September 2025
- Jenny M. Cavender
- Sep 13
- 5 min read
September 2025
Author update
Big news from the land of books and chaos (aka my life): I had the absolute joy of visiting a school recently to read Riley’s Perfect Purpose to some amazing kiddos. We laughed, we chatted, we handed out free stickers like candy, and one sweet student even drew Riley the dull old ruler as a gift. My heart was practically a puddle on the gymnasium floor. And seeing my name on one of those school sign boards out front was a 10/10 moment.
Shout out to my husband, daughter and my bestie for showing up and being the support I needed. Going to these events is amazing, because I am all for meeting you in person. I love people, and showering good vibes everywhere.
Meanwhile, in the paranormal romantic thriller department: the final proof on Blood of the Forgotten is this close to being done. If slow-burn enemies-to-lovers, demons, trauma, and drug lords sound like your kind of rollercoaster, then stick around. We’re about to make yearning a thing of the present again.
We’ve got two audiobook narrators in mind, one for him and one for her. The copyright process will soon be underway, and yes, we have a brand-new cover that’s basically drop-dead gorgeous. The reveal is coming as soon as the book is finalized.
We are so close I can practically smell it.
Scribbles and Spotlight
In this month’s Creator Spotlight we are looking at Illuminated Darkness by Talitha Wolf! Let’s get to know her together:
Hello, I am Talitha Wolf. You can find my author page on Amazon and Good Reads. I also have a Tiktok
account: @talithawolf. Earlier this year, I published five poetry collections, the first of which is
Illuminated Darkness. I was a teenager when I wrote this literary collection. Originally, I wanted to call it
From Darkness to Light. I spent hours typing all the poems and organizing them chronologically in the
hopes of archiving my transition out of suicidal depression and into peace and joy with Jesus.
If you could hand Illuminated Darkness to your younger self, how do you think she’d react?
Funnily enough, my younger self, after typing all the poems, decided to delete every poem she had
written prior to coming to Jesus because she hated that version of herself. Luckily for me, ten years after
my attempt to erase the first half of each section of this book, a mentor of mine handed me a 3-ring
binder of the only intact print copy left in existence. Rereading these poems reignited my desire to
publish this collection. Days later, I was blessed to find a digital copy in the annals of a folder labeled
flashdrive and saved to my computer (the flash drive itself had long since become corrupted).
Imagine if I traveled back in time to give my younger self a published copy of Illuminated Darkness after
she had destroyed half of it. Mind you, my younger self’s idea for a sociological experiment involved
tearing books apart in the middle of a bustling mall bookstore and food court because the books were
spicy, and she denounced them as unfitting reading material. Thus, she would probably rip it up before
even considering the reasons future her might have decided to publish it. Even so, I know she would
only do so because she feared reading her dark poems might draw people into the darkness rather than
to Jesus. She wouldn’t yet understand that, even in her darkest moments, Jesus was drawing her to
Has writing about your faith deepened it, challenged it, or both?
Writing about my faith has deepened it while simultaneously challenging me to take Jesus at His Word.
What is one thing you hope readers will take away from Illuminated Darkness?
I hope readers’ main takeaway for this book is that Jesus loved each of us even when we were at our
worst and He delights to bring us into lifegiving, intimate relationship with Himself.
Thank you, Talitha, for your honest words of hope and encouragement! That being said, I encourage all of us to check her out on social media, reach out, say hi, she is such a sweetheart and a genuine soul who I have been following on TikTok for a while now. Sending warm hugs your way!
Snack Attack
Listen, not every snack needs to be complicated. Sometimes you just need something that makes you look like you’ve got it all together, even when you’re really just stabbing things with toothpicks.
Caprese Skewers
You’ll need:
Cherry tomatoes (the cuter, the better)
Fresh mozzarella balls (just splurge for the good ones, you know you deserve it)
Fresh basil leaves
Olive oil, balsamic drizzle, a pinch of salt & pepper
Assembly (if you can even call it that):
Stab a tomato.
Add a basil leaf.
Crown it with a mozzarella ball.
Repeat until you feel accomplished.
Drizzle olive oil + balsamic, sprinkle a little salt & pepper, and pretend you’re a Food Network baddie.
And look at that: no ovens, no blenders, no “I’ll wash it tomorrow” dishes. Just you, your toothpicks, and a snack that’s basically summer holding hands with fall.
Writing Prompt Challenge
Prompt: I glanced up at the sky, expecting stars. Or maybe a storm. What I saw instead formed a knot in my chest. My world would never be the same.
Sometimes the sky doesn’t give us what we expect: stars, storms, or peace. It gives us revelations we weren’t ready for, and they tear through the soul more violently than any thunder ever could.
—WafaAhmed_9370 on X
Find the next prompt on X and comment your creative response!
Tunes & Text
The Soundtrack of Sweater Weather 🍂🎶
Everyone talks about Christmas music like it invented seasonal playlists. Cute, but no. Fall deserves its own soundtrack too. And not just crunchy leaves under your boots or the distant whir of a pumpkin spice latte machine.
If you’ve ever wondered what pumpkin patches, flannels, beanies, caramel apples, and the audacity of early sunsets sound like, let me hook you up. It’s chill indie heaven courtesy of alexrainbirdmusic on YouTube.
FYI: this is NOT a sponsored mention. The channel is just THAT good.
My personal favs (and you should listen to me, because . . . well, you just should. It would make me happy): Autumn 2020 and Autumn 2017. Gahhhh—they are straight-up amazeballs. Turn up the volume, and suddenly you’re the main character in the Gilmore Girls spin-off titled Once Upon a Stars Hollow, staring out a foggy window of Luke’s Diner while contemplating the meaning of life (or at least the meaning of pie).
Fair warning: once you dive in, you’ll discover more than just fall vibes. This channel is stacked with playlists for every season and mood. Cozy indie jams for days.
Autumn 2020: https://youtu.be/r9c1U-TCYmo?si=JY4kirayzTUnfE7z
Verses & Victories
I’m in Luke right now, and whew . . . nearing the end hurts. Jesus, beaten, mocked, abandoned by nearly everyone who swore they’d stick by Him. Even Peter—bless his bold little heart—had all the best intentions but completely folded when the heat was on. Three denials later, the rooster crowed, and Peter ugly-cried like the rest of us would.
But here’s the kicker: that breakdown wasn’t the end of him. It was the beginning of something wild. Peter never denied Jesus again. Instead, he went on to light up the world with his faith.
Maybe you’ve flaked out, caved to peer pressure, or let your “Jesus fire” fizzle when life got inconvenient. The guilt you’ve been carrying is not a death sentence. You are not disqualified from the Great Commission. Jesus hasn’t written you off. In fact, He’s cheering you on. (And yes, He’s got angels backing Him up like the ultimate hype squad.)
When life feels too heavy, crack open that Book. Chains break when His Word speaks.
He’s not asking for perfection; He’s asking for willingness. A willing heart that loves, that shows up, that becomes His hands and feet right where you are.
So lift your chin, friend. Heaven’s rooting for you!
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