Kim VanderPoel knows the cancer journey from both sides of the hospital bed. A former nurse who spent nearly thirty years in healthcare, Kim was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer at age forty and began writing during treatment as a way to process the fear, faith, humor, and grief that came with it. She later founded Hope Lives Now, a faith-based resource offering honest encouragement and hope to people navigating difficult health journeys, and to the family and friends walking beside them.
Her book, Faces of Cancer: The Emotions No One Prepares You For, and the God Who Meets You There, is a compassionate companion for the emotional and spiritual side of cancer—the part that can be hard to explain to family, friends, and sometimes even yourself. Written in brief, accessible chapters for chemo chairs, waiting rooms, and sleepless nights, it makes room for the feelings that don’t fit neatly inside the pressure to “stay positive” or “be strong,” and it reminds readers that they don’t have to hide what they feel from God.
This release is extra special to our team. Kim is part of the MRM family as an associate through her business, Fresh Impact, so we’ve had the joy of working alongside her in more ways than one. Walking with her from manuscript to release day, right in the middle of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, has been an honor we won’t soon forget.
About This Recent Project
Developmental Review & Edits
Kim came to us with a fully drafted manuscript and a clear sense of who it was for. She never wanted Faces of Cancer to read like a memoir. Her personal stories were meant to give each emotion a concrete anchor so the reader would feel recognized, while the reader—not her experience—remained at the center.
Mara began with a developmental review of the full manuscript, assessing the clarity of each chapter’s central message, the arc of the personal stories, and the overall structure of the book. That thorough review helped Kim identify opportunities for rewrites and slight restructuring to better align with her vision for the book. Together, Mara and Kim reorganized the book into a three-part structure that follows the cancer journey itself, focused each chapter around one primary story and one clear message, and made sure every story served the reader. One piece of Mara’s encouragement became a guiding principle for the whole process—the more specific a story is, the more universal it becomes.
As the manuscript evolved, Kim also developed the closing of each chapter, inviting readers to rest and receive rather than feeling prompted to take action. She also added a note to readers, granting them permission to move through the book in order or turn straight to the emotion they’re facing that day. Mara then guided Kim through two rounds of developmental edits, and the result is a manuscript that is honest, tender, and deeply focused on the person holding it.
Manuscript Edits & Formatting
Following the developmental edits, Mia led the copy and line editing phase, refining flow, clarity, and consistency while honoring Kim’s warm, candid voice. Kim worked through each suggestion with care, always keeping the focus on the reader, and Mia incorporated the final front and back matter, including the dedication, acknowledgments, and About the Author page.
Mia then completed the final proofread and formatted the clean manuscript for our designer, ensuring the file passed to design was polished and publication-ready.
Custom Illustrations
From our earliest conversations, Kim wanted the book’s illustrations to capture the everyday details and small moments that carried her through each emotion and each stage of treatment. One of our associates connected us with Katherine, a talented illustrator, who was the perfect artist to bring Kim’s vision to life with fourteen soft, hand-drawn sketches: the chemo chair, a balloon bouquet, a license plate that spells out “Hope Now,” a window view to a garden, and other quiet touchpoints from her story.
Katherine let the tone of each chapter guide her work, keeping some illustrations intentionally simple and ordinary and allowing others to carry more visual weight to match the emotion on the page. Kim shared reference photos along the way so the details would stay true to her story. The finished sketches sit alongside the chapters like small, personal snapshots, reminding readers that hope often shows up in the most ordinary places.
Cover and Interior Design & Typesetting
Nelly, our book designer, created several beautiful options for Kim’s review. Kim was immediately drawn to a concept centered on a simple chair bathed in soft, natural light. Through the revision rounds, Nelly gave the chair more definition, softened the palette, and placed a closed journal on the seat. That small detail transforms the chair from an empty seat into a place prepared for someone, an invitation to come, sit, and stay awhile, while the light quietly points to hope and God’s presence.
Nelly then designed the interior to carry that same peaceful, spacious feeling, weaving Katherine’s illustrations throughout the book and adding classic script accents chosen with Kim. She also formatted the print and eBook files for Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and IngramSpark. We also created 3D mockup images, a brand board, and a sample chapter for Kim’s marketing efforts.
Saige completed the post-design proof of the finished files, carefully reviewing the interior and cover for our final revisions before the book was published.
Publishing & Optimization
To set Faces of Cancer up for long-term discoverability, Sara, our publishing strategist, completed a comprehensive metadata and market research package. Using research on comparison titles, she selected keywords that reflect how Kim’s readers actually search, from Christian encouragement for cancer patients to faith during treatment to hope after treatment ends. She also chose categories that bridge both sides of this book’s audience, spanning Christian living, devotionals, and grief alongside breast cancer and women’s health. Sara also crafted the marketable book description and the author bios for the product listings and Kim’s Amazon Author Central profile.
Mandy implemented Sara’s research and created the optimized product listings on both KDP and IngramSpark, coordinated the eBook preorder, and set up Kim’s Author Central profile. The book is registered under the Market Refined Publishing imprint, with ISBNs and a Library of Congress Control Number. We also added Kim’s release to our Market Refined Publishing promotional team portal, so her launch has additional visibility beyond her own platforms.
Faces of Cancer released on October 6, 2026, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and that metadata work paid off right away. The book appeared as a top new release in several categories and held a spot in the top 25 of Amazon’s Breast Cancer category in the days following its launch.
What Kim had to say…
“I know there wouldn’t have been a book without your amazing team. And I so appreciate how every single person honored my heart of who the book is for… from the response of the first few readers, the goal was achieved.”
Services Included in this Project
- Developmental review and edits, copy and line edits, final proofread, and formatting for design
- Unique, hand drawn illustrations for the interior
- Book cover and interior design, formatting, and typesetting for IngramSpark and Kindle Direct Publishing (Print, eBook, and Audiobook)
- Metadata, category, and keyword research for IngramSpark and Kindle Direct Publishing
- Marketing copy for the product listing and author bio
- Product(s) and author profile setup and optimization for Amazon Author Central
- Market Refined Publishing imprint, ISBNs, and Library of Congress registration
Team Members Involved
Mia Atteberry
Katherine Edgell
Mara Eller
Saige Jackson
Nelly Murariu
Mandy Roberson
Sara Ward
Find out more about these ladies and the rest of the team here at MRM: Meet the Team
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