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Independent author, wife, and mom of four kids—Caity Neub leads a busy and fulfilling life where she plays many roles. She’s also had work featured in publications like Callas Press and Bella Grace and is celebrating the release of her first book, Let the Earth Spin.
Yet, her official bio in the book reveals a different look at her life, one that you normally wouldn’t expect to see in the back of their debut. Beneath a photo of her family, she describes herself as a woman who is “terribly flawed” and “struggles with wanting to be in control of her own life.”
This transparency about her flaws while living a life of faith and submission to God makes Caity’s work a joy to read. Let the Earth Spin explores the dangerous cycle of stress, anxiety, fear, depression, and self-abuse that people can easily slip into in a world that celebrates performance.
The culture around us presents many “solutions” to these problems. We are exhorted to get more “likes,” look better, be more productive, make more money, and be recognized as successful. But as Caity explains, all of these things that drive us to achieve will always leave us wanting more and more.
The only true solution, she says, is an intimate, personal relationship with God the Father, who wants to reveal whom He has created us to be and pursue that identity over the ones we want to create for ourselves.
I came to know Caity through an odd and God-ordained turn of events last fall. I was meeting up with a friend from an online writing community at a coffee shop midway between our respective locations in Ohio.
While talking about our mutual writing projects and the challenges of being writers of faith, a woman popped into the conversation. She’d heard us mention writing and C.S. Lewis and Christianity and wanted to listen to what we were all about.
She told us that she had a daughter who was publishing a book, and I quickly gave her my card. Caity and I became fast friends and supporters of each other’s work.
Caity has an enthusiasm for Jesus and creativity that is infectious. Her video devotions on Instagram give not just powerful messages from scripture but glimpses into her world. There’s no fancy lighting, the house isn’t perfectly organized, and her young children make frequent cameos. She doesn’t try to put a face on and look like a perfect Christian mom.
Instead, viewers see a compassionate, honest woman who is here to encourage others, not get views or attention for her efforts.
It’s no wonder that she quotes Isaiah 45:5-7 as one of her favorite Bible verses:
"‘I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.’”
“I always thought I would choose what to write about, but this book is simply what came out of me in a rather desperate time,” she says of Let the Earth Spin, whose title was inspired by this verse. “The title and organization of the book didn’t come till much later; as I was editing my manuscript, I realized just how much I had been personally striving against what God was doing in my life.”
The process of writing the book was an act of patience and faith. She began writing it during a time of upheaval in her own life as reflections written in the Notes app of her iPhone, but after several months of this practice, she discovered that these ideas had the potential to become a longer book.
However, the most challenging part of writing it was the following two or three years, when Caity transformed these notes into a structured exploration of her ideas that readers could follow. She describes her editing process in a manner that echoes many of the frustrations I’ve heard from other authors.
“The final two or three edits of the book nearly killed me, honestly,” she said. “I hated picking apart my work so meticulously, and I felt incredibly alone in the process.”
Despite these frustrations, Caity describes writing as “the art of expression” and sees it as a natural part of her life. “I've been writing my whole life in one way or another,” she says. “For me, it's never been a question of ‘if I write’ or ‘should I write,’ but rather ‘What will I write?’”
While the book is mainly geared toward women and the frustrations Christian mothers experience as they try to follow God in a “do it all” culture, I as a reader feel that anyone can glean something powerful about their faith from reading it. I’m not a mother, but her descriptions of the stress and anxiety that can often come from that role deeply resonated with me as someone who deals with mental health issues.
Still, Caity says that her book has a lot to say to moms in particular about how to live life in obedience to God’s will, not their own.
“Our world is awash with two equally strong messages: One, motherhood is hard, and the best thing to do is to get through it with Starbucks in one hand and Netflix in the other; and two, motherhood completes you as a woman, and you must savor every single minute of this process, never wasting even a second of your time with your ‘precious babes,’” Caity says.
“I needed to know that God was available to me in every moment of my days, that He was working miracles in the mundane, and that He was not only able but also willing to meet mine and my children’s needs. In a role where I felt deeply inadequate, I needed a message of God’s utter acceptance of who I was combined with His perfect plan for my growth in holiness. This is the message of the book.”
As an author, Caity has a poignant piece of advice for moms (and other people) who want to write: “Write in little ways that bring you joy! Jot down a scrap of poetry as you sit in your backyard watching the kids play. Write a letter or card to someone before bed. Keep a journal. Tap out something small on your phone. Even if these words never ‘turn into anything,’ they will become a map, highlighting for you the journey God has been taking you on.”
While Caity is active on social media and can be found through her website, her favorite ways to connect are through in-person interactions and via email at caityneub@gmail.com.
Her website also includes a link to sign up for her email list, where you will receive encouraging messages throughout the year.
Most importantly, Caity wants people to remember that God is sovereign, loving, and will always give what you need—even if it may not be what you want.
“God's ways are perfect,” she says. “It won't seem like it, in the mix and muddle of your days; even as I write this, I am questioning some of the parts of my life and why things have to be this way. But His ways are perfect – without flaw or blemish or loophole that would leave them open to criticism.”
Let the Earth Spin by Caity Neub is available now in Kindle and paperback editions.
Also . . . after I encountered Caity’s mom, Caity connected with me through the free 30-minute consultation that I offer to any writer with questions.
If you are having trouble with a project, are running into roadblocks, or have questions about the independent publishing process (like Caity did), click here to grab some time on my calendar.
It’s the fastest, easiest way to get the answers you need so you can start reaching your full creative potential.