Women's Words Ep7/Niki

This is part of an extended series, Women's Words which tells personal stories of Catholic women from all walks of life. We invite you to hear their stories and to allow Him to speak to you through the tapestry of their lives.

Episode 7: Finding God in the Printing Press

When I was 12 years old, I started writing a story that I can best describe as a morbid version of Scooby Doo. It was only for fun but when I shared it with some friends at school, it surprised me to find that they like it. I don’t exactly remember when I decided that I wanted stories to be my career, but it definitely started there. And as I grew in my faith, I found that writing became an important way for me to understand the creative nature of God.

I pursued a dream of authorship for a while. Even in university I was convinced that I would be the next J.K. Rowling. However, it was about junior year that I started to come into my own as a Christian. I was born Christian and never left the faith. In fact, I was an absolute nerd about my faith, always hungry to learn more about it. But it wasn’t until university that this head knowledge started to do a number on my heart. I had always understood that Christianity was a relationship with Christ, but it wasn't until then that I started to feel what that meant.

During this soul searching, I started to see a different path. Sure, I could try to be an author and makes stories that may or may not change the world. But I was slowly seeing that my personality might not be correct for that life. I realized that what I wanted to share with people, what I thought the world needed most, was a feeling of empathy. I wanted to help share so many stories and that didn’t mean that they had to be my own. This is what led me to consider book publishing, where I could share more stories than I could ever produce by myself.

To discern this path, I started an internship with a Catholic publisher called the Catholic Truth Society. From then on, my next step was set. While I still loved fiction, I felt called to share these real life witnesses. So fresh off of graduating grad school, I was able to find a job at Ave Maria Press. I’ve been there for over three years and I’ve enjoyed the stories I’ve helped to share.

These authors have been able to use their words to reach so many souls and have changed countless lives. I especially love meeting readers who have been transformed by our books. They've been healed, they’ve been evangelized, and they’ve been inspired towards great things. All because of ink on a page (or pixels on a screen for ebook lovers).

I’m not sure if I will always be in this line of publishing or even publishing at all. Maybe I will still have a chance to share my own stories as I had dreamt of doing when I was little. But I know that no matter what I do, I will be spreading knowledge and empathy into a world so hungry for both. It amazes me how Christ works through beauty and creativity to bring people closer to him and I am excited to be part of that work.

Niki is a young professional in the small but mighty city of South Bend, Indiana, where she works in marketing at Ave Maria Press. She loves being a nerd and learning all that she can about her faith, writing, languages, history, movies/television, and in general has too many interests to keep track. Her relationship with Christ is always growing and she strives to make Him the center of every aspect of her life.