I’ve been busy lately. I blame the baby for part of it, but really, the baby is just a tiny part of a much larger busyness.

Part of that is a new book, in which I take a new role. Instead of author, I am editor: Word by Word: Slowing Down with the Hail Mary. What that means is that I got to work with some of my favorite writers to explore my favorite prayer.

cover-Word by Word Slowing Down with the Hail Mary

It was inspired by a series I hosted here on my blog, Looking Closer at the Hail Mary. To get a taste of what’s included, you can read those blog posts. The book, though, has been edited and includes prayer prompts for each day. It’s also going to be a great prayer companion.

You can pre-order it from Amazon or Barnes & Noble. And share about it with everyone you know. Expected ship date is October 16, which is my second daughter’s birthday. 🙂

Most Catholics can recite the Hail Mary but haven’t actually reflected on the meaning of the prayer. Blogger and author Sarah Reinhard invited forty of the most popular Catholic voices, including Lisa M. Hendey, Lisa Mladinich, and Brandon Vogt, to write a brief reflection on one word of the Hail Mary.

In Word by Word, popular Catholic author Sarah Reinhard compiled an accessible, profound, and unique meditation on each word of the Hail Mary, one of the most important prayer traditions in Catholic life. Each of the forty reflections encourages readers to “slow down” with the Hail Mary and experience previously unseen dimension in the popular devotion, making it come to life in a new way. This unique, formative, and informative exploration of the beloved prayer is a gift to anyone who wants to be continually changed through it–learning to slow down and examine things more closely.

The book is based on a blog series Reinhard facilitated with popular Catholic writers and social media experts, including Lisa M. Hendey, Brandon Vogt, Paula Huston, Kate Wicker, Pat Gohn, Kevin Lowry, Lisa Mladinich, Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, Fr. Patrick Toner, and Jeff Young.