After coffee out with a friend today, I came home to a phone call from my wonderful agent Wendy Lawton telling me that Michal was #17 on the ECPA (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association) Fiction Bestseller List for May 2009! Check out the details here!
My first reaction was shock, but as that surreal feeling has settled, I find in its place a sense of undeserving awe. I had asked God for so many things for this book, this series, but after the initial publicity from Revell, (who did such an awesome job promoting the book) I didn’t expect much more. God had already shown me He could and can do much more than I could ask or imagine. So I stopped expecting much from Him. And yet, I am always surprised at every little answer to prayer He gives – from simple everyday prayers, to taking a person with little ability and teaching her to dig up the gifts He’s given and use them anyway. And now He has surprised me once again.
But as I told my prayer team, friends, and family, they are to be thanked for this blessing. All of you – if you have read Michal and promoted it in any way – thank you so much! Word of mouth still makes bestsellers – nothing more is proven to work. I don’t deserve any accolades for this – but I do owe you all a debt of gratitude for allowing me to see it happen.
Thank you to all of my readers – from the bottom of my heart!
Posted in Musings on April 30, 2009 |
This past Sunday I had my first book signing at Woodside Bible Church in Troy, Michigan in between services. The bookstore is in the process of remodeling, so I sat outside of the area being renovated, near the book kiosk. Here is a picture Randy took before the day got started and the church crowd began to mill about.
The signing began at 9:30 a.m. and ran until after 1:00 p.m. That’s long for a book signing, but I got to take a break during services, so it wasn’t me sitting there directing people to the bathroom for the whole time. :) Actually, the church did a great job of promoting the book signing and yet keeping it separate from worship time. If you can see the bookshelf (I couldn’t get the picture to zoom in the way I wanted it) but there are two shelves of Michal, which got whittled down by the end of the morning. I even had a short line after the third service! In all, counting books people brought from home, I think I signed about 50 books, which was more than I expected, so that was fun. My hand never got tired thanks to the new Sharpie Pen – flowed like a marker without a glitch but has a thin line and doesn’t bleed.
Besides the book signing, the weekend was pretty exhausting. In fact this whole week I have felt like I have jet lag, but I have not traveled anywhere other than a few places outside of my home. No long distance trips. I think it’s a combination of the weather and the changes of life right now. But I’m adjusting – thanks to so many of you who have prayed for me – especially as our son moved to New York for a few months.
Yesterday I finally got to a place in writing Bathsheba that I’ve been itching to get to for a long time. I think the scene has been imagined in my mind in many different ways over the years, but until I wrote it out I wasn’t sure where it would go. I outline my stories ahead of time, but when I write, I follow the muse and write seat-of-the-pants. I guess I’m a combination writer since I have to plot first, then I write – the plot is a bit loose so it leaves me room to let the characters lead. But the discoveries I make along the way are so cool! I feel like I am finally getting to know these people. First drafts are always that way for me.
Today I’m having coffee with a friend I haven’t connected with in years. I’m looking forward to it, but first, I’m dying to get back to writing. Dinner is planned – chores can wait. :)
Posted in Musings |
I haven’t met author Alton Gansky yet, but I’ve read his book Crime Scene Jerusalem and loved it! I look forward to reading more of his work.
Alton Gansky writes fulltime from his home in the high desert area of Southern California. He is the author of 30 books. When not writing, he likes to work in his shop making furniture from exotic hardwoods that invariably end up in his children’s homes. He is also the founder of Gansky Communications, a writing company that services publishers, agents, businesses, and nonprofits. He has recently finished the film script for his book A Treasure Deep. He enjoys sneaking out in the middle of the week to watch movies. A San Diego native, he visits his hometown whenever possible and has been sighted drinking coffee at a sidewalk café in Coronado. He has been married to his wife Becky for more years than anyone thought possible and still enjoying it. He has three children and six grandbuddies. He is also the director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Spotlight on April 29, 2009 |
Well, he’s off…we hugged goodbye amid tears and sent Chris on his way to New York. He’s en route now and had one mishap, which I hope is his last. One of his mirrors broke off as he got into Ohio, not lost completely but hanging by wires. Prayers for his safety are appreciated.
After he left, we met up with my family for a celebration of my dad’s 87th birthday. Relatives I haven’t seen in a long time came to share the moment, and my sister rented a wheelchair van so we could bring my dad out of the nursing home. Everything worked out really well. I think my dad enjoyed his day, though by the time it was over, he was pretty tired.
Rain nearly drowned us driving home. What is up with this weather? Summer weather in spring, high winds, drenching downpours. Weird. I keep a few different states on my Google page to check their weather and it was about 20 degrees warmer in Michigan and New York than it is in Los Angeles today. Of course, two days ago that wasn’t the case at all – I think LA hit 95 then.
Tomorrow is my first book signing. I’ve been gathering stuff to take – you have to have chocolate! Award-winning, best-selling author (I love saying this about her!) Kim Vogel Sawyer got me hooked on Dove dark chocolate at a conference several years ago – back before either of us had sold a book. I figure Dove Promises are a good tradition to pass along, so I’m taking a candy dish to fill with them. I hope the signing goes well. This is all still so new to me!
People ask me all the time how book sales of Michal are doing. I wish I could answer that, but it’s not a question authors can answer very easily. The truth is, I have no idea! I know what Amazon’s numbers say when I check them, but sometimes I avoid checking altogether because the numbers change every hour and are all over the place. I figure my publisher will tell me (and they do let me know when they hear something good), but it’s not something I hear every day or even every week. So while I wish I could answer that question, I can’t except to say pretty good, I hope. :)
I’m also often asked when the next two books release. I can answer that for Abigail, which releases February 1, 2010! Bathsheba will probably follow a year later. Right now I still have to finish it!
Which means I should be working on it instead of distracting myself with other Internet activities. And I have one more Genesis entry to judge. Better get to it. :)
Posted in Musings on April 25, 2009 |
Every day I stare at pictures of people I don’t know. They have no idea I’m watching them, or that they are plastered on poster board above my computer screen, or that I have cast them into roles in my novels. These people aspire to stardom. They are actors and actresses whose images are on public display on the Internet. They just don’t know they are also on display in my office helping me “see” the characters I write about.
I also stare at pictures of people I do know. Family and friends in frames on my CPU. One photo I love in particular is of our wedding, when Randy’s hand rested over mine, our wedding rings shining bright and new.
Our dreams were different then. We were young and in love and filled with all of the bright, starry-eyed vision of the future – some of which God has graciously fulfilled – in fact, to a far greater degree than I could have ever imagined. We spread our wings and flew to the places we perceived as God’s plan for us. And He affirmed those plans in many ways.
The best and biggest challenge was raising children. (Can you relate?) :) Even if you can’t, you can probably imagine what it’s like to watch those children grow, testing their wings, to stand on the precipice of life waiting to soar. I always dreaded this day – the day they would fly off and leave our little nest – but from where I sit now, it’s not as bad as it once seemed. (Don’t get me wrong – come Saturday when our son leaves for New York, I know I’m going to cry – but how exciting to be at that place again!)
I’ve come to the conclusion in recent years and weeks and days that it is overwhelmingly better to be in the center of God’s will than in any other place I could be. And if I want that for me, how much more do I want that for my children? If they are to follow His lead – as we taught them to do – as we pray they will do – then they must obey His call, wherever that takes them. Even if that means they move many miles away from us, hard as that is.
Author Angela Hunt once said, “I don’t tell the students they should all be writers, because I know they’re not all designed to be. But I do tell them that I’ve learned it’s far better to obey God day by day and listen for His voice than to chase dreams that may or may not be part of His plan for them. ‘If you obey,’ I tell them, ‘what you become will be so much better than anything you could dream.’”
Just as God placed dreams in our hearts when we stood at that altar and pledged our love 32 years ago, Randy and I recognize the dreams God has placed in our sons’ hearts as well. But we also know that sometimes God directs our dreams down paths different than we imagined – like New York or California instead of Michigan. Our part is to trust Him and to follow His guidance. What may seem like a detour for us or for them, may turn out far better than we could have ever imagined.
We stand at the precipice of a new journey in life, but I am not afraid. While our sons spread their wings and dream, God’s arms will keep them from falling. He is able, and He will do it – much better than anything we can ask or imagine.
Selah~
Posted in Musings on April 23, 2009 |
We had a wet day today and it left a rather damp chill in the house despite the heat. I was happy to be inside with no errands to run. The rest of the week doesn’t look so cozy. Tomorrow is my second hair appointment with a new hairdresser. This will be her first time to cut my hair, so I’m hoping she cuts it well. I have confidence in her! :)
Saturday my sister is coming to visit my dad. She’s getting a wheelchair accessible van and we’re going to take my dad out of the nursing home and take him out to celebrate his 87th birthday, which was last week. The weather is supposed to hit 80 that day, so it should be great.
The down side of Saturday, though it is also a good thing for him, is that our son leaves for New York that day. I mentioned this before – right now it’s a temporary thing – but that could change. We’ll see. I’m excited for him and not as teary as I was last week. God must be giving me that extra measure of grace I asked Him to give. I am going to miss him – big time!
Sunday is my very first book signing! It will be at Woodside Bible Church in Troy, Michigan between 9:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. mostly between church services. If you’re in the area and have a copy of Michal you’d like signed, I’d love to meet you! The church bookstore will also be selling copies of Michal so you can get one there. I’ve got bookmarks and candy but I won’t bribe anyone to buy my book. :) I’m so grateful for the support everyone has given!
Speaking of support – I’ve had some wonderful emails or been contacted on Facebook from people who have read Michal – some of whom I know but have lost contact with over the years. What fun to reconnect! Everyone who has contacted me has been so gracious and kind. Thank you to all of my readers! I hope you are as pleased with Abigail and Bathsheba as you are with Michal.
I have two more entries to judge in the Genesis contest – they are due next week. One entry this year really caught my attention. It takes a lot to get me excited about a story, and in all my years of judging contests, this story was the most memorable and one I hope sees print one day. I hope the next two are just as good.
There is never enough time in my day. I tried working on Bathsheba earlier today but the words would not come until tonight. Funny how that is. I think I’m getting some direction for the next scene. Sometimes the words come out so fast I can’t type them quick enough. Sometimes they come out like sludge. Today was a combination of the two.
Time to go read – Tammy Alexander’s book Beyond This Moment is calling me! Wonderful story!
Posted in Musings on April 20, 2009 |
I love to travel. Some of my favorite places I’ve ever visited were the mountains, lakes, forests, deserts, waterfalls, canyons, and sometimes my own backyard. The picture at the top of my website above my name is of the Grand Tetons – a panoramic photo my son took on a trip we made west one year. The real thing is even grander than the picture or than the name implies. These mountains are breathtaking!
I’m not a fan of camping and I don’t hike or backpack as my brother and sister have done. Give me a hotel any day over bugs and outhouses and creatures I can’t see and I’ll be just fine, thank you. :) But I do love to visit such places and I’ve been known to trek up a hill or two. There is nothing quite like God’s beauty in creation!
In my travels, I’ve enjoyed places like Burbank Studios and Disney World and more museums thank I can count, but man made entertainment or memorabilia just can’t quite compare with the artistry in God’s paintbrush as he strokes the colors across a summer night’s sky. And there is nothing quite as refreshing as springtime in Michigan.
I’m sitting on my back porch as I type this soaking up the 70 degree sun, listening to the birds squawk and the neighbor’s dog yip at me (she likes to say hello) and my cats Shadow and Tiger stare at me from behind the screen door with a look that tells me they aren’t too happy to be locked in the house while I’m in a lawn chair typing on my laptop. I’d bring them outside, but Shadow gulps grass and promptly throws it up – except he waits until he’s in the house to do so. Randy has more patience with the kitties outside than I do. :)
But it’s a gorgeous day that I’m taking full advantage of – and will probably cost me sunburned arms. In a few days the weather is supposed to drop to the 50s again. That’s that downside of springtime in Michigan. Sigh.
But for today, I finished a scene on Bathsheba and it’s time to refill the glass of iced tea. Ahh springtime. My favorite season, I think – especially as I enjoy the beauty of God’s nature.
Selah~
Posted in Musings on April 17, 2009 |
