Hello, sisters, and welcome back to the Intentional Mom Life with Jesus podcast. I'm your host, Sasha Starr Robertson, and today I have a special guest on board for you today. I know it's been a while since I've aired a guest episode here, but we have my sweet friend, Caitlin Silva. She is a Jesus-loving mama and owner of We Write Books, and she's coming to share a really inspirational testimony and some how-tos and more about how to write books and productivity.
Welcome to the Intentional Mom Life with Jesus podcast. Music. Do you desire balance and want to glorify God with your life? Are you often up late at night conflicted between whether you accomplished enough or you were present enough with your kids? Do you wake up with big ambitious vicious goals only to feel overwhelmed by all the things on your to-do list? Hi, I'm Sasha Star Robertson. I know the weight of that stay-at-home mom life.
It can feel like a burden to stay on top of things when you don't know how to manage your time and struggle to read your Bible. You want structure, a routine that flows, and a little time to pursue things for yourself without mom guilt. But you keep telling yourself, there's no time, and I can't find a good schedule.
Well, sister, sister, you found the solution. On this podcast, you'll find encouragement to help you live rooted and grounded in Christ, time management tips for busy moms, and mindset shifts to help you feel organized, productive, and peaceful, focusing on what matters most. So grab your cold brew or kombucha and strap those kiddos into the car seat, and let's jump into today's episode.
We are here today with Caitlin Silva. She is the author of 11 books, wow, some under a pen name, and a four times bestseller. She is a God-fearing, devoted wife and homeschooling mother of four who has overcome significant life challenges and is the founder of We Write Books. She works with with Christian mompreneurs to get clarity on their book idea, confidently write and publish a bestseller and use it as a tool for impact, authority, and purpose.
She believes every person has a unique voice and that your book can change a life. Wow. Thank you, Caitlin, so much for being here. You've inspired me. Let's write this book just in your bio right there. Thank you so much for being here with us. Is there anything more you'd like to tell us? Yeah, so it definitely sounds really nice in the bio and the introduction, but it's been a long journey to get here. And it, you know, it started out when I was really little.
Even with my mom, you know, she always instilled that love of books and reading and writing from a very young age. And she actually passed away when I was little as well. And so my whole life was flipped upside down. And, you know, my, my dad had to figure out so many different things, you know, with working himself and then get, you know, all the kids and, you know, so it was just kind of, um, one of those wild, crazy rides for a while.
But, you know, as I got older, I really wanted to pursue writing. I always knew throughout my whole life that when I grew up, I was going to be a mom. I was going to be a writer. Those are the two things I knew. And so, you know, at some point, life kind of just did one of those things where your dreams get put on the back burner and you just are kind of focused on survival and doing what you have to do to pay the bills, you know, and take care of the family and all of that.
That but eventually I realized that I had you know I was I was in this place of being stuck and I was always you know kind of going back to the manuscript but not really taking it seriously and you know putting it on for the mythological someday when time is right and I get there eventually you know and and so I would move things around and I wrestle with the with the story and all of those things.
And then there was this one day where I was working and my son, my oldest, he was getting close to how old I was when my mom passed away. And it was kind of the existential crisis moment for me. I had to pick him up from school and he had had one of those children's performances at school where I couldn't go and see him. And when I picked him up, he had tears And he was like, mama, where were you? All the other kids' parents were here and I couldn't find you.
And as I, as I heard him talking to me, I just. My heart was broken. And I just thought, you know, what if something happened to me and all my kids ever remembered was me just outside of the house working.
And even more than that, I didn't want to, you know, look back with regret in, you know, 10, 20 years after spending my life working and have missed out on the calling of really being a mom, you know, and being part of of my children's lives and, you know, raising them in the Lord and, you know, having all those small precious moments that you, you miss if you're not present with them, you know? And so I just knew I had to, I had to shift something.
And so I, I was like, okay, well, this, the books are the one, what the Lord given me. So I'm going to do that. You don't have to pursue that. And And so I did. And I took that old manuscript and I buckled down and I got it done within six months. And then I got a small publishing deal. And, you know, the outcome is my first book. So I had a lot to learn, but I just went all in. I went completely head first into the publishing industry.
And it was, you know, I worked with coaches and courses and books and whatever I had to do to learn how to be a bestseller and how to become an author preneur, not just an author, not just write a book, but really, you know, turn it into something. And so I wrote my first bestseller and that was like an amazing moment. And then I went on to, you know, publish more books and bestsellers and have more learning and whatever. And people sort of reaching out and asking, like, how are you doing it?
You know, can you teach me what, what can I do? And I was like, yeah, you know, so let's get, let's get calm, be let's hang out. Let me talk about books. And so we were doing that. And, and eventually I realized this is, this is a gift that the Lord's given me as well, you know, to, to help others. Share their story and impact readers through their book and, you know, share whatever their unique experiences are, whatever that is.
And so, you know, I, I launched We Write Books and through that time, my husband and I, my husband had been, you know, had his whole world had turned upside down as well. So that's a whole other story that I could spend a lot of time on, but we just had gone through so much together. And so we'd only had, you know, two at the time and And he was working and going through school for nursing and just so many different things.
And then finally, we were having my daughter. We had moved twice since getting married. And we were just, you know, figuring life out. And I had my daughter and I just, I looked in her eyes and I just said, I can't, I can't put her in daycare. Like, I can't go back to work. I just don't want to be a mom, you know. And my husband and I, like, we kind of wrestled and he, I was praying about
it. I was pouring my heart out to the Lord and my husband finally looked at me and said, yeah, you know, you can stay home. And honestly, so I feel like that would not have happened if I hadn't had books making income and had a business making some income and been able to say, okay, you know, when you can still work from home and devote to be a mom, you know? And so that was, that was the day that I like had so many answered prayers and it was like the best day of my life, you know?
And you know since then we've had another baby so i've got four and and we transitioned to homeschooling and just so many things that that i truly believe have been a blessing and a benefit to my children and for my husband because i can you know have a cleaner house now than when i was working full-time and you know and then i get to i get the privilege of of seeing other people experience that joy of of seeing this idea that they've been given finally come to fruition you you know,
in this beautiful book that they can use to, you know, whether it be book signing events or a business or a whole series, like if it's a fiction story or, you know, Because fiction is very impactful and powerful for communicating a message underneath as well. And so it's just so amazing to get to not only share my own stories that I have, but help other people do the same. Wow. I'm just like, that's so powerful. You covered so much there.
I love how you started all the way back when you were like a kid thinking about your future. You're like, I want to be a mom and I want to be a writer.
Like that's what I knew about myself and and then you know life had taken over and you had this someday you know I saw the air quotes the listeners in it but this elusive someday idea someday I'll get to that but then you had this like pivotal moment this transition period where your son was at school and he had a performance and you weren't able to be there and he was in tears about that and that really lit that fire in you to to pull out your writing and to turn it into something.
And it sounds like it took a while and it took investing in yourself and trial and error, right? Putting something out there and not being successful and then going have to do courses and leaning in and learning like, how do I make this successful? And then after doing that so many times, it's turned into this way that you get to walk alongside others and help them make those dreams a reality.
And so, wow, I think that's such a beautiful story and an inspiration too, because I think there's a lot of people who they had those dreams when they were little girls. You know, I wanna be a mom and this, or I wanna be that. And then life gets in the way and so many things are right in front of us that prevent us from, from, or I don't want to say prevent, but I guess our speed bumps in the way of us making that a reality.
But through determination and sacrifice and hard work and investing, finding a way to yes really is how we make that happen. And so one of the things that you had mentioned that I was like, oh, that's really interesting. You're like, I couldn't have left the workplace if I didn't have these books that were bringing in an income. And I'm like, that's just surprising statement to me because I think when I hear of most authors, their books don't make any money.
If you're Stephen King or something, you're rich off of writing your books. But I think most people that I've talked to, they are like, oh no, their books are like tools in their business or for marketing or publicity, but the books don't actually make any money. So would you mind telling me a little bit about that? Yeah, absolutely. So my first bestseller was the result of all of the investments that I was making and really just learning the process.
And one key thing I learned is that it's important to at least have one avenue or one book that is something that is very needed in the marketplace. So it's an area of expertise that there's maybe not a specific angle on that point, or it's something that people can really use that's practical. So an example of this might be a business book or a how-to or kind of a self-help book. I do air quotes on that because they're kind of a broad range.
But or even just some books that are considered like low-content books like planners or workbooks or whatever. And that kind of is just a way to start. I don't want to burden people with saying, oh, you have to have all these multiple different different things because a book is definitely a project. But I will also say that a book doesn't necessarily have to bring in a whole, you know, replacement income.
So when I say my books are bringing an income, my books bring in a consistent revenue that does supplement and does basically cover my business costs. So if I have, you know, whether it be, well, there's just such a plethora a range of business costs, as I'm sure you know, as a fellow business owner. But it's not like my books are bringing in $10,000 a month or that they replace a full-time income. It's not like that. It's more of a supplemental type of income where they cover my base costs.
And a little bit more than that, sometimes it's up and down. It's a little bit of a roller coaster. Some months, I make a lot. And then other months, I sometimes make a little or in between. And so it goes But, you know, it goes around, but it is consistent. Revenue stream in terms of every single month, I know I'm going to get something coming in. And so part of that is the audience. Part of that is the type of book that you write and the need for it in the marketplace, for sure.
Part of that is going to be the bestseller launch. When you launched a bestseller, you really set your book up for success and you give it a certain amount of boost at the very beginning.
And when you do it right, because there's a right way to do it, and there's a way that you can mess it up, but if you do it right, it will sustain itself long-term because enough people become aware of it where either it's word of mouth or it's just the rankings kind of stay up there on Amazon and it just kind of sustains itself.
And then there's also the piece of marketing where you keep talking about the book, you do occasional promotions or ads or whatever it is to kind of get more attention back on the book page, whatever you have to do to keep that momentum going.
But it's a combination of those things. And so when you do that the right way, it does result in at least knowing you can have a small amount of book income or a larger amount depending on the book and the need of the market, but you can expect that result. And so when I have my first bestseller, kind of generating that beginning foundation from a starting place, then I could use that as a place to build on, right?
So I called it a foundation for a reason because once you have that in place, you can then build higher. And so with each bestseller that I released, least I already knew the process. I knew the right way to go about it. I knew the wrong way to go about it because of past mistakes. And so I was able to replicate that and build a higher level of consistent revenue every month. And so I will say, I also have experienced going through the process of doing
it the right way and then having a mistake, right? Doing something that messes up that momentum. And so that was like, oh man. And so I've had to learn through that as well of, of, you know, okay, you have to do it a specific way or else it doesn't quite have the same results. And so that's really a key point too. Wow. Super cool. So there are, I mean, just like you said at the beginning, you've gone through this multiple times. So there is, there is a process and you're very familiar with that.
And I love that you had pointed out the facts, right? You're not trying to sugarcoat anything here. It's not like, oh yeah, I'm making like $40,000, $100,000 a year for my books. But supplemental income is huge. Like even just a couple hundred dollars a month for people can be massive. And if it's supplemental income that helps fund your business, that's even better, right? That is super cool.
So you had mentioned about how you were working full-time. You had at least one, if not two kiddos at home. And even through that process, you were able to pull out that book and pour into it and spend time getting it publishing, diving into that world, then wrote another book, made it a bestseller, had another kid, like all these things. How did you manage to work your full-time job, be a mom, and have time to pour into this dream of yours to be an author, to write this book?
I know a lot of listeners, a lot of moms who are working moms who have similar dreams to leave the workplace, to be home with their kids, but it's kind of hinging on, you know, making the other part of their dream, this business or writing books or something else, a reality so that they can supplement that income. Yeah, that's such a great question. And I think honestly, it comes back to a mental game. And what I mean by that is, is that we all have the same 24 hours in a day.
And yes, we all allocate that time differently. You know, so if you're working eight hours out of the day or 12 hours out of the day, and by the time you get home, you're exhausted. And then you have all the other demands and you have, you know, kids and dinner and cleaning and whatever, it can feel exhausting and overwhelming.
And I was in that place. I was getting up at four or five in the morning, getting ready for work and kids ready, taking them to daycare at the time because they were so little and then going off to work and then getting off work and picking them up, going home, spending a little bit of time with them, doing dinner, kind of cleaning up afterward and then getting the kids to bed. And then by that point, I was tired. So I understand that struggle of feeling like I'm already on all cylinders.
How can I possibly have time to, or energy, right. To, to get anything else done. And I would say that, first of all, if God has called you to do something, he'll equip you to do it, but you have to take steps of faith that you have to trust him through that process.
And you also have to give yourself plenty of grace. You know, you're you're not going to be able to take steps every single day, but you can consistently be intentional about creating at least a time every week, maybe, or every, you know, or twice a week. And it's really just realizing that there's this myth involved, especially with writing a book, that you have to sit down for, you know, several hours every day in order to get the book done. Or it just feels really overwhelming.
It feels like this huge, massive project and undertaking and people just feel like, okay, when I have a clear schedule, I'll have the time and energy to pour into such a massive undertaking. But the fact of the matter is, is that that's a myth.
It really doesn't take hours out of the day. It really doesn't take that massive amount of undertaking in order to accomplish a book, especially in today's industry where, you know, Your book, it can range from, I've seen small books that are very successful all the way up to those full-length novels. And it really is just, it varies according to what is adequate to tell the story and really convey the message that you're trying to convey through that content, whether fiction or nonfiction.
So once you recognize you don't need hours every day, don't need this massive undertaking. You can accomplish it one step at a time with consistent intentional time, it all of a sudden becomes like a possibility. And once it's a possibility, then it's just taking the right steps to make it a reality. So you can look at your schedule.
You can be realistic with yourself and say, okay, maybe Monday through Friday with your job, you're not able to do in the evenings to devote that much time because you're exhausted by the end of the day. Maybe you could write for 15 minutes before bed or maybe 30 minutes if you could do it. And it doesn't happen every day, But, you know, you can schedule that in and you can be intentional and communicate with your spouse.
Or if you don't have a spouse and you're a single mom, communicate with someone that can help you, that can maybe take the kids for a night or maybe on one weekend date, you know, or have your mom come help out. You know, you can communicate with someone that can help you. And if it's someone that doesn't really support your dream and doesn't really
support you in pursuing that, you don't have to tell them what you're working on. on. You know, it's good to have good boundaries and protect what God has given you and not feel like you have to over-explain and over-tell what's going on. You don't just say, hey, I need your help watching the kids. I have some work things I need to do. I mean, I really need that help.
And that's all you have to say, you know, and you don't have to give them all the details, some of their business, you know, and it's important to protect that space and that time and really just purpose it for this dream that the word has given you. And finally, I would say, I mean, cause I get, I can go on and on. There's just so much depth, you know, but I will say it's so important to seek the Lord through that process and ask him to help you.
You know, one thing that I'm actually hosting right now is called the prayer power author challenge. And we're just over halfway through the challenge. And it's been so amazing because as opposed to starting it from this place of like, Oh, I have to, you know, squeeze this in. And I have to, you know, I have to push myself and I have to really, you know, do all these things. instead of it being a works thing, it's more of like, okay, how can I start from a place of prayer?
How can I invite the Lord into my writing space and let him guide and lead me in pursuing this project? And how can I really surrender and lay at his feet and trust him that what I do accomplish, he's going to use for good and for his purpose and for my purpose in my life, you know? And so it's really just shifting your perspective and your mind game around that pursuit, whether whether it be a book or a business or whatever.
I'm specifically talking books. But yeah, it's just shifting your mind game around that and recognizing what's myth and what is attainable and then taking the right steps to get there. Wow. So good. I love so much of what you talked about because I agree with the shifting the mind game. I believe so much of everything we do in life, it stems from our mindset and how we think about things has a great, drastic even impact on the results that we're creating.
You talked about, you know, if God called you to it, he is going to equip you like he will find a way to make it happen. But even still, you know, we have to take action. We have to get into action and take those steps and step out in faith and giving ourselves grace and communicating, but then also prayer and boundaries. There was so much goodness in what you shared there. And I want the listeners to hear that this isn't just about books,
right? This is about any kind of dream that God has given you that's inside of you that you're struggling to find a way to yes to. Just lean in, lean in, pray, have him confirm that dream inside of you, and then get into action. Take those steps and do what needs to be done to find a way to yes, because super, super important. Caitlin, I have one last question before we kind of wrap up this episode.
In the beginning, you had said you believe every person has a unique voice and that your book can change a life. Can you just share with us a little bit about your beliefs in this area of the importance of sharing these stories that God has given us or walked us through and why it's so important that we get those things out there into the world to, as you said, change a life? Yeah, thanks for asking that, Sasha. It's such a great question.
So one thing that I've learned through the process and also with working with other people is that when you're writing a book, there is this nasty little self-doubt voice that likes to come up. And it likes to tell you, you know, who are you to write this? Or, you know, will my book actually make a difference? Or, oh, there's all these other books out there that are already on the same topic. And the list goes goes on and on and on, you know?
And the fact of the matter is, is that it doesn't matter how many other books are out there or what, or whatever, you know, it doesn't matter because you as a person have a unique way of saying things and a unique style and unique experiences that nobody else has. And God has given you that for a purpose and he's designed you in a unique way for that purpose.
And so when it comes to this book that he's given you, maybe, and I know people have, all of the listeners have probably had this experience. You probably have too, where you've heard something a million times, but for some reason, the way one person shared it, it finally clicks for you and the light bulb goes off and you're like, oh my goodness, why didn't I see this? And it shifts everything for you.
And it's like, all of a sudden you have the ideas and the clarity and you're just, you're going for it. And for all of the listeners that have this book idea, I want you to know that you have the power to do that exact same thing. Or somebody else. And so God has given you this book and this dream for that purpose that he wants to accomplish through you, that work that he wants to accomplish through you. And a book is one avenue of accomplishing that.
And so when you pursue the book, when you get it out there, God then can use it the way that he has intention, you know, and whether that be through a business or whatever it is, it, it, it then can reach readers and it can start to make those shifts in that person's life. They're going to read your book and something that you say is going to stand out to them more than anybody else, more than any of the books they've read or whatever.
And so by you holding back and you listening to that self-doubt and you struggling with, I'll put it off till someday and whatever, you are literally withholding that shift for somebody else.
And that's a big responsibility. That can be kind of scary. But at the same time, when you recognize that the book is more than just a book that it's it's more than just you, it's about others and it's about service and it's about you know accomplishing that purpose that the lord has given you it all of a sudden it becomes it becomes something a driving force right a motivating factor and something that really pushes you and encourages
you and kind of holds you accountable a little bit too right and it just it just becomes so much bigger than than just you and this book. And that's really powerful. Again, whether it's fiction or nonfiction, sometimes you have to realize that on one token, it's a dream. It's something you want to accomplish. You want to say, I'm an author. But then beyond that, you know that you can go beyond that. You know you can use the book beyond that. You know that the book is going to
connect with readers beyond that. And that is really beautiful. Wow. Like I said at the beginning, I'm sold. I feel like for many years, I feel honestly my whole life, I think somebody, my dad and other people have been telling me like, oh, you should write a book. You should write a book. And I'm like, I don't know. For a long time, I didn't know what I would write a book about. And then I traveled like half the world. And I was like, oh, I can write a book about my travels or whatever else.
I should have kept a journal throughout that. And then overcame childhood trauma and then adoption and then all these different things. And then now the coaching program that I do and so much more. And I'm just like, goodness, God has given me so much. And I keep saying, I'm definitely living for years now in that elusive someday because it is. I know a book is a big project and God has given me so many different projects and different downloads and things to focus on.
And so I'm like, okay, God, what are we doing now? What's relevant for this season? What are we focusing on? And he hasn't put book right in front of me. But even saying that, I've been talking to a lot of authors lately, a lot of authors guesting here on the podcast, a lot of authors just coming into my space. And I'm just just like, God, is this a sign? Is this you? So maybe 2024 will be the year.
I know we talked about before hitting record, some of the stuff that I'm pursuing this year, but I don't want to be the person withholding that shift for somebody else. And I believe and completely agree like what you had said about we hear something a thousand times, but it's just the the one person, the one way they say it that makes it shift for us. And I can go back and remember, you know, multiple times that that's happened in my life.
And so, yeah, I completely agree. Let's get rid of that self-doubt. Let's get rid of the elusive someday. Let's birth these stories that God has given us. And I love that you had said the purpose that God wants to accomplish accomplish through you. I'm like, oh, that's so powerful. And I believe he has that for each and every one of us, whether it's writing a book, whether it's something else, there is a purpose that God has created you to fulfill through.
And so I love, love, love that. Caitlin, if people want to connect more with you, if they're like, I just need to be in her world so that I can be you know constantly inspired to actually write this book or you know I didn't maybe I didn't even know that there was a book inside of me but now I'm thinking that there might be where can people connect with you to to just be in your circle what program are you like do you have to offer
them if you could share with us briefly about that stuff and of course I will drop all the links in the show notes as usual. Yeah thanks for asking that sasha and i love what you said too it's just it's so inspiring and amazing when people can can make those shifts and have those realizations and you know have that, feeling you know okay i can do this you know because going from that place putting it off to.
I can do it is such a massive massive thing so as far as for me and connecting with me the best place is to go to my facebook group so it's facebook.com slash groups slash writers club membership and inside of there you know that just by coming in they get free training they have an opportunity to just connect with me on a call and just you know hang out and say hello and get some tips and connect with my page and and just all the things so if they if they want to
hop in the facebook group that's the best way to do that and and you know you'll be posting the links so So they're welcome to click on those if they want to actually connect with social pages. And then once they come in the Facebook group, if they do want to take advantage of just connecting and just talking to me, I offer a complimentary bestseller assessments.
And so it's an opportunity to not on that connection call in the group, but if they want to, it's a chance to just dig in a little bit deeper, talk about what their idea is and what challenges they've had and really craft a step-by-step roadmap for them to accomplish that book. And it's no obligation. If we're in the best fit to work together, then great. If not, I'll provide my best recommendation or best next steps for so they can start making progress toward that book.
And so we can have that conversation if they're interested. But like I said, the best way to just go ahead and jump in and at least get in my circle is to join the Facebook group. Awesome. Super cool. And yes, yes, the links will definitely be in the show notes. Thank you so much, Caitlin, for being on here. I know your story has inspired me and has the power to inspire many. So thank you for coming and sharing in a verbal format.
I'm sure once people can connect with you, they can find out about all the different books that you've written as well. And I know I'm inspired. So thank you so much for coming on. And I pray that this episode will bless each and everyone. Music.