A Thank You To Book Reviewers

I'm stunned / honored / blessed by the reviews for Until I Found You. To everyone who has posted your thoughts, THANK YOU. And I'm not talking about just the 5 stars, though of course I love those. This is for everyone who has taken the time to read the book and offer a thoughtful opinion.

I use reviews to learn. If eight people mention "a little bit of telling," it means I have a little bit of telling. And if eight people make the same remark about a character being less than I intended, I look at that character to see where I could have been clearer. 

The other side of the coin are the reviews that capture the spiritual heart of the story. For those of you who have shared your enthusiasm on Facebook, Twitter, etc., I'm honored beyond words. My goal has always been to write fiction that speaks to the human soul, lost or found. If just one person is somehow helped by this book, my job is done. (If you've read it, you know about Nick. That scene in the truck with Colton? Yep. Autobiographical.) 

One of the things about Until I Found You is that it's hard to categorize. It's a contemporary romance, but it also has a women's fiction-y aspect to it. It has touches of humor, but it's not a rom-com. There's a danger element, but it's not romantic suspense. And while it's a romance, the heart of the book is really the spiritual journey. I guess that makes it Christian romantic fiction with humor, danger and big ugly birds called California condors.  

I just wanted to express my thanks to those who have taken the time to read and write about the story. There are 56 reviews on Amazon right now. I'm truly honored by each and every one.

Coincidence? I Don't Think So

I'm going to "out" myself as a bit of a nut with this post, but this really happened.  I posted yesterday about the Multiply simulcast and how it impacted me. 

Today I started the day with flat-on-the-floor prayer, the kind where you smell the carpet and it scratches your nose. You're a little bit cold because it's 5 a.m., but that's okay because the chill wakes you up. The dog probably thought I was dead. He came to sniff, decided I was breathing and curled up back under the covers. 

That prayer time was for family, friends, the book, and for me to remember who God is.

I hit the computer, worked on Chapter 8 some more and took the dog for a walk. So here are the coincidences that made my jaw drop.

1.  Two blocks from home I saw a car with California plates. That alone is fairly unusual here in Lexington, but these plates were in a frame that said Bakersfield, California. Bakersfield is my old stomping ground and it plays a part in "Until I Found You." I've never seen Bakersfield plates in KY before now.

2.  A block later, I saw an old car in a driveway.  Super old . . . like vintage. I get closer and it's a 1960-sometning Chevy Impala SS. Not just a Chevy Impala, but an SS.  Would you believe the hero in my book has a classic Chevy Impala SS?  His is 1962 because that's what my dad had, but still, it counts.  I've never seen this car before. What are the odds?

3.  A friend at church often tells me about her granddaughter.  Today she told me about the little girl's mermaid costume.  My jaw dropped, because . . . you guessed it. The little girl in my book is infatuated with mermaids.  Mermaids? At church?  I don't think I've ever talked mermaids at church before.

Here's why this stuff matters to me.  I believe in a God who has supernatural power.  Make that:

 

SUPERNATURAL POWER

People often argue against the resurrection this way: It didn't happen, because it couldn't happen, so it didn't happen.  But what if it COULD happen and what if it DID happen?  What if Jesus Christ really is Who He says He is?

What if he's the kind of God who loves a tired, struggling writer enough to send her love letters in the form of license plate holders, vintage cars and mermaid costumes? 

What if? Make that:

WHAT IF?

Coincidence? I don't think so.

Favorite Bookstores & Book Covers

I'm a regular Amazon customer. My favorite birthday / Christmas gift is an Amazon gift card so I can load up the Kindle or order hard copies.

At the same time, I visit brick-and-mortar bookstores as often as I can. Browsing online has some advantages (I'm sucker for the "if you like this book, you'll like this one too" sections), but it's not the same as randomly picking up a book because . . . well just because. Anything can grab my attention: a catchy title, an author I enjoy, or just as likely, a new-to-me author; or the cover, the blurb . . . even the font on the spine.

This is on my mind because I'm hoping to see the cover for "Until I Found You" in the next few days.  I can hardly wait! In fact, it feels the same as my very first book, maybe because UIFY is a true book of my heart--a story conceived while I browsed old style bookstores B. Dalton, Waldenbooks and Crown Books.

Sometimes the past and present . . . this is one of those days.

Writer Moment

I finished the revisions for Until I Found You about two weeks ago.  Once I'm done with a book, I don't like to look at it again, not even when it's in print.  But there's a moment where the finished ms is like wet paint . . . I just have to touch it one more time, to take one more glance to see if it's as complete as I thought it was when I typed "The End."

I just had that moment with Until I Found You.  Whew!  Nothing made me cringe, except one little itty-bitty typo.  On to the next ms . . .