This month, Verse & Vine had the honor of chatting with Tara Villarreal, author of two adult devotional books and the newly released children’s book, And It Was Good, available on Amazon. Join us as we learn more about the art of engaging young readers and how God can use imagination to inspire a deeper connection with our Creator. 

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You’ve previously published devotionals for adults, The Vision: A Seven-Day Devotional with Habakkuk and Joy: A Christmas Devotional, but writing a children’s book is new for you. What inspired you to write And It Was Good? 

Most nights, as I lay my head on my pillow, I ask Jesus to show me anything He wants. And It Was Good was born on one of those nights. He walked me through the story of creation from the point of view of light. It was such a beautiful experience. A year later, that book was brought to life.  

You describe yourself as a “believer, wife, mother, teacher, bookworm, writer, and Muay Thai student” on your Facebook profile. You also help reach the youth at your local church. Tell our readers a little more about your experiences with motherhood, teaching, and youth ministry. What impact have these experiences made on your work as a new children’s author. 

I have two kiddos. My oldest will be graduating high school this year. The other is finishing up elementary school. I began teaching 7th grade writing in 2014 and ended my teaching career in 2021 teaching 9th grade English. Over the last few years, I have helped in the youth department and taught in our 4-6th grade class at church. 

One of the basics of teaching children of all ages is knowing how their imagination works. In a classroom setting, you are trying to engage their attention and mind with colorful language, relevant examples, and regalia (or hands-on experience). Often, I would use children’s stories to stir up their creativity. Reading picture books or watching cartoons may seem out of place in a high school classroom, but the beautiful element of story is that it sparks the imagination. Once you stoke the fire, you step back and let it burn. 

Yes! And this isn’t just true for children. (Here’s an article from the C.S. Lewis Institute for anyone interested in reading more about the author and theologian’s view of the imagination.) Do you intend to write more children’s books now that you’ve published And It Was Good? Why or why not? 

I absolutely loved the process of writing this book. The Lord has already brought some new ideas and I’m just waiting for the right time to sit with Him and walk through it. 

Can you describe what your typical writing process looks like? 

It always starts with the Holy Spirit. When I started the blog in 2020, I was only writing when the Holy Spirit prompted me. This was a process for me to learn how to let Him lead and only write what I felt Him impressing on to share. During 2020, it was easy to find the time to devote to that venture. As time has gone on, I was challenged to write at least one blog per month. When I left teaching, I left to pursue writing and lead the outreach ministry of our church. Now, there are two devotionals and a children’s book from it with more on the way!  

How would you compare writing for an adult audience with writing for children? 

There is a challenge to writing for adults that wasn’t as prevalent with the children’s book. Imagination, vision, and guidance from the Holy Spirit are still very much at work, but there is an element of healing that goes into writing for adults. For me, God has had me tap into some deep subject matter that can be sensitive for those who have walked through similar experiences. The weight to that kind of writing is so very different than the aim of entertaining or informing young readers. 

You introduced me to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). Can you describe your overall experience with this publishing platform? 

KDP has been so straightforward and easy for me to use. There is no upfront cost (aside from discounted author copies) and I have full control over my manuscripts. The learning curve on the programs felt a bit steep at times; however, their help section is incredibly user friendly. Thus, the biggest hurdle is finding the time and patience to sit down and learn it. 

What did the Lord teach or reinforce for you when writing  And It Was Good? 

The Lord really impressed on me the need for children to understand that He is using their creative minds to speak to them. The hope is that as they read the book and see the pictures, they will be able to apply that same process to the reading of scripture. God is multi-faceted in that while the children are learning, so are the parents as they read to their littles. It is my prayer that the story and the images spark something in every reader along the way.  

I think the thing that shocked me most is the wild support the book received. We’re not on the NYT bestseller list yet but I have a God who makes a way in His time. 

There are many Christians who have a story worth sharing, be it through creative nonfiction narrative for adults or wild and imaginative fantasy tales written to inspire young adults and children. What advice do you have for new writers with little to no experience completing a manuscript or publishing?  

A task or assignment like this can seem overwhelming, but I often think of an adage a mentor once said to me: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” It is not often that God will lay something on your heart that will be comfortable or even small in your eyes. There will be stretching, and you will want to focus on one big thing.  

But the key is to break it down into smaller pieces. What’s first? An outline. Next, research your topic. Then write an introduction. Before you know it, your plate is clean, and that elephant has been eaten. I can see that’s kind of a gross analogy, but it’s the colorful ones that stick. 

As a first-time mom to a toddler, I know I wrestle with discouragement; I assume I’m stuck choosing between answering God’s call to write and being present for my husband and daughter. That’s not the case. God doesn’t ask us to do something which causes disobedience in another area of our lives.  What would you say to encourage others who might feel at a loss when it comes to striking the right balance?  

God has sent people to me from the time I was 17 years old telling me that I would write a book. At that age, I did not have the first clue what I would write about. In February 2020, I met Scott Nary, who prophesied over me (the first prophetic word I have ever received in my life). He said I would write a book that would be a bestseller. At that point, I had just started the blog, and then I began to feel this immense pressure to produce. Then the world shut down. I was convinced that I was supposed to use that time to write, but nothing was really coming to me. I was getting extremely frustrated.  

One afternoon, as I listened to a spontaneous worship on YouTube, the young lady leading began describing a vision of people trudging up a mountain with heavy backpacks. They were crushed under the weight of them. She said as they opened them, she saw that they were words and promises that the Lord had spoken over their lives, but instead of them being blessed, they were burdened because they were putting the pressure on themselves to produce it. As they handed their backpacks to the Lord, they once again began to walk with purpose. In that moment, I saw myself sitting at a book signing, but I was much older than I am now. Immediately I was released from the pressure of writing a book within my timing and handed the reigns back to God.  

Many times, I have found that what He wants me to write has layers that He needs to peel back. That takes time—the one thing our flesh really hates. He has so much to teach us and process that we need to walk through to help us complete the story. If we keep priorities in Biblical order (God, family, ministry) the rest will fall into alignment as He wills. I believe that God goes before us and knows exactly when the time is right for us to release what He gives us. Give yourself grace and know that He’s got it all under control. 

If you want to connect with Tara, you can follow her on Instagram and check out her blog. 🌿