I am just a wee bit excited at the moment. I’ve given birth to a book. Surprisingly, the labor pains of writing and delivering a child are remarkably similar.
This book cover represents ten years of determination and gutsy tenacity, and a whole lot of hard work.
Recently, author Lori Wilde said if you’re a writer depending on luck, you aren’t working hard enough. I’ll second Lori’s thoughts. I thought luck would be the final push to ultimate publication: meeting the right agent at a conference, pitching to an editor who would love my voice, falling across a publisher who couldn’t wait to print my books. None of those things happened. Though I certainly queried enough agents, pitched to enough editors and yep, stalked enough publishers at national conferences. (Fellow RWA members will understand this technique.) In the end, luck really had nothing to do with publishing. Success in writing has been a long road: curved so I couldn’t see all the obstacles still in front and so I would forget all the trials in the past; bumpy so that I needed to hang on with both hands to keep my dream; and incredibly discouraging to make me fight to win. The dream of writing . . . no, of writing well, is not for the faint of heart.
Like childbirth . . . would I do it again? Commit my time and effort to carry the burden of intricate plot, to develop dynamic dialogue, to weave the threads until finally delivering something worthy to the reading public? In a heartbeat!
6 comments:
OMG!! That's the most beautiful cover I've ever seen!
Made all the more precious b/c you have worked so hard. Your diligence in learning the craft and persistence in working through the good, bad and ugly of revisions (and a couple of not-worth-reading rejections) is a testament to your character and fortitude as a real professional.
Congratulations, my friend. You deserve all the best :) Can't wait to hold it in my hands.
Bravo, baby, bravo!
Wow! I couldn't be happier for you today. I totally remember the forest scenes in the book and I'm glad they captured it on the cover. Beautiful! Let the promotions begin...
Very cool, Sandra! What a beautiful cover. Ah, someday maybe the rest of us will share in that same joy :-)
Congrats!
The cover is great, Sandra. Very beautiful and poignant.
Your message about perserverance speaks to me, as you well know. I'm glad you stuck with it and I hope many more joys come your way.
Hello! Fingers not connected to brain this morning. I meant to type perseverance. Though, in my defense, I think most Texans do say perserverance.
Sandi,
I'm so proud of you! You are being modest by saying it is like child birth. You have been working on your dream for a lifetime. Even an elephants gestation period isn't a lifetime.
I always wondered in college what you could possibly be writing about all that time. Later, as I read your work I was more than impressed. Of course even later in life I couldn't possibly understand why noone would publish your work.
I can't wait for it to hit the bookstores. Obviously I want an autographed copy. I knew you would be my "famous friend" someday. I promise to tell all my reader friends about it once publication starts.
Again, I'm so very proud of you & miss you my friend!
All my love - Brenda
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