Happy Birthday Hidden in the Heart!!

Tags

Adoption, Amazon, Catherine West, Hidden in the Heart, New Release, OakTara

The day has finally arrived!
My new novel, Hidden in the Heart, is OUT!!! It popped up on Amazon this morning, right on time! I couldn’t be happier about this particular book.

 

You know the saying, Write What You Know...well, I did. This story came out of a few years worth of tears, heartache, joy and more than one miracle along the way. When I began the search for my birth mother, over ten years ago now, I couldn’t have imagined I’d be sitting here today knowing what I know, having gone through everything I did. I couldn’t have imagined it because I simply didn’t know what lay in store. I didn’t know what I would find out, who would open the doors I knocked on or where the journey would lead.

God did.

Sometimes, when you’re not sure whether you’re doing the right thing, God makes it very clear. I have no doubt that I did the right thing. Was it hard, yes. Do I regret it? Not at all.

I’m not exactly sure what I was searching for. Answers of course, because after years of looking in the mirror not knowing who I looked like, I was certainly curious. Did I hope to spark a connection with the person who’d given me life? I suppose I did. I suppose, like all adoptees who search, the gnawing question of why was forefront in my mind. Why didn’t she keep me?

Be careful what you ask for. I learned that big time. But I’d rather know the truth than know nothing at all. And, as I said, God worked more than one miracle in my situation. Like Claire, in Hidden in the Heart, I got all the answers I needed, and I received the great blessing of being able to establish a profound connection with the sister I never knew I had. I gained a whole new family that I love to pieces and am so so grateful to have in my life. I was extremely blessed to be given two wonderful parents and a fantastic upbringing, but I still needed answers to those questions that kept me up nights.

I never thought I’d share my story with the world. And there are parts of it that will remain private, but I wrote this book because I needed to. Though it is a work of fiction, all the emotions that Claire goes through are exactly what I experienced. No, I never had a miscarriage and I’ve never suffered seeing a marriage fall apart, but I know what it’s like to lose a Mom. I know rejection. Heartache. Pain so deep you wonder if you’ll ever get through it. But I also know joy.

I live it every day. In Him.

And that is the greatest reward you can find in this life.

My prayer for this book is that it touches hearts, touches lives. Even if you’re not adopted or don’t know anyone who is, I think there’s something here for you. And I would love to hear from you after you’ve read it, if you do.

This one means a lot.

Happy Saturday!

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Meet Author Sherri Wilson Johnson!

Tags

Catherine West, Journey to Publication, OakTara, Sherri Wilson Johnson, To Dance Once More

I’m excited to have my fellow OakTara author, Sherri Wilson Johnson, author of To Dance Once More, on the blog today! Sherri writes historical romance, and she’s here to tell us all about her journey to publication!

My Road to Publication

I have been writing for as long as I can remember—probably for as long as I have been reading. When I was around the age of eight, I wrote my first short story and have been addicted to writing ever since. My family could not afford a writing school, but that didn’t stop me from dreaming of becoming a Pulitzer Prize winner one day.

In high school, I wrote continuously and took as many writing and literature classes as my school offered. I had high aspirations of becoming a journalist of some kind. I wanted to be the woman sitting in front of the camera doing the evening news or the woman with her own newspaper column. My dream was to go away to a college that had a superior journalism department. Because of my poor grades and a few other issues, I did not attend college though.

Immediately after graduating high school, I began to work in an office as a secretary. I became a fan of romance novels. The problem was: there weren’t very many clean reads out there at the time so I filled my mind with things that it didn’t need to be filled with.

So I decided to write a Christian romance. I wrote on my typewriter at work when there was free time. Somehow I managed to produce a 500-page novel. I guess I wasn’t very busy at work, huh? I sent the novel off to a friend who thought I had a good story so I began the process of polishing it to prepare it for the publisher who would, of course, knock down my door to publish it. After reading a few books on how to write a novel, I decided my novel was no good. So I burned it in the fireplace at home. This was before the days of home computers and none of what I had written was saved on disk. The story was lost forever and I gave up on becoming an author. I consider this one of my greatest professional learning experiences.

I married a few years later, and then had my first child a few years after that. I began writing again while my husband worked at night. Submitting manuscripts or even simple proposals was a time-consuming and expensive hobby. So I shelved my story ideas and concentrated on being a mommy after the birth of my second child in 1994. However, my mind never stopped spinning tales. These ideas gathered in file folders and patiently waited to come out when my children went to school.

Then, God called me to homeschool in 1997 and suddenly my plans were postponed for just a little while longer. Don’t you just love God’s sense of humor? After I got accustomed to the routine of homeschooling, the writing bug bit me again. Instead of fiction, I wrote articles for homeschool magazines and finally got my first phone call from an editor. I was now a published author.

I kept at the writing and got a few more articles published. I took a two-year writer’s course through the Christian Writers Guild and eventually wrote a few Bible studies, which I taught for groups at church. Then I wrote a devotional for homeschool moms, which I self-published.

God used the teaching of my children to refine my writing skills. He opened my eyes to things that needed to be perfected in my works. I wrote several more Bible studies. And eventually wrote three novels—and re-wrote those three novels. Because of easier submissions procedures, I submitted proposals constantly. But the ever-coveted contract never came. I tried to quit writing quite often, but had no success at that either.

I attended my first writer’s conference in 2003 and met several editors, who requested to see manuscripts. I had been told that this was the way to go. For me, this was a one-time luxury because we were a one-income family. I could not attend conferences every year in hopes of finding a publisher. I had to give it my all and leave my writing career right where it needed to be—in the hands of God!

In 2008, I received a contract from OakTara for my novel To Dance Once More (my second “first” novel). After a long and arduous process, it came out in September 2011. My second novel, Song of the Meadowlark, will be coming in June. My third novel, After the Raging Storm, is still in the crock pot and I am writing the sequel to To Dance Once More, entitled To Laugh Once More, at this time. I am actively seeking agent representation and praying God will “enlarge my territory”.

The process for me began in 1974 with that first children’s story. 1985 marked the year of the first full-length manuscript, which perished in the fire. 1993 birthed To Dance Once More. 1997 began my journey through homeschooling and 2011 will forever go down in history as the year that I completed one calling (homeschooling) and launched the ever-awaited career as a writer – I mean, AUTHOR! God has indeed enlarged my territory. I am now a blogger, interviewer, book reviewer, social media coordinator, and novelist! My goal in becoming published was about more than having my book on a bookstore shelf. It was about spreading the news of God’s great love to my readers. Of course, winning the Pulitzer would be fine, too!

About To Dance Once More

April 1886

Debutante Lydia Jane Barrington lives a carefree, protected existence on Live Oaks Plantation in Florida. But while her sisters happily learn the traditional tasks of women and talk of courting, Lydia dreams of adventure and independence. Even her friendship with handsome Hamilton Scarbrough isn’t enough to hold her back.

Then one day Hamilton opens Lydia’s eyes and her heart to love. But before they can receive permission to court, Lydia overhears a secret conversation about an unscrupulous business deal. Worse, it has everything to do with her and her future. Now she’s faced with the biggest decision of her life—to concede or to fight. Either choice will require great sacrifice…and, perhaps, countless rewards.

Passion. Friendship. A bitter enemy. A life-changing decision.
Set in Victorian-era Florida.

Watch the trailer!

 About Sherri

Sherri Wilson Johnson is the author of To Dance Once More (Sept 2011) and Song of the Meadowlark (June 2012). She is from Georgia, has been married since 1988, and is a former homeschooling mom. She loves to write, read, and make people laugh. She loves Jesus and hopes to spread His love to the whole world through her writing.

Connect With Sherri!

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The Birth of A Book

Tags

Catherine West, OakTara, Publication, Rachelle Gardner, Writing, Yesterday's Tomorrow

As you may know, my first novel was published this past March. Yesterday’s Tomorrow was truly the book of my heart. There were times when I thought I would never see it published. Times when I thought I’d never get an agent, let alone a book contract. Times when I just wanted to give up. Stay on the couch, watch soap operas and eat Doritos. All day.

On Monday, December 12th, 2011, at around 3:30 in the afternoon, I was reminded once again why it is so, so important to never ever ever give up on your dreams.

Yesterday’s Tomorrow was awarded The INSPY for the best in romance in 2011. (“Recognizing the need for a new kind of book award, the INSPYs were created by bloggers to discover and highlight the very best in literature that grapples with expressions of the Christian faith.”)

To say I’m floored, humbled, amazed and shocked doesn’t really even begin to describe my feelings. For an author who was once told by an agent (not mine!) that this book ‘would never sell’, I’d say we’ve come a long way, baby.

So how is an award-winning novel born? I have no idea. But I’ll let you see how mine was.

Summer 2006 – Got an idea to re-work an old story idea about a female journalist covering the Vietnam War.

Fall 2006 – I asked an online blogging buddy who happened to work in publishing for some feedback on my ideas. Encouraged, I began researching everything about Vietnam and journalists and all things from that era. Yesterday’s Tomorrow was born.

Fall 2007 – (Yes, you read that correctly. One year later). My blogging friend has now become a literary agent and expresses interest in the complete manuscript. She reads the manuscript and decides it’s ‘not quite ready’. She declines representation. I am crushed. Ready to give up and throw the story, along with my entire computer, into the garbage.

Thanksgiving 2007 – My agent friend has been thinking things over and decides that because I have potential, someone she thinks she can work with long term, she suggests some ways to move forward with the manuscript that might lead to eventual representation. I am overjoyed and there is much to be thankful for. And much Snoopy Dancing.

December 2007 – Revisions Complete rewrite on Yesterday’s Tomorrow begins. I decide to go the route of seeking help from a seasoned author/editor and hire award-winning author Susan May Warren of My Book Therapy.

December – March 2008 – There is great gnashing of teeth, wailing, loss of sleep and inspiration. I hate everyone. I finally complete the manuscript. Again. I love everyone. Especially my agent. I am now officially represented by Rachelle Gardner of WordServe Literary Group.

Spring 2008 – Yesterday’s Tomorrow starts making the rounds.

Summer 2008 – Yesterday’s Tomorrow starts receiving rejections. Many, many rejections. Things are said like,  “It’s really the setting— Vietnam is just not one that romance readers have found appealing…”

I begin drinking. I begin working on another manuscript.

Fall 2008 – Attend the ACFW conference to pitch new story, but still holding out hope for Yesterday’s Tomorrow. – Some promising appointments but no real interest in either story. Publishers begin tightening their belts. Oh, and did I mention while all this is going on, we are building a house, and it’s turned into a nightmare. I begin dreaming about murdering people and wonder if I should switch genres.

March 2009 – The extremely difficult and gut-wrenching decision is made to put Yesterday’s Tomorrow on the shelf. Maybe not forever, but for now. I begin revising my other manuscript and focus on that. My husband decides to take out stock in the local wine store.

Summer 2009 – Still not contracted. While there is hope for the new manuscript, I can’t stop thinking about Yesterday’s Tomorrow. I take it out and look at it again. I wonder, with smaller new publishers cropping up, whether it might still have a chance. Find a couple of small publishers and query them about Yesterday’s Tomorrow.

Winter 2009 – Still working on other manuscript to improve it once again before it starts the submission process.

January 2010 – Send off new book to publishers.

Spring 2010 – I’m convinced there may be hope for Yesterday’s Tomorrow, but as I start reading the manuscript again, I realize just how much I’ve learned in the past several years, and just how crappy my writing was three years ago. I decide to seek some more professional advice on the story and this time I enlist the help of Meredith Efken of The Fiction Fix-It Shop.

Late Spring 2010 – Receive an email from one of the small publishers we queried months ago. It seems a glitch in communication has taken place. (dun, dun, dun…) they’ve actually been trying to reach us since November ’09 about Yesterday’s Tomorrow. They want the FULL. No, they didn’t mis-read Vietnam and think the story takes place in Virginia. They know it’s Vietnam. in the ’60’s. During the war.

But I’ve already started working on a re-write!! ANOTHER FREAKIN’ REWRITE!!! We very gratefully, humbly and with much drooling and groveling, (well, okay, that was mostly me. All me), thank them for their interest and promise to have the full new and improved manuscript headed their way just as soon as humanely possible.

I begin drinking. Heavily.  I pray and read the Bible. A lot. And ask others to pray too. And I wonder what God is really up to here or if He’s just messin’ with me.

Summer 2010 – More revisions  A complete, exhaustive re-write of the entire manuscript from start to finish takes place. I am entirely and utterly spent, but elated. But still an unpublished author.

September 2010 – I say goodbye to Yesterday’s Tomorrow and send it off to a magical place called OakTara. I know it’s a now or never situation. I am bereft. Still getting positive comments about my writing and the other manuscript from editors, but no contracts.

October 2010 – Weeks feel like years. I am about to pull out my toenails because I have already pulled out all my hair and chewed off my fingernails. The only person still talking to me is the dog.

October 26th, 2010 – Response from OakTara arrives in my inbox. It’s early afternoon, and no, I haven’t been drinking. The header reads, “We Love Yesterday’s Tomorrow!”

I am a pile of quivering mush. I have a contract. For the book of my heart. The story that grabbed hold four years ago and refused to let go. The story I believe—I know—God gave to me.

March 15th, 2011 – Yesterday’s Tomorrow is released to the world and my dream has come true!!

And the moral of the story today, children?

“Never give in, never give in, never; never; never; never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.” Winston Churchill.