Today I welcome a crit partner, compassionate friend who helped me in a great time of need, and a soon to be published authoress: Cynthia.
I am still traveling as part of the move. The book drawings will resume next Friday.
BUT please take a moment and become a follower today.
I have a goal to reach by Christmas and would appreciate you helping me reach it.
Thank you!!
I met Cynthia in the YA small group of ACFW. Her gift and ideas for books is sure to launch a fabulous writing career. I asked her to share her writing journey.
Don't Give Up on Your Dreams
I love the writing world. I feel as though I have finally come home.
A long career in art, advertising design, and marketing
distracted me from pursuing a writing career but didn’t quiet the urge to
write. When people asked if I drew or painted in my leisure hours, the answer
was always no. Did I dare tell them my dirty little secret? That in quiet
solitude I put on paper (no personal computer then) ideas for greeting cards,
instructional articles, and advice columns?
In performing my duties as advertising artist and graphic
designer, I took every opportunity to write when the job offered it. I couldn’t
help but attempt to improve advertising copy that came across my desk for use
in an ad I designed. Not everyone in the business appreciated my editorial
efforts, however. Once, I was
chastised by a sales rep for changing some advertising copy ever so slightly.
“You’re not a writer,” she said.
I began to write more often—for websites and newsletters,
including my own newsletter about using salvaged materials to create home
décor. Then came a job with an educational publisher, where I created all the
copy for its catalogs and direct-response mail.
Hey, I was on a roll! Why couldn’t I write a book? (Yes, I
was that naïve.) A few ideas for nonfiction came to me because of my experience
in advertising and design, but…
I’d always enjoyed being with pre teens and young
teens—especially those gangly, awkward kids who spoke without thinking and were
full of love but didn’t know where to direct it. Memories of my childhood and
my daughter’s made me want to write a novel that would show kids how wonderful
and powerful they are. I wanted to title it BIRD FACE before I was sure what
the story would be.
But a finished book wasn’t meant to happen yet. My commute
between cities for the publishing job put the novel on a back burner for a
couple of years. Finally, tired of both the commute and lack of leisure time
with my family, I resigned. I then returned with excitement to the manuscript.
I had so much to learn. Fortunately, a couple of self-help
books for writers were recommended to me. The next year was spent learning the
basic mechanics of writing a novel and linking plot and subplots.
After my husband took a job in Mississippi, he and I bought
a house—three months before Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast of
Mississippi and Louisiana. In the chaos of the move, Katrina, and a new
computer, my manuscript files were lost.
My new job as a decorator stole novel writing time. I mentioned my novel to coworkers or relatives a few times, but writing it wasn’t a
priority. I didn’t abandon writing altogether, though. There were opportunities
for articles about things I loved, such as cooking, decorating, and dogs.
It wasn’t until much later when a friend asked how my book
was progressing that I remembered I still didn’t know how to find it. Her
encouragement made me search my closets until I found a partial hard copy. Sad
to say it was several versions old.
Yech. I didn’t look forward to retyping the whole thing, and my memory
was foggy on missing pieces of the story.
My husband, bless his little pack-rat heart, had saved a
copy of the manuscript on a zip disc. Zip discs were no longer being used for
storage, but he was able to find an old zip drive to access it putting me back
in business! (Kiss, kiss.)
I acquired an adventurous publisher willing to take me on.
She and her skilled editors gave my book, BIRD FACE the expert attention it
needed. Its release is anticipated this spring.
Altogether, this novel has been on a journey for over a
decade. I recently started a new novel, set in the 1920’s, last year, and plan to begin a sequel to BIRD FACE
soon.
If you dream of becoming an author, don’t give up. You’ll
likely encounter distractions and face roadblocks. Sometimes eyes will glaze
over at the mention of your writing a book. It’s okay if everyone doesn’t share
your dream or even believes you can achieve it. Believe it yourself, and don’t give up. Ever.
Bird Face Description:
Until now,
thirteen-year-old Wendy Robichaud hasn’t cared one bit about good looks or popularity.
She has real goals, unlike her classmates Tookie and the Sticks.
But Wendy begins
to notice that pretty girls like Tookie and her own best friend, Jennifer, have
an easier time in life. Wendy has to work extra hard to get what she wants,
while brainiac bully John-Monster tries to stop her. To make matters worse, someone’s
been leaving anonymous sticky-note messages all over school. Who has time to
play detective?
Facebook author page:
Blog:
Publisher’s website:
http://www.portyonderpress.com
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Readers, have you had to put a calling on the back burner for a time and then found a burst of vibrancy in the same calling? Rarely do we have the same calling throughout life. Things change. We change. Our interest change. God knows, and matches His calling for us with what we can do at that time.
****
Thank you Cynthia for joining us today. What an inspirational journey!
Readers, have you had to put a calling on the back burner for a time and then found a burst of vibrancy in the same calling? Rarely do we have the same calling throughout life. Things change. We change. Our interest change. God knows, and matches His calling for us with what we can do at that time.
Comments
That was an encouraging interview. Congrats on the new book and also on the ones in the works.
Blessings to you, Mary, as you go through your move and make adjustments as you travel and in your new locale.
Sure like your words, "still open to refining the direction based on God's guidance.
Nice to see you today.