Finally Ready to Hop!

Click here to enter your link and view the entire list of entered links…

I’ve enjoyed Lisa’s Meet an Author Monday Blog Hop for a while, now, and am so happy to be able to join the fun!

As you can see by my previous blog entry, I literally just received “the call” (okay, “the email”). I’m still reeling from the news – after two years of focusing on writing, editing, researching, and querying, Whirlwind is going to be published! I’ll admit, I wasn’t really prepared for the emotional impact of reaching my goal. Overwhelming joy has kept me smiling for the last two days, but the reality of the work ahead is slowly settling in. Before it does, though, here’s a few thoughts on the journey to this point.

I think many people think that writing is a lonely profession, but they couldn’t be more wrong. All my friends, whether they are from the Home and School Club, church, neighbors, or are part of my critique circle, have always been there, urging me on. Not once have I gotten a raised eyebrow or a snicker in response to what was an embarrassing admission for me at first: “My book? It’s a romance novel.” On days when I’d had it up to here with editing, or received a one line rejection from someone I really thought I had a chance with, my friends were right there to listen to me rant and rave and cry, then would give me the strength to go right back to work.

And then there’s my family. My kids, my parents, and most especially my husband have been there every step of the way. When I want attend a conference or take a detour to do some research, they were all on board, and excited to help (and still are). My daughter’s one complaint? “When will I be old enough to read your book, Mom?” It’ll be a while, dear…

My husband even endured a driving trip this summer that I planned out, traveling to sites I wanted to write about in Illinois and Michigan, meeting two of my most trusted online friends, and requiring nearly a thousand miles of driving. He was right there with the camera, ready to get shots of things I’d like to write about, and even let me choose restaurants based on where my characters would eat. Have I mentioned he’s my personal Prince Charming?

With support like that, I realize now that failure just wasn’t an option!

I know you have a ton of questions, as do I, and as soon as I have the answers (namely, a release date), I’ll let you know. There will be many announcements coming, along with a lot of work, but for now the celebration continues!

So I invite you to look around, make yourself comfortable, and if you’d like, drop me a comment. Thank you for stopping by!