Two and a half years ago, when I moved to San Francisco, I had a 15-month-old and I had just left the job I most loved in the world. I was lonely and anxious and I had this tiny little seed of an idea in my head. It had to do with the books I’d been reading about Benedictines and the possibility that mothers and monks had a lot more in common than I’d ever thought. I had this thought that maybe if I could find the heart of monasticism, I might find the heart of this motherhood calling as well.
So, I started writing a book, a memoir, about my life as a mom and my journey with St. Benedict. And, somewhere along that path, I started this blog, got pregnant, threw up a lot, stopped writing the book, had a baby and still didn’t write the book, and moved to Austin. About six months ago, I picked up that manuscript again and have been working hard on it.
I’ve never really mentioned it around here because I guess it felt pretentious to say, “Soooo, I’m writing this book.” I don’t know. I felt weird about it. But, a few weeks ago I sent a proposal to an agent I’d heard a gazillion wonderful things about. And-miraculously, beautifully, shockingly-(such grace!) Rachelle Gardner liked my proposal and is going to represent me.
That doesn’t mean I have book deal. But it does mean I have this amazingly bright and kind and talented advocate who wants to get this book published. And I can’t tell you how giddy that makes me, how honored I feel to join the ranks of the other writers she represents, how much I feel God’s good pressure on my back, pushing me into this scary and dream-like possibility.
At the same time, I’ve been making some choices about the beautiful little blog community we have around here. I have the opportunity to move the blog to a spirituality and religion site called Patheos. Several bloggers I admire, including my friend Amy Julia Becker, are there. Moving to Patheos won’t actually change much for you all. For me it will mean more opportunity to grow as a writer and more support in terms of having an intentional blogging community around.
We’ll make the switch on April 1st. If you have a subscription, you’ll keep on getting Mama Monk. If you go to www.mamamonk.com, you’ll be redirected to the Patheos site. This blog will be the same. Thankfulness will still happen on Tuesdays. Monks will still be admired. There will still be days when I talk about poetry and nobody reads it. (I kid! I kid!) The exciting thing is that I will actually change that picture on the header that’s five years old.
As I make this change, one other thing will be changing: my name. We all know that I have three pretty intense names. (By the way, did you know my first name is pronounced “MY-kah”? It looks like “Meesha” but it’s not.) The amazing Rachelle Gardner has given me some advice that two difficult last names are just, well, difficult. So, as we make the move over to Patheos, I’m making the move to a simpler name. It’s actually a classic from back in the day and I’m pretty attached to it: Micha Boyett. I feel a little sad to be dropping the crazy Hoho name, but I’m still Hoho in real life, and that’s the best way to be a Hoho.
Thanks for letting me go on and on about myself today. And thanks for celebrating with me. I feel like this is one of those rare moments when I can tell you what a gift you all have been in my life these past two years of blogging. I’ve always been a writer since I was penning dramatic journal entries about my 14-year-old life into my spiral notebooks. But, I never had readers until I found you. And you have challenged me and encouraged me and shaped me in the most wonderful ways.
So, we’ll just make some changes and they’ll all be good and I’ll keep being yours and you’ll keep being mine.
And, always, there will be grace,
Congrats! I think you’re great
concur congrats!
I will buy one immediately. Congrats!
Congrats friend!
Yay! How exciting for you and for us! Good luck in the next steps toward publication - as I understand that’s when you’ll really have to put those Benedictine practices to work! : )
Wonderful news!
You mean we DON’T pronounce it “Meesha”?!
So glad you will have another way to share your gift. I look forward to your blog each day.
yay!
Oh, Micha, this is just so RIGHT. I am thrilled for you and excited for all of us who will get to hold you a bit mor tangibly. Yeah you!
Yay! Congratulations! I am not a monk, or a mama, but I love your writing, and the way you share about following Jesus. In fact, I like your blog so much that you have inspired me to get into poetry. Now even more people will be so blessed.
Congratulations!!!!!!!
Congratulations Micha! That is so exciting!
Congratulations, Micha! I’m so happy for you and look forward to reading your book, hopefully someday soon. These are exciting times and I hope you do something to commemorate.
Also, I’m happy to say I’ve been pronouncing your name right! As someone with an often misspelled and mispronounced name, I feel your pain.
Wow!! So exciting! Congrats!
Oh, Micha, I’m so excited for you. Your voice (the profound ponderings and the fun slices of life and the very real) has meant so much to me, it’s been a gift. Congratulations on all these new adventures!
Yay Yay YAAAAAY! Congratulations!! I have goosebumps for you re: the book agent and am very interested in the blog move. Three cheers for you!
Thanks for all the love today, my friends! I am honored and overwhelmed by all of your goodness to me…
How very, very exciting, Micha!
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Congratulations, Micha! This is so very exciting and so deserved. This blog-world friend of yours is celebrating for you in the Michigan Mitten!
Noooooo! Don’t drop Hohorst! No one has any interesting names anymore. Where have all the challenging names with personality and spunk gone? They’re not in the Young Adult section, where the spines of books reflect a choice to strip beautiful names down to lame, more “pronounceable” pseudonyms — because they’re “too hard” for teen consumers to pronounce. I’m sick of seeing kids reading books by “Lauren Kate” and “Sarah Shepard” (who, for all we know, are really Lauren Katakis and Sarah Shetina).
I’m glad to hear the rest of the news, though.
Told you so! Knew it couldn’t be long before you got picked up and it won’t be long before you’re published, either. Did I ever tell you I had an editor I know ask about you? So you’ve been watched for a while, kiddo. Wonderful, great, love to read what you write. But I’m not sure I can change my mental read on your name. I’m tryin’ but…so far - it’s still Meesha.
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