Heart of Flesh is a semiannual, Christian-themed literary and art journal that seeks excellence, grit, uniqueness, and biblical truth. We are not a typical “Christian fiction” publication. We believe God’s truth as written in the Bible can be found in both the sacred and the secular, in nearly every work of literature and every part of the human condition.
That being said, we are a Christian journal, in that we aim to spark honest and real conversations about Christ, faith, doubt, and other biblical themes and people. Jesus is not boring. The Bible is not tame or timid. We want these topics to ignite a passion displayed in creative work from Christians (of all denominations) and non-believers who are heavily influenced by Christianity. Read our submission guidelines here.
The name Heart of Flesh comes from Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV): “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” In the Old Testament, this is a promise made to the ancient Israelites, but it also reflects the primary goal of Heart of Flesh: to allow the Holy Spirit to soften the hearts of our readers. Our mission is to hold up a mirror to the secular world and reveal its profound need for Jesus Christ. Click here for more information on what we believe.
Heart of Flesh will always be free online. We are a not-for-profit organization — we make about $1 for every print issue we sell, which is put toward hosting costs and other expenses. If you would like to support us, please purchase a print issue, shop our merch, or make a donation. Whether we cover expenses or not, 10% of all proceeds from print issues will be donated to Mission of Hope, a “residential Christian program focusing on men and women struggling with drug and alcohol dependency.” (Heart of Flesh is not affiliated with Mission of Hope or its ministries.)
We are a very small operation, founded in 2019. Our editor sometimes makes mistakes … Please have patience with her as she continues to learn and grow in her journey as an editor.
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Veronica McDonald | Editor and Founder
Veronica is a published fiction writer, poet, artist, and mom of three children. She holds an M.A. in Literature from American University where, as an atheist at the time, she focused her writing on strange topics — typically 18th-19th century literature, Freud, the horror genre, and pop culture. Besides cooking, reading, crocheting, and endlessly watching Bible studies on YouTube, she also publishes a Christian lit magazine for families, called Pure in Heart Stories, which she co-edits with her preteen daughter.
Veronica became a born-again Christian in July of 2016 when Jesus saved her from anxiety, depression, and a nihilistic worldview. She began Heart of Flesh in 2019 while trying to find where she belonged in the literary world now that she was no longer an atheist. Christian fiction seemed too tame. Secular literature too hopeless and immoral. In Heart of Flesh, she found the grit in the Christ-influenced world, and it’s been an amazing journey of discovery. You can read her Christian testimony on the Heart of Flesh blog, and can view her writings and original artwork on her personal website: VeronicaMcDonald.com.
Katie Yee | Fiction and Nonfiction Reader
Katie Yee is a Christian freelance book editor who loves working alongside fiction and nonfiction authors as they develop, strengthen, and perfect their manuscripts. She works with both independent authors and traditional publishers. Her editing business is called Blue Jay Editing Services (https://bluejayes.com/).
The older she gets (she’s not that old yet!), the more she learns how good it feels to live life as a little girl walking hand-in-hand with her heavenly Father. That little girl doesn’t need all the answers and doesn’t know what’s coming next. But she courageously skips along because of the strength, power, and goodness of the One beside her. Katie lives in southern Indiana with her husband and four sons.
Top image: “Eve and the Serpent” by Veronica McDonald (2016).
Heart of Flesh Literary Journal 