Humble Beginnings
Ten years ago, a girl had a dream.
She longed to write books—but the path to publication stretched ahead with no guarantee it would ever arrive anywhere. She followed all the “best practices” of the time—starting a blog (remember those?), building social pages, checking all the boxes…and writing, writing, writing. But something inside her stayed unsettled.
Because a single question kept rising:
If all of this came to nothing… what would this time have been for?
She believed that stories could make a difference, even if the stories inside her never made it into book form. So she did something small—simple, really, though it felt like a great big step of faith, one she felt too small for. She wrote a little Christmas novelette and hoped it might help fund one bicycle for a missionary in India.
She offered the story as a gift to readers for any donation at all.
What she didn’t expect was the overwhelming generosity of others.
That tiny story helped provide fourteen bicycles—fourteen communities touched, fourteen sets of spinning spokes carrying hope.
And that changed something in her.
It showed her that—together with many hearts— stories could ripple out far beyond the page.
A Screenshot from 2015
The Quiet Years
Years of learning.
Years of obscurity, craft, trust, and hopeful work (and yes, a lot of rollercoaster terrain along the way).
And then, right when she thought she should perhaps let the doors remain locked, as they seemed intent on doing…
…those doors began to open.
Contracts were signed. Novels were published. Readers found them. And the girl who once hoped for one small ripple began to see those ripples multiply in ways she never could have orchestrated…but that she was humbled by and grateful for.
A Decade of Stories
Over the years, something beautiful happened: readers, families, and communities welcomed these stories into their lives. Through their support, the books found their way into places we never dreamed of—from podcasts to broadcasts, magazines to festivals, book clubs to classrooms, and most importantly: readers’ hearts all over the world. Readers who brought new dimensions of meaning by sharing their own hearts.
And because of faithful readers, the books have received kind honors, language translations, and more that we never take for granted. These aren’t trophies—they’re reminders. Reminders that stories have a way of going farther than we ever could on our own…because of the Great Storyteller who wove our own lives into being. Because of the God who opens doors that seem impossible, and continues to patiently lead and teach, with every step we take.
A New Whisper
Ten published books (plus a few dusty manuscripts in the drawer) and a decade later, the familiar whisper returned, the same one that started it all:
What will you do with this?
Where will this story go next?
Although she continues to gratefully write novels with all the heart and soul she can offer, the answer to these questions also came in a new package as well, wrapped in the vintage charm of a new children’s picture book with a timeless soul—one she had a hunch wasn’t meant to follow the traditional publishing route.
Its heart was communal, invitational. It felt like a project meant to rally people…just like the children do in the story itself. And so a path was planned, one that requires risk and community— and will embark in spring of 2026 through its Kickstarter campaign.
But this takes lots of preparation, a completed book, and years of planning. So while that path was being travelled, before the illustrations were even finished by the story’s talented illustrator in England, an unexpected door opened (also years in the making):
The book was invited to be part of a mission trip to South America that same Spring its Kickstarter would begin, with hopes of blessing the bright hearts of children there.
A Spanish version was created, through the selfless outpouring of gifted translators, who stepped in at just the right moment.
The funding for those Spanish books to be printed came through in exactly the right amount, at exactly the right instant it was needed, through miraculous means.
And suddenly the old, familiar feeling flooded back.
This was beginning to look—and feel—like that first little Christmas tale again.
Like a pattern emerging.
A pattern she never could have planned: stories sparking real-world change.
So with the soundtrack of bicycle spokes and wonderings of where those wheels have travelled in the years since, this raised a new, exhilarating question:
Is this pointing us back to our roots?
Back to trailblazing stories that travel beyond the page and into lives around the world through tangible support?
The Plot Twist: Lanternwood Press
And so, a story a decade and more in the making took its next turn.
Lanternwood Press—the little imprint created to publish that very first story that helped set fourteen bicycles spinning a decade ago—would carry that legacy forward.
From here on, a portion of all proceeds will support children worldwide through organizations, camps, missions, and groups already on the ground doing life-changing work.
Because we believe in stories.
We believe they strengthen hearts.
We believe they plant hope.
We believe they can change lives in more ways than one…and those lives are real, living, priceless stories.
We believe that—just like with that first bicycle book— we might feel too small, but we’re willing to take a great big step of faith in a God who is big enough…who invites us to wild faith…who loves every one of us so deeply, so preposterously, and who meets us every step of the way. He’s the one who invented story— and we can’t wait to see where He takes this one.
We hope to continue creating timeless, wonder-filled children’s books for years to come—and to pour into those who are pouring into children.
After years on this journey, The Lamplighter is now complete. It’s ready to find its way to you…we’re just lining up the last of the pieces before this community-fueled book releases…and we don’t want to do this without you.
Will you join us?