About The Book
Book: What Color is God’s Love?
Author: Xochitl Dixon
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Release date: March 19, 2024
All the colors displayed in this world that God made—
every glorious, fabulous, beautiful shade—show how good God is and will always be.But what is the color of love? Come and see! In What Color is God’s Love?, a little girl and her service dog join their diverse friends through a whirlwind of adventures. As they celebrate the spectacular spectrum of colors God designed, each color invites readers to explore their God-given emotions and becomes a reminder of God’s unchanging character. While encouraging children to acknowledge God’s constant presence with every turn of the page, What Color is God’s Love? also empowers children, with and without disabilities, to play, work, and serve God together, by simply letting the colors of His love shine through them. With each turn of the page, the focus shifts to a specific color—orange, yellow, blue, green, pink, black, white, gray, brown, red, purple. Each lyrical rhyme invites readers to engage with God
through empowering and faith-building truth-statements that incite worship and encourage a lifestyle of loving God and neighbors.
Click here to get your copy!
About The Author
Xochitl (So-Cheel) Dixon, contributing writer for Our Daily Bread and God Hears Her, is the author of Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace. She loves Jesus and people, as she crosses cultural, generational, and international lines with encouraging and sound biblical teaching. Celebrating diversity and inclusion, she advocates for disability awareness with her beautifully diverse family and her
service dog, Callie. Her first children’s picture book, Different Like Me, now available in Spanish, is a 2021 ECPA Christian Book Award Children’s Book Finalist. In March 2024, Xochitl’s second picture book, What Color is God’s Love?, is releasing with WaterBrook.
More from Xochitl
The Heart Behind My Story
By Xochitl Dixon
Like most of my writing, What Color is God’s Love? began as an overflow of worship while I prayed and praised God. In 2018, my husband and I had followed God from California to Wisconsin. I’m disabled and can’t drive, so his long hours at work left me feeling isolated while I searched for a new church and new doctors. As the weather became more extreme, I grew more discouraged, frustrated, and resentful. I struggled as I wrote my first 31-day devotional for Our Daily Bread, Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace. I was praying for people, studying and teaching the Bible every day. So, I couldn’t figure out why I felt so out of touch with God.
When my new puppy, Callie, licked my tears away, I looked out the window and noticed the rain had finally stopped. Rays of sunlight pierced through the dark gray clouds, shining on a white heron that had landed in the greed foliage on the creek’s bank next to our front yard. I wept tears of grateful praise. I wrote the first draft of a free verse poem celebrating God’s loving care for the details in Creation and in the lives of His people.
As I prayed, I realized I had been spending time talking to people about God. However, as the physical, emotional, and mental effects of our transition overwhelmed me, I had stopped spending quality time withGod. As I watched the white heron take flight, God led me to Psalm 33:6-9, which became the first What Color is God’s Love? Bookend Bible verse.
I released Waiting for God in 2019 and my first picture book, Different Like Me, in 2020. But God had me tuck that free verse poem away as He dramatically transformed me and the original manuscript over the next few years. I wanted to give young image-bearers what I never had growing up: a safe place to process emotions . . . in God’s presence. I also wanted God’s beautifully diverse image-bearers, people with and without disabilities, to see each color as a reminder of His unchanging character, unlimited power, and unwavering grace, as they experienced His unconditional love flowing for them, in them, and throughthem.
After I signed the contract in November 2021, God began leading me to the right Bible verses to build the messages for each color I shared. Over time, I created the Breath Prayer Cards as a free download on my website, the YouVersion reading plan, and the devotional for the rest of the colors not shared in the reading plan.
I wanted each color to be a reminder of God’s unchanging character, unlimited power, and unwavering grace as we experience His unconditional love flowing for, in, and through us. More importantly, I began praying that everyone who read What Color is God’s Love? would be inspired to open their Bibles and spend more time with God, including me.
Q & A With Xochitl Dixon
Many authors say that they have always been a writer — making up stories as a child. When did you first become a writer?
I guess I am the stereotype writer then, because I was always a storyteller. I would make up stories and act them out as a child. I won my first Young Authors Award when I was in 3rd Grade with a story I wrote and illustrated, Sonny Otter and the Four Seasons.
Was there a special someone, such as a teacher, parent, or other relative, who encouraged you to pursue writing?
My mom nurtured a love for reading and creative writing ever since I was a kid. When I served as her caregiver in 2014, she told me that she had always dreamed that I would become a writer and said she hoped that I would use writing to encourage others the way she saw me encouraging people at the cancer care center.
How did you choose the genres you write?
I didn’t choose a genre. I follow God. I started out writing contemporary fiction for teens and women. However, God led me to write devotions during a Christian writers’ conference in 2011. I sold my first devotion and six short stories at that conference.
I edited a few Bible studies for teens with an editor I met in 2010. When she moved to ODB in 2015, she recommended me for an interview. I began serving as a contributing writer for Our Daily Bread and God Hears Her. Our Daily Bread published my first 31-Day devotional, Waiting for God: Trusting Daily in God’s Plan and Pace in 2019 and my first children’s book, Different Like Me, in 2020.
I just released my second children’s book with WaterBrook, What Color is God’s Love?, and my third children’s book, Wonderfully, Marvelously Brown, is available for pre-order now. I’ve even been able to contribute to Tyndale’s Go Bible for Kids, which releases Fall 2024. I have a new devotional being released by Our Daily Bread in 2025 and will be recording both of my ODB devotionals this summer for audio books.
Even though my writing journey is a bit different from the traditional path, I’ve been happy following God’s plan and pace. I just want to share God’s truth and love to the ends of the earth and I don’t care how. He’s been allowing me to do this with my words in different genres ever since 2012. I’m grateful for the ministry opportunities!
Were there any obstacles you faced in your journey to publication?
Writing in multiple genres makes marketing and promoting a difficult balance. But God led me to this path, so I’m trusting Him to handle all the details.
What does a typical writing day look like? Are you structured or informal in your writing schedule?
Bible reading and praying is always a part of my writing process. I have a back injury and am considered permanently disabled, so I don’t really have a typical writing day. I work when I can work. I listen to my body and rest when I need to rest. I don’t wait to be inspired, I ask God to give me the words to write when I sit down to write and then I just allow myself to write without editing myself.
Blog Stops
Lots of Helpers, April 24
Texas Book-aholic, April 25
Vicky Sluiter, April 26 (Author Interview)
BookZone Reviews , April 27
By The Book, April 28 (Author Interview)
Mary Hake, April 28
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, April 29
Splashes of Joy, April 30 (Author Interview)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 1
Beauty in the Binding, May 2 (Author Interview)
Locks, Hooks and Books, May 3
Sylvan Musings, May 4 (Author Interview)
Guild Master, May 4
Artistic Nobody, May 5
Blossoms and Blessings, May 6 (Author Interview)
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 7
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Xochitl is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card, a copy of Different Like Me, and What Color is God’s Love?!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/2b144/what-color-is-god-s-love-celebration-tour-giveaway
Tags: children's books, Xochitl Dixon
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