In His Hands

Aside from glorifying God with our work, a Christian writer's greatest dream is to finally hold that hard-earned, slaved-over, finally-published book in his or her hands.

Sadly, one of our fellow authors from Hartline Literary Agency, Dianne Price, never had that chance. She died just one week before Broken Wings, the first book of her World War II series, was published by Ashberry Lane.

I never met Dianne and knew her only briefly through the writer's loop of our mutual agent, Terry W. Burns. But one look at her smiling face told me everything I needed to know. She was joyous, hopeful, and God-fearing. She worked hard to finish her books and longed to hold that first one before she died. But God had other plans and I'm sure His were far better than any that mere humans could conjure up! Dianne (and her book) are now in God's Hands.

The first of Dianne's books is now available for sale. Please take a look at the following links to learn more about Dianne and find out how you and anyone else you know can hold Dianne's book for her. 

http://ashberrylane.com/dianneprice/ 
http://www.ashberrylane.com

Until the next time....

Two down; one to go!

Another milestone reached! I've now completed and submitted the second book in my Road's End series, titled Faux Pas, to my publisher. Faux Pas continues with the (mis)adventures of Pastor Hugh Foster and his wife, Melanie, and the rest of the residents of Road's End, Virginia, as they battle the worst nature can throw at them and juggle a wedding, an atheist for a future son-in-law, a new grandson, and the arrival of a very important guest.

I love writing about Road's End and can't imagine ever abandoning these folks forever. It's my deepest hope that readers, once these books are published, will feel the same way. I'll let you know when the first one, Misstep, is published!

Now it's on to number three. Wish me luck.

Until the next time...

It's on!

Things are getting exciting around here. I've received the signed copy of my contract from OakTara and last night, I sent in my edited version of Misstep, along with my author picture and bio, dedication, and acknowledgments. I'm assuming they'll be in touch with lots of edits and changes (which I'll be happy to do!) and then ask for other things like cover ideas, endorsements, etc.

In the meantime, I need to continue with my marketing and promotion (which might be a little easier once I get a cover to use in those communications), as well as finishing up Faux Pas, the second book in The Road's End Series. While I've waited all my life for this opportunity, I'm afraid I feel like that poor, overused deer in the headlights. Where do I turn? What do I do first? Can I multitask to be more efficient, or are multitask and efficient an oxymoron? Do I schedule my time and stick to it or should I do things as they feel right or when I'm in the mood to do them?

This is as much a time for learning as it is a time for joy. I'm in unfamiliar territory, but thankfully I have the good team at OakTara, my agent, Terry Burns, my Burns siblings, and our Heavenly Father to guide me through this season of joy and confusion.

Until the next time...

A 3-Book Contract!

It's happened! I've signed a contract with OakTara Publishers for my novel, Misstep. And it's not just a one-book contract; no, it's for three! Yep, Misstep will be followed by Faux Pas, which will finally be followed by Misjudge. All three take place in Road's End, Virginia, and follow the adventures (or misadventures, depending on your viewpoint) of Hugh Foster, recently-retired Air Force chaplain, his wife, and the quirky senior citizen residents of Road's End. Hugh thought it was tough living in 13 houses on 11 bases on two continents for the past 27 years. That was a roll in a pit of marshmallows compared to what he's gotten himself into this time.

Since the first book is written, all that remains is--well, big bunches of stuff. Editing, more editing, followed by... you guessed it, even more editing. Once Misstep is ready for publication, I'll be turning my attention once more to completing Faux Pas, which is nearly finished, and we'll begin with the editing all over again. Last, but not least, Misjudge will go through the same process. The next few months will be busy ones; thank goodness, we've already made the move from Alaska to Tennessee!

Thank you to Terry Burns (my beloved agent) and Hartline Literary Agency, as well as to Ramona Tucker of OakTara Publishers. I won't let you down--or you either, my dears friends, family, and readers.

Until the next time...