About the Book
Book: What Color is God’s Love?
Author: Xochitl Dixon
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Release date: March 19, 2024
All the colors displayed in this world that God made—
every glorious, fabulous, beautiful shade—
show how good God is and will always be.
But what is the color of love? Come and see!
In What Color is God’s Love?, a little girl and her service dog join their diverse friends through a
whirlwind of adventures. As they celebrate the spectacular spectrum of colors God designed,
each color invites readers to explore their God-given emotions and becomes a reminder of God’s
unchanging character. While encouraging children to acknowledge God’s constant presence with every turn of the page,
What Color is God’s Love? also empowers children, with and without disabilities, to play, work,
and serve God together, by simply letting the colors of His love shine through them.
With each turn of the page, the focus shifts to a specific color—orange, yellow, blue, green, pink,
black, white, gray, brown, red, purple. Each lyrical rhyme invites readers to engage with God
through empowering and faith-building truth-statements that incite worship and encourage a
lifestyle of loving God and neighbors.
Click here to get your copy!
Author Interview
I can see my whole story before I even begin. God gives me the beginning, middle, and end. I write a
rough summary and then a rough draft. Whether I’m writing a devotion, an article, a short story,
a picture book, a devotional with 30 different devotions, or a novel, I know where I’m going. I
can’t imagine staying on course if I don’t know where I’m heading.
I am a cinematic writer, so my writing comes to me in scenes if I’m writing fiction. If I’m writing
nonfiction, the scenes come in the form of a conversation. I imagine sitting with someone and
sharing the message God gave me to share.
I allow myself lots of wiggle room in my outlines and give myself permission to change things if I
need to, but the landing point usually stays the same because I spend time in prayer to be sure
what the takeaway is supposed to be before I begin. Once I have the Bible verses and the main
message clarified, I ask God for the wisdom to stay on track and continue praying for the words
as I go.
For me, the hardest thing about writing is surrendering the whole process to God, especially now that
I have so many physical limitations. I often struggle to get all the projects done that I have ideas
for because of my physical limits. I wish I could write for more hours in the day and finish
projects faster. But I have had to submit my writing process to God and trust His plan and pace
for me is perfect, even though my productivity is not what it used to be before my health
declined in 2012. Now, if I am not able to work on a project then I trust God has a reason for that
delay. I keep seeking Him first, putting Him first, and relying on Him to keep me on His perfect
pace for His perfect plan. I continue praying for a willingness to surrender everything to Him,
even when it doesn’t make sense.
3. What would you say is the easiest aspect of writing?
Him. When I’m submitting to God, I have total peace. When I am trusting Him to select the right
ministry opportunities He wants to provide for me, then I have total peace and I enjoy the
process. I can encourage others and even open doors for others because I’m not worried about
missing opportunities or competing with others. God provides the work He has for me to do and
I do that work. He gives me the words He wants me to share and I share those words. I enjoy
linking arms with others who approach ministry with the same Kingdom-Advancement
Leadership mentality. We worship Him as we serve Him together! Being dependent on God
throughout the whole process is the easiest aspect of writing . . . IF I’m willing to do the hardest
thing . . . surrendering to Him.
When I’ve been focused on pursuing God, not publication, He has provided amazing ministry
opportunities in my writing journey. I’m excited about what He has in store for me next!
I have a short memory and, because of my chronic pain and fatigue, I forget things easily. So, I will
write ideas down on whatever I have handy. I will text or email ideas to myself. I will write an
entire synopsis for a book in one sitting and file it away if I don’t have time to start the project.
I am always asking God for spiritual insight, so I am always looking and always ready to take notes
when He provides that insight. I am known to interrupt and say, “Oh, there’s a devotion in that!”
or “There’s a story there!” or “That’s a WORD!” which basically means a message I want to
teach.
This part of my writing process is like constant brainstorming, which is why I don’t struggle with
writer’s block. I’m always seeking God, always listening, so even if I’m not always writing . . . I
am always doing something that can be used for writing.
My loved ones are used to my quirkiness and understand I won’t remember if I don’t stop and write
something down right away. I’m sure it’s annoying, but they’ve been patient with me.
My life is always in my writing because my heart is in my writing. I am transparent because I
believe God uses testimonies in powerful ways. I’m not ashamed of what I have done or who I was
before Jesus, so I am vulnerable in my nonfiction writing. My best fiction has a heartbeat of real life
behind the words, too. There is always a universal truth that readers can connect with, but I write
from the trenches of life I know.
If you are in my life, you will find yourself in my writing. I will ask you to sign a consent form if
I’m writing about you in a nonfiction article, but not if you’re inspiring me to create a character in a
novel.
My family is used to this and trusts me to honor God and them with the way I write about them, even
when I’m writing about hard topics. I ask God for wisdom, so I don’t overshare. I let my family read
what I write before I submit my work if necessary. I’m grateful for their support, so I make sure I
respect them and our privacy.
About the Author
Xochitl (So-Cheel) Dixon, contributing writer for Our Daily Bread and God Hears Her, is the author of
Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace. She loves Jesus and people, as she crosses
cultural, generational, and international lines with encouraging and sound biblical teaching. Celebrating
diversity and inclusion, she advocates for disability awareness with her beautifully diverse family and her
service dog, Callie. Her first children’s picture book, Different Like Me, now available in Spanish, is a
2021 ECPA Christian Book Award Children’s Book Finalist. In March 2024, Xochitl’s second picture book, What Color is God’s Love?, is releasing with WaterBrook.
More from Xochitl
The Heart Behind My Story
By Xochitl Dixon
Like most of my writing, What Color is God’s Love? began as an overflow of worship while I prayed and praised God. In 2018, my husband and I had followed God from California to Wisconsin. I’m disabled and can’t drive, so his long hours at work left me feeling isolated while I searched for a new church and new doctors. As the weather became more extreme, I grew more discouraged, frustrated, and resentful. I struggled as I wrote my first 31-day devotional for Our Daily Bread, Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace. I was praying for people, studying and teaching the Bible every day. So, I couldn’t figure out why I felt so out of touch with God.
When my new puppy, Callie, licked my tears away, I looked out the window and noticed the rain had finally stopped. Rays of sunlight pierced through the dark gray clouds, shining on a white heron that had landed in the greed foliage on the creek’s bank next to our front yard. I wept tears of grateful praise. I wrote the first draft of a free verse poem celebrating God’s loving care for the details in Creation and in the lives of His people.
As I prayed, I realized I had been spending time talking to people about God. However, as the physical, emotional, and mental effects of our transition overwhelmed me, I had stopped spending quality time with God. As I watched the white heron take flight, God led me to Psalm 33:6-9, which became the first What Color is God’s Love? Bookend Bible verse.
I released Waiting for God in 2019 and my first picture book, Different Like Me, in 2020. But God had me tuck that free verse poem away as He dramatically transformed me and the original manuscript over the next few years. I wanted to give young image-bearers what I never had growing up: a safe place to process emotions . . . in God’s presence. I also wanted God’s beautifully diverse image-bearers, people with and without disabilities, to see each color as a reminder of His unchanging character, unlimited power, and unwavering grace, as they experienced His unconditional love flowing for them, in them, and through them.
After I signed the contract in November 2021, God began leading me to the right Bible verses to build the messages for each color I shared. Over time, I created the Breath Prayer Cards as a free download on my website, the YouVersion reading plan, and the devotional for the rest of the colors not shared in the reading plan.
I wanted each color to be a reminder of God’s unchanging character, unlimited power, and unwavering grace as we experience His unconditional love flowing for, in, and through us. More importantly, I began praying that everyone who read What Color is God’s Love? would be inspired to open their Bibles and spend more time with God, including me.
Blog Stops
Lots of Helpers, April 24
Texas Book-aholic, April 25
Vicky Sluiter, April 26 (Author Interview)
BookZone Reviews 
, April 27
By The Book, April 28 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, April 28
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 29
Splashes of Joy, April 30 (Author Interview)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 1
Beauty in the Binding, May 2 (Author Interview)
Locks, Hooks and Books, May 3
Sylvan Musings, May 4 (Author Interview)
Guild Master, May 4
Artistic Nobody, May 5
Blossoms and Blessings, May 6 (Author Interview)
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 7
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Xochitl is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card, a copy of Different Like Me, and What Color is God’s Love?!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/2b144/what-color-is-god-s-love-celebration-tour-giveaway
This looks like a fantastic read. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful book.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a beautiful book.
ReplyDelete