Sorry for Disappearing

(And what I've been up to)

Hi, I’m Haley! Book midwife (editor) and author. Consider upgrading to a paid subscription to support this work and gain access to exclusive content:

Dear ones,

I’m so sorry for completely disappearing. Typically I publish two Substack posts/week. And then this summer I went radio silent. I can’t share the details yet, but I can tell you that I’ve been dealing with an unexpected family crisis of epic proportions. I am grateful to have made it through the summer. I lost 23 pounds in 7 weeks due to stress but have finally regained my appetite (and ability to sleep again!)

I hope to be able to give you more of an explanation soon, but in the meantime, I would love your prayers.

I also want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to the paid subscribers who have stuck around despite my silence this summer. One aspect (although not the most serious!) of the crisis I’m dealing with is losing a significant portion of our family income. Having the support of paid subscribers has been an incredible help to me as I navigate the new normal for myself and my children.

So, it was the worst summer of my life. But the spiritual consolation and love and support from family and friends has been tremendous and life-changing. I just celebrated my 39th birthday and I am filled with hope for this next chapter.

I’ve also been carried by the incredible memories of this past summer’s pilgrimage I led in Belgium and Germany. My 15yo son and my best friend from college tagged along and I got to meet amazing people and reconnect with beloved friends from the pilgrimage I led in Scotland in 2022. It was a time of intense healing, joy, and peace.

I am already itching to go on next summer’s pilgrimage: a Rhine river cruise, with Tsh and Kyle Oxenreider, Mike and Alexandra Foley, and my wonderful priest at our co-cathedral, Fr. Tim Holeda. (I will be taking my 13yo daughter next summer and I can’t wait to introduce her to the incredible experience of a pilgrimage with Select International, the organization I’ve traveled with four times!)

I haven’t had a chance to devote a whole post to our 2025 trip through the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Switzerland, but I will very soon. In the meantime, check out Tsh’s fabulous summary of the itinerary.

This trip is expected to sell out very quickly (it’s 1/3 full already) so if you’re interested, go ahead and reserve your spot. And of course, feel free to reply to this email if you have any questions.

What else have I been up to (beyond trying to keep my life from falling apart)? Well, in June Word on Fire released a brand new collection of essays about Catholic women novelists that I edited is now available (print and Kindle).

Women of the Catholic Imagination: Twelve Inspired Novelists You Should Know

Some of my favorite scholars and writers agreed to be part of this project and I’m still pinching myself!

Grab your copy from Word on Fire or Amazon (print or Kindle)!

I’ve also been hard at work writing my fourth Sister Seraphina Mystery (affectionately referred to as “mouse nuns”). This one is set in the fall and the working title is The Secret of the Starkworthing Rubies. Due to extreme stress this summer, my brain has just recently started allowing me to write again. And it’s been a joy to reconnect with my sweet little characters!

I’ve been releasing episodes of my new project for Word on Fire, The Votive Podcast, where I interview writers, artists, and educators about art, literature, and sparking wonder and hope in young readers. You can listen on your favorite podcast app and hear interviews with Nancy C. Brown, Cory Heimann and Tricia Dugat, Fabiola Garza, Vigen Guroian, Abigail Favale, Daniel Mitsui,

Claire Swinarski

, Sarah Mackenzie, John Herreid, Sally Thomas, and Gary D. Schmidt!

AND I have a new book coming out at the end of this month. A project I am so thrilled about—the culmination of many years of trying to live out the liturgical year in the domestic church. More on that very soon. And (hopefully) a more in-depth update about what’s been going on in my personal life.

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Thanks for reading!

Haley

(Editor of Word on Fire Votive, Author, Podcaster)

Haley’s books

Haley’s Children’s Mystery Series about Mouse Nuns

Haley’s Book on Jane Austen’s Novels

Haley’s Book about Radical Simplicity