The Friday 5: book news, difficult middles, and waiting for summer

1. In The Hideaway news: I finally turned in the manuscript to my editor! It has been sitting on a flashdrive untouched since last summer when I began talks with HarperCollins/Thomas Nelson, and I’ve been dying to send it off to get the process started. Unfortunately, it’ll still be a couple of months before I get the editor’s letter back, but at least it’s out of my hands. I’m very curious to see what Karli (my editor) has to say about it when she finishes reading it. I re-read it a week or so ago just to double-check everything and make sure I hadn’t left any misspelled words or punctuation errors. I was happy to find I still love the story! Only a year to wait for it. (**Release date is April 11, 2017.**)
2. In Book 2 news: I almost abandoned it. And frankly, that option isn’t totally off the table. I probably won’t, but it was close there for a few days. See, I got to the dreaded middle. It’s the same thing that happened with the previous book I wrote (the one I thought was going to be my book 2, but I got to the middle and completely freaked out and lost the thread. Maybe I’ll come back to it one day.) I probably hit the rough middle in The Hideaway, but I just don’t remember. (Honestly, I look at The Hideaway through rose-tinted glasses. In my head, the process was smooth as lake water without any middle-of-the-night panic attacks over how much I still had left to do. It’s probably because that book is FINISHED and it’s easy to think happy, loving thoughts about a book that’s finished.)

Anyway, about middles, Dani Shapiro says: “Middles are where you have to tough things out. Ideas fall apart. All that promise vanishes when facing the cold, harsh light of making something out of it. Middles challenge us to find our tenacity and our patience, to remind ourselves that it is within this struggle–often just at the height of hopelessness, frustration,  and despair–that we find the most hidden and valuable gifts of the process. Just as in life.”

So, onward with whatever thin strands of tenacity and patience I have. I will (try) not (to) abandon this story for another something else shinier, easier, lighter. Because this is the story I’m telling now. It’s possible I just found my way into the a difficult character in my story–a character I’m having a hard time figuring out. If I go down this new path, it’ll probably mean trashing several thousand words, but it may be worth it. I won’t know unless I try it.

Y’all, writing a book is HARD. What was I thinking, getting myself into this? (I’m kidding. Mostly.) I read yesterday that success (when writing books, at least) is writing the book you meant to write. I truly believe I did that with The Hideaway–it is just what I wanted it to be when I first started writing. Now, to do it again with another book? In the words of Miracle Max, “It’ll take a miracle.”

3. Looking for something good to read? 


download

download

Flight of Dreams by Ariel Lawhon. Fictionalized story of the Hindenberg. Historical and funny, sensual and suspenseful. I couldn’t put it down.

Anything you’ve read that you loved? Tell me!

4. In other book news, my 6 year old is learning to read and it is such a joy. She sat at the breakfast table this morning, a stack of library books next to her, and said, “I just love books. Don’t you love books?” Proud mama moment. I’ve grown to love picking out children’s books at the library almost as I love picking out my own. Trying to pick something new–a new topic, a new author, one with amazing pictures or a super funny story–it’s such a treat to introduce her, and little sister Sela, to the worlds waiting for them in books. Here are some of our recent favorites (she doesn’t necessarily read these–she just picks out the words she knows–but we read them together):

Really, anything by Kate DiCamillo is a treat. We love all the Mercy Watson books. Bink & Gollie is a new favorite.


bear

bear

Daniel Pinkwater has several Bear and Bunny books. They’re sweet and funny. We love when they think the frog croaking up in a tree is a kitty because only kitties climb trees.


butterfly

butterfly

For a long time, Kate avoided Magic School Bus books because they’d read one in school that was all about germs and it happened to be while she was in her germ-phobia phase. Finally, we’ve found some Magic School Bus books she likes. This one was fun–Mrs. Frizzle turned the kids into butterflies.

If your kids have favorite books, I’d love to hear about them!

5. I’ve always loved summer and wait for it impatiently through the cold winter months. (And chilly springs, like this week.) But this year, our first year in “big school,” I’m waiting for it with a new impatience. Spring Break was a little taste of slow, non-rushed mornings, and it was really nice. The 7-7:45 timeframe is such a chaotic crunch, as I know it is for most people with kids. I’m looking forward to not having to rush through “Eat! Eat! Eat! Brush your teeth! Get shoes on! Where’s your bag? Do you have your lunch?” We are not scheduling much for the summer–a couple of VBSs, a short session of tennis lessons for Kate, and lots of pool time. That’s about it. Here’s to not overprogramming for the summer! (Ask me again in August, and maybe I’ll be singing a different tune.)

Hope y’all have a great weekend!

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