Bella is One Month Old!

Let’s celebrate with a surprise! Bella’s Beautiful Miracle electronic version is in full color!

Yep, click here to check it out and see for yourself! Bella and her friends are illustrated beautifully in full color, as this was my original vision for the work. I noted previously that my publishing journey was often a roller coaster ride, which proved true until the end. I had a wonderful experience with my publisher and the design team, they did Bella justice, and I couldn’t wait to present her to the world in living color. However, God had other plans, and it wasn’t until several weeks later that it made complete sense to me.

All the many hours and days spent designing the scenes, right down to how much sparkle was on Bella’s cheeks, were my vision. I had an attachment to every decision made concerning the 18 designs. They were perfect because I knew Bella’s story inside and out. I used specific colors to capture her and her friends’ emotions. I didn’t and couldn’t see it any other way.

That was until I learned of the price my readers would pay for a product done with full-color printing. The book price would have far exceeded what I thought was reasonable to ask my readers to pay. More importantly, was the fact that my goal and mission through this work is to share the love of Jesus. I feared a high price item would impede what I set out to do.

Finally, a decision to publish with black and white illustrations seemed most reasonable. The good news was that as I reviewed each one, I realized they were just as beautiful. Also, an agreement was made to publish the electronic version in color. A colorful version would be such a treat to those who opted to read Bella electronically.

Today marks the one-month anniversary of Bella’s Release date, and God has blessed me with the gift of clarity and purpose. As I mentioned, all the colors and decisions behind each one were all mine. Today, I believe that God wants you, as the reader, to color Bella and her friends beautifully. We are all unique, carrying with us our reasons for how we see color. Perhaps, what I view as “Friendly Yellow” someone else sees as too bright. I could go on and on with examples, but I think I’ve gotten to the point.

All of this leads me to some exciting news. I have created a coloring/activity book to relate to Bella’s story. I will post updates as I have them in my hands! In the meantime, I’m adding a PDF treat for you to get a head start on deciding how you envision Bella and her colors.

As we walk in God’s light daily, we will see the world in the colors God intends. There may be a reason I see the sky as a soft blue, and someone else describes it as smokey blue. Colors bring out emotions, memories, and matters of the heart. So, the next time you open a box of crayons, take a moment and have a prayerful chat with God sharing how each color makes you feel. Perhaps colors in your life will take on an entirely new meaning.