Here I Write
I can do no other.
My conscience is held captive by the Word of God, the good of my neighbor, and the Oxford comma.
“Aristotle says that the aim of education is to make the pupil like and dislike what he ought.”
— C. S. Lewis in The Abolition of Man
About that new book …
It has been a wordy winter and spring, thus far.
I did a little calculating, and since January 1, I have written 10 presentations, 27 lectures, 2 commissioned hymn texts, 2 chapters of a new book, 1 radio theatre script, and countless emails. I also completed editing on one full fiction manuscript. (Yes, that’s right! Book 3 in The Creed series is typeset and ready to go to the printers. Wait till you see Jesse Cordes’ cover! The book should be available through Kloria Publishing sometime this summer, Lord willing. + SDG + )
These personal stats are less of a flex and more of a demonstration to my writing students that this is simply what we do … we write and we write and we write, often many different things at the same time. And we are blessed by God to do so.
Another blessing from God is a book contract from Concordia Publishing House for a second volume of Pew Sisters. I am happy to be taking a bit of a breather from writing fiction this summer in order to gather and transcribe more stories of God’s faithfulness to His people amidst various trials and tribulations. As you already know, I find great value in creating books that help facilitate conversations between Christians on how better to care for each other in the church, and I pray this second volume of Pew Sisters will prove beneficial to all of you pew sisters out there wanting more content for your discussion groups.
I hope to complete writing on this project by late summer, and then CPH plans to release the book in early summer of 2027, Deo volente.
Q & A …
Q: As a new author, is it necessary for me to have a website and a newsletter?
A: Yes, it is important for you to have a professional website, primarily so that you have a publicly accessible place — a landing site, of sorts — to which you can direct everyone you meet, a place that gives readers (and publishers!) information about you, your books, how to order your books, how to contact you, etc.
Think of a professional website as a modern-day business card. Or an online library of information that people can visit at any time to check out information on you, your products, and your services.
If you don’t have such a website, then every person who keys your name into a search engine will never find such a landing page — and that would be a tragedy.
Regarding whether or not to offer a newsletter to your readership, my humble opinion is that building a subscription list is the single most powerful marketable action you can perform as an author. Why, especially when it is so much easier to build a large following on social media?
Because on social media, you are competing with a million other authors and ads for the (short!) attention span of your reader. But with a newsletter, your reader is inviting you directly into his inbox and asking you to stay awhile. With a newsletter, you have your reader’s sole attention, and you can reward him thusly. You can build a more meaningful, longer-lasting relationship between the two of you.
And this is when we pause our usual programming to issue a heartfelt “Thank you!” from our sponsor:
Thank you, dear reader, for inviting me into your inbox month after month. I do not take the honor of your hospitality lightly, and I pray you are blessed by the content given freely in this newsletter, even as I am blessed by your reading it. xo
Poetry and music …
I love writing books, but the musician in me thrills to write formal poetry. Thank you to my composer, the Rev. Dr. Jon Vieker, for setting two of my sacred poems to music, turning them into hymns which everyone in the pew can delight to sing. You can listen to the new hymns here.
On the road …
Thank you to the saints at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri; Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana; Camp CILCA near Cantrall, Illinois; and Wittenberg Academy online for inviting me into your classrooms and retreat centers to talk about words, music, the cross of barrenness, and the blessing of reading and writing books.
If you would like to join me this Saturday at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Washington, Missouri, you can sign up for their annual women’s retreat here.
On the air …
Thank you to KFUO for always celebrating the Lutheran arts, most recently by highlighting the annual Prevallet Hymn Workshop as well as the hymn texts of my friend and colleague, Dr. Lisa M Clark, and me. You can listen to the programs at the links below:
“Prevallet Hymn Workshop & Festival: Celebrating Women Hymn Writers” on KFUO’s The Coffee Hour
“Hymnastics 2026: Katie & Lisa Go for Gold!” on The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge
“Write This: Common Meter, Uncommon Occasion” on The Lutheran Ladies’ Lounge
Katie Schuermann is a baptized child of God, pastor’s wife, and author of The Saints of Whistle Grove; The Creed series, including The Big Father and His Little Boy and The Beloved Son and His Brother; the acclaimed Anthems of Zion fiction series, House of Living Stones, The Choir Immortal, and The Harvest Raise; and nonfiction favorites such as He Remembers the Barren, He Restores My Soul, and Pew Sisters. When not writing, Katie can be found making music, reading, cooking, gardening, holding babies, or trying to climb the nearest tree.
+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +
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Here I Write, Issue 40
Copyright © 2026 Katie Schuermann, All rights reserved.
Katie Schuermann 