Lots of news

Please help me avoid a Trad Wife future

Hi everyone! So. much. is. happening. But for now, I’ll make this short.

First, Book News!

• We have a fully edited draft! I’ve been working with my editor since February, and it’s finally headed to production.

• We have a title! Finally! My book is called The Missionary Kids: Unmasking the Myths of White Evangelicalism. Here’s the synopsis from the publisher:

  "An engrossing examination of what missionary kids reveal about the stories white evangelicalism tells itself. From historian HBF, herself an MK, comes this first-of-its-kind look at how the experiences of children of missionaries illuminate broader currents in American Christianity."

You want to read that, right?! RIGHT?

• We have a pub date! The book will be available for pre-order in January, then it will be out next August.

• We will hopefully have some really good endorsements soon.

Second, Life News! I have given my notice at work, and I will be leaving my day job in December!!!

That’s right, JLO, I am stepping out into the unknown, which will almost certainly mean, among other things, less money. But YOLO, and I’m married to a successful guy who has always made much more money than me. And my kids don’t really need to go to college, do they? My dreams are more important.

To get his buy-in for what may end up being his delayed retirement, I’ve promised to—plot twist!— become a Trad Wife. Fortunately, given I am perimenopausal, this will not entail birthing any more children. But I do hope to not order food on Door Dash every night. We’ll start there. If I can manage that, I might churn some butter and vacuum in heels. We’ll see.

Of course, if I do end up making some money as a writer, maybe I can avoid being a Trad Wife altogether. And that’s where you come in.

Some of you precious people have already pledged money to support this Substack even though I have not monetized it. Which is so ridiculously kind.

Now that I will actually need the money, I will be turning that feature on in January. If you need to rescind your pledge now that sh*t’s gettin’ real, that’s fine, go ahead and do that before January. On the other hand, if you can spare some change for my hat, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. I’m also going to look into setting up a one time/occasional donation option. I’m not sure you’ll get anything more for paying, but I’ll be thinking on that. If you have thoughts, please share.

I’ll also be writing some about my professional experience for the first time. And wait until you hear how I’ve been spending the last 20 years, y’all. You will never guess (OK, you might), and you will not be disappointed. Trust me. But, sorry, you have to wait until December.

For now, I’ll just say that I’m incredibly grateful for this work and these years, and most importantly, for the people I’ve met along the way and the community I’ve been a part of. I’m not leaving out of spite or disgruntlement (although I have gotten crankier over the years), but rather in chase of a dream, to be creative, to write, to grow.