Some exciting stuff is happening with my soon-to-be-released novel, The Fence My Father Built. Abingdon, my publisher, recently emailed a copy of my book’s cover. This part of the publishing process is when I get excited about the forthcoming book. To me, it signals that SOMEbody actually understands my story. A picture really is worth a thousand words, and a sign that the artist had to get into character (my characters!) at least for a little while in order to come up with something suitable. My story is inspirational contemporary women’s fiction. If I had to say what I like least about the cover, I’d say the woman looking into the distance. But the narrator is a woman so I’m OK with it. All my friends, family and fellow writers have sweated and parsed and reparsed this book with me for years. To see it finally be published is a dream come true. I’ll be a novelist. For all you who want to be a “paperback writer” as I have since I was 12, keep writing. Don’t ever stop learning the craft. Get yourself a good feedback group, go to workshops, conferences and lit events. Enter writing contests. Most of all, write, write, write. Never give up.
And always let the Lord be your cover. That way, when you’re disappointed and mad and rejected AGAIN, you’ll have a Shoulder to cry upon. God probably won’t magically shoot you to the Best Seller list (if He does, I’m your best friend, remember?) but God will be your biggest fan.
I’ll post the cover image of my novel soon. Guess what part of the book they chose to illustrate? More to come.