Welcome to Catholic Sistas’ newest series, featuring some of our friends in the Catholic blogging world entitled Fabulously Featured which will run on Wednesdays. I have always wanted to introduce you to some new blogs to follow and support, but seriously lacked the time to put this together before now. In a Facebook group of fellow Catholic women bloggers, I asked ladies to answer some questions for this series, and they were all too excited to participate! I give you their answers in their own words.
Today we feature Anabelle Hazard, an accomplished writer, lawyer, homeschooler, and wife. She shares her very own love story, penned by God, at her blog, Written By the Finger of God. Take a few moments to learn about Anabelle and about how important it is to allow God to write your story as well. You won’t regret it!
ESTABLISHED:
I began blogging in 2007 but with two babies and working part time at a law firm, two months worth of posts was all I could muster. In 2012, I saw my life flash before my eyes, and I blogged under the same domain but with a different name: Written By the Finger of God.
THEME:
I write for Catholic Stand, and several other Catholic websites on Catholic devotions, spirituality, Mariology, theology, reflections, private revelation, and compile all of it in my blog with a sprinkling of anecdotes and musings of a Catholic mom. I rarely comment on politics, news or current events. (I don’t watch TV, my addiction is the internet and chocolates)
INSPIRATION/MOTIVATION:
I write on inspiration and discernment. An idea pops up; I say a prayer before writing, consecrate it to the Two Hearts, and pray for some more green light signs before publishing.
FAVORITE ELEMENT:
The online Catholic friends I’ve made, the encouragement and feedback via email, and especially the amateur photography aspect of blogging when I create images and memes for my writing… its like bringing two people on a blind date and watching them get married.
FAVORITE POST:
Oh this is hard! Lemme go play eenie-minie-moe and return… Okay, it would have to be the one about how God and Our Lady wrote my love story –in a bar in Las Vegas– “When Not-Hairy Met Silly”, “Teaching Your Little Children to Love Adoration”, and the one with the most views, was featured in Spirit Daily and circulated endlessly “The Flip Side of Heaven is For Real.”
BALANCE:
I’ll climb up my soapbox and say that daily Mass, rosary, and Adoration take priority. I can’t write if my spiritual growth is neglected – cause if I’m not connected to the source of my love for writing, then I feel like a noisy gong on the internet. Being managing editor and columnist to Catholic Stand needs to get done because deadlines give me structure. I’m writing and revising two novels so that takes up my attention, too. Over the last year, I’ve slowed down my posts/articles once a week and only check stats or reply to comments on those days. I go on periods of social media breaks, usually during Lent and Advent. I’m inactive on Twitter and Instagram, and log on FB and Pinterest when I have an article to post. I’m not sure its balance, but labeling blogging as a hobby for evangelization is peaceful for my soul.
AUDIENCE:
I write for Catholics who want to grow deeper in faith to Jesus through Mary, but I connect with mostly cradle Catholics (who may or may not have left the Church and reverted).
CATCH PHRASE/TAGLINE:
A blog about a love story written by the finger of God. It’s in my about page, but basically, its because my reversion to the Catholic faith began when I begged God to please, please write my love story.
ADVICE:
Find a few Catholic blogs you admire and study them before you start. Get a feel for what appeals to you –voice, topics, writing style, photography, personality, looks. Create a vision and mission for your blog so you’re not tempted to stray. Always, always be courteous to your readers, and to other bloggers. Its okay to ignore trolls. You don’t have to subscribe to everyone, even the most popular ones. The Church is diverse and we’re all at different points of our journey. Visit and mingle with blogs now and then via link ups and the comment box and remain faithful to the ones who help you grow spiritually. Blogging is like the art of keeping girlfriends –you socialize with a lot of people in the room, but you choose who you want to sit with at a party. (Caveat: I am not the most successful or popular blogger out there, so feel free to ignore all that.)
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
Have a question or comment for our featured blogger? Please leave them in the comments below!
Would you {or someone you know} like to be fabulously featured?
Send an email to Martina@CatholicSistas.comand reference the Fabulously Featured series and we’ll get the ball rolling to get you or your friend featured!
