How a writer’s self-published memoir found an audience and won an award

An interview with author and client Christine Tracy on her writing process, marketing strategy, and path to publication.

I’m always educating myself on writing and publishing, but my work with Christine over the years on her book—from the beginning stages of developmental editing, to line editing, sourcing quoted material, design and marketing—has revealed how nuanced and unpredictable the whole process can be. I’m excited to share her story with you.

NT: You traditionally published an academic book about Teilhard in 2012. How has this memoir published in 2025 extended your existing body of work and become a foundation for what comes next?

CT: It is my destiny to translate the Jesuit mystic Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s often inaccessible writing and ideas at this time in the world. I honestly didn’t think I would be able to write an engaging and compelling memoir about how I used Teilhard’s teaching to evolve my own life.

But I did. And the energy of that knowing permeates the book. I did it because Natalie Tomlin kept me accountable and ‘reader not writer’ focused. The book is tight, clean, and really accessible read, which helped it win an award and land a finalist spot. Just Trust Life exudes quality, and Raúl Peña’s inspired cover as well as the design of a soft-cover, hard cover, and e-book make a compelling package.

Just Trust Life anchored my growing reputation as both a Teilhardian scholar and a clear and strong voice for the need to wake up and realize we are ‘spiritual beings having a human experience,’ and not the other way around! I am currently designing a workshop to teach the ideas in the book to international communities. The world is now ready for Teilhard’s ideas, especially the concept of the noosphere.

NT: Who was your original intended audience for the book and how did you reach them after publishing? Did you discover less obvious audiences over time that you could reach? 

CT: My original audience was spiritual-seekers like me who would be interested in learning how I applied Teilhard’s teachings to my own life. My primary outreach was through existing connections including the recovery community, my local bookstores, the Boulder Media Women’s group, and spiritual communities including UnaVida in Niwot and the Boulder Shambhala Center. My memoir is a story of personal transformation and living on the energy level. I’m now discovering an audience in people who are open to change and applying the concept: “just trust life.”

NT: How did you decide how to talk about the book’s ideas and story? Did your approach evolve over time?

CT: I love this question because it is simple to answer: I discovered it through writing about it. I wrote promotional material with Natalie’s help and queried publishers. I’ve also done readings from my book, and reading out loud to an attentive audience has given me new insights into my work and how people respond to it.

For Just Trust Life, I was incredibly lucky to pick up a Bronze Medal at the Living Now Book Awards, and it was also named a finalist for the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. At the Next Gen gala in Chicago our host reminded me and the other writers celebrating that night that our work deserves continued focus and attention. She encouraged us to continue to look for new audiences and to spread the ideas in our books: our work is deserving. The awards also gave me renewed confidence in the quality of my work.

NT: As you explored ways to spread awareness of your book, how did you decide which options were worth investing your time, money, and attention?

CT: I believe that the COVID pandemic spawned, among many other things, what I call a ‘writing industrial complex.’ There are so many writing teachers, coaches, classes, workshops, contests, ways to get published, and especially help marketing a new book.

I decided not to ‘swim up stream’ and instead to ‘walk through the open doors.’ That means building on existing connections, which for me are professional organizations I’m already involved with such as the Boulder Media Women, and the American Teilhard Association (ATA). I was recently named to the board of the ATA, which has opened up opportunities for me. Both organizations have helped me promote my book. I am also building on my connections with existing communities, such as my yoga studio and my church, The Unitarian Universalists of Boulder.

NT: How did your input and ideas inform the book’s design, and how do you feel the final design impacted how your audience received your work?

CT: The talented and fair-priced lawyer I hired (I found her through The Author’s Guild) carefully read my book and suggested it belonged on a nightstand so readers could easily return to it again and again. The original intention was to design something small, comfortable, and aesthetically beautiful that felt good in one’s hand when it was held.

Raúl Peña exceeded my expectations there. I went to the Boulder Bookstore and found book covers I liked, photographed some of my favorite personal artwork, and sketched a rough idea of what I wanted on the cover. I also sent a concept statement to Raúl. We had a meeting, and he took it from there. I simply adore the design of the book especially the cover. I know the quality of the design helped me win the awards. And we’ve worked on printing tee shirts too because the design is so strong.

NT: You published in March of 2025 and it’s now August 2026. What impact did you hope your book would have, and do you feel it has been realized?

CT: My initial hope was that I would clearly translate the often-complex ideas and writings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and apply them in an accessible way. I realized that very specifically and personally during readings and in correspondence with readers. Now that the book is out in the world ‘living its own life’ there are strong and powerful ripples of influence. My message of transcendence and the clarity of the book’s title “Just Trust Life” resonates very strongly with people. I am designing a workshop “Living on the Energy Level” to work with others to apply and benefit from the ideas and practices in Just Trust Life.

NT: There’s so many options out there for authors. How did you decide to go with a boutique provider rather than a hybrid publisher or other option?

CT: I explored traditional publishing first. My first book, The Newsphere: Understanding the News and Information Environment, was published in 2012 by Peter Lang, an international publisher. I understood that process, the difficulty of getting a publishing contract, and the advantages and disadvantages of working with a ‘traditional’ press.

With Natalie’s help, I created a solid query package and approached targeted spiritual and small independent presses. I received quick, kind, and useful responses. One publisher responded to me the very next day. While they said ‘no thank you,’ at that point I knew the work was good from their responses and encouragement.

At that point, I looked seriously at hybrid publishers, which some of my author friends used. There are a lot of hybrid publishers out there, and I was never confident of exactly what I would be getting for my money, particularly access to personal contact, the ability to change direction, and to provide input on design and other decisions. I knew Natalie and Raúl personally and trusted their work ethic, integrity, talent, and vision. My book is as good as it is because I worked with them as a team.

Image credit: The Artist Drawing from the Model c. 1639 Rembrandt van Rijn