The Birthing of a Book

I’ve wanted to write a book for as long as I can remember. This seed was planted waaayyy back, during my childhood when I discovered that books had the power to take their readers to all kinds of magical places. And, to this day, the smell of a library, or the vibe of a bookstore are both two of my very best happy places.

In elementary school my best friend, Jenny, and I would tie up the phone lines at our houses in marathon after-school writing sessions, during which we co-authored amazing stories that had all the winning elements: horses, kids who were detectives, mystery and intrigue, and occasionally, just a sprinkling of romance.

As the years went on I continued to think of myself as a writer and kind of always knew that I’d author a book someday, but for the most part I wasn’t making a serious effort to turn that dream into reality. But it’s funny how life intervenes sometimes… I started playing around with the idea for this book two years ago when I broke my elbow and was temporarily bedridden, then last year, when I had yet another accident, this time with my Achilles, I started doing the actual writing.

It’s been a long road of many drafts, rewrites, various people reading my work and giving me feedback, new friends and so many amazing supporters, and now the book is about ready to make its way out in to the world. Going through this entire process has been extremely interesting, and it’s blown some of my preconceptions about being an author right out of the water. For one thing, I used to think that writing was a solitary art, but now I realize what a collaborative team effort it actually is. From the insight and direction of my publisher, the amazing Sean Patrick, to the moral support and camaraderie of the other authors in his house, to the many people who read early drafts, gave feedback, did copy editing (shout out to Christine for your sharp eye and super suggestions), helped brainstorm titles and subtitles (Bonni Phelps – you need a shout out!)… It really did take a village.

Then there were industry professionals like my friend Ellyn, who shared not only her wisdom, but also gave me direction on cover design and marketing. And then there was a new friend who nominated this work for a Stardust Award in London, forcing me to finally finish my work and hand it off to the skilled Liz Hudson for editing.

This list is far from complete, but I wanted to at least start the process of expressing gratitude. In my next post I’ll give you a little overview of what the book is about, and I’ll also share a link where you can download a sneak peek of what’s inside.

Thanks for listening and have a great day!!