New Book Contract!

 

I recently signed a new book contract!! Woohoo! 

This is my first real novel. I wrote another fiction about ten years ago but it was a fiction based on fact so more of a creative nonfiction. 

Three years ago, my oldest son and I went on a tour of Savannah, GA where we learned that in the 1750’s men and children were thrown down a large underground drainage pipe, loaded into pirate ships, and forced to serve on those ships. On the drive back from that tour, we bounced around ideas for a novel/—character names, and plot ideas. And from that initial discussion our new book, “Savannah Sunrise” was born. 

The book, co-authored with my son, has been contracted by Elk Lake Publishing Inc. it doesn’t have a release date yet but I will definitely let you know it when I do. 

What's up in 2024?

It's hard to believe but 2023 is fast coming to an end. In just a few days we will have a new year laid out before us with all of its opportunities, ups, and downs. Every year at this time, I look ahead and give you a glimpse of what the new year looks like in my writing world. This is only an abbreviated list of the writings that I know at this time will be published in 2024. Many more writing opportunities will come up as the days go by. 

January:

·        A memoir article looking at my brief involvement with the Miss West Virginia pageant titled, "Musings on my Pageant Days" will be published in Goldenseal , West Virginia's state magazine.

·        Two devotions I wrote will be published online in Arise Daily .

·        A devotion I wrote will be in The Secret Place magazine.  

February:

·        My co-writer, Shirley Crowder and I will be up to our neck in edits for our new devotional book that will be releasing soon. Also, I will have hand surgery. (I have arthritis in my fingers which have required numerous surgeries already and now another. This one will replace the knuckle in my left index finger.) 

·        Two devotions I wrote will be published online in Arise Daily

March / April: 

·        An Article titled, “Sometimes All You Need Is Ice Cream” will be published in Blue Ridge Country Magazine . This magazine is a regional magazine that sells in about ten states in the Blueridge Mountain area and Eastern Seaboard.

·        Shirley and my new book, “Wonder and Worship” will release from Entrusted Books . We do not have a release date or cover yet but I will share these with you as soon as we do.

·      Midsouth Christian Writers Conference  MSCWC is happening in mid-March. Though I am on the board and had been slated to be on the faculty as a mentor, I will likely have to miss it this year due to my hand surgery recovery. It’s my favorite writers conference and I hate to miss it!

·        Selah Finalists are announced.

May / June

·        Seven Devotions I wrote will be published in “The Quiet Hour” June 3-9

·        Selah Awards in late May

July / August:

·        My first children’s book, “Made for the Middle” will release from Elk Lake Publishing . When I know the exact release date and have a cover to share, I will. 

·        An article I wrote titled, “How God Works” is tentatively slated to be published in Bible Advocate magazine.

*This is as far as I can see ahead, but in addition to what is listed, I will have devotions in Arise Daily at least monthly, and probably will have more published in “The Secret Place”. They only notify me quarterly of the next quarter but have published one of my devotions every quarter for over ten years. Also, I have a contracted article that will be published in Answers in Genesis but I do not have a publication date yet.

 

Keeping Busy

It's been a busy summer for me writing-wise. I work as a substitute teacher when school is in session, so summers are a nice time to focus more on just writing. I have three books coming out in the next two years, so I certainly have stayed busy this summer in spite of having a break in my subbing work. And what are those three books that will be releasing in '24 and '25? Well, I'll tell you a little about them. But first here is the release schedule to the extent that I know it: 

April '24: "Wonder and Worship" published by Entrusted Books, an arm of Write Integrity Press 

Summer '25: my yet unnamed debut children's book published by Elke Lake Publishers 

Sometime in '24: "Wonder and Worship through the Year", Entrusted Books

The two devotionals will be a two-book series of devotions written around small strange and interesting Bible facts that I call Bible nuggets. I am co-writing both of these with Shirley Crowder whom I have co-written devo books with before. The devotions she will contribute will be based on a hymn that relates to the Bible nugget or theme of the ones I write--hence: wonder (my Bible nuggets devos) and worship (her hymn based devos.)

The children's book will be a picture book for K-3rd grade. The main character in it is Hannah, a middle child who is trying to figure out if there is anything special about her. After all, she is not the oldest or the baby like her two sisters are. And she is not an only like her older brother is. (He is the only boy in the family.) She is just sort of stuck in the middle. What's special about that? 

These are all in different stages of writing. The first devo book manuscript is finished and turned into our publisher. Next winter and early spring I will be up to my nose in edits for it but for now it is considered completed and set aside. Book two in that series is in the writing stage and has occupied a lot of my summer break, and the children's book is in the editing stage. SI have also been doing some freelance writing too. So yeah, I've kept busy juggling my various writing projects this summer. Good thing I love to write! 

Book News!

 Yesterday I received a contract from Elk Lake Publishing for a children's book I first submitted to them a year ago. I am ecstatic! I worked harder on these approximately 800 words than about anything I've ever worked on, or at least any other 800 word group I've ever worked on. And I am sure the real work is only just beginning. Elk Lake will be my third publisher with Write Integrity Press and Olivia Kimbrell Press being the other two. I's so happy to join the Elk Lake Family!