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Heartwarming Small-Town Romances and Thrilling Mysteries

A quick update this week on the progress of my book. I am working with an editor who is doing a content edit of the manuscript. He’s done an excellent job of helping me get things polished and ready to go. So far, he likes what’s there and I like the changes he’s suggesting so it’s a good team effort to make it the best. I hope to have the book ready for publication by January 2015. By then, the weather will be cold and you’ll need a warm blanket, a cup of hot cocoa, and a good book to get you through a snowy day—or a cool day if you live in southern California. I hope to provide the good book.

I have one other Christian romance book in the wings that is outlined and a rough draft is done. As soon as the present book is done, I will focus more on getting the next one going. It’s based on a short story that I wrote for a college class and won an award. College was truly a place where I discovered I had talents for things other than cooking.

I’ve also written a child’s book and am searching for an illustrator. I’ve thought about illustrating it myself and have attempted to at least draw out what I have in mind. I may pursue it a little more, but if too discouraged by my feeble art skills, I will look more diligently for someone to help out with that.

Several years ago, I wrote a new reader chapter book. When my son was learning to read, I had a hard time trying to find him something he was interested in reading. Girls have lots of low level chapter books to choose from, but I had trouble finding some for boys. So I took on that challenge and I really like how it turned out. Again, I need a few illustrations for it, but that’s down the road a ways.

I also started a book about my life, but that is really hard to write about. I have lots of words in it. The trouble is tying them all together into some semblance of order.

Writing is a lot of work and struggle at times. Finding the right words to convey the picture and emotions I want to convey is a challenge. Then when it’s edited by someone with fresh eyes, I find that I missed the boat here and there so I have to reword and rework things until they flow together. One thing about it, it’s good brain exercise.

The hard part will come when it’s time to sell the books. I’m the world’s worst salesperson so that will be the hardest thing of all. I joined a group of Idaho writers and am learning a lot from them about marketing. It will be a stretch for me and get me way out of my comfort zone. Some people say that’s good for you. I hope it is. I don’t want this fun and creativity to turn into drudgery.

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