly and humor! I am in love with Richard and of course Everyday Holy. Thank you for sharing yourself, glamour and all!

  5. Loved the devotional after reading two entries that I immediately purchased one for a friend as a bday gift.

    As for ovens. I hate cleaning mine. I can’t use the self cleaning function because the one time I used it, it broke my oven. Not cool.

    So when I saw that Norwex had an oven cleaner, I tried it. And it works so much better than the smelly stuff from any store. It’s easy to use.

    And no I don’t even sell Norwex! Just like the oven products. I borrowed someone’s cleaner to try before purchasing. It’s not cheap like what you can get at Target or somewhere but it doesn’t smell like you are inhaling death.

    Good luck.

    Thanks for making me laugh and think.

    • I second the Norwex oven cleaner. Sooooo good!!! I don’t sell either, but am a firm believer in all their products. I don’t use anything else when cleaning my house now.

  6. I love how you write .. so real. I know that you’ve heard this before, but your writing makes so many of us feel like we know you, and wish we were your friend in real life!! Congratulations on your new devotional! I have every one of your other books and have loved them all. Currently listening to your podcast from the beginning on my drives back and forth to work. I was laughing out loud at something yesterday and looked over to see someone staring at me. Oh well!! Thank you for all the time you put into your books and your podcasts and blogs .. you bring happiness to so many of us!! Thank you for taking the time to write, and keep enjoying your live every day!

  7. Melanie – You MUST get yourself those liners that go in the bottom of your oven. If you have an oven spill, you can pull the mat out of the oven and the nasty burnt caramel stuff will wipe off the liner with a damp paper towel. I promise! Truly lifesavers. Here’s a link:

    https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Large-Non-Stick-Oven-Liners/dp/B071FH8432/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1523536783&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=oven+liners+for+bottom+of+oven&psc=1

    Now I need to locate a copy of your new book. Love Richard!

    Adrienne

    • Melanie, I must second Adrienne about the oven liners, they are a gift from heaven! My 83 year old neighbor needed some, but doesn’t know the internet too well. I told her I would find some and ordered myself a liner at the same time I ordered hers and never looked back.

  8. I love how you write .. so real. I know that you’ve heard this before, but your writing makes so many of us feel like we know you, and wish we were your friend in real life!! Congratulations on your new devotional! I have every one of your other books and have loved them all. Currently listening to your podcast from the beginning on my drives back and forth to work. I was laughing out loud at something yesterday and looked over to see someone staring at me. (My mama is the best mama…). Thank you for all the time you put into your books and your podcasts and blogs .. you bring happiness to so many of us!! Thank you for taking the time to write, and keep enjoying your life every day!

  9. LOL to “somewhere right now Caroline is embarrassed and doesn’t know why!!” I loved the behind the scenes info, and it is so fascinating how a book for everyone else about enjoying the small things actually in fact brought YOU back to enjoying the small things?! God is very funny like that, right?!! Wishing you so much success on this book but most importantly so much peace and joy at it being out and done. 🙂

  10. You are so dear to me, Melanie! I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you are just real, real, real. Love it. And my oven looks slightly worse than yours so I’ll be anxiously awaiting the comments that promise a sparkling clean oven with little to no effort!

    And I will absolutely buy a small print of Richard! I have a spot in the kitchen I can’t wait to put him.

  12. Oh, you’re killing me! I love your sense of humor and wit! I loved Church of the Small Things. As I was reading, my head was bobbing up and down because I could relate to so much of what you had written. You made me laugh and cry! It was wonderful! Keep doing what you do! And I have no idea how to clean an oven. You would believe me if you could see mine. Yuck.

  13. Church of the Small Things was my absolute favorite of your books. I think it has a message that is so NEEDED right now. I just got my copy of Everyday Holy, and I’m looking forward to continuing to keep my eyes in the daily and the mundane. Thank you for sharing yourself with us in your writing ?

    • Not sure why there’s a question mark at the end, but we can’t all be professional writers ??????

  14. Call me old fashioned, but I still use the heavy duty aluminum foil to line the bottom of my ovens for those pesky spills.

  15. Oh how I love your blog, podcasts and books. Love your voice and laugh! I feel like you are truly my soulmate!! I love the devotionals I’ve done the last 2 days! Look forward to my morning quiet time even more. What will I do after 100 days????

  16. Mabel and Richard’s book HAS to include Haikus. I think that as far as the book game is concerned, you are doing amazing. Much love and many hugs!!!! I absolutely love you and am here for all of it. The thing I appreciate most about your writing is your voice. Both in writing, and on audio book. So your writers voice, and your literal voice. I’m here for all of it. Wishing you blessings as Everyday Holy takes root in our hearts, as it obviously has in yours. 🙂

  17. I absolutely LOVED Church of the Small Things. I even did the online Bible study & loved it too. It BLESSED ME as I’m sure it did everyone who read it!! #keepdoingyourthing

  18. I love all of your books, but I think that the Everyday Holy devotional book is my favorite. Your Day 4 message spoke to me as I am going through what could only be described as a rough patch at work similar to the one you mention. And, really, being able to pick up your book and just read a page or two is helping a lot. I will be forever grateful. You are a beautiful writer and I love the way that you know yourself and are finding your own way through the journey. All the best and thanks again!

  19. You need some Norwex cleaning paste and spirisponges for your ovens. I prefer the cleaning paste over the oven and grill cleaner because it is so versatile.
    I am a consultant in Sugar Land, Tx and would be happy to help you. You could also find a local consultant and see if they could give you a little demo or let you borrow some stuff to try it out for yourself.
    Good luck and happy cleaning.

  20. I haven’t ordered your new devotional book yet (sorry Richard!), but I absolutely loved Church of the Small Things. It really spoke to my heart! Thanks for writing 🙂

  22. Thank you so much for writing about how to make the ‘book sausage’. For the last couple of years I wanted so bad to be a published author like you and get to speak at Texas A&M as their featured speaker. (This is a dream of mine being a former student and you did it!) I since have self published two books and about to publish my next middle grade fiction book this summer.

    I was blown away at the book launch release team that I was a part of for Church of Small Things… and secretly dream of creating my own launch team for this next release. But for now I’m writing away here in my laundry room and loving your honesty for how hard writing and publishing can be… Thanks again for the inspiration!