Diary of a Writer: Sweet Caroline & Helping Others Pt 2

... So there I am. Zombied on a Sunday afternoon, knots in my stomach, talking to Susie Warren on the phone.

"Send it to me," she says.

"What? My manuscript?"  Gulp. It's horrible. She'll be the first to see I can't write. But I was desperate. I emailed it. Oh, praise the Lord for email, seriously!

She called me an hour later. The book was good. I just needed some direction. By later afternoon, she returned my first chapter, rewritten. No small feat to do with someone else's manuscript.

I got the gist and feel of what she was telling me and started my own rewrite that night.

By Monday I'd gotten some sleep and was feeling a bit more hopeful. Even excited. I could do this!!

With Susan May Warren Feb 2012

I never let up in my prayers and hope in the Lord. I'm a bit of an optimist, a dreamer, so I thought, "I can think it stinks but my editor might love it."

By now you're wondering why I didn't ask for an extension.

Because, I don't like missing a deadline. I wanted a reputation as being a solid author who turned her work in on time.


And there was no reason for me to ask for an extension. I had plenty of time to write the book.

Also, my editor was pregnant and a month away from maternity leave. If I asked for a week's extension, she might have had time to get to my manuscript before she had her baby, but maybe not.

On top of that, Hubby and I were heading off to NY with a worship team to do a mini conference. So I was traveling the first week of March.

Any extension request would have to be for 3-4 weeks and for sure my editor would be spending time with her new baby, not mine. :)

Besides, asking for a few extra days, even a week isn't so bad, but three or four weeks? No, I couldn't do it.

Of this I was confident, I could fix whatever was wrong with the manuscript after a substantive edit. I'd rather turn a book in on time then roll up my sleeves to perfect it after wise input and feedback.

Tuesday I took a short break to meet author friend's Davis Bunn and Mark Mynheir for coffee and Barnes and Noble. I still had a lot of rewriting to do by Thursday's deadline, but hanging with author friends would inspire me. And I figured I could stretch my deadline by one day to Friday.

When I returned home that afternoon, I got my second miracle. The first was Susie's help and invaluable input. The second was an email from my editor.

Out of the blue she wrote that they'd decided to put me on a 9 month release schedule and therefore I didn't have to turn in Sweet Caroline until May 25th.

I was ecstatic. I had three extra months. Three! Months! Forget the extended deadline and release. Forget my editor would be out on maternity leave and not read my manuscript. Forget the delay in payment. I had three months!

Wahoooo! Thank you, Jesus, thank you, Jesus!

Believe it or not, I took all of March off. I just needed some distance. But I worked hard April and May, turned the book in on time to the lovely Leslie Peterson substituting for Ami McConnell.

Sweet Caroline went on to win ACFW Book of the Year and First Place in Sweet Romance for an RWA contest.

Now here's why I think the delayed release notice was a miracle. Later that fall as I was writing Love Starts With Elle, I got an email from my editor, checking in, seeing how I was doing with Elle's story.

"It's due December 1st, right?" she wrote.

My heart stopped. No, March 1st. We were on a 9 month schedule, weren't we? I remembered reading the new deadlines in an email, didn't I. But who knows... I might have made it up in my head. LOL.

Yet Elle was set to release six months after Caroline. Which yay, I liked being back on a six month release schedule but it meant Elle had to be turned in much sooner! We compromised on Feb 1. A more generous compromise to me than to them, which I was grateful.

I'll have to blog about that journey next. Because when I hit send on Love Starts with Elle, I wept. Wept! For sure, for sure! this was the end of my writing career. Ami would know: Hack!

But six books later, I'm still here. God is sooo amazing to keep me on the journey. I've got some good insight from Him on this writing thing to share too.

Stay tuned....

Diary of a Writer: Sweet Caroline and Helping Others

My plate is full. I'm starting a new novel. Editing a My Book Therapy book. Reading a play for a friend. I love this because I know the play will be produced. I'm not an expert on plays but I know something about story.

Also, judging a contest, mentoring a friend who finaled in a contest, and reading a couple of synopsis for writer friends.

It's not a burden though it keeps me busy. Even a bit distracted but I love helping others. Truly, I've been so blessed it's a bit hard to say "No" to those requesting help.

Why do I say "Yes?" Because I remember what it was like when my heart burned to write. Burned to be published. Burned to have input from someone who knew what was what. I was desperate for a helping hand and leg up.

And the Lord sent people to me. I am forever grateful to Him. To them. So I love giving back.

Yet, I'm eager to get planning and writing this next book. Rattling thoughts are loud.

But I don't know the ending of this book yet and it's hindering my beginning and protagonist identity.

It'll come to me. It always does. God is so very faithful to supply the job He's called me to do.

Repackaged cover

 When I was writing Sweet Caroline I hit the skids. I'd gotten the publisher's catalog in the mail and saw the advertising for my new book, Diva Nashvegas.

While that was exciting, the stats on the first Nashvegas book, Lost In Nashvegas socked me in the gut.

My heart palpitated as I read the comparative units sold. Surely it was a misprint. Or, you know, numbers from the first few months.

I was discouraged. A bit embarrassed. This book was supposed to knock chick lit on it's ear as the first "redneck" chick book. Instead, I was knocked on my ear.

At that point, I felt I'd failed everyone. My publisher, my editor, my agent, myself. I was terrified to call anyone to talk about it because I thought I'd hear the cold truth. "You're not good enough."

I'd been struggling with Sweet Caroline, finding the right tone, finding a deeper layer to my voice, all the while knowing as I wrote a chick lit the genre was on it's way out. So the catalog news only added fuel to my self imposed fire.

First Cover. Won a Carol Award with this one

Deadline approached. Another author read what I had so far. Days away from submitting the book to my editor, the author wrote saying, "You need more tension. Perhaps another story line?"

Blow to the gut. But, I took it to heart and sat my butt in the chair for 15 hours on a Saturday writing and rewriting. Went to bed late, woke up at 3:00 a.m. to write before church.

Yet there was no way I was going to weave in a good sub plot. What a mess.

I went to church. Walked around like a zombie. So discouraged. So tired. My writing career was over. My editor would discover what she was bound to suspect after the low Nashvegas sales. "Rachel is a hack."

Original cover idea

I sought prayer from anyone who would listen that Sunday morning. I needed a miracle. Like, you know, God downloading a new book to me overnight. I'd wake up with it written and edited beside my bed.

Hey, anything is possible. Especially to the desperate.

Several praying friends exhorted and encouraged me that morning. I determined to go home, plant my butt in the chair, clean up what I had, and submit the best book possible on Thursday.

So tired, I could barely think. God did not download a new, grand, better book to me.

Instead, He sent me a friend. I called Susan May Warren and saw the first of two miracles....

(to be continued)

Flowers for Rachel

During a grocery run this morning, I decided to buy myself flowers. Why not? I'd completed the final task for Love Starts With Elle - reviewing the galleys - and thought, "Boss, give your employee a reward."

Being as I am both boss and employee, I agreed with myself and bought flowers.

I'm not a huge "flowers" person, but they are nice once in a while and a cheap way to say, "well done."

Friends visited this week from Kansas City. They drove down to attend the healing revival in Lakeland. Both of them - a he and a she - have cancer.

We've been praying for them to be healed and God has already done some amazing things in their lives, and when they understood He opened the door for them to drive to Florida, they came. In faith.

You know, we've lost a lot of the faith aspect of Christianity. Hebrews 11 says without faith, it's impossible to please God. We have to believe He is who He says He is and that He is love.

There have been some amazing testimonies out of this revival. And we cannot dismiss it because the leader is not of our style or ilk. What does it matter if the evangelist loves the Lord and God is using him to heal and set free?

We should be so used by the Lord, Beloved.

Hubby and I are going over Friday night with our senior pastor and his wife. Impartation is happening.

I hear from my trusted brothers and sisters the presence of God is so strong it's hard to stay away. "I am lovesick..."

Fire Dweller has been praying for a move of God in our county for over five years. We want to see salvations, healings, miracles, people growing in the knowledge and love of the Lord. They only way to change and heal our society is a touch of God.

We are going to the meeting Friday to ask God to give us the anointing He's pouring out in Lakeland. We want to bring it home!

Our nation needs God. And we have to be open yet wise and discerning on how He moves. He just might move in a way that is foreign to us, but if our hearts are toward Him and in right fellowship, then we will not be deceived.

****

Well, back to work. I have a few things to get done today. Busy weekend coming up. We have a wedding on Saturday. Congrats Jake and Heath!

Behind the Scenes 3: Sweet Caroline

I couldn't worship. Though I tried. I felt tired, weary and instead of gazing at my Redeemer, I danced with panic and fear.

That's it, my career is over.

Nelson is going to wonder... "what the heck?"

I've disappointed my fab editor.

I played out scenarios of my agent calling me with the bad news... "the book is unpublishable." I imagined my editor detailing all the story's flaws and weaknesses.

I felt sick that I'd disappointed her, locked in a funk, unable to escape.

But, I prayed, begged Jesus to help me. In the moments of circling out of funk, surfacing for air, I thought, "well, maybe it's not as bad as I think." I pictured a more favorable e-mail from my editor or agent.

But the black hole awaited. Outside of the Lord taking me up to heaven and handing me a new and better manuscript, I didn't know how He could fix this situation.

After the service, I hunted down friends who I knew could and would pray, who would speak the Word of the Lord, who would press me out of the funk. Funkville is not a great place to be.

First my friend Ted. After praying, he said, "At the end of the day you'll say, 'Look at what the Lord did.'"

Second, my friends Anna and Lin prayed. Anna said, "The Lord is going to do something. Just watch and see." Lin saw a basket of fruit. Little did she know but about a month before the Lord said to me, "I promise you fruit."

I left church encouraged. Kissed by God.

Tired but wired, I managed my way through the day. Susie Warren called to check up on me. "Send me the manuscript."

She spent her Sunday evening and part of Monday reading and editing. She encouraged me."You're on the right track, just rearrange these scenes."

I did. Added senses. Added description.

How did I get here, to this state of unsureness? Well, when I first started Sweet Caroline, I'd developed a southern fiction, saga-esque book in my mind. But I was to write a chick lit. Somehow working my ideas in to a chick lit felt odd and I tried to jump start the story in Sophie Kinsella style with an email. It went down hill from there. At least to me.

Plus, the method of writing forward without stopping to fix or edit just did not work for me.

Anyway, Susie's input helped immensely. Plus, Chris Lynxwiler ever-ready on IM.

By Tuesday, I was feeling good about the book, more confident, less funky. I even took time to meet Davis Bunn and Mark Mynheir for coffee.

Pause. Are you wondering why I didn't ask my editor for a deadline extension? Seems logical. But if I did, it didn't buy me anything. First of all, Tony and I were leaving town the first week of March for eight days. So, that would move my deadline to the end of March after which my editor would be out on maternity leave.

I thought, might as well get her feedback and fix the weaknesses on rewrites. I'm really good at rewrites!

Anyway, when I came home from coffee with Davis and Mark I had an e-mail. Due to a publishing schedule change, I had a new deadline for Sweet Caroline. May 25. Three extra months.

Was I praising God that day? Absolutely! Did I say, "Look at what God did?" Yes. He more than answered my prayer. The new schedule was a win-win for my publisher and me. The email was so encouraging and I was so grateful for the extra time.

Coincidence? Not at all. God knew what I needed. More important, He heard my heart. And He loves me.

I took March off to get some distance and perspective, then reworked the book over April and May. Even though my editor was out with her beautiful new baby, my "other editor" helped me fine tune and polish Sweet Caroline.

Poor Leslie. I practically rewrote it when she handed it back with a few suggestions. In the end, I loved the story and was very happy with how it turned out.

I've learned being close too to a manuscript does not give me an accurate perspective.

Tomorrow, final Behind the Scenes.