Christian author Catherine West didn’t have an easy time getting her work published.

It took 20 years from when she started writing seriously, to getting picked up by international publishing house, HarperCollins Publishers.

The 49-year-old said the process strengthened her faith.

“The biggest lesson I’ve learnt is to trust God and don’t rely on myself because it doesn’t get me anywhere,” Mrs West said.

“I think my biggest problem is wanting to do everything on my own, so I really had to step back and let God work. That lesson has been made clear throughout this publishing journey because it was such a big deal to me to get that contract. That was my goal from the beginning when I first started writing.

“[But] it wasn’t happening and it’s so easy to get frustrated and depressed about it and that’s when we can lose sight of things.

“But this isn’t your timing, it’s God’s so you need to sit back and let Him go to work.”

Mrs West said she reached one of her lowest points last year.

She had always felt like her writing talents were a gift from God, but after many years nothing seemed to be happening with her five faith-based novels.

“I said if I didn’t have a contract by the time I was 50 years old, I would quit,” the author said.

“I was probably in my depths of despair at the moment I said that, but it’s funny because I had to reconcile myself to the fact that if this doesn’t happen it’s going to be okay.

“And when I finally did that and let go, a month later I got the message from my agent about the contract.”

The publisher picked up not one, but two of Mrs West’s books — One Nantucket Summer and The First Harvest.

Both are family sagas with an underlying romance.

Mrs West said she doesn’t try to convert people to Christianity, but instead tries to plant a seed of faith for non-believers.

“I try to write for a Christian world view, which means the characters may or may not have a faith at the beginning of the story and they may not end up coming to Christ as overtly as you might find in other Christian novels, but I do try to point people some way to God,” she said.

“There is always hope, and there can be Christian characters in the narrative who influence the main characters heavily.

“I don’t like to bash people over the head with it, but if they look for it they will find it.

“Some Christian authors have Bible verses, but I don’t do a lot of that. I would rather have a wider reach and have people who maybe don’t believe in God or are not really strong in their faith to be able to pick up my books and enjoy them and maybe people leave with something new.”

Mrs West grew up in the church but it wasn’t until age 16 she got a clear understanding of who Jesus was.

“I think things started to click when I went to a Young Life Camp,” she said. “That’s when I really understood who Jesus was and what He did for us.

“I think they explained it in a way that I could really understand salvation and my need for it.

“I’m certainly not a perfect person. I am continuing on my faith journey and like everything in life there were some ups and downs. But once I got married and had our children we were back in church full time and again that was another turning point for me.

“Overall, none of us can ever say ‘I’m a perfect Christian’, but it’s a process and that’s again in my books and how I plan to portray my characters.”

She self-published her most recent book last month.

Bridge of Faith is based in one of her favourite places, Vermont. It tells a story of a love lost and a reconnection and second chances.

She hopes that her novels entertain people in a deep and meaningful way.

“I want people to walk away saying ‘yes, that was a good story’,” she said. “But really my tag line is ‘stories that resonate’.

“I would hope someone would read my novel and say ‘I’m not going to forget that tomorrow’. For me it’s all about planting those seeds. It’s really about hope, reconciliation and forgiveness and all those themes that we so often shy away from because they’re hard.”

Getting published has not only been a dream come true for Mrs West, it’s also boosted her confidence.

“It’s proved to me that I can do this and I’m good at this because I haven’t always had the greatest self-esteem,” she said. “I struggle with that and believing in myself, but I’m tenacious enough to push through.

“It takes of years of studying the craft, submitting manuscripts, joining creative groups and then I finally got an agent in 2007.

“It’s so much work involved that you really have to put the time in.

“That’s what I would say to any budding writer: if this is what you want it won’t be easy, you will be rejected a lot.

“What kept me going was believing this was what God wanted for me and His calling for my life.”

Mrs West will launch Bridge of Faith on Facebook next Friday. Visit “Bridge of Faith Launch Blitz” to join in on the fun.

For more updates like Catherine West on Facebook or visit www.catherinejwest.com.