Ellen Gillette

I was actually working on a fiction manuscript, looking at various potential publishers online. I happened upon CarePoint Publishing's website and saw quickly that they were a niche publisher - only discussion group workbooks. There was a little response box for people who had an idea for a workbook. The idea for "Baaad Sheep," about the hurts we encounter within church walls, popped into my head, so I sent it to them.

Originally, the material was published by CarePoint in a workbook format with an accompaniment CD containing additional material. I had the privilege of leading a 10-week study at my own church and learned so much from the others in the class. It was also gratifying to hear about churches who were using the material, or individuals working through the material as a personal study. But when CarePoint closed its doors, and several respected people in my life encouraged me to change the format to straight prose, I decided to change it up, make it more accessible to more readers.