Writing Update

First off… a big thanks to everyone who follows this blog. This past week I hit the 100 follower threshold! That is pretty exciting news for this little blogger. As much as I enjoy writing fiction, I seem to struggle when it comes to finding things to blog about on regular basis. I am so thankful for each of you! It is a true honor knowing you are willing to read my blog, so I   try to respect your time and only post when I have something I truly want to share. That may be once a month or once a week, which means I am continually blown away by the response to my blog. It just goes to show that God can use anyone or their words.

The biggest news I have to share today is that I have finished my book. I actually typed “The End” last month, but have been knee deep in revisions. This is the first time I have allowed myself to go back to read it from the beginning. It has been quite the journey to experience Aline’s love story, all over again, while editing it. I love the person Aline becomes by the end of my book, but experiencing this journey again from the beginning has been amazing. I hope to have my edits finished by the end of the summer, although, as the last month has shown me… that is pretty optimistic.

On another writing note, a few months ago I entered my book in a writing contest. I only entered because the final three entries would be reviewed by a major publishing house. It was a total shot in the dark, but I clicked send on the email and sent up a prayer. A few weeks later, I received an email that Love for Aline was a finalist. Then this last week, I found out that I placed third. Along with a certificate stating I placed 3rd, I received valuable feedback from the senior editor at a publishing house. That is what I was hoping for when I entered the contest.

I have faith that one day I will send my finished manuscript (book) to an editor (publishing house) and they will read it and fall in love with Aline. I believe with all my heart this story will be in print. I have to hold on to this dream as I spend hours on end editing and writing. Like so many other writers out there, I believe that God has blessed me with a story to tell and I am merely His pen. If that is true, then wouldn’t He want to see His story used to its fullest potential?

There are moments, like this contest, where I find encouragement that perhaps I am not too far away. It is encouragement and I am thankful for it. Of course, then I hear about how publishing houses are burned out on civil war era romances and I wonder… will anyone read it? It is a crazy world in publishing and each day brings a new opportunity and a new challenge.

I just know that God has given me this dream and with it came this story. I will write it to the best of my ability and pray one day it will find the right home. I know that will only happen through His perfect will. I thank each of you for supporting me and cheering me on. I look forward to sharing more with you in the future.

God bless each of you as you pursue your dreams.