God’s Mysterious Ways: The Colleen L. Reece Story

Colleen L. Reece: Author of 160+ published books, 6 million copies sold.

 Kindle Giveaway June 23 - July 4: Make a comment and you may be a winner for one of her three E-books below!

Cancer surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation in 2013 at age 77 drastically changed my 40+ year writing career. God brought me through and I became the “miracle patient.” Yet the long road back left me unable to write new books or teach. To help replace income, God led me to a publisher who reprinted many of my out-of-print books. I began scanning books no longer in my computer for a Cherished Romances Historical series (Winged Publications).

Computer Problems lead to surprises

Scanning in order to edit was slow but better than retyping, until my OCR (Optimum Character Recognition) stopped working. Romans 8:28 promises that all things work together for those who love God, but how could stopping Christian books in progress be good? I couldn’t fix the problem; grounded by COV-19, I didn’t dare bring in a repair person.

Discouraged, I dug in my dormant file and struck gold. My co-author niece Julie Reece-DeMarco and I had earlier drafted an inspirational, nonfiction title. Now our Winged editor wanted short, encouraging books about over-comers. She quickly approved Doorways and Windowsills: Finding Sunlight After Storms, which advises, don’t stare at closed doors. Search for open windows.

 My OCR still didn’t work. Then my across-the-street neighbor opened a window by commenting, “Your best book is that one.” He pointed to my front yard. Walking with the Master, stories of God’s miraculous working in my life, included his putting out a 4th of July fireworks blaze, and my discovering his name was Marc Angel! I had made a collection for family and friends at the local print shop and giving them out at Christmas.

Aha! “Lord, if he likes it that much, why haven’t I offered it to my editor?” I did. It is now blessing many.

God still wasn’t through sending “interim” projects.

Guardian Angel Press, who had done many children’s books for me, fell victim to COV-19 after fifteen successful years. Books 6 and 7 of Colleen Reece Chapbooks would not be published. I grieved, then looked for a window. Laura Ingalls Wilder, beloved author of the Little House books, said, “If I had a remembrance book, I'd write about . . . Pa and Mr. Hanson and how they walked and looked and talked and how we wondered what they said.”

What if I combined Book 6 and its sequel into a two-story book? A quick go-ahead from my Winged editor and The Remembrance Book became reality.

an invitation

Join Carol (Colleen) and her family on a 3500- mile Vagabond Summer driving trip. Encounter car trouble, a bear, two parades, a prairie dog town, lions roaring in the night, and much more.

See how Wishbooks and Promises brighten the family’s lives, along with their wonderful lamp, a mysterious friend for Carol, an uncle’s desperate prayer, and Carol’s daring plan to get a bicycle when her parents cannot afford to buy her one.

These chapters show God’s loving care and can be used for bed-time reading or as part of family devotions.

Sequel to the story

1. If the OCR had not stopped working, these books would not have been written, at least not now, when readers are desperately looking for hope.

2. The day after I finished the three nonfiction titles, I fiddled with the OCR for the gazillionth time. It worked.

What’s next? More scanning? Not yet. After seven years of being unable to write new Christian fiction, He has restored my strength! I am working on a long-delayed, much-requested series finale. I thank, praise, and give Him the glory.

JULI SCOTT, SUPER SLEUTH, IS BACK WITH A BRAND-NEW MYSTERY! Bellingham, Washington's answer to Nancy Drew, and her mystery-solving friends from the Mysterious Monday through Saturday Scare series, return to confront Sunday Suspicion, their most baffling case. Available late July-early August.

Colleen's Blog: https://colleenreece.blogspot.com

Colleen’s Author Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/Colleen-L.-Reece/e/B001H9PAYY