I’m thrilled to be participating in the 12 Authors of Christmas Giveaway, going on all this week!! We have a bunch of amazing authors here, so don’t miss out, and please tell your friends!
Now who doesn’t want CASH AND BOOKS at Christmas??? I don’t know about you, but I sure wouldn’t mind! 🙂
Here’s the LINK to ENTER! Just head on over and follow the instructions and that’s all there is to it!
Oh my gosh. I was all set to post a really cute video update with all the news, but then I realized I look like a character from The Walking Dead right now, so that’s not going to happen. Your eyes will thank me. 🙂 Here’s a picture of our lake instead.
We’ve returned from our annual pilgrimage to Canada, which was fantastic as usual, although far too short. I was working on edits for The Memory of You for part of the time, so I spent a lot of time sitting out here, with my new laptop. 🙂
And now those edits are done and off, and I’m getting ready to leave for the ACFW Conference in Nashville next week!! Can’t wait!! Maybe I’ll see you there. Meantime, there are some things going on with The Things We Knew that I’d love to share!
The LITFUSE Blog Tour is underway! I love the gang at Litfuse, they are always so enthusiastic and do such a great job promoting their authors! I’m thankful for all the readers as well who get on board and help spread the word about good books! So check it out, the links will take you to my landing page, where you can read Buzz and Reviews for The Things We Knew as they come in! Feel free to help spread the word.
Also going on THIS WEEK is a fun PINTEREST contest!! If you don’t already know about it, here’s the scoop –
All you have to do is create a smashingly good Pinterest Board for The Things We Knew, (you’ve read it, right?!) and send me the link via DM or post on my Facebook Author Page! Contest will close at midnight Monday August 22nd, and we’ll announce the winners on Tuesday, probably in the evening, as I’m flying to Nashville that day! First prize winner will receive this amazing beach tumbler, bookmark, and a signed copy of The Things We Knew, and there will be first and second runner up prizes too, so you’ll want to get in on the fun! (You can view MY BOARD here!) And I don’t mind telling you I have yet to find anyone that looks remotely like the way I picture Evy MacIntrye, (Evy like the Chevy!), so if anyone can find her, extra points!!
And a HUGE THANKS to all of you who have read and reviewed the book already! I really appreciate you taking the time to put up a review, and it really goes a long way in helping get the word out to new readers.
Okay so these tumblers are pretty amazing! I’ve been using mine all week! I might be a little obsessed with it. 😮
Well, I can’t believe the end of summer is here. I’m praying for all you Moms & Dads as kids go back to school or off to college. Time goes too quickly! I hope you’ve all had a good summer and have had amazing family times together. I’d love to hear about it!
(My sister and I celebrating the arrival of the first copies of my new book!)
The past couple weeks have been a whirlwind. Both in my personal life and in the events happening around the world, and to be honest, right now I just want to step back from the bad and celebrate the good. Is that okay? I hope so.
On July 12th, after a very long journey , my latest novel, The Things We Knew, ( my first with Harper Collins Christian Publishing), was set free into the world! And where was I? Thanks to the very intrepid work of my amazing husband, I was on Nantucket, where the book is set. He planned the whole trip, even arranging a book signing on the island, at Mitchell’s Book Corner, on the very day of the book’s release!! The whole family joined us. And it was a dream come true.
I’m not sure I have the words or brain power at the moment to adequately describe the beauty of Nantucket or the crazy amazing experience to walk the streets I already felt I knew so well. Instead, I thought I’d share a few of my photos with you, and let them do the talking. But before I go, I need to thank my husband for this truly incredible experience. I will definitely never forget it!!
  Oh, hey, this looks familiar!
Beautiful Nantucket!
My first ever US book signing event!! If I look a little happy, it’s because I was. I was also terribly nervous. But everyone was lovely, and I had a great time!
So you wrote a book. And it’s pretty darn good, if you do say so yourself. You spend a bit of time spit polishing it up, but overall, this baby is THE ONE. You just know it. You send it off to your agent, he or she loves it, they immediately rush it off to the publisher of your dreams, and they love it too and BAM! Your book is born!!
Well. Yeah.
(Reality Check #1 – Your life isn’t a Nicholas Sparks novel).
That’s a nice little dream, isn’t it? I don’t know what the exact stats are, but I suspect this happy story of immediate gratification only happens to less than 0.5% of authors.
I was not one of them.
As you may know, if you’ve been reading this blog or follow me on Facebook, I’m slightly giddy-over-the-moon-stupidly-excited about the release of my upcoming novel, The Things We Knew, coming to you July 12th, from TNZ Fiction (Harper Collins Christian Publishing) – that’s 77 days from today, but who’s counting? 🙂
And it didn’t happen overnight. Didn’t happen in a year. Or even two.
I believe, if old emails can be trusted, that I sent the first final draft (you know, the this-is-the best-book-I-ever-wrote, one) of The Things We Knew to my agent in May 2011. It had a different title back then, and the story was slightly different, but I thought it was all that. Apparently I was wrong. (Reality Check#2 – When you think you’re all that, you ain’t).
Because that was five years ago. FIVE. Yes, you read that right. It was a good story, but it wasn’t hitting all the right notes. So, with my wonderful agent’s help and guidance, we did some more work. (Reality Check#3 – Writing = WORK. Lots and lots of work).
What followed were several edited versions of my beloved story, and then a handful of rejections – a few encouraging, but the ‘not quite what we’re looking for’ ones.
(Reality Check#4 – You WILL get rejected. Probably more than once. Get over it).
Then, after a few more rejections, we decided to go with a professional editin 2013, (which I highly recommend by the way, before you submit that baby!), and we started the submission process all over again, and  then finally . . . FINALLY . . . the offer from Harper Collins Christian Publishing (my dream publisher!) in 2015. Several titles, versions, and a whole lot of angst later, a book is born.
Was it worth the work and the waiting?
You bet.
(Reality Check#5Â – sometimes investments pay off, if you hang in there).
So I’m not telling you any of this to discourage you, just to say, you know, this book thing, it’s not easy. Not by a long shot. Any idiot can write a book. But . . . perhaps well, that’s a post for another day. Or not. (Let’s just go with just because you can, doesn’t mean you should and leave it at that).
I guess what I really want you to come away with is this – IF this is your dream, don’t give up. If you know you’re called to do this thing, do it. The book you love may not be the first book you publish. I published three other books while I was working on this one, and wrote 2 more. Keep busy. But keep the dream alive. Do whatever it takes to make it happen, and don’t listen to negative people.
My journey has been long and rather complicated, and if you’re not familiar with it, you can get the gist here. Much as I wanted to give up, I didn’t. And I kept my goal in sight, kept working, and praying and listening, and trusting. Hard, hard stuff when things aren’t working out the way you hoped. I know.
And sometimes things don’t work out the way you want. I know that too. But I also know that if you’re in that place, God has something better for you. Really. As trite as that may sound when you’re down there, it has been my experience time and again. So please, don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.
So back to my story – and it’s happy ending – needless to say I’m so grateful that I didn’t give up my dream of working with a publisher I’d long admired and hoped to call my own some day. I’m beyond grateful for family, friends and an agent who believed in me 100% and kept telling me this would happen. And I’m so glad I didn’t give up on this story. Because now? Well, it’s a real book.
And it looks like this . . .
If that’s not the prettiest thing I ever did see . . .
Sigh.
Hard to believe that this baby will be out in the world in July! Oh, and if you really can’t wait for July, and you’re a NetGalley user, it’s available to download on their website. (And early reviews are appreciated! 🙂 ).
Well, that’s my Monday happy for you beautiful people.
Yes, that’s my little baby right there. Final proofs, right there on my laptop. Also a hard copy – pages and pages of it. My book. (Cue SQUEAL!)
So. For anyone that thinks writing a book, getting it published and out into the world is a slam dunk . . . heh. Here’s how it goes down. Or how it went down for me.
Offer of contract. Open champagne. Discuss with agent. While drinking champagne. Emails go back and forth. Final deal offered and accepted. More champagne.
Weeks pass.
You almost forget all that wonderfulness happened until you realize it’s time to send your baby off to your new editor. You do this in fear and trembling. Stronger spirits may be necessary at this point.
More weeks pass. (At which point you’ve deemed yourself the worst writer in the world, they hate me, they’re going to pull the contract . . . and your family begins investigating private clinics within which to stash the nut-job away).
Finally your inbox lights up with that first response from your lovely editor. And it is good.
I know. This is all seriously just an excuse to drink champagne. Not even kidding.
More weeks pass.
Editorial letter arrives. Return to the stronger stuff. And then, because at some point real work must commence . . . this.
After much wailing and gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair . . . (okay, remember that time I told you I was a total drama queen?) It wasn’t that bad. Oh. Shoot, in between all that . . . how could I forget . . . THE TITLE! Yes!
You know publishers don’t always go with the title you pick for your book, right? Well. My book went through FIVE titles. Yeah. The first was Reprisal, which was the original. Then we had One Nantucket Summer. Then it was Under A Nantucket Moon. Then Beyond Nantucket Shores. And then, finally, The Things We Knew. Â Which is totally the right title for this story. But my poor book probably has major identity issues.
Back to work on the edits. Coffee, coffee, coffee. Sometimes I do wonder why I have trouble sleeping. Then I remember.
And then THIS baby pops up in my inbox!
It’s a real cover. With my name on it. For a real actual book. So of course, this calls for more . . . well. You know.
Prayer and thanksgiving, people. What did you think I was going to say?
Ahem.
So once the first round edits are done, you’d think that’d be it. No. Next we get into line edits. And then final proofs, which I’ve been working on this week. And lest you think all this takes a ton of time and there’s nothing to sweat over- this all began back in August, with the titling, and then edits in September, and now here we are in February. Which may sound like a ton of time, but this all happens in whirlwinds.
. . . now, this week, my book has gone out to potential endorsers. Which are basically a whole bunch of people who have won Rita and Christy and Carol Awards . . . about to read my book . . . and you guys, seriously.
So now? Now?
I’m terrified.Â
I don’t even know why. I knew this day would come. I also know that in a few months . . . 157 days,07 hour, 7 minutes and 52 seconds, but who’s counting . . . The Things We Knewwill be out in the world. My first book with a really big (REALLY BIG) publisher. And anyone will be able to read it. And tell me and the rest of the world exactly what they think about it.
Rhino skin. And then some. Because somehow, this all feels a little different. Somehow I feel just a little more vulnerable. Just a little less confident. And rather like a very small player on a huge stage filled with far better actors than I.
But you know what?
And Jesus loves me. So there’s that.
Yeah, I don’t know. This journey. It’s pretty crazy. But I remember where I was this time last year and I have to smile. Because you never know. You never know what’s coming, good or bad or catastrophic. And you just have to deal. And somehow, with grace and a whole lot of extravagant love and mercy . . . you do. Because the world keeps on turning, whether you want to get off or not. And when the best thing happens, and you’re plopped right down into the place you always wanted to go? Well. It’s not exactly the time to turn tail and run, now is it?
Nope. Much as I’d like to say, oh, you know . . . let’s just forget it. Nobody wants to read that book anyway . . . nope. I’m gonna suck it up and find a little faith and confidence and courage . . . because dang it, this is my moment. My dream. I’ve worked too long and too hard to let a nasty little thing like fear get in the way of enjoying this to the full.
And that’s all I have to say today.
Thank you.
Oh. And feel free to pray. Because while all that sounds good . . . this girl’s still shaking in her boots.