Writing a Novel
Several years ago, I wrote three children's books, and self-published on the Blurb site. This didn't work very well as to purchase the books was very costly! They only print as ordered and the books (hard-bound) ended up being approximately $30 each. Now who is going to pay that much for a small, children's book? The books are still on the site although they receive no action, naturally (at that price!). During that time in my life, when I was writing a lot, I got the idea for a novel and started formulating the story line in my mind. I actually got up to about 100 pages before I started getting so busy with our Adult Day Care Center and Home Services company. We opened the ADC in July of 2010, although the work began months before that. Getting the business up and running took every minute of my waking hours, so my book writing got shelved until a later time.
In January of 2012, I had a very serious car wreck: my car went off the road and down an embankment before rolling over 4 or 5 times. My neck was broken and I had multiple serious scalp injuries, resulting in a steel plate in my neck, held there by 4 screws and 86 staples in my scalp. The recovery process took over a year, with over 4 months of out-patient physical therapy after the in-patient physical and occupational therapy. Due to God's amazing grace and the prayers of so many people, I am fully recovered now, although I have aches and pains and don't move as well as I used to or as fast. Part of that is due to arthritis though and not being able to sleep that well at night because of discomfort from the scarring on my scalp. I thank God every day for all that He did for me during those days and months; also for the help and care of my family, without whom I never would have made it as far as I have. Two of our daughters have taken over the care and management of the business for us, which allows me time at home to pursue other things.
One of the things that has been on my heart is to return to completing my novel. It's fiction, but I want it to have a Christ-centered theme on how God is in the shadows working in our lives even when we aren't aware that He is there working on our behalf. I think of the story of Hosea and Gomer, for instance. God told Hosea to care for the needs of his unfaithful wife, Gomer, even though she did not know it was he that cared for her while she was being unfaithful to him. Then God told him to take her back after God caused all her lovers to lose interest and leave her, one by one. This is a beautiful picture of God's love and care for us even when we knew Him not and after accepting Him as our Savior and being unfaithful at times; He is still there to care for us and work in our lives.
It isn't easy for me to just go back and pick up on this story, with a two-year leave of absence, but it's something I've always desired to do: publish a book! I had one of my poems published many years ago in the "Ideals" magazine in their Fall Issue. But now I really would like to begin writing, now that I am 'retired' so to speak and can stay at home and do it.
I would appreciate everyone's prayers for me as I try to complete this book. Please pray for wisdom and guidance as I write each day. I would like for this story to be so engrossing that once the reader picks it up, they won't be satisfied with putting it down until they finish it! Of course, I would also like for it to sell so many copies that it will take care of our physical needs as we age, and then I pray that a well-known publisher will pick it up and run with it. I pray also that God will give me another story to write immediately after that and I will actually become known as a "writer". I'm not seeking fortune and fame for myself; just a way to help support our family in times of need with the world in the situation it is in right now. I would also like to be able to make enough money from writing that I can help other family members that are in need and my husband's and my Mother as the age. This is my prayer. I ask that you will join me.
Here is where you can find my children's books on Blurb:
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/838796
In January of 2012, I had a very serious car wreck: my car went off the road and down an embankment before rolling over 4 or 5 times. My neck was broken and I had multiple serious scalp injuries, resulting in a steel plate in my neck, held there by 4 screws and 86 staples in my scalp. The recovery process took over a year, with over 4 months of out-patient physical therapy after the in-patient physical and occupational therapy. Due to God's amazing grace and the prayers of so many people, I am fully recovered now, although I have aches and pains and don't move as well as I used to or as fast. Part of that is due to arthritis though and not being able to sleep that well at night because of discomfort from the scarring on my scalp. I thank God every day for all that He did for me during those days and months; also for the help and care of my family, without whom I never would have made it as far as I have. Two of our daughters have taken over the care and management of the business for us, which allows me time at home to pursue other things.
One of the things that has been on my heart is to return to completing my novel. It's fiction, but I want it to have a Christ-centered theme on how God is in the shadows working in our lives even when we aren't aware that He is there working on our behalf. I think of the story of Hosea and Gomer, for instance. God told Hosea to care for the needs of his unfaithful wife, Gomer, even though she did not know it was he that cared for her while she was being unfaithful to him. Then God told him to take her back after God caused all her lovers to lose interest and leave her, one by one. This is a beautiful picture of God's love and care for us even when we knew Him not and after accepting Him as our Savior and being unfaithful at times; He is still there to care for us and work in our lives.
It isn't easy for me to just go back and pick up on this story, with a two-year leave of absence, but it's something I've always desired to do: publish a book! I had one of my poems published many years ago in the "Ideals" magazine in their Fall Issue. But now I really would like to begin writing, now that I am 'retired' so to speak and can stay at home and do it.
I would appreciate everyone's prayers for me as I try to complete this book. Please pray for wisdom and guidance as I write each day. I would like for this story to be so engrossing that once the reader picks it up, they won't be satisfied with putting it down until they finish it! Of course, I would also like for it to sell so many copies that it will take care of our physical needs as we age, and then I pray that a well-known publisher will pick it up and run with it. I pray also that God will give me another story to write immediately after that and I will actually become known as a "writer". I'm not seeking fortune and fame for myself; just a way to help support our family in times of need with the world in the situation it is in right now. I would also like to be able to make enough money from writing that I can help other family members that are in need and my husband's and my Mother as the age. This is my prayer. I ask that you will join me.
Here is where you can find my children's books on Blurb:
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/838796
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