One Step at a Time..

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
How do you prepare a book for publishing? One step at a time.

And the first step towards publishing is to get the book edited. People have been telling me this for years and I have finally taken the plunge. When I first began writing, I knew this would be required at some point, but I was nervous about it. I haven't always been good at accepting constructive criticism, and I didn't know what to expect in getting my writing published. I wanted to keep the integrity of what I had written.

So when I found a Christian editing company online I was thrilled! I want to be published, and not only to see my name on the cover of a "real" book, but because I want to share the gospel through my stories in a way that will encourage, inspire and even change someone else's life. I knew that a Christian editor would understand the message I was trying to communicate and would respect that.

When the sample edit was completed, I received some positive comments from my editor, and I started getting more excited about the process! A week ago, my editor sent the first section review back to me with his corrections, comments and suggestions for improvement. Minor grammatical changes, which I expected even though I know I have a strong grasp of grammar. But what really stood out to me were his suggested content changes -- I have read through my manuscript many times and I didn't see the things that he did. I needed a new perspective. So I removed some parts and rewrote and rearranged others, and as feel that my writing has been greatly improved!

Even a couple of years ago, I'm not sure that I would have been prepared to make such changes to my story, but now that I am determined to begin publishing my books, it has given me the impetus to take this giant step forward.

One step at a time...I'll keep moving ahead and I am excited to see how this will help me improve my writing as I continue with the sequel and the other projects I am working on.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you are in need of a good Christian editor with competitive rates, check out http://www.affordablechristianediting.com

How It All Began...

I have ALWAYS loved books!

This love was fostered by my parents as they read to us from the Bible and other books. Bedtime was greatly looked forward to because Mom would often sit in the hallway and read to us as we fell asleep - I especially remember the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis and the classic series of children's stories by Thornton Burgess.

I was reading books before I went to kindergarten...it was - and STILL IS - one of my favourite activities! I don't quite recall when I first decided that I wanted to be a writer, but I had been greatly influenced by the many books I read and knew that I wanted to share my love of stories in a way that would also impact others.

From a young age I had numerous short stories in my desk drawer as "works in progress." They were mostly unfinished, as I had not yet developed the discipline of sticking with one task until it was completed. I read many different books, including biographies of influential people, romance stories, adventure stories, children's books...basically anything I could. I discovered that I loved language and words and expressing myself in a unique way.

During my teenage years, I began writing poetry as a way to express my emotions and process my experiences. And then, in my senior year of high school at the age of 17, I decided I was going to start a novel. I don't remember what specifically precipitated that decision; I only know that from that moment on I was determined to be an author.

I had read somewhere that the best authors write from their own experiences and what they know, and so I decided to do exactly that. The book was about half-completed in 2002 when I began my studies at Bible college. Throughout the next 2 years, I had little time to write, so no progress was made. Finally, in 2006, I completed my first novel. I was elated! Now there was a new challenge...I wanted to try and get it published. I dreamed about seeing the book with my name emblazoned on the cover, and signing copies of it as they sold by the dozens! I didn't know then just how long and arduous this process would be, however, and after awhile it seemed like my dream might never be realized.

I began working on the sequel to my first book, and then a separate novel, which I completed in the winter of 2008. Now I had even more impetus to get published! But how would this be possible? I was still searching for what I was supposed to do with my life. In 2010 I began pursuing a missionary calling, which God had clearly laid on my heart, and the book publishing was set aside, since I knew that it would not likely be my life's work. I definitely still had a passion for writing and a desire to see my stories be an encouragement and inspiration to others, but when this would happen was an unknown.

Then, in 2012, a missionary friend showed me a small book she had self-published through a company in Ukraine several years ago. I began looking into it and discovered that not only was there an abundance of options for self-publishing, but it was relatively inexpensive and time-efficient.

So that brings me to where I am today...

One book just beginning the copy-editing process, which will be completed by spring/summer 2014. I plan to publish it next summer, and hopefully my second novel will be ready for publishing then as well. In addition to the print copies I will be selling, it will also be available in e-book format online.

Stay tuned for previews...and please share with anyone you know who may be interested.

I hope you enjoy coming along with me on this exciting journey!!