What is the cost of being known—as a queer minority, ally, or asker of difficult questions—and what does it mean to come into one’s own?

We’ve got exciting news. Lake Drive Books has re-signed public theologian Trey Ferguson for a new book. After his Theologizin Bigger, Trey will return with the tentatively titled God Still Loves the World: Imagination, Compassion, and the Journey to Ourselves. @pastortrey05.com

“Send a text of love and healing; I promise, it gets through.” From "Amen: Questions for a God I Hope Exists" by Julia Rocchi.

Celebrating a year at Lake Drive Books @lakedrivebooks.bsky.social! Couldn't have dreamed of more rewarding work or a better team. 😊📚

Hello Writing Community! We are delighted to announce our Second Official Bluesky *** #MSWL Day *** February 26, 2026. 🎉🎉🎉 Agents + editors can post what they ✨wish✨ they had in their inboxes; writers can find their next best fit for querying. Learn more: manuscriptwishlist.com/2025/01/the-...

"Somehow showing more of my vulnerability and humanity to others has made it possible for others to show more of their vulnerability and humanity to me." From "I Hardly Knew Me: Following Love, Faith, and Skittles to a Transgender Awakening" by Nia Chiaramonte

Releasing March 31, this important new book is about fierce honesty, radical freedom for women raised in controlling systems, and the beautiful mess of becoming whole. We’d LOVE for you to join in the effort! Get your advance copy NOW by registering for the launch team: forms.gle/F7yfce3FvGRs...

“I may one day return to enjoying church from the inside, but for now, I remain committed to living it with those who remain on the outside.” From "Intersexion: A Story of Faith, Identity, and Authenticity" by Cynthia Vacca Davis

“Countless resources shine light on dark details of malignant individuals and institutions. But Becky Garrison uniquely equips us with her master class in surgical satire.” -Brad Sargent

Spend some time understanding the patterns of spiritual narcissism and what might trigger you, and you'll find you can set better boundaries and keep moving forward in your life. Becky Garrison's "Gaslighting for God: A Satirical Guide to Save Yourself from Spiritual Narcissists" can help!

"I'm much more at ease with uncertainty now, more at peace with the unknown I've fallen deeply in love with mystery but I remember the intense discomfort unnerving restlessness, the haunting fear" from "unbelieve" by @marlataviano.bsky.social

"Spiers’s writing is propulsive and intelligent.” —Tia Levings, author of the New York Times bestselling A Well-Trained Wife Now available for preorder. This is about fierce honesty, freedom for women raised in controlling systems, and the beautiful mess of becoming whole.

“When something goes terribly wrong with the connection between the individual and a personal attachment to faith… there may not be a matter of growth at stake, but simple survival.” From "Lost Faith and Wandering Souls," by @davidrmorris.bsky.social

How's your BS meter when it comes to religion and spirituality?? Becky Garrison has always had a pretty good one, which led her write her just-released Gaslighting for God: A Satirical Guide to Save Yourself from Spiritual Narcissists, in stores now.

From Baptistland by Christa Brown. This quote names the fear many survivors face—not a call to silence, but a reminder of why safety, support, and accountability matter. Our hope is for communities where truth can be told without punishment and healing is possible.

Excited to share that Lake Drive Books has signed internationally known ethicist and author David P. Gushee, PhD, for a new book drawn from his years of preaching—not from the classroom or the academy, but from lived experience with real communities.

“Spiritual narcissism is a psychological pattern where individuals exploit spiritual practices to reinforce self-importance.” From "Gaslighting for God" by Becky Garrison

"You can have religious freedom, as long as you think and act like us." This is the implicit statement of so much American religion, dating back to colonization. Becky Garrison, a descendant of Roger Williams, should know. www.lakedrivebooks.com/books/gaslig...

“I could not negotiate any longer with a god who could not meet me on blood-soaked asphalt next to shell casings, evidence markers, and white chalk.” From "Faith Unleavend" by Tamice Spencer-Helms

“A deep and sharply insightful commentary on narcissistic leadership.” —Tia Levings www.lakedrivebooks.com/books/gaslig...

“I have been to the depths of hell, and I have seen the cold stare of evil, and I am here to tell you, that it all can be held, that any pain can be companioned, that new life can emerge from any tomb.” From "Cradled in the Arms of Compassion" by Frank Rogers Jr.

A large family with children is already conspicuous, but what about when it's also with a trans mom, Nia Chiaramonte, and in Iowa?? You can find out if you catch the inspiring, queer focused HULU documentary: We Live Here: The Midwest. Learn more as well in Nia's recent book, "I Hardly Knew Me".

If you subscribe to our newsletter, you can get a free audiobook! Or 50% off select books. Here's the latest on our authors. Subscribe today! open.substack.com/pub/lakedriv...

“Recovery is a process. And we owe it to the next generation to go deeper with our healing.” From "Your Are Not Your Trauma" by Caroline Beidler

There are a variety of ways that people show narcissistic behavior in American religious and spiritual communities. You'll want to learn more about Becky Garrison's Gaslighting for God: A Satirical Guide to Saving Yourself from Spiritual Narcissists, out January 27!

This is good, for atheists, those who carry a faith, and anyone at all, honestly.

I was really glad to do this book interview, and you all should check out Nia’s book, I Hardly Knew Me: Following Love, Faith, and Skittles to a Transgender Awakening www.lakedrivebooks.com/books/i-hard...

“The only way a person survives grief is to face it, and part of facing it means being brutally honest with expressing emotional truth.” From "Navigating the Waves of Grief" by Kate Meyer

Catch this @religiondispatches.org interview of LDB author Nia Chiaramonte by the intrepid Chrissy Stroop, @thebugbeardispatch.bsky.social. Such a good conversation. Lessons for us all. You’ll definitely want to check out her book “I Hardly Knew Me”. religiondispatches.org/the-trees-do...

“The truth is, spiritual abuse often looks like faithfulness on the outside and feels like death on the inside.” From "A Thousand Tiny Paper Cuts: The Subtle, Insidious Nature of Spiritual Abuse and Life on the Other Side" by Katherine Spearing

Preorders are live! Smart. Funny. Necessary. “A deep and sharply insightful commentary on narcissistic leadership.” —Tia Levings Now available for preorder. On sale 1/27/2025. www.lakedrivebooks.com/books/gaslig...

From Jesus Died for This? by @becky_garrison

When you're constantly fighting for who you are, you sometimes can't really experience who you are. Catch Nia Chiaramonte's story in her book, "I Hardly Knew Me: Following Love, Faith, and Skittles to a Transgender Awakening" from Lake Drive Books. www.lakedrivebooks.com/books/i-hard...

"Realizing that culture heavily factored into the writing of the Bible in ways we cannot perceive—and recognizing that we are far removed from those cultures—made me look differently at the Bible." Giving Up God: Resurrecting a Spirituality of Love and Wonder by Sarah Henn Hayward

"The function of whiteness is to evade accountability". See what author Tamice Spencer-Helms means by that in this clip talking about their book: Faith Unleavened: The Wilderness Between Trayvon Martin and George Floyd by Tamice Spencer-Helms www.lakedrivebooks.com/books/faith-...

From "Tiger in a Lifeboat: Discovering India, Deconstructing Faith, and Deciding to Trust Again" by Lauren Cibene.

Want to be one of the first to read this book? We could REALLY use your help in launching this book into he world! Click here to learn more: www.lakedrivebooks.com/2025/12/09/b... Together, let's find healthier spiritual spaces. Register today!

Here's Tears of Eden Founder Katherine Spearing naming and defining spiritual abuse. You'll be informed, moved, and encouraged by her "A Thousand Tiny Paper Cuts: The Subtle, Insidious Nature of Spiritual Abuse and Life on the Other Side." www.lakedrivebooks.com/books/a-thou...

Author Katherine Spearing, with her new book A Thousand Tiny Paper Cuts: The Subtle, Insidious Nature of Spiritual Abuse and Life on the Other Side, empowers those of us who have suffered at the hands of controlling, patriarchal religious figures. open.spotify.com/episode/09M4...

From Amen? Questions for a God I Hope Exists, by Julia Rocchi

Just like trees carry hidden root diseases, we carry the roots of our own stories—sometimes stretching back generations. Healing begins when we’re willing to dig deep. open.substack.com/pub/lakedriv...

When bogged down by theology and doctrine that wouldn't make room for Nia Chiaramonte, she has, all her life, found God and what is sacred about life in the woods. Catch her story about this in her recent book, "I Hardly Knew Me" www.lakedrivebooks.com/books/i-hard...

Transgender woman, author and Love in the Face Founder @niac.bsky.social from her book "I Hardly Knew Me."

Authors, publishing & exvangelical friends: we covered a lot in this recent Publishing Disrupted podcast with author @marlataviano.bsky.social. You can get the summary and video on our Substack post but listen wherever you get podcasts. open.substack.com/pub/publishi...

In Tiger in a Lifeboat, @laurencibene.bsky.social takes us on a personal and courageous journey: when everything she once trusted and believed in fell apart, she booked a one-way ticket to India. open.substack.com/pub/lakedriv...

From Intersexion: A Story of Faith, Identity, and Authenticity, by Cynthia Vacca Davis

Asked who they are today, after experiences since writing "Faith Unleavened: The Wilderness Between Trayvon Martin and George Floyd," theoactivist Tamice Spencer-Helms says they are a collection of experiences with others not function on shame. What a vision! @tamicenamaespeaks.bsky.social

From "Asian American Apostate: Losing Religion and Finding Myself at an Evangelical University" by @rsokamoto.bsky.social

Here's Kate Meyer discussing how spirituality and religion can sometimes be two different things, and that to navigate the grief process, we must recognize that there's something spiritual to grief that our faith community might not understand.

From "jaded" by @marlataviano.bsky.social