Dewdrops & Butterflies by Libby May || Blog Tour + Guest Post

Greetings, readers! My friend Libby is releasing her debut book, Dewdrops & Butterflies, and I'm participating in the blog tour. Read on for a guest post by Libby herself, about all things bookish! The next stop on the tour is tomorrow, at my friend Abigail's blog!

Hi everyone! Thanks Faith for letting me guest post! I’m super excited! 

My name is Libby and I am 19 years old. I started writing when I was 12 years old and I finished my first full novel when I was 14. It was full of plot holes and historical inaccuracies, like cellphones in purses ONLY when there was an emergency that called for one. We’re talking advanced 1800s technology. This was not on purpose. 

Anyway! Fast forward 5 years, and I’ve completed two novels, and here I am, publishing the first of the two, Dewdrops and Butterflies! 

I want to talk a little about writing your own stories. Do you have a story you want to tell? Have you started? If not, what’s holding you back? Is publishing something you want to do in the future? 

When I first started, I knew I wanted to publish, and the main point of my story, that bad historical fiction that I’m still somehow proud of, was to write something for girls my age that didn’t have anything to do with high school or junior high drama or an overload of crushes and boy/girl relationships, and something that didn’t pressure girls to do the things society thinks is “cool”! 

Dewdrops and Butterflies is about Rose, a girl who grew up in a difficult home and got placed into the foster care system. Fear drove her out of that home and she tries to make it on her own. The point of the story is to show that God is the only one who can protect us completely and fully, and that no matter how much we try on our own, we can never fulfill our own life. 

The second part of the story is from the point of view of her foster father, Alex Johnson. It’s a little bit of a different image on who Rose was and how others saw her. The point of this part of the story is to show that when we ARE in God’s hand, we can still stumble and fall, and ultimately, He will always take us back and continue to teach us. As time went on, I realized that Alex was almost a very relatable, contemporary version of the parable of the prodigal son. 

This story grew and changed and molded into something so much bigger than I had first imagined, and bigger than I could have done on my own. I started writing praying that God would use my hand and my heart for His glory, and through every part of the process, He was literally one step ahead of me. I’ve been so blessed and learned so many things. 

If I were to give one piece of advice to new writers, I say this: Write. Don’t give up, don't judge yourself, and don’t compare to others. But always pray. Have fun, and let the Holy Spirit work through you. Be ok with changes, have an open heart and learn through the process. Maybe the person you’re writing the story for is yourself! God may have something He wants to say to you, and  

He’s ultimately going to work in you and grow you as you go through this process and get to know your style of writing and your characters and how everything works. 

I encourage you, if you ever wanted to pick up a pen (or a laptop) and write something, now is your chance to do it! The world can always use more stories! 

Read, Write, and Love!~Libby

Facebook || Instagram || Bookstagram || Pinterest

“I smiled and acted like I was supposed to be there. It was amazing how much people assumed by a simple glance. An outfit, an expression, a tone of voice. Anyone could pretend to be anything.

Today, I was a rich girl.”

Thirteen year old Rose Wells was determined to make it on her own. Running from authority one last time, the forest became her home and the cafe her source of food, with a fear driven determination keeping her there as long as she could help it.
Not everybody was ok with that. Alex and Jenni Johnson would do whatever they can to find their foster daughter and bring her home, giving her the genuine love she’d never known. 
Over the course of a single summer, hearts are broken, scars exposed, friendships blossom, and ultimately a greater truth is learned. 
A greater God is understood. 

releasing October 16th! 

are you interested in reading Dewdrops & Butterflies? isn't the purple aesthetic eye-catching?