Ryanne Molinari

First of all, if you got the reference from this post’s title, let’s be friends; we clearly went to junior high in the same era.

Alright, moving on.

Last month, I received some long-awaited and long-prayed-for news. When I opened the fateful email, I ran screaming across the house to tell Billy.

“Crsweryawfurrmuncnterct!!!”

He thought we were under attack until I could more articulately repeat myself: “Crossway offered me a contract.”

When I calmed down and finished telling my husband the details, one of my first thoughts was, “I have to tell Madeleine and Lucy!”

But then I remembered…Madeleine is dead. So is Lucy.

And neither of them have (or had) any clue who I am anyway.

I’m talking, of course, about Madeleine L’Engle and Lucy Maude Montgomery, perhaps the two authors who have had the most profound impact on me, not necessarily on my writing but on my morale throughout the writing process.

Madeleine’s (yes, I am pretending we’re on a first name basis) book, Walking on Water is a forever favorite. Likewise, I’ve wrung dry Montgomery’s (we aren’t quite on a first-name basis) brief memoir, The Alpine Path, for insights into the writing life. Especially throughout the past two years, these formidable women—these “indefatigable” and “unsquelchable” scribblers—have been on my shelves and by my side, beckoning me onward.

I wish I could tell them how they have emboldened me through many months of waiting. But, alas, my dearest author friends are dead and the best I can do is recommend their work and wisdom to you. Both Walking on Water and The Alpine Path could be read in an afternoon, but I hope you will savor these books for years to come.

As for me, I have not summited the “Alpine Path” of a literary career, but I am going to savor this little overlook for the next year as I throw myself into my manuscript.