Hi, InspyLand! Today, I’ve got my dear friend Mikal Dawn joining us to talk about her debut, Count Me In! I LOVED it! And I hope you’ll love it – and Mikal – too!
He’s right behind me!
That was the first thought I had when meeting my now-husband for the first time at the Seattle-Tacoma International airport. He flew in from Japan, where he was stationed, and I drove down to Seattle from Vancouver to pick him up.
Crazy? You betcha.
Worth it? Oh, you betcha!
We’d spent a few months talking to each other through email and then by phone, falling in love. But we didn’t want to commit to anything without meeting each other in person because, well…that’d be nuts! (Because falling in love with someone you’ve never met isn’t nuts, right?) That day at SeaTac, I thought I would be all sneaky-like and wait far from the luggage claim so I could see him before he would see me. I saw people coming down the escalator, and began to anxiously search for him.
Little did I know, he was a brat and did the same thing, coming down from a different direction. He was around twenty feet behind me when the hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention and I got goosebumps. He’s right behind me! I turned, and sure enough, there he was with a big grin on his face, wearing a Green Lantern baseball hat and a Superman shirt (yeah…he likes his superheroes). I immediately knew I would marry him.
It took him three days to figure it out. I still tease him about that.
Our love story was swift. We met online in September, in person in December, and married in April—our third time in each other’s presence. But outside of Jesus, it has been the greatest romance of my life. He makes me laugh! So hard!! Our life is almost a romantic comedy of opposites attract. But falling in love with someone I’d never met? That was so not me, so out of my comfort zone. But it felt right.
My debut novel is a rom-com with that age-old trope of opposites attract. But these two…they’re more than opposites. Kind of extreme opposites. But beneath the laughter, there is a deeper message.
Tyler and Allegra, the main characters in Count Me In, both experience fear—just in different ways. Allegra has a fear of letting go and stepping outside her comfort zone while Tyler has a fear of being “mediocre.” It all boils down to a fear of putting everything we have in God’s hands.
I admit, there’s a lot of Allegra in me. Sheesh, if I were being completely honest, I would say Allegra is me. I fear the unknown more than anything: “What will happen if…,” or “What might ____ be like?” Like writing a book and deciding to indie publish it. It isn’t just a big (very big) time and financial investment, it’s also a huge emotional investment. You’re opening yourself up to criticism, displaying your thoughts and ideas to friends, family, and strangers. Leaving yourself open to judgment.
And yet this is how God directed me. Letting go of that fear to trust Him in this wasn’t easy; stepping outside my comfort zone never comes easily to me. But over my many years on this earth (and no, I’m not telling you how old I am!), the Lord very gently—and sometimes not-so-gently—gives me a little push. And you know where I fall?
Right into His capable hands.
Has fear been a limiting factor in your life? What comfort zone is God trying to push you out of?
Carol here – I’ll gift an ecopy to one of our fabulous readers who answers Mikal’s question above. Check out the 6/18 Sunday Edition for the winner!
Count Me In
Allegra Spencer has been living a careful life. Her safe job as an accountant is bookended by going to church and the gym. Okay, sometimes the gym. Fine. She goes to church. And the coffee shop. She avoids risk at all cost, preferring to stay safe in her cozy condo. Until her accounting firm goes belly up and she’s out of a job.
Tyler Hawk had a glorious career as a star NFL tight end. He retired on a high note and now lives a second dream of owning his own business and leading others on extreme outdoor adventures. But he needs help with his books—and his heart. When Allegra takes the job, sparks fly.
It’s a case of safety zone versus danger zone, and in their minds, never the two shall meet.
Buy it on Amazon!
Bio
Mikal Dawn is an inspirational romance author, wedding enthusiast, and proud military wife. By day, she works as an administrative assistant for an international ministry, serves in her church’s library, runs her kids to all their sports, and drinks lots of coffee. By night, she talks to figments of her imagination as she attempts to write while dinner is burning. And drinks lots of coffee. When she isn’t writing about faith, fun, and forever, she is obsessively scouring Pinterest (with coffee in hand, of course!) for wedding ideas for her characters.
Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Mikal now lives in Nebraska with her husband, their three children, and one ferocious feline. Connect with Mikal on mikaldawn.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
When she's not writing about her imaginary friends, Carol Moncado is hanging out with her husband and four kids in the big yard of their southwest Missouri home, teaching American Government at a community college, reading, or watching NCIS. She's a member of ACFW and RWA, President and founding member for the MozArks ACFW group, and a category coordinator for ACFW's First Impressions.
Hi Mikal! I loved your “how we met story.’ That’s a true whirlwind romance! Each day, I feel God nudging me out of my comfort zone…some days He has to shove a little harder, but I’m working on that. Thanks for introducing us to Mikal, Carol!
Good morning, Mikal! Your real.life romance sounds fabulous I look forward to reading Count Me In. Fear has always been a huge stumbling block for me, but I do my best to put my faith in God, for He knows the plans for me….
Hi Carol and Mikal. wow, talk about whirlwind romance!! Thanks for sharing your story, I love hearing how couples met. Haha, God is all about pushing us outside our comfort zones, and when I reflect back I am so very thankful He does. Taking on my current role at work was a step outside my comfort zone, I do not like conflict/confrontation, something I need to help resolve/deal with. But, God is the great provider and gives the strength to face each moment.
Blessings to you both:)
I have always been an introvert and it was made worse by the loss of our car decreased finances and my decreased vision.
We are now living somewhere with dependable public transportation and I find that the Lord is pushing me out of my comfort zone by placing a church 30 minutes from our apartment.
My next step is getting on that bus and going.
Beautiful love story of you and your husband. I have a lot of fear but taking baby steps to letting go of thing. I don’t need to be entered into the drawing. I purchased the book when it came out.
Hey everyone!!! I’ll be back later. Swim meet this morning!! And Mikal has that silly day job thing goin’ on ;). She’ll be by later too!
Nice to meet you, Mikal! Love your story! Yes, it is hard to leave our comfort zones! Keep up the great writing!
Love this book! She’s such a great author and overall sweet lady! Well actually, both of you are! hehehe!
Hi Mikal, thanks for sharing with us today. I so enjoyed how you met your hubby.
Hi Mikal, really enjoyed hearing about how you met your hubby and your whirlwind romance. My hubby and I met in October and the following June we were married. We will celebrate our 44th wedding anniversary tomorrow. I have ordered Count Me In and looking forward to reading it. Sounds like my kind of book!
Hi Mikal, welcome to Inspy romance. I’ve already downloaded your book to my kindle so it was fun to see you here! I’m looking forward to reading it. As for fear, that would be yes. I’m working on that.
This book sounds like a must. The personal love story even more (can you write that up next?!).
As for your question, God has just pushed me out of my comfort zone: I was fired yesterday. I’m been applying for other jobs for a while now because I new it was coming, but I was/am really afraid of the job market right now. It’s looking bad and I feel like I can’t compete.. sometimes I even freeze during application process because of fear. I guess I got the final push to do something different now.
When it comes to fear and getting out of our comfort zones, my favorite Biblical example is Gideon. Think of him threshing wheat (which should have been done on a hillside so the wind could blow away the chaff) down in a winepress pit to avoid being seen by Israel’s enemies. Think of the heat, the humidity, the cramped quarters–and yet that to him WAS a “comfort zone” because of his fear! What kind of uncomfortable, constrained circumstances do we exist in because of our fear and THINK of it as a comfort zone?!? I have heard that the Bible says, “Fear not” (or some variation of that) 365 times, one for every day of the year. So if He repeats it that many times, He must want us to take it seriously! The book sounds fabulous.
Thank you so much for stopping by, Jill!! <3 I love our love story. God is SO good!! And that hard shove? Yep. I feel you. I'm sure the Lord just shakes His head at me sometimes.
Thank you so much, Paula!!! <3
It's incredible how fear can be such an issue for many of us. I'm so thankful that God gave us His Word to remember His promises. So much comfort to be found in the Bible!!
Thank you so much for stopping by, Wemble!! It was *definitely* a whirlwind!! Pretty sure my mum wanted to have me examined. ;)
I agree: I’m so thankful God has plans that take us outside our comfort zones. (Okay. I’m thankful *most* of the time.) And I find that He always does incredible work in us when we trust Him and step outside that zone. I’m praying for you in your work!
Linda, I’m so sorry to hear of your hard times, but so thankful the Lord has provided a home right where you need it! I’m praying for you as you take that step out of your comfort zone and trust in Him!
Thank you so much, Colleen!! <3
Fear is a very real thing and can be so incredibly hard to let go of, but I know He will be faithful to you as you trust in Him. He is SO good and gracious!
You’re the bomb, friend!! Thank you SO MUCH for having me!!! <3
Thank you so much for stopping by, Jackie!! I appreciate it! <3
I adore you, Marylin!!!! Thank you!!!!!! <3
Thank you so very much, Merrillee!! <3 I enjoyed it, too. ;)
Oh Nancy, thank you so much!!! <3
And 44 years! Congratulations!!!! Happy anniversary!!! I love hearing about couples who are celebrating thirty, forty, fifty, sixty years of marriage (and more!). It's such an encouragement to know couples who have had many ups and many downs and are still committed to one another. <3
Hi Kimberly! Thank you SO MUCH!!! <3
Fear is…well…it stinks. lol!! I'm so thankful for a God who loves us and is there to guide us through with such loving hands. <3
I just love your story, Mikal. Both your personal one and your fictional one. Love you girl.
Oh Priscila, what a hard circumstance to be in. Praise God He knows what’s ahead for you and is already there. Please know I’m praying for you as you journey down this road. I use an app called Echo to keep a list of people to pray regularly for; I’ll add you to that list. <3
You're not the first one to ask me to write our story! LOL! I plan on doing so one day (hopefully soon, after I write the next two books in this series). :D
Yes! We tend to believe our comfort zones are truly comfortable and “safe,” when they’re actually more dangerous for us than what’s outside that zone. But God has so much better in store for us when we take that step!
Thank you so much for stopping by, Ellen!!
You’re the best. <3 Thank you, sweet friend. Love you much!!
I’ve been reading great things about this book so it was especially fun to read your own story of your romance. My kids are grown, I’m alone and an introvert. It’s very hard to get out and do social things on my own. I’m not really sure that God is trying to get me out of my comfort zone or if I’d just like him to give me the nudge and ability. It’s far too easy to stay home with my books.
Oh Pam, I actually can understand this. I’m an introvert and a homebody–pretty much a hermit–by nature. When I married my husband, I married an extrovert who also loved going out and doing things. We’ve learned over the years how to balance that, but I still have a very hard time making myself get out and do things. I ended up taking a part-time job with a ministry, and that’s definitely helped me get outside my little zone (though I appreciate coming home!!). I’ll be praying for God to show you what He has for you outside your own zone!! <3
God want me to serve Him with working with kids more. I am thinking about asking our local library if I can volunteer with the kids at either story time and or a book buddies program.
When I was young, I was very shy and fearful. I think it was when I was in junior high school that I discovered the verse “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” II Timothy 1:7. I’m so thankful the Lord has helped me get over most of my fears! There are always new ones to deal with, of course, but that verse made such a big difference as I applied it to my life!
After knee replacement I’ve had a fear of falling. Won’t ride my bike anymore, maybe I need a three wheeler? I do ride a stationary bike. But my fear limits what I do or try.
Mikal! I love you! (AND I love your bookbaby!!! Eeeep!)
I am so VERY out of my comfort zone with blogging (I’m write-aphobic…. yep, I just made that up. #bloggerperk) However, blogging is a huge blessing and I adore it (and all the wonderful people who I have met since taking that first step out of my comfort zone)
Andrea, that’s FABULOUS!!!! What an incredible way to step outside your comfort zone *and* giving back to your community at the same time!! I love this idea! <3
Isn’t it amazing how the Bible was relevant 2,000 years ago (and longer!) yet is still so applicable and speaks to us TODAY?! I love it. “For the word of God is alive and active” (Hebrews 4:12).
Oh Gail. I can only imagine that fear, especially after the pain and hard work of recovery. I’m praying you’re able to become more stable and trust your knee to keep you upright. <3
BETH!!!!! I love you so much!!!!! And I LOVE your blog. It’s seriously amazing–you’re so good at it! And I’m super thankful you do it because it’s how I met you. <3 (Well, one of the hows. Ha!!)
Great post, Mikal! I love your story. I have a hard time stepping out of my comfort zone. I’m kind of wimpy and not very adventurous, so I find it hard to do new things. I’m even stepping out of my comfort zone by signing up for CFRR this year and adventuring there on my own. I’d far rather bring a friend, but I couldn’t talk anyone from around here into going. I know it’s going to be soooooo much fun, though!! Can’t wait!
Hmm, an accountant with fondness for church and coffee shops…think I need that book. Out of the comfort zone can mean so many things: thinking of the first time I traveled solo, and now I enjoy that; but currently a bit panicky that the gentleman I’ve been training with at work really is retiring and leaving us to see if we have learned what we need to know.
Thank you. I truly appreciate that.
Ellen, thanks so much for that. Your mention of Gideon really struck me – right where it hurts LOL
Hi Mikal! Sorry I didn’t get a chance to stop by yesterday. Just wanted you to know this PNW girl enjoyed your debut novel. I like my comfort zone a lot, but I can be a bit mean about pushing my characters out of theirs. Although… I think I can learn from you. LOL
I so can’t wait to see you at CFRR, Winnie!!! <3 <3 <3 I'm excited you're coming, even if it isn't inside your zone. But believe me when I say, you'll be among your people. People who GET you. The travel there, well…it'll also be good. I'm driving there from our home by myself–I think it's the first time I've gone that distance driving on my own–so I'm loading up on some great audiobooks and lots of energy drinks (a-hem…caffeine. I'll be loading up on caffeine.).
Amy, I bet you he’s trained you well and you know more than you think you do. <3 It's always so hard to take that first step, but once you do, you realize it isn't nearly as bad as you thought it might be. :)
Hi Valerie!!! Oh, thank you soooo much!!!!! And I really, really miss the PNW. REALLY miss it. I haven’t been back to Vancouver since 2007. It’s about time I get north of the border again!!!
As for my characters and their comfort zones…MWAHAHAHAHA!!!!! ;)
Yes, fear of the unknown is a biggie to me! Stepping out of my comfort zone is never comfortable to me either! It’s like stepping off a cliff and not knowing if I will smash on the rocks below or they’ll be a hidden ledge that will catch me. I don’t like when God pushes me further out, but I’ve also learned that He is always there to catch me! I’ve gotten to the point of saying “okay God, this isn’t comfortable but I’ll trust you in it” and it’s always worked out. I still don’t like it, but I’ve learned to trust more :-) Maybe that’s the whole point of it? Learning to trust the One who will never let you down or fall to smash on the rocks!
Love your intro story about first meeting your intended in person. :) Fear definitely plays a part in aspects of my life. I’m hard of hearing so avoid working with younger kids since I can’t really understand them. I’ve been a stay at home mom for 17 years, but even then am afraid to try to enter the work market again (which isn’t possible at this time anyway) due to my hearing. Spiritually, I feel I’m lacking, so although I’m getting my feet wet in helping at church, I’m biding my time and asking the Lord to make it clear if He wants me to do something else in the church by having someone ask me, lol. Then my husband is a truck driver, so I do worry about him more in the bad weather, but do trust the Lord to keep him safe as well. Kids, I do worry at times, but not too much yet, lol. My husband keeps telling me we aren’t supposed to worry, maybe one day it will get totally through my head and sink in. I’m a PNW gal too, lived in Washington my whole life for the most part.