Now available! My debut novel...

 

 

            

             The Sentimental Journey

 

Story Update- and Excerpt!

 

I mentioned earlier that I was going to post an excerpt from my story, so as promised, I'll finally do that in just a moment!

First, a little update on the book...and life, in general:

We spent a beautiful Labor Day weekend at our favorite Christian retreat...followed by just my husband and I camping one night next to a lake on Mt. Hood. Absolutely wonderful and I was thankful to say so long to summer this way.

As for writing...I'm finishing the last of my final edits and think I'm about finally done!
My concentration is now turning toward my cover.
I'll keep you posted! 

Now, I leave you with a photo taken of our lake on Mt. Hood... Along with a tiny, little sneak preview of The Sentimental Journey, as promised! 

My goal is to have this first book published very soon now- maybe even before Christmas, if all goes well!
So, without further ado...

 

"Kara remained as if as if frozen but her thoughts frantically raced, even as the sounds around her held a sort of tranquility. She began to wonder if she had just experienced a strange fainting spell, those extreme kinds that she had heard about, complete with spinning and vertigo. After a few moments, Kara slowly stood- all the time bracing herself as if she could topple at any second. Or else the world around her would. 

With tentative movements, she made her way over to the staircase. All the while, her thoughts tried to make some sort of sense about what was happening. How could morning sunlight be streaming in? 

She realized she must have passed out for some reason and what had seemed like just seconds, was in reality hours. Night had come and gone. She hoped there was nothing seriously wrong with her but she realized she’d better make an appointment just in case.

But who had come into her home uninvited? As she descended the narrow staircase, Kara could hear voices chattering away in the kitchen. At first, she thought it must be from outside. But as she approached the door to the kitchen, they became clearer."

End of Summer

 

 

These last August days can be a mixture of warm, lazy hours spent in a hammock...to mourning the end of this more carefree season...to looking forward to some of the new things ahead. I've experienced all of these emotions and more!

A part of me doesn't want to say good-bye to the languid season of summer and there's a small part of me that even looks ahead at my busy schedule this fall with a bit of dread. 
But just a little...mostly, I think it will be good. Lots of driving long distances to a new theater group for my daughter and being a part of a parent committee, teaching a class (along with preparing for it) at the co op where my youngest will be a senior. 

Wait- a senior? That means, also preparing for graduation and most of all for me personally- saying good-bye to 15 years of home schooling!!
 Can I just hide here in summertime just a little longer? 

 But on another note, it means finally realizing my dream to have a first-ever novel published. I'm waiting as beta reader responses continue to trickle in (most have had a busier summer than I think they expected) and next week, I'll probably be doing final edits on my own. (I may or may not hire a professional editor...still on the fence!) 
There's still the formatting to be done and the cover finished...before learning the ins and outs of publishing (most likely through Amazon). 
It's overwhelming, yet exciting! And I'll keep updating as everything comes together. 

 In these last summer days, I love taking my laptop out to the backyard to write the new book I've started, edit my finished one or simply read a book. And there's still one more short camping trip left and a weekend at the Christian Renewal Center to come. 

So for now, I'll leave you with a picture from the camping and road trip our whole family went on last week to southern Oregon. It was an amazing trip through Wildlife Safari, dining at Wolf Creek Inn, exploring a pioneer museum and ending with a drive up the coast and beautiful Yachats Beach. So excuse me as I finish squeezing out the last drops of summer. 

 (What about you? What has been your favorite things you've done this summer?) 

 

Book Update  

I hope you all have been enjoying the summer! 

Our family took an adventurous trip to Canada in July (that deserves a post all its own!) and I've been enjoying bike rides and backyard reading in the shade. Oh...and writing!

As far as my first book goes, I've been in a waiting period as I'll explain in just a minute. Because of the waiting, these past couple weeks I've been looking at book cover ideas and think I may have finally hit on the right idea. I'm enlisting my husband (who years ago majored in graphic design) to help me ready it for publication. We're really excited!

Meanwhile, I have beta readers diligently reading my draft. These are wonderful volunteers who take time to read the entire story for me from start to finish. 
For anyone who is curious, this time when the book is in their hands is kind of a strange waiting period for the writer. They have several weeks to finish reading and then answer feedback questions. 
Ideally, they will catch possible inconsistencies and perhaps point out weak spots. This is supposedly a good thing...;) but it can be a little nerve-wracking and a very vulnerable process! 
While I've been waiting, I wrote a dedication of sorts, along with a page of author's final thoughts to be read after the story and epilogue. It's all beginning to seem a little more real!
But then... there's still the waiting...
So... after a while...I started a new story! 
(Hint: The main character is a featured character in my first book.)
If you write also, tell me in the comments what you've been working on!

Next post: 

I'll be sharing a small portion from The Sentimental Journey. 
I hope you'll join me!

A First Novel Completed~

First of all, welcome! This is my first post here (though I use to be active in blogging years ago!) For those who don't know me- and even those of you who do- this is sort of my back story leading up to my first finished novel. This book (working title: The Sentimental Journey) is still in progress towards publication and I will be giving updates as the launching becomes closer!

When I was in first grade, I remember I would fold up pieces of paper and turn them into little books. I'd print  my title in my first grade style of scraggly letters, along with a picture I drew on the "cover" and write my simple little story with illustrations inside. (I actually still have one of these "books" that I made at age seven!)
All through my growing up years, I kept on writing...I always wanted to write an entire book some day but inevitably, part way through whatever countless story I was working on, I'd give up...get a new idea...get distracted...and never complete it.
The same thing continued through my twenties.

I eventually met and married the love of my life and.had two wonderful children. During this time, I worked odd jobs and began home schooling. This more or less took up most of my time and energy... but I began blogging which was a huge outlet for my writing for the time being.It wasn't fiction, but it was still an outlet.

I even submitted an article to Home School Enrichment magazine one year and it was published- and I saw my name in print! It was quite a heady experience, and I could hardly believe it was true. Again, it wasn't fiction but it was a start.
But life became busy again and writing was put on a back burner.

Fast forward to now....well, about three or four years or so ago. 
I thought, just for fun, I'd start a story, strictly for practice, since it had been a while.. My heart was always in story-telling and I had an idea that I wanted to explore. So, I just started writing... just the beginning of a story. All about a girl who is taken back in time to one of my favorite eras- WWII.

 But again, life became busy and distracting. I was still home schooling- now high school- agonizing over algebra problems with my teenagers (and as is the case with many writers- math is not exactly my best subject!)
During these past few years, I was also teaching occasional classes at our co-op, facilitating a writing class in my home, working as a part time nanny for the neighbor, parent committees through the kids' involvement in theater, lots of chauffeuring... ect. ect... you get the picture! Busy and distracted. Just like so many of us are!

But also, during those years, I was taking care of my sweet mom. She lived for a while in our home before eventually moving into in an adult foster care home. Her health was failing and though she wasn't in my own care the last year or so, there was a "heart pull". My heart and mind were always pulled in her direction...wondering if she was alright...worrying that I wasn't visiting her enough...

Along with reading books to her, I'd read her the story I was working on. The story I kept starting...pausing...going back and writing a little more....sometimes nearly forgetting about for up to months at a time...
I'd read those first few chapters of the unpolished draft to my mom who couldn't see to read anymore.
She also had memory issues, yet she'd react or make comments in all the right places, occasionally remarking, "Is this your own story? I wasn't sure if it was a book you were reading from...it's so good..." Even in her last years, she was still being my supportive mom.

When she passed away less than two years ago, there was an intense time of grieving for me.
And then...over the next year, I picked up my story again...still slowly...

Until finally- this year..I was determined. Maybe I became all too aware of mortality and the ticking of time... And I really feel it was God putting this desire in me to finish telling this story. To complete it.

And here's the amazing part...I did!!! I finally did! It took that little girl I use to be nearly a half century, but I finally completed a novel.

Now, as the home schooling season of my life is soon coming to a close, I'm excited to see where this new season takes me!
And I hope this first book is just the beginning.