In this episode, Ete speaks with Becca Wilhite.

Becca Wilhite is a mother of four, a high school teacher, writer, and author. She has published four romance novels and has a new historical novel coming out in 2021. She is also part of a group that writes romance fiction under the pen name Brenna Jacobs.

Becca is a big believer in the idea that every single person has a creator within. She emphasizes that creation, making, is a human need. It's a drive that we all have and we all need to honor. She feels that we as individuals, and as a society, we would all benefit from focusing a little more on "honoring" the "small pieces," appreciating any forward momentum however small, instead of obsessing about "finished products." Becca reminds us to allow ourselves "grace" and to not let fear stop us from making. "You have permission. Do a thing," she says.

In this interview, Becca also talks extensively about the impact that outside influences can have on her writing. From readers' reactions, to navigating the constantly changing and rather fuzzy, unspoken rules of "acceptable" writing set by the national social climate, to expectations that come with working within a certain genre, writing for an audience can be complicated. And it certainly takes some courage. In one especially difficult experience, a novel of Becca's was subject to a particularly negative–and somewhat personal–critique by Publisher's Weekly, one of the very publications she'd dreamed of being featured in since the beginning of her writing career. She describes working through the disappointment and the fallout of that ordeal, a lesson all of us can learn from. And just as importantly, the experience helped her to develop the mindset contained in a pretty profound statement she makes at the end of the interview, "My purpose revolves around creation whether or not that creation is honored by other people."

Books available at King's English
Books available on Amazon
Books by Brenna Jacobs
Becca Wilhite on Facebook