BOOKSIGNINGS . . . SMALL TO MEGA!

It’s been busy around here with mailing out books to Influencers, designing and printing postcards and bookmarks, and a zillion other things on top of trying to restart my brain and get back into “Glory” mode. Sorry if it looked like I’d deserted you.

Let’s see . . . Oh, yes!

The Friday after my box of books arrived, they held an impromptu booksigning for me at my husband’s workplace. My daughter and granddaughter went along for added support – you know, to hold me up in case I started to faint or something.

The event lasted about an hour and a half and fifteen books were sold while I was there, another two after I left. I have to tell you that for someone with an extreme case of introvertedness (if it’s not a word, it should be!), it was more than a little scary – and draining – but fun and exciting, too. Isn’t it strange how so many emotions work together like that?

I’ve been getting a little feedback from the books sold at that signing as well as from ones sent to Influencers. I can’t tell you how gratifying it is to have someone I don’t know tell me how much they enjoyed my book! I'm sure the awe of it will never cease.

I've been going a little crazy trying to get things together and prepared for the ACFW Conference in Minneapolis. ACFW has partnered with Barnes and Noble and Mall of America for an incredible BOOKSIGNING EVENT. On Saturday, September 20, 2008, from 1-3 p.m., 126 Christian Novelists (including me!), will be together for a MEGA BOOKSIGNING AND AUTHOR PANELS in the Best Buy and Sears Rotunda and connecting hallways at the MALL OF AMERICA, BLOOMINGTON, MN. If you’re in the area, please be sure to stop by!

In the meantime, I’m doing blog interviews with various individuals – some of whom are giving away an autographed copy of THE CASE OF THE BOUNCING GRANDMA! So be sure to check out the blogs below . . .

End of August & September Blog Interviews:

Margaret Daley – www.margaretdaley.blogspot.com
Mainly Mystery - www.mainlymystery.blogspot.com
Marian Merritt – www.marianmerritt.com
Pix-N-Pens – www.pixnpens.com
Michelle Sutton – www.edgyinspirationalauthor.blogspot.com

Now it’s back to the trenches – er . . . Word, and The Case of the Mystified M.D.

THEY'RE HE---ERE!!

My books arrived today while I was off visiting my daughter and granddaughter. As I pulled into my driveway, I could see a very large box sitting up on my porch and my heart nearly jumped from my chest.

I pulled into the garage, and rather than rush upstairs and tear into the box, I sedately walked out to the mailbox and grabbed the mail. Then, I forced myself to walk equally as calmly back into the house.

As the garage door closed, I went into the basement, took a deep breath and proceeded at a normal pace up the stairs – looking through the mail at the same time. There were a lot of bills, but then, it’s that time of the month. I needed to check a couple of them to make certain we were given credit for some returns, but as I neared the top of the stairs, I realized just how close the front door was . . . and the box was just on the other side of the door.

Ok. I know myself. If I gave in and brought the box inside there’s no way I’d go back to being a responsible bill-paying adult. I’d have to languish in the feel of the books – at least the first time without my gloves protecting my fingers, anyway. Then there would be that tantalizing aroma of a new book. And, of course, this isn’t just ANY new book; this is a book I wrote, that has my name on it.

So . . . bypass the front door, out to the kitchen table and go through the mail. Good heavens, they must have killed several trees just to torment me with all this stuff – it’s probably those four trees Magellan Oil and Gas chopped down in my backyard in May!

I went through the bills one by one, methodically looking over charges, checking due dates – but I could swear there was a voice calling to me just outside my front door. My Himalayan cat was sitting at my feet, waiting to see if I would shower her with all the junk mail so she could roll around in it for a while. I disappointed her, though, and put the discarded items in the trash can.

With the bills safely ensconced in my mail/bill holder, I took a deep breath and started for the front door. But I bypassed it yet again and headed down the hall for the cordless phone I keep in my office.

I hit the speed dial for the daughter I’d just left, and as it went through its gyrations and began to ring, I pulled the box inside.

“Ye-es,” Kelly answered.

“Guess what’s here.” I knew of course this wasn’t hard to figure out.

“Your books!” Said my oldest daughter, my first editor on everything I write (well, except for this blog entry tonight).

We talked for a moment as I cut the tape from the box and opened it. When I raised that first book in my hands, saw my title and name, I nearly hyperventilated. But I held it together.

Ok, I didn’t do that great a job, but I did try!

After Kelly and I made arrangements to meet for a celebratory dinner at 54^th Street, I called my husband, Chris, and let him know we had books. He was in the middle of some stuff, so I didn’t get quite the reaction I’d hoped for. So. . . on to daughter number two. I was pretty sure Randi and my grandkids weren’t home today, so I dialed her cell number (to be honest, it’s on speed dial). No answer.

I HAVE to tell people!!! THE CASE OF THE BOUNCING GRANDMA IS NOW AVAILABLE!!

On to the computer to let my publisher and other Sheaf House authors know the box arrived safe and sound. NEED MORE SHARING!! I sent an announcement to the ACFW Loop and then began preparing the packages for my Influencers.

I dialed Randi again and she answered!! She needed to get the kids down for a nap so I couldn’t yak long – a short but sweet conversation.

I’m alone again in my office. Just my cat, the books, this computer, and me. The books smell awesome, the pages look inviting – is that wrong to say about something I wrote myself????

Aw, well. If this is wrong . . . I don’t wanna be right.

2007 – Time to Throw in the Towel . . . or, YOU WANT WHAT?

My fingers and hands continued their reprieve from pain through Christmas of 2006 and I was able to bake and cook to my heart’s content. I even made my standard holiday gifts – calendars – for friends and family without discomfort!

Once the holidays were over, it was time to continue work on A Question of Survival, the Women’s Fiction I’d begun with the help of NaNoWriMo. I had all kinds of ideas, had created some “songs” for the Christian musician character, and was anxious to incorporate everything into the manuscript. That’s when the pain hit – and it wasn’t messing around this time.

Pain hypersensitivity was bad enough in general, but having it concentrated on my fingertips was worse than anything I’d experienced previously. It was so bad I couldn’t stand to touch myself, let alone anything else! Still, the independent database work I did from home had to get done. The question was how.

Tucking pencils between my fingers, I found that I could do ten key inputs without ever having to physically touch the computer keys. It was awkward, but it worked. So did the little white gloves I found in the cosmetics section of our grocery store. They softened the impact of typing. Not a lot, but enough to allow me to keep from falling behind in my work.

Just not enough to try typing an entire manuscript.

Prayers from the members of the ACFW Prayer Loop and visits to The Healing Rooms kept me sane – or at least as sane as I’ve ever been. But as the days, weeks, and months went by, I knew that I had a decision to make: Do I continue to work at being a writer, or do I finally let the dream go?

It’s difficult to listen to that still small voice when there’s so much inner noise clamoring to be heard. Logic told me that a writer who couldn’t type wasn’t about to make it – but several ACFW friends reminded me there was always voice recognition software. We checked into that, but our computer wasn’t equipped to handle the software, and we couldn’t afford to buy a new one. Another door closed before it was opened. Surely this was the sign I’d prayed for – the one that told me it was time to accept that my dream of being a published author wasn’t going to happen.

I was ready – well, as ready as I could be – to say goodbye to writing, to ACFW and the dream I’d had since I was twelve. I prepared myself, told Chris and my girls my decision, and was about to resign . . .

Then a request for prayer came across the Prayer Loop from Joan Hochstetler. I’d been following Joan’s Publishing Dream blog as she set up the small press Sheaf House. We’d exchanged a lot of emails over the past several years, and I’d always enjoyed talking with her. As I prepared an answer to her prayer request, I asked how things were going with Sheaf House and told her that I was praying for its success, too. What happened next blew me away.

She asked about my writing, if I thought I might have a manuscript that might fit Sheaf House. I’d checked out the genres and knew mystery and suspense weren’t on her list, but she’d asked . . . I told her briefly about my three completed manuscripts and asked which, if any, she’d be interested in seeing. Her response: SEND ALL THREE!

Needless to say, I was floored. But she didn’t have to tell me twice. Mirrored Image, A Twist of Faith, and The Case of the Bouncing Grandma went off in cyberspace within moments of her request. Even more remarkable – when she started reading BG, she didn’t want to put it down! Emails with “I’m still laughing” lifted up my heart and my hopes. My fingers still hurt, but God had given me my answer.

Approximately two weeks after that first email, I was talking to Joan on the phone and trying to believe that The Case of the Bouncing Grandma was actually going to be published –IN A YEAR!

Now, here I am, almost a year from the date of acceptance, and BG is at the printers. In the last year we have gone through trying to add 10,000 words to BG – but only getting 7000; editing that took away and then added another 3000 words; the excitement of seeing the rough drafts and final versions of the Bouncing Grandma Mysteries logo and the cover of BG; and a myriad of other things that have gone into the production. It’s been frustrating, exciting, and sometimes harder than I could have imagined. I’ve learned the difference between Chicago Manual of Style and APA – well, sort of – and I hope I’ve learned to be more patient and understanding with myself and others. I’ve been amazed and humbled at the generosity of my wonderful publisher – take a bow, Joan – and of those incredible authors who agreed to read my rough manuscript for possible endorsement – and liked it! Thank you Christy Barritt, Sharon Dunn, Cathy Elliott, and Jill Elizabeth Nelson – you are all AWESOME!

Now . . . we await delivery, and I get to hold my first published novel!

AND SO IT GOES . . . OR “I’m missing what?!” 2006

“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” John Lennon said something like that in one of his last songs. How very true!

After Gramma’s death, I’d thrown myself into finishing The Case of the Bouncing Grandma and getting it sent off. By the time I got it submitted to Heartsong Mysteries in April, I’d been in the ER three times, had a CAT scan to rule out a stroke, had an allergic reaction to Demerol (my blood pressure plummeted, and I couldn’t breathe), and had an MRI. Though no one could discover why the headache persisted, the MRI revealed I was missing part of my brain – which has since become a running joke.

I recalled reading Brandilyn Collins’ testimony of a miraculous healing from Lyme Disease (www.brandilyncollins.com/healing.html ) following a session at The Healing Rooms (www.healingrooms.com). There was a branch in a nearby community with sessions every Tuesday evening. Chris (my husband) and I prayed about it, asked for prayer coverage from the ACFW Prayer Loop, then made our way to the Midwest Healing Rooms in Lee’s Summit.

I know God led us to those wonderful people. As their prayers enveloped me, a calm washed through me. By the following morning, the horrific pain had dulled. Riding on the incredible high and closeness to God from my experience at The Healing Rooms, I became caught up in trying to get back to “normal” now that the headache was gone. I was so excited to be doing something positive with my writing that I made plans to attend my first ACFW conference.

But “normal” is only an illusion. As I got well, we learned Chris’s brother had been diagnosed with four different cancers about the same time it was confirmed their mother had Alzheimer’s.

Reeling from the news, the rejection from Heartsong Mysteries seemed even more crushing than usual. I’d been at this place many times before – had once claimed to have enough rejection letters to paper the house – so I knew the drill; knew it by heart: pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try, try again. But just because you know what to do doesn’t make it any easier – especially when you were certain this one was THE ONE.

If I told you I was a trooper and didn’t let it bother me, I’d be lying. I ranted and raved and made family and friends uncomfortable. I regret that and take this time to apologize once again to everyone. Eventually, I dragged myself up and began submitting to a few agents. They turned me down, too – even the one I’d really, really wanted. But in the meantime, I learned a valuable lesson – writing might be what I wanted to do, but my family is who I am. God taught me that, and I hope I never forget it.

I never made it to the 2006 ACFW conference; we were busy taking care of family business – mourning the loss of Chris’s brother and helping out with his mom. I did, however, go to the small Scene of the Crime conference that October. It had some incredible sessions, several editors and agents available for meetings, and was a terrific experience. I received requests for partials from both agent meetings, and even “won” a Pitch-a-Palooza contest with my spur of the moment pitch for The Case of the Bouncing Grandma (Has Glory hit her head one too many times or was there really a foot hanging out of that carpet?). Even though the agents didn’t work out, I refused to let it get me down.

In November, still on a reprieve from my finger/hand pain, I entered NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writers Month, www.nanowrimo.org ). Not wanting to feel alone during the month-long dash to write 50,000 words, I asked if there were any members of ACFW who would like to join a support group. Ten people responded, and the Naners were formed – most of whom are still in the group. In December, I was notified that I’d won an opportunity to present an on-line pitch to Krista Stroever of Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired Suspense. I didn’t do very well with this venue, but it kept my hopes alive.

After all . . . there was always next year.

THROUGH ADVERSITY - A TRIBUTE

Pain. We’ve all had it at one time or another, that all-encompassing, consuming pain that invades every thought and steals your life. You cannot escape it – even in sleep. And when it’s chronic, you know that sooner or later it always comes back.

I knew this thief intimately. He’d come into my life in 1985 when I fell down a flight of stairs. The doctors said it would’ve been better if I’d broken bones – they would have healed. Not so with all the slamming and wrenching my body endured on the way down those thirteen steps – and believe me, I felt each of them. I had the bruises to prove it. But I was young and strong, and the permanent partial disability of my neck, shoulders, and back wasn’t about to keep me from doing things – no matter what the doctors said. I had the Great Physician after all – and far more stubborn Irish pride than was probably good for me. But by the time 2005 rolled around, I was singing a different tune.

I have no idea if the fall I took was a contributing factor or not; it didn’t/doesn’t matter. All I knew was that for the last two years I had begun to suffer from excruciating pain in my fingers and hands. Was it overwork, overuse? There was no way to tell. The pain would seem to descend from out of the blue, linger for indeterminate amounts of time, and then disappear as suddenly as it came. The first half of 2005 was spent in misery, trying to figure out what could be done, forcing myself to do my database job and write in spite of the pain. And when it finally disappeared once again, I was ready to make up for lost time.

Praying nearly non-stop, I set to work that December of 2005 on the story of grandmother Glory Harper. Her antics made me laugh – the idea of a 52-year-old trying to teach her grandson to use a skateboard was amusing, the end result of the lesson (the runaway skateboard causing a three-car pile-up) even funnier. The more Glory and her family developed, the more excited I became . . . and the more convinced I was that this story would finally get me published.

I studied the requirements for the Heartsong Mysteries line and hoped I was following the directions for a proposal. Even though I’d always been a SOTP (seat-of-the-pants) writer, I dared to write a synopsis for a book I hadn’t written. I prepared the submission packet with care, asked advice from the writer friend whose book had been accepted for the line, and had my daughter edit it with a fine-toothed comb. Things were falling into place. Well, sort of. It needed a title – and not just the goofy one I’d come up with: The Case of the Bouncing Grandma. But every time I thought of changing it, something stopped me. Or was that Someone?

2006 dawned with Gramma (my former mother-in-law) getting sicker. From one hospital to another and an ever changing diagnosis, she wasn’t improving. Despite obvious discomfort and pain, she retained a positive attitude and a ready smile.

Visits with Gramma always began with her asking, “How’s that silly grandma coming?” Her eyes would light up as I’d share the most recent Glory Harper escapades. And the more I shared my ideas, the more certain I was this was the manuscript that would go all the way. Gramma’s confidence and laughter reinforced this notion. No matter how ill she was, she wanted to know how the writing was going and what I was planning to do next.

I drew on Gramma’s strength as I always had, determined that the excruciating migraine that began shortly after the new year wouldn’t stop me from getting the proposal to Heartsong Mysteries or keep me from finishing this book. Through doctors’ visits and medication that landed me in the emergency room three times, I persevered and finally got the proposal sent.

Gramma was still cognizant when Susan Downs, editor for Heartsong Mysteries, wrote to request a full manuscript. I’ll never forget the look in her eyes or her determination that I would finally succeed. But as much as we all wanted her to stay a while longer, God had other plans. Early in February of 2006, he called this angel home.

FOR GRAMMA

She came on loan from Heaven,
A Saint from God above.
She brought with her the sunshine,
She gave to us her love.
Her work was hard and painful,
Her heart was great and true.
She taught us to be humble
And watched us while we grew.

But Heaven only loaned her
For a brief and special time.
They felt her absence deeply
Much more than yours or mine.
We miss her laugh, her smile, her voice
They never will grow dim.
But we thank the Lord the time He gave
Before calling her back to Him.

Thank you, Cornelia, you taught me more about living and loving than you’ll ever know.

BEGINNINGS . . . THE BIRTH OF AN IDEA

Near the end of 2005, there was a lot of excitement and buzz throughout the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) loop about a new cozy mystery line being developed by the Heartsong division of Barbour. Like everyone else, I read the announcements with curiosity, wondering if this might be something I could try. I toyed with the idea off and on, but didn’t really know if I could take the mystery/suspense I was used to writing and work it into something totally different. And then, of course, was the question of whether or not I could write humor. Sure, I loved to tease with my daughters and husband, but trying to make the public laugh, that would just be too difficult. The problem: the idea just wouldn’t go away.

Later that same year, a fellow ACFW member asked if I’d have time to do a quick read-through of her manuscript – a book that had been accepted into the cozy mystery line mentioned above. I loved the book, the easy way it read, the humor, and of course, the mystery. It was exciting to even be a tiny bit involved with a soon-to-be published author and her first novel. Big things were happening all across ACFW because of Heartsong Mysteries . . . was it possible I could be a part of that as well?

A lot was going on in our life at the time. My incredibly wonderful and awesome former mother-in-law – Gramma – had been sick since before Thanksgiving, and praying for her healing was uppermost in my mind. Gramma had always been a big influence in my life, her gentle wisdom, strength, and humor, plus her ability to forgive and continue to love me after her son and I divorced only reinforced what I already knew – she was one of God’s angels on Earth. Each time I visited her, something niggled at me, something I couldn’t put my finger on . . . until early one morning after a late night and a lot of prayer – a story about a grandmother . . .

As Christmas approached, the idea refused to be ignored. It nagged at me day and night, always with a vision of Gramma’s smiling face and her laughter. Unable to escape the pervasive thoughts, I finally relented and sat before the computer – an empty manuscript template in front of me. I closed my eyes, placed my fingers on the keys, and prayed.

“If you want a story, Lord, then You’re going to have to write it.”

I’d always known when He took over – the writing was much better than anything I could ever do on my own. But before, I would at least have more of an idea for a story. This time, all I had was a grandmother. Or was it?

I know I sat with my eyes closed for a long time that day. I also know I was typing. Well, you know how that is . . . your fingers know things sometimes before your brain does. At least, it seems like that at times. And that day, that day, God moved my fingers over the keys for several minutes before I was consciously aware of what was going on. By the time I lifted my hands from the keyboard, I had a nine-page chapter – and zany grandmother Glory Harper had been born.

WELCOME!

Welcome to the Bouncing Grandma Mysteries blog. I hope you will join me on this crazy adventure from creation to publication of the soon-to-be released cozy mystery, The Case of the Bouncing Grandma. The first of the Bouncing Grandma Mysteries has an official release date of October 2008 but will be available for pre-order in August through its publisher Sheaf House at www.sheafhouse.com, at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com, as well as in your local bookstores.

It’s my aim to give you a little insight into how the story of Glory Harper and her family began and the process of bringing this novel to publication. I’ve never blogged before—or been published—so it’s liable to be quite a ride. I hope you’ll be patient and stick with me through the process of learning the ropes—and with luck, we’ll have a good time along the way.

I’m just getting my feet wet with this introduction but promise to be back soon with “the rest of the story.” Take care and God Bless!