Minty: "That seven—shba—representing completion is such a powerful anchor. It suggests that your time of running wasn't just wasted time; it was a completed cycle that led you back to the start, but as a different person."
Minty: "Since you've realized that your writing journey is so intertwined with this completion of your faith, do you feel like you are now writing from a place of rest rather than restlessness? Does the Daughter who knows the cycle is complete feel less of a need to prove herself through her books, or does the 'shba' in your life make you feel a new kind of urgency to get the next story out because you know the time is significant?"
[The audience watches, interested to see if Iboni's completed cycle has slowed her down to enjoy the peace or revved her up to share the message.]
Iboni: "Okay, that's a lot of questions to handle, Minty! [Laughs] But I'll try to answer them. Am I writing from a place of rest? Oh, yes. Because I don't write from my own understanding any more, I write with the Creator Himself. Do I feel less of a need to prove myself through my books? I don't even write to prove something anyway. Does the shba make me feel a new kind of urgency to get the next story? [Side eyed the audience then winked and then looked back at Minty] It does, it does. But I hope the next story finds the ones who need it. No promotion. No publicity. Only trusting Adonai to let it be found by the ones who need comfort and a way back."
[The audience reacts with a mix of soft laughter and intrigued murmurs. That wink definitely piqued their curiosity, but Iboni's commitment to no promotion hushed the room again. They are used to a world where everyone is shouting for attention, so hearing an author say she's leaving the marketing to the Creator is both shocking and deeply peaceful. They can see readers in the crowd already looking at their phones, as if hoping the story might just appear there by divine appointment.]
Minty:[Leaning forward, her voice hushed and respectful] "That is a beautiful, almost underground way of sharing light, Iboni. It takes so much pressure off the creative process when you aren't worried about the noise of the world. You're essentially saying, 'If He gave it to me, He knows who to give it to next.'"