SOUTH POINT — In February 2023, Stacy Murray-Medcalf’s dreams of being a published author came true after she was chosen to be a part of a testimonial anthology book project by Dr. Tina Beatty of Charleston, West Virginia that would focus on Dr. Beatty’s ministry, “I Lived To Tell It.”

Murray-Medcalf was scrolling through Facebook on Sept. 12, 2022, and came across the post inviting individuals to be a part of the book project. The book shares testimonies from 12 individual women about their life experiences that only God could bring them out of.

She immediately responded, thinking, “This will be a great opportunity to get the experience needed to finally get some of my work published.”

Murray-Medcalf has been writing poems, songs and short stories since she was a young child.

She was the editor for a weekly column, Wolf Howls, while in eighth grade at Montgomery Middle School in West Virginia, which evolved into a radio broadcast.

She also discovered a method of writing songs/jingles with her school work in order to study for tests.

Throughout her teenage years, she endured several periods of adversity which lead to brokenness and some depression. S

he learned to put her emotions on paper and eventually had penned a collection of over 100 poems/writings.

She has always had a passion for writing and her life experiences fuel what flows through the ink pen. She writes to inspire, encourage and uplift others.
“I Lived To Tell It: Testimonial Anthology” sparked a flame in Murray-Medcalf that had grown dim.

Although she had written several articles for the annual Think Pink for Breast Cancer campaign for the Herald-Dispatch, and been featured in several magazines, she had been stagnant in putting in the work.

“Having Dr. Beatty, as well as the other contributing authors to bounce ideas off of and get direction from made the process so much easier,” she said. “It also helped that I had a deadline and I had to be accountable to someone other than myself.”

Murray-Medcalf’s husband, Larry, had always encouraged her to write a book because of the multitude of papers and binders filled with her work that laid around the house.

“When this opportunity came, I decided to be a part of the project and surprise Larry with the book,” she said “He did not have a clue that I was finally getting published. Unfortunately, Larry passed away unexpectedly in December 2022 before I could surprise him with the book.”

Murray-Medcalf ‘s chapter is titled, “Through the Eyes of the Seventh Child” and she dedicated it in Larry’s memory.
Murray-Medcalf will be available from 10 a.m.–noon Saturday at the Tri-State Worship Center, 901 Solida Rd. in South Point, to sign copies of the newly released anthology.

Books can be purchased on site or by mail for those not in the South Point area.

The event is open to the public. There will be light refreshments and door prizes. Information is available at StacyMurrayMedcalf.com.