What September holds for me: Copy-editing!

For the last three months, I’ve been doing a whole lot of working, and not much else. So not too many interesting blog posts…until now! In a little over a week, my book Another Ending will finally go into production. For someone who has dreamed of seeing my name on the front of a book, of opening it up and seeing words that came straight from my heart, this is so totally overwhelming and completely, mind blowing-ly exciting! Somewhere deep in my heart I always dreamed this would happen, but honestly, I was skeptical that it ever would. I’m my hardest critic; it doesn’t matter how many people tell me my writing is good enough to be published, it is still hard for me to grasp… especially because the story is so personal for me, because I am passionate about the issues in my book. I won’t give away too many details, but I think I’ve written before that there are some dark issues in my book, issues facing young adults, but mostly young adult women. Just a gentle reminder…if this book had a rating, it would definitely be PG13. There are graphic scenes, not too terrible but enough to shock someone too young to know that there are people out there that want to hurt them. Please be aware of that if you are sensitive to things like rape, abortion, and sexual sin. This isn’t a book for kids; it is definitely geared to young adults and adults. Be smart about letting your kids read it, and if you have questions, feel free to ask me and I’ll give you a better taste of what to expect.

With my book just about to go into production, I’ve had those issues swirling around in my head. So it is so cool that I’ve been feeling stirrings recently, little nudges telling me to pursue a career helping battered women and children. I’ve always had a heart for teenage mothers and protecting the life of the unborn, so this is right up my alley. I think working directly with women who’ve faced tough circumstances would be so rewarding. Seeing them fight for a better life for themselves and for their children would bring me so much joy. I know they would probably help me way more than I help them. Battered women with a will to survive and a drive to succeed are inspiring. So that is my short update about my education and career plans…on to the details of the first step in the production process!

There are two layers of editing: copyediting and developmental editing. The first step is copyediting, which will start for me in September. During this time my manuscript will undergo a thorough examination of grammar, punctuation, spelling, and general formatting by a highly skilled Copy Editor. They will read through the manuscript from start to finish and clean up all the small issues that may have been overlooked before submission. Because no matter how amazing spell check is…it misses a ton! Copyediting simply ensures that the text is clean, polished, and in good order before Developmental editing begins.

This will be the most laid back month of production for me, which is a huge blessing because I move into school on the 31^st of August and start school on the 5^th of September. I’m also going to be working this year at Wal-Mart a few evenings a week, as well as 6 hours of work study. Combine that with classes and an hour of mentoring a child at a local elementary school, my plate is not only filled, it is overflowing! I don’t have to do any work on my book in September, so I will have a few weeks to adjust to school and work before the real work begins on my book. One copyediting is complete, I will be assigned a Senior Editor for the second month of production. I will update you all on the developmental editing process closer to when it will actually be done. One step at a time, people. J

What you can do for me:

·         Please pray for me! I have a major transition happening next week: I am moving out of my house for the final time. In the spring Ben and I will begin looking for an apartment in Sioux Falls that we will move into after we get married on June 8^th, 2013. (How sneaky of me…talking about my wedding. It’s my favorite thing to talk about right now!) While this is exciting, it is also very hard. I am a sap. I love being home…I’ve always been a homebody. It will be tough leaving my house for a final time and returning only as a visitor. I know my parents say that their kids are never guests, but that’s what it feels like for me. I will no longer be a permanent resident of the Watt house, so that is a little emotionally overwhelming for me.

·         It is a little weird that once school starts, I will actually have more free time. I have been working so much this summer, so once school starts I will work less and actually have some free time. But it is always a little rough falling into the swing of things, so please pray that I’d be able to adjust quickly and manage my time well. Once this first month of copyediting is over, I will actually have deadlines and will need to have things submitted to my publisher by a specific date. I will also be in the midst of planning my wedding, working on marriage counseling stuff, and welcoming my sweet niece into the world in January. Like I said…my plate is overflowing! I so appreciate your prayers that I would stay sane and able to keep on top of all this wonderful stuff that is happening to me.

·         And finally…let me know if there is a book store you want the book stocked at. Right now I am trying to get together a list of places and I need to start collecting email addresses so when the time comes I can send emails to all these people about stocking my book or hosting a book signing. Facebook me or send me an email at runner_watt@hotmail.com if you have a place in mind. And always be praying for my readers. If I can touch just one heart for Christ I will be satisfied in all this effort. One soul is worth it.

In the midst of this craziness, I keep repeating this to myself:

1 Corinthians 10:31
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

It's all for Him. All this work is worth it if I reach one soul. One soul is more than worth it. Much more.

One final tidbit: rough draft of book two is done! I go back and forth on my title for this one…my two favorites are An Open Window and The Long Way Home. Perhaps I will give you all a short blurb later and ask for suggestions. But I will not pursue publishing until I see how number one does first. If I can earn back my initial investment, which only happens if I see 1000 copies, than I will go for it. So please…buy my book when it comes out! Tell your friends, neighbors, and relatives to buy it. I say this not only because I want to earn my investment back, but because I truly feel like this is my mission field. If you want to reach someone for Christ but are unsure how to do it, you can give them a copy of my book. Read through it first, and then talk to them about it when they finish it. Challenge them about the deep issues in this book. When you read it, you’ll understand how simple it would be to bring up a discussion about Christ.

One final, final tidbit: there is a third book! Research for book three is in the very early stages. The main character from book three is a minor character in book two. Yes, it is a three part series. Book one, two, and three all feature the same characters, though book three brings out a minor character that blossoms into the main character. This woman will be loosely based off of the Bible character Rahab, from the book of Joshua in the Old Testament. If you know anything about her, you’ll have a very basic idea of the type of character she will be. Go and read her story! Check out Joshua 2.

That is really all I have, friends. Thanks for reading!

Saving Money. Oh, and the Minds of our Kids, Too.

Being a middle child, I was a peacekeeper. And I’ve always been a people pleaser, wanting everyone to be happy even if it meant doing something I didn’t really want to do. This combination will be interesting when I enter into the world of motherhood…because I know I won’t be able to stop my kids from disagreeing and getting into ridiculous spats. And I also can’t give them everything they want or do everything they want just to make them happy. But this is not the message most kids are receiving these days, and it’s scaring me. The world my children will be born into is one that tells them “it’s all about you.” For the past month I’ve been babysitting an eight year old girl named Ellie, and in the short amount of time I’ve been with her my influence has been far reaching…and I didn’t even mean to influence her! We watch a decent amount of TV (because come on…how much crafting and slip and sliding can you do before it gets really old!) and it makes me want to ban TV from my kids’ lives. Because the message TV sends today is terrifying. And kids pick up on things.

Kids are very easily influenced. Like I said, Ellie picks up on things I do very quickly. First I must admit a problem I have. An addiction, really. It’s not as bad as it once was, but I have a thing for chewing ice. My family, Ben, and soon to be in-laws all know this and don’t think it’s weird anymore. Ellie, however, did think it was weird. She noticed immediately when I started chewing ice because no one in her family does it. When I came back the next day, she admitted to me that she and her mom now chew ice together every night and they can’t stop! This is a funny example, but it only took one day for me to influence her in this weird way. She also remembers everything I say and what I like and dislike. We were in Walmart the other day buying craft supplies, and we stopped and looked at some sun catchers. Originally we were going to buy them, but then we found some popsicle sticks and glitter, and who could resist that?? She ended up going back later that night with her mom to pick out more crafts for us to do (we do crafts a lot!) and she remembered exactly which ones I had liked and wanted to buy. We looked at sun catchers for maybe two minutes…and yet she remembered which ones I wanted. Maybe not a big deal, but still. She paid attention to that small detail and it stuck. Example number three: while leaving Walmart that day we picked out some candy bars to snack on. She had a Hershey bar, I had a Three Musketeer, which she’d never had before. I gave her a piece to try, and when I came back the next day she told me when she and her mom were shopping for sun catchers she bought a Three Musketeer because I had one the day before. She only wanted one because I had one. Again, maybe not a big deal. But it proved to me that kids really do look up to adults and want to be like them. And it makes me nervous to sit beside her and watch trashy TV shows full of kids she looks up to…kids that are filling her mind with junk and teaching her to accept negative stereotypes.

I know some of you might think this is crap. Kids aren’t really that influenced by TV, right? I believe otherwise, and much of this opinion has been strengthened by my month with Ellie. Without even meaning too I have given her opinions and influenced her in a lot of weird ways. TV shows absolutely do the same. Here are a few problems I have with many TV shows on today:

1. Many shows on Disney and Nickelodeon make being smart into a bad thing. If you like school and work hard to get good grades, you’re a nerd. Think back to these shows: Suite Life of Zac and Cody(Disney): Cody is a nerd for liking school, and Zac is the cool one as he skips class and never does his homework. Jessie(relatively new show on Disney): Luke hates school and makes fun of his brother Ravi for wanting to do well. Luke is the one the girls love, and no one notices Ravi. And many of you might remember Zoey 101, on Nickelodeon. Quinn is a girl who loves science, but everyone labels her “the weird girl.” It takes quite a few episodes before any of the other kids will accept her into their group. Only three examples, but I know there are more shows that label smart, hardworking kids as “nerds.” Reading is portrayed as boring and lame; watching TV or playing video games is cool and a much better use of time. And if you’re a girl who likes reading or wants to do well in school, that’s about the worse thing for your reputation. So what messages are we sending kids? Grades don’t matter…reading is lame…and girls aren’t supposed to want to be smart. This is why in the past girls have lagged behind in science and math. They have been told by society that they aren’t good enough for these fields. Math and science are for boys. Don’t believe me? Check out this article: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/01/11/new-research-how-girls-can-win-in-math-and-science.html

2. Kids are being taught that people from other countries are weird. In many shows that bring in different nationalities, those people are weird, eccentric, and portrayed as not being as smart as Americans. For a country known as “the melting pot” this surprises me. And yet even today, we teach our kids that people from other parts of the world are different…but not in a good way. A few examples: On an episode of iCarly (Nickelodeon) Carly, Sam, and Freddie give out awards on their web show. Carly’s brother Spencer was supposed to make little Carly statues so Carly, Sam, and Freddie could give them away as trophies. Instead he made one giant statue, and didn’t have time to make 10 before the show started. He ends up recruiting some European swimsuit models to help him, and the show portrayed them as being stupid and clueless, tacking on weird accents and making them look ridiculous. They probably didn’t mean to make fun of Europeans…they were most likely trying to make fun of models. But why did they have to be European models? Another show, Shake it Up (Disney) does the same thing. Two of the characters are German, and they have thick accents. But they are portrayed as stupid and clueless. They dress very eccentrically and are always being made fun of for their outfits. Accents do weird things to us. I learned in my Communication class this past year that oftentimes when we come into contact with people who speak a different language we think they aren’t as smart as us. We raise our voices and start gesturing, which doesn’t help at all! It’s simply unfamiliar to us, but the confused looks on their faces from not understanding English makes us assume that they aren’t as smart as us. It’s kind of the same thing with accents. If someone speaks broken English, we again assume they aren’t as smart as we are. On these TV shows, accents make those people look stupid. We are teaching our kids that differences are scary, which they aren’t! They are beautiful, but that doesn’t make for funny television.
3. You only live once! (More popularly known as YOLO, which makes me want to bang my head against a wall) You’re only young once! Live it up now because one day you’ll grow up and all the fun stops. Young adulthood is glorified, but for all the wrong reasons! Young adulthood is a great time to figure out what you believe and set goals for yourself. But that’s uncool…why waste time being responsible and planning for the future when you could be out hooking up with as many people as you can and partying? You don’t see many shows encouraging kids to study hard, get a part time job, apply for scholarships, and be smart with money. Nope. Live it up. Buy all the fun toys. Enjoy not having a job because you’ll be working for the rest of your life. Kids aren’t being shown to work hard and save up money. They are taught to ask mommy and daddy for everything. But in the real world, mommy and daddy aren’t always able to hand you everything, as many college kids brutally discover. And when the bank account is all dried up, only then do some kids learn to budget, work, and save. But again…what show would teach kids those harsh lessons? I’ll pick on Jessie again. One girl, Emma, is all about clothes and fashion. All the time she talks about using her mother’s credit card. The kids watching it aren’t told how credit cards work…and who pays for it. It’s just a convenient way to get what you want. The other girl, Zuri, ruins a favorite doll and wants to get a new one…without working for it. When her nanny Jessie makes her set up a lemonade stand to earn some money, Zuri kicks and screams and hates every second. Hard work is portrayed as painful and not worth it. Are we teaching our kids to be lazy dependents?

4. And last but not least, TV shows often portray parents and adults as stupid. Anyone remember The Fairly Odd Parents on Nickelodeon? Timmy’s mom and dad were beyond stupid. In the new Disney Chanel movie “Radio Rebel” the principal is portrayed as evil and fun-sucking, only existing to ruin the fun and make student’s lives miserable. That’s the way many shows make teachers and principals look…they are either stupid or evil. If they try to calm down rowdy students or focus on education, they are the bad guy. Because having fun is more important, right? When the adults are dumb or the bad guys, it suddenly becomes okay to talk back or rebel against authority. Following rules becomes lame. Any present or future teachers, does this hit home for you? Or how about parents? Kids today aren’t being taught to respect authority because the authority is stupid and exists only to ruin their lives. How does respecting adults sound like a good thing when TV shows them otherwise?

A lot of people don’t believe that our culture has that much influence over us. But if it doesn’t, why do so many parents restrict what their kids watch? Is it just to shield them from foul language, or is it because they are afraid of the influence it might have on their thinking and behavior? We know the influence music has in our lives. Lyrics never leave. Once you know the lyrics, it can come back even years later. I firmly believe it’s the same with TV. The things we pick up from watching TV stick with us. And from what I’ve watched with Ellie in the past month, this makes me sick. I don’t want my kids exposed to the trash that fills the channels today. I don’t want them believing that education is lame. I don’t want them to want to play video games more than getting lost in a good book. I don’t want them to have negative stereotypes of people from other cultures. And I certainly don’t want them disrespecting adults.

So Ben and I have come to the conclusion that maybe getting cable isn’t on our to-do list. We won’t really be able to afford it in the early years of our marriage, but later on when we can afford it I’m not sure we will. I’d rather be visiting the library with my kids, teaching them to use their imagination and that learning is fun. I’d even rather snuggle down and pop in a good movie, because at least I know what I’m getting into before I let my kids watch it. Plus, it would be so much easier to talk about what we watched after a movie. You can’t really do that after a full day of mindless TV shows. To us, it’s not just saving money. It’s about saving the minds of our kids.

Thoughts?

Why July Make Me Smile

I’ve been doing a lot of blathering about my book. But that’s only cause I’m super excited and I know a lot of you are too, and you’re honestly curious about the process. So in case you were wondering what’s been going on lately with the production process, I will tell you in one word. Nothing. Nothing will start happening until September, which to me seems like it’s taking forever and a day to get here but will really be here in the blink of an eye. Once September hits things will start rolling faster than I’m probably ready for, and rest assured that I will update more frequently when there is more to say.

This post is for all the hopeless romantics. Ben and I are just shy of hitting 10 months left in our countdown. It’s crazy to think that we started out with 549 days, and we’re already down to 319 days. It’s gone SO fast. This scares me a little bit, because I know in the coming months things will really start piling up on me…school, work, book stuff, and wedding stuff will quickly get overwhelming if I don’t make it a priority to deal with issues as they come. But I love lists and organizing things. Poor Ben doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into…

But in the midst of all the craziness, I stop and remember why I’m doing all this. I work because I want to pay for most of my school expenses on my own, and I’d like to pay for as much as the wedding as I can. I go to school because I have a passion for bringing healing to a hurting world. It doesn’t matter to me if only a handful of people receive healing because of my work. As long as I tried my best, that’s all that matters to me. And I’m getting married because I love Ben more than I ever thought was possible to love another human. And because we share the same heart.

I want to give you all a glimpse into what our world has been like for the past 4 years. It was right around this time of year in 2008 that things started changing for us. In fact I know it was the last week in July in 2008. I could dig out an old journal from that year to prove it, but who knows where in the world the box is that holds it. But I can tell you with complete certainty that most entries included Ben. We’d become good friends that summer as we hung out with kids from our youth group, but we never spent any time alone. But this last week of July changed…Ben asked me to go fishing with him. This story always cracks me up though, because I freaked out. I was convinced he liked me and I was certain that I didn’t like him. (I guess I liked lying to myself. I totally liked him) Anyway, after telling him no many times, his persistence paid off and I finally said yes. But I drug Matthew with me, and then Sammie ended up joining us as well. I thought this would be safer, but he seemed kinda upset about our siblings joining us, which caused me to freak out more because I wasn’t sure if he wanted it to be a date or not. But later that night it finally hit me. I liked him. Because hours earlier, before we went fishing, I changed three times before ending up in shorts and a t-shirt. I changed THREE times for a fishing date! I wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t like that boy, and that was the first night I knew my life would never be the same. Ben recently admitted to me that he never wanted that night to be a date. He honestly just wanted to go fishing with a friend. Yeah I know…romantic. He shoulda lied and told me he had a secret crush on me too. Would have made for much more interesting reading material. 

Four years later here we are, preparing for marriage. Crazy nuts. I still get comments from people, telling me I’m too young and that I should be enjoying my twenties doing who knows what. But I got to thinking the other day…I was never a normal child. Other kids spent their weekends at friends’ houses, I spent them reading. Other girls gushed to their girlfriends about everything from boys to clothes to makeup. I never had much interest in flipping through magazines or making giggly talk with girlfriends. My mind was just on other stuff, and I think even at that young God was preparing me for this crazy life I’m living right now. Other young people might look at my life and yawn because it seems boring, but they have no idea what they’re missing out on. Because I don’t live in one world…I live in two. One world I’m a young bride preparing for her wedding and studying a field I love. In another world I’m the characters I’ve created. I tell my stories from a first person point of view, so I really have to step into their shoes and feel what they must be feeling. Their pain becomes my pain, their trials are mine to endure. And it’s impossible for me to leave their world. I’m in for life. So it really is like I’m living in two worlds, because in any given hour I go from dreaming about my wedding to sympathizing with my characters. These two worlds are interwoven, yet they live in harmony. I can’t imagine why anyone would think the life I lead is boring when I get to dream in two worlds.

But I will be honest. The real world is far better, because the real world has Ben. I can say without a doubt that God had been preparing us for each other long before we ever considered the idea of dating or marriage. From the very beginning of our relationship, Ben and I have been able to connect on a very deep level, sharing the same passion to bring healing to this world. We both very much want to change things, and the awesome part is we hold the same dream. While on this earth we want to give selflessly knowing that in the end, we answer to God. We want to be able to stand before him and say we gave it our all. So if we ever did find ourselves having more money than expected, we want to use it in a way that blesses others, not ourselves. To me, this is the biggest blessing in my life. It would be very difficult if one of didn’t see the value to giving and blessing others with what we’ve been given. So I am beyond grateful that God brought us together, because together we are so much better than alone. We are a great team, and we can’t wait to get out into the world and follow wherever God leads us.

So I am smiling this week, unable to stop. This is the week four years ago that my life changed forever. I fell in love with the one my heart had been waiting for my entire life. These past four years have been wonderful, but I know the best is yet to come for us. This is just the beginning.   

More than a Book

I love hearing your guys’ opinions on the book! It is beyond encouraging to me when I hear all the excitement about my book’s release. So in this blog I’d like to spend a little bit of time talking about why I think the excitement level is buzzing right now.

I’ve had people tell me it’s just going to be fun reading something from someone they know. I’ll admit right now that it’s going to be weird for me when all you finally get to read it. Because no matter how many people tell me they like my work, I am my biggest critic. I’m going to be nervous…I’m going to wonder what you think. But my biggest concern is your hearts. This book was originally targeted for young adults, mostly non-Christian young adults. But while writing I decided to steer away from that path…not that young non-Christians can’t read it. They can!  And I sincerely hope they will! But my target audience, my “niche” audience, in publishing lingo, would simply be Christians…of ALL ages. I will say right now that the main character is a young adult. Her journey starts at age 18 and follows her through age 21. You’ll have to wait til book two for anything beyond that! J But the encouraging thing is that this book can reach all ages. I had a dear friend and mentor read the manuscript for me, and I was pleased to hear that she was able to relate to it as well, even though it’s been a few years since young adulthood! (I hope you get a chuckle when you read this…I will keep you nameless but you know who you are!) The reason why I think this is relatable for all age groups is because Molly, the main character, wrestles with emotions and asks the hard questions, just as well all have to do on our rocky journeys through life. Jesus never promised that life would be easy; we all travel the ups and downs. Now, most of you probably won’t be able to relate to all of what happens to Molly. She experiences some pretty serious, traumatic events. Still…her emotions, fears, and questions are most likely similar to ones you may have had yourself. Maybe not to the same degree, but God doesn’t deal all of us the same hands. We take what we’re dealt and have to figure out what to do with it, how to respond. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easily you can relate to Molly. And if you DO find yourself relating after reading my book, please let me know! I am so looking forward to the feedback. I might have a private email with my website…not sure yet. I’ll let you know!

The biggest reason I think people are so excited for this book is because like me, many of you know that our world needs stories like this. We need to hear of people struggling and asking the tough questions. We need to see that it’s okay to ask God why, to cry out like Job did. It’s okay to be angry. It’s what we do after we’ve asked why and allowed ourselves to be angry that matters. Will we say, “Not my will, but Yours,” or will we say, “See ya later God, obviously you don’t care about me”? It’s a choice we all have to make at some point, like Molly must. This is more than a novel, more than just a book to curl up with and make you feel all warm and fuzzy. Be warned now: this book will not make you feel warm and fuzzy. It will make your stomach tighten in anxiety and your heart hurt. It will make you think about issues you may not want to think about. It’s dark. It’s scary. If it had a rating, it would be PG-13. So moms…maybe not the best book for your kids and preteens. Teenagers? Good to go, if you’re mature enough to handle some of the darkness. If you have questions, just shoot me a message and I’ll give you a brief synopsis. Not to scare anyone away or anything, because believe me, the ending is good. It’s full of hope and God’s loving grace. Again, it’s not a warm and fuzzy, unrealistic ending like other books. I wanted this book to be relatable…in real life, not every ending is a happily-ever after. We don’t always get our deepest desires. Sometimes God leads us down paths we wouldn’t normally choose for ourselves, like in Molly’s situation. But, we have to be able to deal with that and come to a place of peace…which is another reason I feel like this book is relatable. Peace is what we all crave; we want to be satisfied with where we’re at. I hope you sit back and ask yourself after reading this, “Where is my satisfaction coming from?” Are you chasing after things you desire but can never have…money, a house, a relationship? Where is your satisfaction coming from? I hope when you’ve closed the book you desire to be filled and satisfied with Christ, and Christ only.

I hope too that I can raise awareness for some social issues in my book, specifically sexual abuse. It happens more than all of you know, sadly enough. And it’s not always some creepy old man hiding behind a tree in the park at night. Oftentimes it’s someone the victim knows. Hopefully you can all become more aware of the sad truth of the world we live in and how to deal with it. You’ll get a taste of the emotions that victims must face, which was extremely tough to write about. I did my research though. Here’s a website if you want some of the sad details: http://www.rainn.org/statistics/

Please know that while all of you are praying for me, I’m praying for you. I’m praying that you’ll read this knowing it’s not just a novel. It is so much more than that. I’m praying that you’ll all have open hearts to this message; that’ll you take a look at some issues you may already have strong opinions about and realize that you may be spreading those opinions in a hateful way. As Christians we want people to know about healing and forgiveness, not about how wrong we think they are. Because…no sin is unforgiveable. No sin is worse than any other sin…all sin is wrong to God, and all sin makes us guilty and deserving of death. Only through Christ are we pardoned…and we can all be pardoned, no matter what we’ve done in our lives. My main message is that we can face tough, ugly stuff, and we can turn around and choose to heal from it. We can forgive ourselves and in turn welcome in God’s forgiveness. We can leave those mistakes in the past knowing that God has completely removed them and declared us pure and righteous. We can heal.

This is more than just a book. It is a message of hope and love, of a grace so good I get chills just thinking about it. I am so excited for you all to join me on this journey.

God bless!

New Book and Wedding Details

I’m always kind of hesitant to post stuff about the book, because I don’t want people to think I want a bunch of attention about this. But part of being successful is spreading the news that this is really happening! And I know that my faithful blog readers (I know I have a few because you’ve told me!) are really interested in this process. I get questions all the time, questions that I think I’ve answered in previous blogs but then it hits me that you guys don’t live in the same world as me! I get emails pretty much every week giving me some kind of update on what’s happening with the book, and I just can’t share every detail. If I did…I think people really would start thinking I was sharing just for attention. But I did get a really nice email this past week from my publisher giving me a great update and a timeline for what’s to come. So, hopefully this will answer any recent questions you might have. The publishing process seems scary and complicated but it’s really not.

I’ve been in contact with quite a few people already since I sent my book in. Originally I was assigned an acquisitions editor, which is pretty much a fancy name for the person who answered my early questions. When I requested information from Tate’s website (Tate Publishing House is my publishing house…just in case you forgot!) my acquisitions editor was the one who called me and told me the next step, which was to send in the three chapters and synopsis. She was also the one to send me my contract and dealt with all the questions and concerns we had dealing with that. I have found that these people really, really want to help their authors succeed. They are truly wonderful people that have been there every step of the way so far…and I know they will stick with me during that first year that the book is published to help me be successful. God has provided big time by leading me to Tate Publishing. I am humbled and beyond thankful for that.

Once I sent my contract in I made all the formatting changes and then my contact switched a few times. One administrative assistant handled the refundable retainer I sent in, which as a reminder covers the fee for a publicist. Another assistant helped me choose a domain name for my website, which isn’t up and running yet and I’m not sure when it will be. Right now all I have is the name. But it’s a start! My most recent contact is the Director of Operations, and helping her are the Director of Production, the Executive Editor, and the Director of Marketing. They will be the ones who work the magic on my book! I received an email last week with a basic timeline, and let me tell you people, this is not a speedy process. Production timelines are usually 180 days, but some books can take longer. Getting a title set up for production takes at least three months after the book is finalized to be printed. God is definitely working on my patience with this whole deal!

The file I submitted a few weeks ago is what will be given to the editing department. This means that I will not be able to make any more changes to the manuscript. Too often authors begin to second guess themselves and try to rework their manuscript, and this makes it worst most of the time. I won’t be able to submit a new file…but I will have plenty of opportunities to mold and shape the manuscript during the editing process. I was advised though, that it’s best to wait until I have a senior editor assigned to collaborate with before making any changes. Right now I don’t have much I want to change, but I will take their advice on any changes that they suggest. The great thing about the editing process is that all the changes have to go through me. If they think a character needs to be developed more or a certain chapter needs to be more powerful, I will listen. I’m not the expert, and they know how to make books successful. I will not be stubborn or too prideful to look at my work and realize that some parts can be even better. Because after all, they already accepted my work! They think it has potential to be successful. I know already that it is a good piece of work (man that sounds really prideful…sorry!) and I will gladly take their advice. I’ve heard too many stories of people who could have been successful if only they’d let someone look at their work and suggest changes.

Production for Another Ending is scheduled to begin in September. Over the course of production, a senior editor and design project manager will be assigned to my book, and I will work hand in hand with them. During that first month, my manuscript will be reviewed by the copyediting staff, and any technical/grammatical issues will be addressed. They use this time to get the manuscript in the best shape possible before it begins the developmental editing process. Developmental editing will begin in October.

In October I get to send in my biography and a short teaser. That’s the stuff that will be on the back pages and cover! I will also have to get rolling on marketing my book. And there is a TON I have to do! If you guys thought just writing the book sounded hard, I’m telling you you’re wrong! Writing was easy…but marketing is tough. I will be assigned a personal Tate Marketing Representative though, which will be amazing. They are my industry expert and partner in marketing. This person won’t be my agent or personal assistant, but they will have specialized training and the experience to what works and doesn’t work in selling books. I would appreciate your prayers on this aspect of getting published. I really like doing things my own way, and naturally I always think my way is the best. But I want to listen to this person and know that they, not I, know what’s best. They have my best interests at heart, so I want to be able to swallow my pride and let them help me.

The first thing I will have to do for marketing is to find my niche audience. Basically, I need to target the audience for my book outside the bookstores and build my platform as a professional author. (that sounds sooo fancy!!) I need to pinpoint exactly whom my book is written for, and where those people are in my area. To build momentum I am advised to have pre-release parties with friends, family, and any interested potential readers. This will be my first opportunity to sell books and to spread the word. People who attend the parties can then tell all their friends that they bought a book that will hit the shelves soon, and that they too should buy it when it comes out! Seriously, this is the main way you can help me be successful. When it comes out, buy it! I need to sell     copies to earn back the money I invested. This is a bit scary for me, but I’m choosing to leave it in God’s hands.

Since I am interested in getting my book into local bookstores, I must work my niche market very hard between the time the book goes into print and the release date. The more momentum I can build the better. So, in order to engage my core audience, I’ve been hitting up social media websites. Obviously I use Facebook to spread the word, but I’m on Twitter now too! Follow me at sara_watt for more updates through Twitter. And be looking for announcements about pre-release parties!

When my book hits the release date, Tate will begin making contacts for bookstores in the area to schedule book signings for me. They will also send out press releases to notify the area media of my new book and attempt to get media coverage for me. So that’s kind of exciting. They also have Promotional Items I can buy and distribute to help spread the word too: business cards, posters, bookmarks, release party invitations, thank you cards, and t-shirts. Not sure what I will buy yet if I do decide to. I also get a website, a Facebook page, and a 15 second trailer that will air on some major TV channels, which I listed in the last blog. Now you can see what a good job these people do at helping their authors succeed! Its nuts. And I love it.

All I can say is that it is going to be a crazy busy year for me and Ben. In the midst of all this book stuff we will be finalizing our wedding planning. Which reminds me…I haven’t updated you guys on wedding stuff in a while! I know it’s still really early to be planning, but like I said, I plan on getting super busy in the next few months with school, work, and book marketing. That’s why we are very much ahead of the game. We already purchased and brought home the dress, which fits great and only needs a little bit of shortening. We’ve booked Calvary Baptist Church for the ceremony (obviously…it’s where Ben and I met!) and the Riverfront Event Center for the reception, which is beautiful and we’re beyond excited for! We already have a nice list of songs we want to have at our dance. We really want this wedding to be fun…I will be 20 and Ben will be 21! We’re young…we want it to be fun and memorable. I’m taking advantage of Pinterest with this one. That place is FULL of wonderful ideas! I’m up to 100 pins on my wedding page. Yes, I am slightly addicted. I don’t know what I’m going to do when the wedding is over and I can’t browse for hours looking for fun reception ideas! We have most of the big stuff taken care of, and we plan on getting our engagement pictures taken in the fall as well. Then my mom, Ben and I…and whoever else we recruit to help…will start working on the little details on the weekends we come home for wedding counseling, which starts in August. So pumped for that. In the midst of planning all these little details, it will be great for us to be reminded what we’re actually planning for: a lifetime loving and supporting each other. The wedding will be over in a day, but we’re going to be married for a loooong time, God willing.

Little details include invitations, which we’re thinking about hand making. But the picture I found on the one and only Pinterest is super cute! It will not be tacky…and it will save money. Those invitations are kind of a rip-off. We’ll also start working on the centerpieces and decorations for the ceremony. Again, that darn Pinterest has given me so many cute decorating ideas, but we have to make all of them! Good thing Ben and I love projects! Then comes the fun stuff, like registering for gifts, showers, and parties. Yay! I keep thinking that this year is gonna drag by, but then I think about all this stuff we have to do and I know it will just fly by. Good deal. Ben and I have been waiting much too long to get married.

And that’s about it! Whew. Maybe it’s a little bit more complicated than I told you.J Hopefully this answered your questions. If not, please ask! I will be happy to answer any specific questions you have. Right now please continue to pray for my readers. But also pray for my patience and that when I start working with editors more closely that I will be able to take their advice in stride and use it to better this work. It’s tough when people look at something and think it could use a little more tweaking. But…I know it’s necessary.

And for you lovebirds…here are some links to my wedding stuff. Enjoy!

http://whitleywatt.ourwedding.com/   I will be updating this in the months to come! I’ll also save it under my information on Facebook for easy access!

http://pinterest.com/sarabwatt/wedding-fun/ I think you might have to have a Pinterest account to see this one. Not sure. I’ll post anyway. If you can see this…it is clear that I have an addiction. Yikes.  

I’m done now. For real. 

A Peek into Publishing

Ben thought you all might be interested in reading about exactly how I got published. It may seem like a confusing process, but it was actually pretty simple and the people who work at my publishing house have been and continue to be absolutely amazing. What I always thought would simply be a dream is quickly becoming a reality for me, so here’s a peek into what my world has been like for the past month.

The first step for me was getting the story out. I get asked a lot “How in the world can you write so much?” My answer? I have no clue. I really don’t. All I can tell you is that I constantly have some sort of story running through my head. When I ran cross country and track in high school I’d run through scenarios in my mind to pass the miles…and while I pushed carts at Hy-Vee…and before I’d fall asleep at night. Pretty much any time I don’t have to think or focus on a specific thing, my brain is cooking up twists and turns in the story currently running through my mind.

 I wish I could show all of you my shoebox full of picture books I wrote and colored when I was little! Funny stuff. From the time I learned to read in elementary school I was hooked on stories. I loved going to the library to hear the librarian read us a story. And if you ask my parents, they’ll tell you that I spent most of my weekends curled up reading novels as a kid. That’s just the kind of kid I was…I was and still am perfectly fine spending the weekends chilling with a good book. Now, my weekends are spent writing my own books! It’s nuts.

That’s the best answer I can give people when they ask how I do it. It literally just comes to me. For this first book, I got the idea two or three summers ago. I planned on starting it last summer, but I kept stopping myself because I thought I would hate it. I’ve always loved writing, but for some reason I thought I would get bored writing such a long work. Well, I can tell you right now, that isn’t the case. I can spend two-three hours working on a book without realizing so much time has passed. Still, when I started writing I was worried I would get stuck in the middle of this story with no idea how to end it. I’ve realized how important it is to have the beginning and ending of a story figured out before getting too into it. The middle will pretty much write itself if you have the ending figured out. With my first story, I knew exactly how I wanted it to end, and I had the perfect beginning for the sequel all figured out. When I started the sequel I realized that I had no idea how I was going to end it and I was simply wandering around in a never ending story…good thing I finally figured out a good ending! And just like I knew it would, once I decided on an ending the rest of the outline fell into place and I am so excited to dive into this project with all I’ve got.

Once I got over the fear of getting stuck, the book really took off. I kept it a secret for a while because I was afraid people would think it was too high a goal to reach for, that no one would want to publish me. But I found that when I told people I was writing a book with the hopes of getting published, everyone was pumped and nothing but supportive. Once I had that support I finished the story and started researching publishing houses. It was important to me to find a Christian publishing house because my book is all about Christ. This book is a way for me to reach others for Christ…I look at my audience as my mission field. As I was praying about this project I prayed that God would take it as far as it needed to go and that it would reach the people God wanted it to reach. This project isn’t about me; it’s about reaching people for Christ. I found two publishing houses I liked; one was more of a self-publishing house and one a more traditional publishing house. The self-publisher was cheaper, but I knew it would be harder to reach the audience I wanted to reach with that one. But I requested information from both of them anyway, and I got emails and phone calls from both houses within three days. I decided to send material into the traditional publishing house first because I knew if it was accepted the book would go farther. I prepared myself for rejection though, because my publishing house, Tate Publishing, only accepts about 4% of manuscripts submitted each year. Scary. It’s terrifying to send off something you’ve worked so hard on and that you think is good. But, I know that stepping outside the comfort zone is an important step in reaching goals. If it feels comfortable and easy, your goals aren’t high enough.

The first thing I had to send in was my three best/favorite chapters, a synopsis of the story, an explanation of who I thought my target audience was, and the total word count. I think I was up till three in the morning one night working on all of that, and my heart was pounding when I hit send. I can’t believe I even slept that night. Two days later, Wednesday, I was elbow deep in bread dough when we got a package from UPS from Tate Publishing. I immediately started freaking out and washed my hands as fast as I could and tore into that package right away. My heart about burst out of my chest when I pulled out a 30 page Publishing and Distribution Contract! I called my dad, crying, to let him know the amazing news…they wanted to publish me!

This is where some big giants came and stood in front of me. I was thrilled, but also kind of bummed because I had to come up with a very large amount of money, a refundable publicity retainer. I get the money back after 1000 copies of the book sell, but still…I had to come up with the money within ten days. And people were very suspicious of the fact that I had to pay to get published. So let me clear the air about this. Tate Publishing house is a business. A business that wants to make money. But, they absorb all the costs of production, which is about $27,000. The refundable retainer I paid for is for publicity; books don’t sell themselves. With that money I have a publicist assigned to me to help me set up book signings and to ensure that my books sells so that I can sell 1000 copies and earn that money back. It’s an opportunity cost; I have to pay to ensure that my book sells. The self-publishing house was cheaper, but I know I’d struggle to get my book out there because it would only be available online. With Tate, they print books for me, have them available online at their website and on Barnes and Nobel and Amazon.com, plus it will be available for iPads, Nooks, and Kindles. They really push all their books and help me every step of the way, something I know wouldn’t be available at a self-publishing house. And who knows…maybe one day I’ll sign onto a big publishing house and get paid the big bucks to write. For now, I need to get my feet wet and my name out there. It’s a risk for Tate to publish me; I needed to make an investment in this. And I’m thanking God that I found investors to help me with the money: my father, grandparents, Aunt Brenda and Uncle Clint. What an answer to prayers! Without them I would have no hope of getting published.

Once I had the money I signed the contract and sent it away. And that’s where it’s gotten totally fun and exciting. I got an email right away with the formatting instructions for my manuscript. I then spent an entire day going through the manuscript making all the changes, which they said looked excellent. They scheduled it for production, meaning they will send it through a couple levels of editing and make it look all pretty. This is where the book will come alive and look professional. They will choose an appropriate font and illustrations for the breaks between sections within chapters. It’ll be a couple of months before the real works gets started, but apparently it goes really fast after that. They haven’t given me a date yet, but it’ll probably be about 6-8 months before it’s all done and ready to hit the shelves. In the meantime, they reserved a domain name for my future website…sarawhitley.tateauthor.com! That’s right…I’m using my married name on the book and website! Ben is pretty pumped about that J And since I sent in my payment before the end of May, I also get a Facebook page and a 15 second commercial that will air on some major T.V. channels such as: ABC Family, Animal Planet, Bravo, CMT, CNBC, CNN, E!, ESPN&ESPN2, Food Network, Fox News, Hallmark, HGTV, History Channel, Lifetime, MTV&MTV2, NFL Network (lol), Nickelodeon, SyFy, Spike (lol!), TBS, TLC, TNT, TruTV, TV Land, VH1, and The Weather Channel. So be watching in a few months for my book title: Another Ending, By Sara Whitley! Whoop whoop.

And, that’s about it! Pretty easy! But, it was surprising to get published on my first try. That doesn’t happen often, which gives me hope that this will be bigger than I imagined. I do get royalties for my work, which is fancy author talk for money, haha. I get money off the first book that sells, unlike other publishing houses that keep the money until after a certain number of books sell. Royalties will really help Ben and I pay for our wedding so my parents don’t have to shell out so much money, which is awesome. And if Tate decides to accept my sequel as well, those royalties will help us in our first years of marriage when money will be tight. Hopefully we can start paying off our loans right away after graduation. Ideally I would like to work a few years doing something with my Social Work degree, but it would be awesome if I could work from home when we start having kids. But having my degree in social work and getting a few years of experience will give me new ideas for books!  Believe it or not I already have an idea for a third book in this series, as well as ideas for a few other books as well Crazy stuff.  

Right now I’m working two jobs and writing in my spare time. I’m about eight chapters into the second book, but I won’t reveal the title or details for a while. My priority right now is to get school and a wedding paid for, and that means I must work my butt off this summer and simply write in my spare time. But it helps fill the hours that I miss my fiancé like crazy…he’s living in Sioux Falls for the summer. I’m thinking about getting a newsletter sent out, and I need to start designing a business card now that I have a domain name! I can’t get over that exciting little detail. My dad is my business advisor, and I went out and bought a ledger book to keep track of expenses. I have to look at this like a business, and boy am I glad I have a banker father and a business major fiancé to help me with all that. God is good and ALWAYS looking out for me. I have totally felt his hand throughout this whole ordeal, and I am beyond excited to see lives touched and hopefully changed because of my writing. If it reaches just one person for Christ I will consider it a success. It will be awesome to hear back from readers about what God has done through reading my book. I get goose bumps just thinking about it. So, if you’re wanting to pray for me, don’t. Pray for my readers. God takes care of me by providing me with endless ideas. I don’t worry anymore that I will get stuck in the middle. If I feel some writers block I step away for a few days and He always gets me back on track. So pray that my writing will reach the hearts it needs to and that those hearts will be open and willing.

That’s all for now! Be looking for more blog posts later on as I learn about where my book is at. And when it hits the shelves…the biggest way to support me is to buy the book! I am starting a list of book stores to do signings in, and if you have a store in mind please let me know. I can set up signings anywhere I want to if the owners are open to it. So let me know! Thanks for your interest and support, all. It’s great to already have fans cheering me on.    

It's Gonna be a Crazy Ride!

So, here’s the promised update!

I was up pretty late the other night working on some final stuff submit to a publisher; three of my favorite chapters from my book, a synopsis, who I thought the target audience was, and my inspiration. So I’ll share some of that with you guys, although I won’t give out all the juicy details. I want you all to buy the book if we decide to go with this publisher!

This book is entitled Another Ending, and it is very much a book about hope. It’s about the power of the cross, about overcoming the darkest of obstacles and returning home. With Jesus, it is always possible to stop running away and to return home. I want my readers to really grasp this…we live in a dark world, but with Jesus we are able to maneuver it a little better.

I focus on some the toughest things that face young adults today, including date rape and abortion. It’s a bit of a love story, but don’t worry, it’s not too sappy. And there’s not a cheesy, happily ever after ending. It’s a good ending, believe me, but I hate authors that write endings that would probably never happen in real life. I want this to be a believable story, so I left out the expected happily ever after and took it in a bit of a different direction. Hopefully this gets you intrigued!

Most importantly, this story is about running away. It’s about turning away from Christ when life gets tougher and tougher. The main character, Molly, is constantly searching for peace away from Christ, away from the church. And yet the farther away she tries to run, the emptier she feels. She keeps running into…you guessed it…ending. Dead end after dead end. But, I want my audience to see that facing trials is possible with Jesus. Molly can only return from all she’s run from with his help.

And…that’s all I’m going to give you. Just a little nibble to draw you in.

This has been an incredible journey. The story is written in first person, and I felt like I stepped into a different life while writing. It’s very personal…what Molly has struggled through, I’ve struggled through. She’s very much a part of me; I simply can’t let her go. So that’s why I’ve started the book’s sequel. I couldn’t leave her where I did…I have big plans for her. And I have nothing else to do this summer with Ben in Sioux Falls. Might as well, right? I thought so.

And like I told the publishers, this is all inspired by Christ. I’ve loved reading and writing my whole life, but I thought getting published was only a dream. But life is short. I don’t want to wait to live out my dreams. Sure, I’m in college. Nope, I don’t have a degree in English or Creative Writing. I’ve never attended any workshops or took any writing classes. But I’ve read hundreds of books, and I feel like that has made me into the writer I am today. And a publisher wants my book from only reading three chapters and a synopsis. So that’s encouraging!

I am inspired simply because I am a helper. Explains why I’m in social work! I want to help this hurting generation see the hope that only comes from Christ. This is my mission field…God hasn’t called me to Africa; he’s called me to my computer. He’s called me to step outside my comfort zone and pursue this with everything in me. So that’s what I’ve been doing since October.

I’ve been so encouraged by you all. Thanks for believing in me. I have the best support group and fan base ever. Please keep me in your prayers…this is a big decision for me and my family, because getting the book published is a pricy investment. Pray that we will know exactly what to do. If this isn’t the way to go, I want it to be crystal clear. But mostly, please pray for the people who will one day read this work. The message is powerful. I want it to plant seeds in people, to help bring people home, like Molly comes home. My prayers are for the readers, not me. I’ve done the work and put myself out there, and I know Christ will lead me exactly where I need to go. What I really want is for the hearts of unbelievers to be open and ready. Please partner with me on this. My one and only goal is for Christ to get all the glory, not me. It’s not about me. It’s all for him. So thank you for all the congratulations…but the glory belongs to Him, and Him alone.

1 Corinthians 10:31
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.