Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Time stands still for no one!

When you are sick it is hard to accomplish much, especially anything that requires your full attention and a quick mind. My daughter, Jonna, has been working hard on the pre-editing...editing, so we can submit the manuscript for the official editing process. The problem is...she's sick too! We are working on it together. She reads it and presents her suggestions to me. Most of it is grammatical usage errors and word usage errors, the results of typing quickly before the thought is gone. There are a couple of suggestions she has made though that I have disagreed with. It is going to be fun to compare our opinions once the editing department puts in their opinion. She insists she is going to be right. I am guessing she will be too. I just like the line she is wanting to do away with! It is fun to be working with her. I have known my whole life just how smart she is, but I get to work with her on something that she is truly gifted at. She is finding enjoyment in it as well. So much so that she is back to thinking college might not be a bad idea. Will we have an author and a book editor in our family? Who knows. She will probably be a better writer than I am. So, make that two authors and a book editor. I know she has many stories in her that want to come out.

I have written the dedication and the acknowledgements, so that job is done. Things are coming together nicely!

Linda Johnson, surviving wife of Rod Johnson, pastor to me for many years, has agreed to write the forward for Until Forever. Our pastor, Charles Butler of Covenant Church Fox Valley, along with Marilyn Jackson, wife of Michael Jackson, Pastor New Life Assembly of God, Janesville, Wi, Elaine Littau, author of Nan's Journey and Elk's Resolve, and Cliff Graham, author of Day of War, soon to be a major motion picture, have all agreed to write endorsements for the novel. Am I blessed or what? What a great group of people!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Until Forever

Well, I have officially entered into a contract with Tate Publishing to publish my manuscript "Until Forever". I am excited, nervous, anxious...did I already say excited? The emotional gamut reaches far and wide taking up much of my daily thoughts. Friday night Danny and I sat outside the UPS box and prayed over the contract one last time before putting it in the box.

God has had His hand on this manuscript from day one. He would wake me during a restful sleep with entire portions of the story running through my head. I would type frantically until spent then fall back in bed until rising for the day to type some more. It took me four months to write this story. I have been blessed with a wonderful family who supported me during this whole process. My husband, Danny, has been and continues to be my support and partner in this endeavor. Without his genuine encouragement, I doubt this would have been possible. With the exception of the occasional complaint regarding the quality of meals prepared, my children too have been most supportive. I will be updating this blog regularly, keeping you posted on publication process. Our website is in the process of being created. A new facebook account has been created. A group for the book itself will be created. So much to do and so much to share! Check back often for all the updates!

I also plan on interviewing and featuring some great authors and their awesome books. I will read them personally before posting their work, so you won't want to miss this either.