Low-Key Book Launch Celebration

A small, intimate gathering of several friends came together to celebrate with me this good work that God allowed to be accomplished and completed! We had a potluck meal, did a craft together {from the Beauty Notebook!}, I read a portion of the book aloud and we ate some yummy dessert!

This hoop art is one of the projects found both in the book and notebook! This evening proved to me that simple and non-stressful can still be beautiful and meaningful! I'd hoped to all go to the dock to see a beautiful sunset and sing the Doxology but it was so cloudy there wasn't much sunset to see!

Thank you for praying for Beauty Maker and whatever ministry God has in mind for her!

You can read about my Slow Lane book launch party inside my new book and/or see photos here.

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Book Birthdays!

Today is an exciting day! Slow Lane turns three today and now she has a sister! I'll be telling you more next week and showing you inside - but for now, I just wanted to celebrate the goodness of God in allowing both of these good things to be accomplished.

1 Chronicles 29:13, "And now our God we give You thanks and praise Your glorious name!"

I would be so grateful if you would be willing to help spread the word - it is all in God's hands, but you can have a part in this ministry by sharing! Feel free to grab the image above and share or choose from one below!

Order a copy of either book: Slow Lane here and Beauty Maker here!

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A Book Announcement!

Shortly after Slow Lane was completed, I was giddy and adrenaline was strong to start a second project. I got started right away and then sort of petered out in discouragement over the publishing experience that left me feeling drained and taken advantage of.

Starting last summer, I really wanted to be purposeful about finishing this work and I'm finally ready to tell you more about it! The rough draft is complete and the professional edit is being worked on right now - getting closer to sharing a new thing of beauty with you.

Speaking of beauty, this is a common theme around here and that is because it is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. While working on Slow Lane, a second idea was close at hand and the title has stuck with me for the last few years.

Today, I'm excited to tell you that title and a little more about this next work that I hope to share with you later this year!

Da-da-da-da!!!

Beauty Maker: The Ministry of God-Given Beauty

Similar in style to Slow Lane, this will be a handbook of sorts for you to walk through Bible Study, reflection questions and also photos and journaling pages.

Here she is! I wanted her to look like Slow's sister - so there are some unifying elements here that tie them together.

Beauty Maker will also include some hands-on projects for you to create beauty with your own hands as well!

I can't wait to share more in the months ahead - thank you for your support of my writing and the heart of beauty!

Meanwhile, Slow Lane is back on Amazon! I don't know why the ship date is so long, it should print on demand and be to you quickly!

Book Update, Part 2

Now that we had decided not to pursue traditional publishing for the upheaval it would bring to our lives, it was time to start seriously looking into self-publishing options.

I had a very specific vision for my book - easy to write in {preferably spiral bound or lay flat binding} and including color photos.

And, yes, I did consider options like Shutterfly, Blurb, etc... but just wasn't settled on that either.

I narrowed it down to three:
1. Amazon/Create Space
2. West Bow Press {a division of Thomas Nelson}
3. Nyree Press

Each company has a different set up in terms of how they offer publishing packages and what their process is. I studied their websites and looked up books they had published.

First, I looked at Amazon. It was recommended by a friend who has written several books and let's face it, we all think of Amazon when we think of books!

Honestly, I found their website very confusing. It was hard to get a bottom line picture of the cost and process because there are so many options and they are all offered a la carte. I was also concerned about my content as my book is a Bible Study, journal, Christian book and I really wanted to work with a Christian publisher for maintaining the spiritual integrity of the content.

There were no specialty binding options and color photos were an option but pricey.

So, I actually marked that one off my list. From what I could tell, this was also probably my most expensive option.

Option 2: West Bow Press; I had initially not looked very seriously into this one because of cost. It seemed like I'd really be paying for the name and being associated with Thomas Nelson. But after speaking with one of their representatives, I realized it was more affordable that I'd initially thought. The edit is where things can get expensive really fast when you are thinking that all this cost is on you.

There were no specialty binding options and color photos were not an option.

I took lots of notes during this call and learned a lot of great information, but ultimately decided this was not the right decision for us after talking to Option 3.

Option 3: Nyree Press - ok, I'm going to back up a bit here. Last summer, I ordered the book 31 Days of Prayer for the Dreamer and Doer and I love this book. As I mentioned I've been studying the inside of all books I pick up for publisher/agent info and this book was self-published through Nyree Press. At the time I looked at their website and studied it thoroughly. I'm going to admit it was my number one choice even before we decided to pursue self-publishing.

Nyree Press President caught the vision for my book and the heart behind it quickly. This is the most affordable self-publishing option I have come across and we're going to be able to do full color photos and I get to help design the cover! Plus, I love that it supports a small Christian self-publisher.

I am grateful to be able to move forward after months of research and decision making!

With all that said, we are hoping/aiming for a Mother's Day release!

Ideas is something I haven't run out of yet! The first thing I'm working on with a friend is a big Mother/Daughter Craft Day in early April. This will be a fundraising even to fund the cost of self-publishing! Book sales will probably not cover my costs just because the author gets such a tiny portion of the publish price in royalties.

I'm dreaming up a book launch party! And, a Mother's Day gift set that will include the book plus some handmade goodies to support creative makers!

I know that sometimes I have wanted to love a book based on either some personal connection to the author or topic. I also know that not everyone who reads this book will love it. Writing a book is scary in putting this out there for others to read/critique.

Also, some of this book is going to sound very similar to what you read here. Let's face it - the same person writes both! But, I can tell you there is more than I've posted on my blog and it will all be in one place where you can work through the Bible Study and journaling portions right in the book. It will include photos that I hope will contribute to the overall slow.

Several of you have offered help and that means the world to me. Right now, pray! That all will go smoothly, that God will prepare the way for this to be exactly what He wants it to be, that it will glorify Him. And, thank you so much for all of the support and encouragement you've been dishing out - you are a blessing!

Book Update Part 1

Where to begin - almost two months ago, I posted for the first time that I'd finished writing a book. Much has happened since than and I want to get it all into a big update right now!

First of all, some of you were surprised that I had already finished the book! This idea of writing a book has been something I've wanted to do for years. However, I had a specific idea two or three years ago to write a book on this whole idea of Slow. I sort of started writing it a couple of years ago.

Then I set it aside for an entire year because of: fear. Fear of what others would think, fear of readers not liking it, fear of not being the right person to write a book, fear, fear, fear. You get the idea. After a year, the idea was still crisp and it became more of a calling that I knew I needed to finish. I would describe this as feeling compelled to carry this out.

So one year ago, I picked it up with diligence and wrote on it all Spring and finished it by May. Then I wondered what to do next. Was it just for me? For the process of writing it and learning in the process? Was it to share? How?

I started looking into all kinds of publishing options. Every book I picked up, I studied who published it, who their agent was and more. I read blog posts on how to get published and what publishers are looking for and listened to videos and Periscopes on publishing. I sought counsel and asked a lot of questions. It can be somewhat overwhelming to sift through all of this info and really know where to begin.

The first step I was able to narrow down through all of this information was to write an official book proposal. I bought this ebook on Writing a Winning Book Proposal and walked through the entire process in writing a book proposal. I asked several close family and friends to read through that proposal and help me find grammar errors and things that maybe didn't sound right or make sense. So, now I had a book proposal and a polished writing sample to offer.

I also downloaded a list of Christian Literary Agents from Michael Hyatt's blog which was a great starting place for me. I submitted my book proposal according to their submission standards. If there is one thing I can say for this process it is that it is slow, slow, slow! Agents do not respond if they are not interested and each response can take 6-8 weeks.

There were a few agents who did respond that it didn't fit their work schedule and/or what they were looking for right now. Basically, an agent takes your idea to publishers they think would like the topic and acts as the go-between from author to publisher. Publishers are only able to publish a teensy percentage of unsolicited manuscripts they receive each year. I mean like 1% teensy. The chances are very slim and it is hard to get your foot in the door.

Ok, so my proposal was out there for a few months and I got one positive response. I had an agent interested in my topic and proposal. That is when I posted about my book for the first time. The bottom line is that a publisher {and therefore an agent} is looking for a well established platform so that they know they'll be able to sell a certain number of books.

My "platform" is very small and I like it that way. I don't really want to build a mega platform and have that sort of full time job on my hands. I am a wife and homeschooling mother who really can't do that right now. So, after prayer and seeking counsel, we decided to close the door with this agent who was only interested if my platform was solid and steadily growing.

I'm thankful for this part of the process because it helped me to really stop and think about what my goals were for this book, our home and family and what to pursue next.

My goals in writing a book are not to establish a large following, big platform, speaking line up or anything like that. My goals in writing a book are to be obedient and come alongside other women who are caught up in frantic and make slow appealing and achievable.

This is getting lengthy, so I'm go call this Part One and finish it tomorrow!!! Thanks for reading and supporting me in this!

Input Please!!!

Friends, I am humbly asking for your help! Many of you have left comments saying I should write a book about Slow and God was laying the same idea on my heart as well. I have finished a rough draft of  a book about slowing down and finding beauty in that slow!!! Yay! BUT, my platform is tiny in the world of publishing. I have a literary agency who has cracked the door open the tiniest bit - would you help me show them there is interest and/or a market for this book? I am terrible at self-promotion, but God has put this message on my heart - so I pray it will become whatever He has in mind. Thank you in advance!

You can do any of the following to help:
- leave a comment here sharing why you think this book is needed in our day and/or why you would read it
- leave a comment here sharing why I should be the one to write this book
- follow me on Instagram
- subscribe to my blog
- like my Facebook page
- leave a comment on any of the above to show support or interest for a book on this topic

Here is the premise from my book proposal:
Most women are running through the race of life at break-neck speed. As a result we are stressed out, worn out and missing out on celebrating the everyday beauty of life. The purpose of this book is to come alongside my fellow sisters in the race with practical ideas to equip us in slowing down both spiritually and in our daily lives thus being able to reduce stress and joyfully embrace life.