Growing up, Jacqueline Lucca told stories to her younger siblings and friends. She was constantly sharing stories with others. Now, she has written two books that might be close to being published. She is a parishioner at St. Paul in Ham Lake.
Lucca told Rachael McCallum, producer of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show, for an episode set to air at 9 p.m. July 4 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, “The first one I’ve been working on for maybe 14-15 years now — it’s been a long time in the making.”
This book was inspired by “The Chronicles of Narnia.” It features a desert world with different cultures, politics and romance, Lucca said. She’s also working on a post-apocalyptic zombie novel about survivors in different compounds. The main character, Eve, wants to go to another compound to find a cure for her infected friend.
Lucca said writing requires imagination and discipline. Part of the writing process is sitting down each day and doing the work, she said. Being authentic in her writing is also important to Lucca.
“I think there can be a temptation when you’re writing a story to really want to write something that everyone else wants to read,” Lucca said. “Often, as writers, we want to share our stories. We want people to enjoy them, and so there can be this instant temptation to say, ‘Alright, what do my readers want? What’s trending on the shelves nowadays? What are agents looking for?’”
In being authentic, Lucca explained, she hopes her writing brings glory to God. Quoting St. John Paul II, Lucca said, “Artistic talent is a gift from God, and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation to know that he cannot waste his talent.”
“Even if these books were never to get published, no one else ever read them, just that act of saying, ‘I have been given something that I can do. Here’s the talent God asked me to develop. … That process of writing is giving glory to God, and that’s very inspiring and it’s very beautiful. In ways it’s a bit humbling. It’s not about the sales; it’s not about the reach … But it’s really just about, ‘Am I doing the best I can with what talent has been given me?’”
To hear more from Lucca about how her writing process brings glory to God, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. July 5 and 2 p.m. July 6.
Also on the program, Lacy Apfelbeck, founder of Edge of the Red Sea Ministries in St. Francis, shares her experience as a volunteer at Extreme Faith Camp. And in a repeat episode, Bob Beck, the director of marketing and operations at Franciscan Retreats in Prior Lake, shares how retreats are like spiritual vacations.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, “Practicing Catholic” can be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
