Stepping Into 2026

Greetings,

In 2026, you're going to see more posts like this. Shortly after I send out my monthly email, I intend to post a blog-worthy version of what they get sent to them, with a few minor, but meaningful things taken out. My hope is that my readers will want to know more. 😉 For this one, I kept pretty much everything, but moving forward, this will change. 

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A small update regarding all things Lanterns of Light PenWorks

2026 has begun, and it’s already moving forward with a big step: Lanterns of Light PenWorks officially becoming my publishing entity. There’s more behind the name than I can share right now… but trust me, more is coming.

For now, I want to focus on what the publishing side of things looks like this year.

As I mentioned last month, I’ve been writing Christian fantasy under the pen name E.M. James. If you follow my Facebook page, you’ve seen that I’m merging those creative identities. It’s already proving to be the right move.

I’m hoping to publish at least one complete Christian fantasy story in 2026. Season One of The SkyCoast Chronicles is already available on Wattpad, and The Ascendants of Water and Sky launches later this year. There’s a third connected story as well, but I’ll save that for another time.

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Biblical Fiction: Where My Heart Still Lives

Now, for the genre many of you follow me for — Biblical Fiction. My mind is everywhere right now, jumping five years ahead while I keep pulling myself back to the reality of 2026 and 2027.

The Ephesus Pages: Mysteries in Ephesus is some of the deepest, most emotionally charged writing I’ve ever done. It’s still on track for early 2026, though it has taken a toll on me. What Aristarchus and John Mark are wrestling with cuts straight to the heart of why I write. Every day I remind myself, “Get it done, Matthew; it needs to be out there.”

Faith and Obedience has slipped into the passenger seat while A Broken Embrace takes the wheel. They may swap release dates — time will tell. Someone once told me that God uses the stories I write to remind me where I’ve been and what He’s doing in me now. I didn’t fully understand that until I started reading the feedback from The Hope of Inheritance.

There are still moments when writing overwhelms me, because God uses these stories to show me something important about my walk with Him. Every year, I ask God for a word to guide the year ahead. This time, it’s a phrase from a classic Disney film: “Remember who you are.”

And that, my friends, is exactly where 2026 is leading me — and my stories.

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What About You?

Where is God leading you this year? Do you have a word or phrase for 2026?

See you in the pages,

M.J.E.