Friday, March 30, 2012

Cinderella: It's not just a fairy tale....



I think I know a little bit how she must have felt on that magical night! One week ago today I received word that a long-held dream had come true and just as magically, like that, my life changed course. I was a freelance writer/editor and author who six months ago had indie published her own fiction in e-book format. Now, in addition, my fiction is to be print published. I will hold in my hands an actual book and when you have loved books your whole life the way I have this is a gift, a true miracle. I am especially grateful, too, because it was the love of books and reading that inspired my desire to write. I wanted to give back, or give on, the wealth of joy that I found in stories. To me reading a story is like opening a door into another world, one I can’t experience in any other way. It is a way to explore human nature and to peer into its mind. It is a way to know myself. My big sister taught me to read. We’ve shared the love of reading our whole lives. Together with our mother we have always revered books. In life there is so much change and upheaval. For me books are the one constant, the single reliable presence. The source for light and joy. They have lifted me out of myself, provided me with inspiration, moved me to tears and to laughter. Taught me to think, helped me to discover and to question. Now there is this possibility for me to give this same gift to others through my stories, to give pleasure, to give food for thought and imagination.

Some have voiced concern that as the result of the electronic revolution, printed books will be lost to the world. Maybe, although I can’t imagine it and don’t ever want to see that happen. In any case, the art of story will never be lost. It’s woven into our DNA, threaded into the very nature of life. The universe itself tells a story.

In some of my indie book reader mail and reviews, readers have said they felt as though they were with the characters or living in the character’s heads while reading the stories. I love knowing that the world I create in a book and the people who are brought to life from the page are that vivid. I love hearing that a reader has been moved by a story, that something inside them has shifted as a result, a thought, a belief, perhaps a judgment against or a prejudice is reconsidered.  One reader said reading gave her relief from disturbing issues in her own life, that for awhile she was just lost in a different world. I wish there were a way for me to convey to every reader how much these comments mean to me or how thrilled I am for this new opportunity to reach many more readers, to put something solid into their hands … a gift with beautiful art on the cover and pages to turn.

EVIDENCE OF LIFE will be published by MIRA in April of 2013. The process is unfolding now and I have so much to learn, but it is such a joy because every day I will be doing what I love to do. Thank you to Barbara Poelle, my wonderful agent, whose guidance and insight honed the novel’s focus and thank you to Erika Imranyi, my fabulous editor at MIRA, whose enthusiasm and encouraging words have made me that much more determined to be the best writer I can possibly be. They have both inspired in me a desire to work harder, although when it is so gratifying to me, I almost can’t think of it as work.

I am planning to chronicle the journey here, from now until next April I’ll post about progress on a regular basis. I don’t want to lose the memory of one minute of this experience. I hope you’ll want to join me.

On Facebook the other day, I commented that I was so happy I caught myself skipping in the grocery store parking lot. I didn’t even care that people stared. That’s having joy. I so hope I can share that here, sprinkle it around so everyone feels the benefit. People should never be too old to skip or to dream or to have their dreams come true. They should never be too old to believe miracles can and do happen.  I know because one has happened to me.

11 comments:

  1. Although I do not now sit in a place where I can physically skip, in my mind, I'm skipping right along with you! Joy is contagious and although people were staring, I bet they were smiling like Cheshire cats!

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  2. You know I'm right there skipping with you! So thrilled for your great news!

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  3. Bobbi,
    I can just see you skipping. You are so deserving of all this joy. I hope it never ends. I am going to teach my Africa kids to skip tomorrow.. The already have the joy, but I think they need to learn how to skip!

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  4. I can't say how much each of these little comments means to me. Susi, I love that you will teach the kids there to skip. It's so expressive of joy! The same as grinning like Cheshire cats and skipping with a partner! Thank you for stopping by, reading and commenting.

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  5. Congratulations!! You are definitely deserving of this. The Ninth Step is a show of your gift to write for readers like me. I can't wait to read Evidence of Life.

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  6. Thank you, Cheryl. I'm so glad you stopped by.

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  7. You're living the dream, Barbara. Let's hold hands so we can skip together and some of that goodness rubs off on me! :-)

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  8. Yep, let's! I hope it's contagious for sure, TJ!

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  9. sophie littlefieldApril 2, 2012 at 8:05 AM

    Adventure ahead! Let's plunge forward together with as little fear and as much joy as possible :)

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  10. Absolutely, Sophie! Joy is so much more when it's shared. So glad for you....

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  11. [...] I love this question because it gives me a chance to share the most wonderful news. I recently signed with MIRA to do two books. The first one, EVIDENCE OF LIFE, will be published in April of 2013 and it’s the story of a woman caught in a web of lies after her husband and daughter go missing during a camping trip to the Texas Hill Country, challenging everything she believes about her family and her life.  I will be chronicling the progress from now until the novel’s debut on my blog and have posted the first entry here.  [...]

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