Nancy Golden's Blog

I have waited to post because observing the posts/comments on social media has been so painful. My heart is hurting so much for our world and for the people who are grieving, regardless of where they stand politically. It is also hurting for the hateful comments being spewed out.

Romans 12:15 We are called to share each other’s sorrows and demonstrate Christ’s love to our hurting and broken world. Please join me in setting aside our disagreements and mourn with all who grieve; a response that should spring forth from us for every tragedy, on either side of the aisle.

Yes, some people can point out, “But that is not the response we received when we were grieving.” And I am truly sorry that happened. I grieve for you. But as my Daddy always said, “Two wrongs don’t make a right.”

Don’t respond according to what you have received from others, respond because it is the right thing to do. We can’t control others, we can only control ourselves, and this world will never change if we don’t stop the hatred…one person at a time.

We have lost so much in recent history. Let us quit throwing rocks at each other and come together with respect and love in our common humanity regardless of political affiliation. Jesus prayed for unity because He knew we would need that prayer.

Please join me in praying for our communities to be a place for compassion to flourish, and that we can love each other despite our disagreements. Let’s stop letting hate win.

Lately I’ve been preoccupied with ROI (Return On Investment) for all of the work I have been pouring into my author career these past few years. And to be completely honest, I have been frustrated and even feeling sorry for myself. The amount of money it takes can sometimes feel overwhelming. This isn’t just a hobby, it’s both a profession and a calling—without a steady paycheck.

As an author, I have often explained the time and financial commitment it takes to launch a book and to do it well. These past few days, I have been reflecting upon whether it has been worth it or not. An author does not get paid until their books start selling and even then, it takes many books to just break even. Despite my book sales and great reviews, I haven’t even gotten close to that point. So why should I stay in this difficult profession when it is so hard to make a profit (or merely break-even)?

Like so many other professions where people are committed to helping others in some way, we don’t get into it for the money. While I have been banging away trying to figure out how to make my literary endeavors pay off, I came to a fuller realization today—that they already have. The pictures below are just a tiny fraction of my ROI. Many people have been part of my author’s journey and contributed to my payday in ways while intangible, are eternal—and I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything!

By the way, if you were wondering about the title, well, my son Josh is also a writer. Whenever this topic comes up, he says we don’t write for money but to bring our stories to the world in hopes of having a positive impact both on ourselves and our readers. Josh is right…

All that said, if you would like to support my author career, please consider buying me a cup of coffee—All funds will go directly to support Nancy Golden Books, so that we can continue to offer books that are a “Light in the Darkness.”

Check Out This Fantastic Fantasy Giveaway!

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Fantasy eBook and Kindle Giveaway – June 1st 2025 – Bargain Booksy

Enter for a chance to win Sword of Fate and other awesome books as well as a free Kindle! Don’t forget to subscribe to my email list – Author Nancy Golden. I hope you win!!

We finished exhibiting at the Texas Library Association Conference yesterday and it was amazing. Hubby and I just completed an intentional time of discussing our experiences. As an indie author, this was a huge leap of faith for us financially and we were asked by several people, if it was worth it. Our response is an unequivocal—YES! Here are our takeaways:

As hard as it is, not to be afraid to put myself out there. Embrace the hard work that I have put into my author career with confidence, knowing that I have entertaining and positive stories to share with the world. The financial, time, and emotional investment that I and my family have poured into my author career deserves nothing less.

As intimidating as it feels to approach giants in the industry, they are people who share my passion for books and appreciate my desire to inspire the next generation. I can share my excitement for reaching the world with uplifting storytelling. I am very grateful for the positive responses I received.

I learned that it’s okay to be vulnerable. I shared with some of the conference attendees the story of my brother who went to his heavenly home two weeks ago. He was my biggest fan and would have wanted me to go to the conference—I dedicated Book Three of my fantasy series to him. I am incredibly blessed by the compassionate responses I received. And yes, there was some hugs and tears…

There is a real need for books that are entertaining while also uplifting readers, transporting them away from the troubles of the world and refreshing them with positive themes. When sharing about my tagline being “light in the darkness,” and my fantasy series having the challenges and adventures people love, but are also optimistic with encouraging messaging, I instantly had most people’s attention.

Each book in my fantasy series has a “Just a Quick Note to My Readers” in the beginning, on a topic meant to provide inspiration. Book One: Don’t be afraid to pursue your dreams, Book Two: Life is richer when you open your heart to people different from you, and Book Three: Keep your sense of wonder for this amazing world we live in. For most people, this was an exciting addition to the books that they appreciated.

We learned there is a real need for more “dragon” books. While often requested—most librarians shared they only know of three series to recommend, and they are looking for more. For them, my fantasy series will help fill this need.

We learned that having a complete trilogy definitely has a positive impact. Having a completed series available is very meaningful to many readers.

While the results of our investment may be intangible, we met so many wonderful people and made some new friends and great connections during our time at TXLA 2025.  The opportunity to interact with folks who value reading and have dedicated their careers to promoting the availability of books was inspiring, and an experience we will never forget.

#txla25 #author

My mission is simple: to write quality stories that speak to the hearts of my readers and to provide positive messaging, leaving them feeling better when they are done. My tag line is “Light in the Darkness.” There is enough trouble in the world. I believe a book should transport us away from the trials of life for a while so we can come back refreshed and energized.

But being an author is very hard. There are so many books out on the market and it’s so difficult to rise above the noise to reach my readers. Royalties are minimal due to printing and postage costs. The financial investment in editing and hiring a graphic artist to create a book cover makes it difficult to recoup the expense of publication. Marketing books successfully takes time and money. The process can get quite discouraging. But every once in a while, something special happens that keeps me going. And that happened this week.

I recently wrote an article regarding my stance on AI. While I believe it has its place in certain venues, as a creative, I am against its use in creating book covers and text. You can read the article that I wrote about why, here:  The Use of AI in Creative Endeavors – Nancy Golden Books: Official Website of Author Nancy Golden

Because of that, I had about forty books in stock with my old book cover (the cover on the left) for Book One. While certainly vibrant and eye-catching, I decided not to sell them since AI was utilized in their creation. I have a wonderful new graphic artist who has made not only the new cover for Book One (on the right), but also did the cover for Book Two and we are in the process of collaborating on the cover for Book Three.

So, I decided to give the forty books away, since I was not going to offer them for sale. I have done so bit by bit over the last month. A librarian came over to the house to pick up ten of them for a free book fair giveaway their school will be doing soon. The rest I gave away this week by announcing on social media that I would be at a local diner, if anyone wanted to come by and get a free signed copy. Parents brought their children who were excited to meet me and prepared with questions. It was so much fun getting to interact with my readers! For me, that is one of the best parts of being an author. I also had people reach out to me in response to my social media posts and we arranged porch pickups.

To see the joy on the children’s faces holding my book is priceless. What a wonderful opportunity to get to encourage them in both reading and writing and to share the Note to My Readers in Sword of Fate with them:

My heart’s desire is to inspire the next generation. When I get discouraged about how hard it is to be an author, I look at these pictures and I remember that I really am having a positive impact. That’s what keeps me going. As we enter this new year, I would like to challenge each of you to think of what you can do to make a positive impact on your community. You don’t have to write a book, it can be something as simple as sending someone an encouraging note, visiting somebody who could use a friend, volunteering to read to children at your local elementary school (my mother did that for many years) or even just greeting your server with a smile and ask how they’re doing when you go out to eat. Small acts of kindness can have tremendous impact. We can all be a light in the darkness.

If you would like to support my mission, please consider purchasing a book, writing a review, and/or sharing about my books with your friends and family. Please join me in encouraging the next generation to keep reading – it’s one of the very best things you can do!

An Opinion Piece

As an engineer I understand and appreciate AI and the possibilities it offers to the scientific community, and I am in favor of that. AI can be utilized for the betterment of humanity through a variety of scientific applications. I can also see its usefulness for mundane tasks.

But as a creative (an author) I have a much different perspective. I paid to have one of my fantasy book covers redone (and for me, it was a large personal expense) several months after publication, when I found out it was created using AI. I did it to maintain my creative integrity, just as I have also committed not to use Amazon’s (currently free) service to create an audio book using AI rather than human voice talent.

I am also committed not to utilize AI in my writing endeavors. I use my own words when I write, and I hire real editors for the final product. Yes, this all costs much more and I must admit I am nowhere near breaking even, but I have my artistic integrity intact. The books I put in the hands of my readers come from my heart and soul, and they are as good as I can possibly make them.

AI is notorious for getting its data from data sets that draw on other people’s work (art and text) without their permission and where they receive no compensation. In those cases, it is plagiarism. That is the usage that I am against. If a person needs inspiration, they can get it by reading and by viewing art. After all, there is nothing new under the sun. But I believe blatantly taking work created by others is wrong and also diminishes their work by doing so.

But I also struggle with using it in the arts at all, even with permission. I have been horrified at the deluge of stock photos that are now AI generated. The amount of garbage AI-generated books (filled with inaccuracies and subpar story development) being published on Amazon is clogging an already saturated market – making it almost impossible for a real author to rise above the noise.

For me, it’s not just a question of competition – it’s a question of integrity and humanity. But I think it is also a matter of individual choice and respecting those choices, when AI is used responsibly (with permission), and its use is disclosed. This is a very complex issue, and everyone is entitled to their opinion.

The picture on the left is the first cover for my fantasy novel, Sword of Fate. The picture on the right was created for my current cover by a very talented artist who is also committed to no AI in his work. The one on the left is vibrant and eye-catching, but the one on the right speaks to my soul.

Can you see the difference?

This morning did not start out as I had envisioned when I was planning my day last night. I was eager to finish the last round of edits for my latest book and expected to have that done by lunch time. Instead, I found myself in the ER, awaiting a Doppler Imaging exam to rule out DVT (a blood clot). Let me first say – Praise God – no blood clot!! It was diagnosed as an overuse injury of my lower leg. Apparently, I have been a little overenthusiastic during my daily cardio workout…

But here’s the thing. When I called my primary care doctor’s office to schedule an appointment, the last thing I expected was to be told to go to the ER. I had an office visit in mind, with an exam of my calf, and perhaps a prescription for an anti-inflammatory. The thought of a possible blood clot had crossed my mind, but I had quickly shoved it away. I didn’t want to be an alarmist, and from what I knew of blood clots, that might not end well.

As I quickly went about the business of getting ready to head to the ER (change, wash up, grab a bite to eat) I reflected on the fragility of life. Psalm 103:15-16 came to mind,

The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.

I found myself not as uncomfortable with the thought of dying (a blood clot is considered a medical, possibly life-threatening emergency) as I thought I would be, which surprised me. I analyzed why and realized it is because as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, I know where my eternal destination will be. But then my thoughts turned elsewhere. I began to pray and asked God not to call me home yet. I wanted to have more time on Earth to spend with my husband Phil, son Josh, and daughter-in-love Naomi, among others. And I didn’t think they would be prepared for me to go.

Our visit to the ER went as smoothly as I had ever experienced. The nurse immediately brought me back to a room and the doctor came in to examine me. He was very compassionate and ordered a Doppler Imaging exam. The technician was very kind and professional. The nurses we encountered were enthusiastic about their jobs and everyone made me feel well-cared for. The custodial staff was working hard to provide a clean, safe environment.

When the doctor came back in to tell us the results, he was obviously happy to share the good news that there was no DVT. He also spent time providing instructions on how to best treat the pain in my calf. I am very grateful for the care I received. Being in the hospital reminded me of the dedication I wrote for my fantasy novel, Sword of Fate:

As what often happens throughout history, we are living in extraordinary times, which has affected everyone in one way or another. This book is dedicated to all of those who have had the courage to overcome their fears in order to continue to serve our communities. You are our heroes.

My unexpected experience this morning also reminded me to be grateful for each moment. We can do all of the right things (eat a healthy diet, exercise, get enough rest) but ultimately it is God that gives us breath. We never know when our last moment on Earth may come. In light of that, let’s all try to release our petty grievances against one another. Let’s look upon each other with more kindness and compassion. Let’s walk in forgiveness and love one another.

Let us share our faith in the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God (2 Cor 1:3-4), and so that they too can be part of His kingdom.

I am so glad I do not have a blood clot, but I am also grateful for the reminder that each moment is precious and to live fully in the present. Maybe that means using screens less and interacting with people more. Maybe it’s recognizing the people around us and greeting them with affirming words. Maybe it’s intentionally looking through eyes of gratitude as we move through our days. Maybe it’s reaching out and mending fences. Maybe it’s making time to show your love by being present with someone. Maybe it’s simply resting in the love of God, taking time to commune with Him through prayer and worship. Maybe it’s all of those things…

How should we respond as Christians to the drag performance during the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Paris? As painful as it was to see The Last Supper mocked, I think we have a higher calling. Note how Paul responded when he was in Athens and saw the city was full of idols in Acts 17:16, “He was greatly distressed.” His response was not to go about Athens voicing righteous anger or lamenting how offensive it was. Those idols were also a pagan response and an affront to a holy God, yet Paul chose a different response. First, his heart was broken, and second, he acted upon the opportunity in front of him, to bring the Gospel to a lost world in desperate need of Jesus.

As I have reflected on the social media posts weighing in on what happened, I can’t help but think that we as Christians are more offended and less heartbroken than we should be. Our Lord has big shoulders and has handled much worse. I am not saying we shouldn’t be angry, but how should we handle that anger? Scripture tells us in Galatians 6:7, “God will not be mocked,” but how do we respond to those who are doing the mocking? France is a secular country as defined in its constitution. Why would we expect anything different? While anger is a natural response, it should break our hearts to see how distant they are from God. How can we channel our anger so that it is against the enemy and not against lost people in need of Christ? How can we use the passion that anger creates to become more intentional in sharing the Gospel?

Let’s pause a moment here and think about the heart of God. He desires every person to be reconciled to Him. Every person! So much so that John 3:16-17 tells us,

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

The world…all nations!

Romans 10:14 tells us,
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”

What are we doing to advance the Great Commission? What are we as individuals doing to make disciples? While I think what happened during the opening ceremony is very sad and certainly should not be celebrated – are we surprised? Are we doing our part in our own personal areas of influence to forward the Gospel? Are our hearts breaking for all of the lost people in our world?

Paul went to Athens (Acts 17:16-34), became greatly distressed at seeing the people devoted to pagan idols, and did something about it. Not only did he bring the Good News of Jesus Christ, he did it without telling them he was offended by their idols. Instead, he explained about God in a way they could understand. He contextualized the Gospel message, using their own poets to do so.

So here is the thing. After Paul shared the Gospel, Acts 17:34 tells us, “Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.”

Two things to notice – Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed!! Hallelujah!! They did so because Paul did something in response to what he saw. He entered into relationship with the people around him and shared the Gospel.

And second, I can’t help but notice after reading about the attempt made to say the mockery of the Last Supper was a misinterpretation—that it was a Feast of Dionysus— the name Dionysius is also in that Bible verse. I am not suggesting the biblical Dionysius is a Greek god by any means, but is the coincidence of names actually a call to remind us that no one is so far from the Lord that they can’t be reached? And like Paul, we should be going forth to bring the Good News everywhere we go?

Do not be offended as much as heartbroken, dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Combine the Second Greatest Commandment with the Great Commission – go forth with love to share the Good News. Enter into loving relationships with the people God brings in your path, and eventually the Holy Spirit will provide opportunities for spiritual conversations. If you aren’t sure how to go about it – you may want to check out my latest book: Taking Back the Gospel: Moving with Love to Forward the Great Commission. Let’s be a light in the world that is so compelling, people can’t help but see Christ in us and want to know more!

If you are like me, Mother’s Day brings a lot of mixed emotions. I am so grateful and feeling very blessed by the love that has been expressed by my family to honor me today. It has been a wonderful day, and I am filled with joy at the love I have been shown.

But on the flip side, I’m missing my own mother very much since she now resides in Heaven. I wanted to share something that I did today which has helped me with those feelings. I took some time this morning and wrote in a journal about some of the precious memories I have of my time with my mom.

I am very blessed that I happen to have a journal that she gave me, so I am using that for this purpose. But if you don’t have something like that, you can use any journal or notebook.

The idea is, that whenever you’re feeling sad or missing your loved one, you can pull out the journal and read all about the blessings and special memories that you have recorded there.

Another reason I have for recording these precious memories is because sometimes I struggle with having fallen short in my relationship with my mom. Our minds can often move towards the negativity of past regrets, but if we can flip that and think about the sweet memories we have, then we can change our narrative and rejoice in the time we had together, rather than expending our energy on things that bring sorrow. I know my own mom would rather that I remember the fun times we had and not dwell on any past mistakes.

When we write those memories down and are able to go through them when we are missing our loved one, it feels like they are right there with us. We can take so much joy in remembering the precious times that we had together.

Happy Mother’s Day and if your mother is still here, may you have plenty of sweet memories to make together ahead of you. If she is in Heaven like my own mom, may those sweet memories sustain you and bring you peace.

I love and miss you, Mom!! Thank you for all of the wonderful memories!! I look forward to us making more when I see you in Heaven someday. Happy Mother’s Day!!

I originally wrote this article in 2018 when Ash Wednesday fell on Valentine’s Day, just like it does this year. While the words in this article still hold true, I am also excited to share that I have written a book that consists of daily devotionals for the Lenten season beginning on Ash Wednesday. You can find the book on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback. You can also visit my YouTube channel where I will be doing a daily reading so that we can Take Back Lent together – I hope you’ll join me!

I woke up this morning thinking about how to reconcile celebrating Valentine’s Day with observing Ash Wednesday, when I realized that there isn’t any need for reconciliation; the two events complement each other beautifully. As we reflect solemnly on our sinful state and the admonition that Ash Wednesday brings to the forefront in Genesis 3:19, “for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return,” it is certainly a time of repentance. But it is also a time to draw us closer to experiencing God’s love through the Gospel.

So let me explain the correlation I think we have between these two seemingly dissimilar events. To begin with, it would be good to get a better understanding of the word love. In the English language we use one word to describe many things. We can love our brothers and sisters, we can have a more intimate love for our spouses, we can even love hamburgers, but none of these describes the love that God has for us. When we go back to the original Greek, we see that all of these types of love have a different word assigned to it. Family love or love of an object may fall under Storge στοργή. The brotherly love of friendship is expressed as Philia φιλία, and sexual love as Eros ἔρως. The love of God for man has its own word too. It is called Agape ἀγάπη. God’s love for us is relentless, incomprehensible, sacrificial and unconditional.

I read a quote about Agape love by Paulo Coelho that beautifully expresses the magnitude of God’s love for us: “This was the love that Jesus felt for humanity, and it was so great that it shook the stars and changed the course of man’s history.”

When we think of Valentine’s Day, we think of love. The Scriptures tell us in John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Ash Wednesday is a stark reminder as to why each of us needs that love. In Ash Wednesday we remember our mortality, that we are dust and will return to dust. We are reminded of our sin, but the Gospel message tells us we have victory over our sin if we repent and believe. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 gives us hope:

O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 John 4:8 proclaims, “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” The message is clear. We are to love one another. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 22:37-39 “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

Today is a day we can celebrate love in all of its facets: the love that God has for us, and the different types of love that we have for one another. Today, Phil and I will contemplate the incredible love that God has for us as sinful mortals with gratefulness and repentance, and we will also celebrate the love we have as husband and wife. When you think about it, Valentine’s Day is a holiday that celebrates romantic love, but what could be more romantic than sacrificial love? Ultimately that is the type of love that lasts when the trappings of Valentine’s Day fades into the busyness of life.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, and we have the season of Lent ahead of us. Another Lenten tradition for some folks is to “give something up” for Lent. The purpose is to recognize and share in Jesus’ sacrifice as he withdrew into the desert and fasted for 40 days. Another way we can share in this tradition is rather than give something up, we can commit to do something, as an expression of sacrificial love. For me, I choose to write one card of encouragement each day of Lent (to the person God puts on my heart that day), and mail it. One has to be intentional, and carve out time to do this. Not a great sacrifice perhaps, but it serves the purpose of giving time to God to bless someone else. Just another way to show that ultimately, Ash Wednesday and Lent, while a season of repentance, is grounded in the greatest love of all and is a great way to live out the command Jesus gave us in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

Another GREAT thing to do today is to forgive someone if you have been allowing bitterness to fester in your heart. I know many people who struggle with forgiveness, in that they are either unable to forgive themselves for something they have done or they are unable to forgive someone else for hurting them. When I think about God’s limitless grace and that it is through Christ’s sacrifice at the cross that we have received forgiveness for all of our transgressions – what is even more amazing is that God initiated it, we read in Romans 5:8, “For God demonstrates his great love for us in this; while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” He died for us knowing we were a mess, yet loving us anyway. His forgiveness heals us and if we are unable to forgive ourselves, or others, we are unable to fully experience the peace that comes from the healing power of Christ. If you are in this category, you can read more at my blog post: Forgiving Ourselves and Forgiving Others.

There are all sorts of ways we can live out loving one another. A friend of mine is planning on choosing one item each day from her family’s clothing closets, so that at the end of Lent she will have 40 gently used items to donate to those in need. Sounds like both a sacrificial and practical plan to me! May you find special blessings each day as you spend this time preparing your heart for celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. And if you have never participated in Lent before, you might want to give it a try. It’s a wonderful way to deepen your spiritual journey.

You can also visit my Facebook page where I will be reading each devotional in my book daily through Lent. I hope the article and the book bless you, and you’ll join me in Taking Back Lent this year!

Happy Lenten Valentine’s Day!