There are firsts in life that need to be celebrated. I wanted to take a moment to share this one with you, Dear Readers!
It’s been a long road to this recent series of “firsts” – my first novel release, my first book signing, the arrival of that big box of books at my door with my name on them!
And now – Woo-hoo! A royalty check! It’s a gratifying experience after all these years of cranking out three novels. I asked Smuffy to take my photo in front of my P. G. Wodehouse collection as he is my favorite author. I have often said that when I can write like Wodehouse, I will have arrived. The cow creamer is one of those nods to the master that if you know – you know.
Thanks for sharing the moment with me and remember to get your copy of “Hear My Whisper” – from me, of course, if you are local, or directly from my publisher at Ozark Hollow Press. You can also get the book at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.
PLEASE take a couple of minutes to review. That may sound like an insignificant thing, but in the writing world, reviews are those digital nudges that get my book promoted as it should be.
Post your review of Hear My Whisper to platforms like Goodreads.com, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble (and any other platform for book reviews you prefer). This will help give the book a strong base to have staying power in the long term.
Enough reveling. Now back to editing on the sequel.
If you’ve read “Hear My Whisper” or are in the process, let me know in the comments how you are liking it. No spoilers allowed!
Just a reminder for all the bookworms out there: It’s time to get in the mood for Valentine’s Day with a bit of historical romance! If you are within driving distance, join me this Saturday for a time of Book Reading & Discussion.
If you experience any issues with seeing the information in the photo above, please see my Midwest Storyteller facebook page for the event.
If you’ve already finished reading “Hear My Whisper”, I hope you’ll come and let me know what you’re looking forward to in the sequel.
If you haven’t read it, take this opportunity to sample some selections and see if it draws you in.
Have you been to a Book Reading before? Actually, I haven’t! Perhaps you can leave me a comment and tell me what to expect!
Though I’ve never cared for aviator shades and my car is not equipped with AI, it does communicate with me, mostly in a silent, passive-aggressive manner to let me know of its refusal to cooperate with my simplest demands. No, I don’t think my little buggy and I would attract many viewers with a weekly show. I do, however, write at night.
By nature, I am already a night owl and that helps, but I’ve had to face the issue of blue light. Eye strain is a real thing and so is the problem of not being able to shut down the little gray cells after hours staring at a huge computer monitor and living in a completely different world.
I can hear your suggestion that I should write during the day. This is not an option. My days are filled with nothing but fun and games provided by Fruity Pebbles and Lil’ Snookie.
Having done my research, I ordered a quality pair of glasses that has blue light blocking imbedded throughout the lenses – not merely a coating that renders them useless with the slightest scratch. I was given a delivery window of three to six business days.
This, folks, is where things went south. To be exact, they went not only south, but every direction imaginable multiple times! This small package, which I could have slipped into any decent sized handbag, began to travel more than I have in the last decade.
The image above (though not a map by any means and shouldn’t be used as such) gives an idea of how the United States Postal Service works to meet its efficiency and budgetary goals.
Using the tracking link provided by the Postal Service, I saw that the little box left San Diego and came straightaway to Olathe, Kansas and then went on to Kansas City. This made logical sense and I began to look forward to its arrival.
I suppose, however, that the poor thing couldn’t stand the cold, because it took off for Avondale, Arizona. After this, it couldn’t resist a jaunt over to Phoenix. Finding Phoenix a bit congested, my glasses returned to Avondale. Mysteriously, they returned to Phoenix again and I began to wonder if they’d become victims of a car-jacking. When they made a bee-line back to Avondale again, I imagined them being confused by roundabouts.
After finally having their fill of the dry desert air, they must have put in a request for transfer, giving the Postal Service some inkling that a mishap had occurred. They stepped in and, like the heroes that they are, properly and rightly brought my package all the way back to Olathe, Kansas. Now, I thought to myself, we are getting somewhere.
My spectacles were, indeed, getting somewhere. They took off for Abilene, probably because it was the prettiest town they’d ever seen. Those in supervisory positions with the Postal Service must have gotten wind of it at this point, declaring, “This must cease!”, because my package was then sent straight to Columbia, Missouri.
This is where I got excited. Now they could be on a delivery truck and at my house within hours. They certainly would have been if they hadn’t zoomed right past on the interstate and gone back to Kansas City! Thankfully, they made a U-turn there, but instead of taking the appropriate exit ramp, they merely waved as they passed again.
Once back in Columbia, some dear soul blessed with snappy, happy little neurons spotted them, and spying a truck destined for my hometown, shoved them in it.
That’s when I went to my local post office and told them that under no circumstances should they let them out of their sight. They merely sneered and told me I should’ve paid express mail fees.
Yes, Dear Readers, these are your tax dollars at work!
All’s well that ends well. Once the glasses arrived over a week late, I began putting them to good use and am busy every night getting the sequel to “Hear My Whisper” ready for you. This second book in the “Morgan’s Landing Series” is projected to release in the summer of 2026.
I’d love your feedback on “Hear My Whisper”, so please leave a comment. More importantly, leave a review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads and at my publisher’s website, Ozark Hollow Press.
No, Dear Readers, this is not a duplicate post and you are not having leftover holiday hustle-and-bustle confusion. Nasty weather during the first week of December forced us to reschedule this event.
I am looking forward to seeing many of you this Saturday if you are within driving distance of Tipton, Missouri. Price James Library is sponsoring this book signing and has asked me to speak as well.
I love helping others recognize that they might have a story within them that is just begging to be told. Others know they have a story, but need tips and guidance concerning the different approaches to publishing. How do you transition from being all alone with your keyboard and your imagination to the world of editing, writers’ conferences, pitching, agents, editors and publishers? Do you take the plunge or go it alone?
However, the story of how my “Morgan’s Landing” novel series came about holds much more than nuts and bolts – it has had its share of miracles along the way and I’ll be sharing those as well.
If your church, community group or club would be interested in having me speak at an event, please leave a comment or email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com
Here are some upcoming dates to keep in mind:
Saturday, February 7 – 1:00 PM Join me for a reading and discussion of “Hear My Whisper” at Boonslick Regional Library in Boonville, Missouri.
Wednesday, April 29th – 1:30 PM Community Lecture Series State Fair Community College Boonville, Missouri Campus – Cost to Public: $5
Saturday, May 2 – Book Signing at Barnes & Noble, Columbia, Missouri.
This Fall: I’ll be joining other authors at the Local Author Showcase sponsored by Daniel Boone Regional Library, Columbia, Missouri
So…the big question is: How’s it going, Dear Readers? I’ve heard from those of you who had to set their copy aside to read after the holiday rush and from those who finished “Hear My Whisper” already and are waiting for the sequel. Without giving away any spoilers, of course, leave a comment and give me your thoughts on the book!
Are you looking for an opportunity to get your book into the community? Maybe you’ve written a book, but are unsure of the next steps?
That’s okay! Local Authors Showcase is designed to meet authors and ask them questions about their books and the process of getting their titles published.
I will be there, along with around 35 other authors. If you love books, you’ll love this! Please share and bring a friend.
Please check out this event and other great things going on at Missouri River Regional Library’s website HERE and Facebook page HERE.
You are invited! If you are anywhere in the vicinity, please join me at Boonslick Regional Library in Boonville, Missouri. I’d love to visit with you and, of course, I’ll have copies of “Hear My Whisper” (Book 1 in the Morgan’s Landing Series). I’m looking forward to seeing you there and please bring a friend. You never know when you or someone you know might be inspired to become an author!
If your church, community group or club would be interested in having me speak at an event, please leave a comment or email me at barb@midweststoryteller.com
I love helping others recognize that they might have a story within them that is just begging to be told. Others know they have a story, but need tips and guidance concerning the different approaches to publishing. How do you transition from being all alone with your keyboard and your imagination to the world of editing, writers’ conferences, pitching, agents, editors and publishers? Do you take the plunge or go it alone?
If you or anyone you know is within driving distance, please join me at this event. We’ll be able to chat about my book (and yours if you have one), the story behind it and the road to getting it published. Spoiler Alert: There are lots of ins and outs, do’s and don’ts and surprises involved!
Coming SOON: Details on events in the near future –
December 6th – Boonslick Regional Library in Boonville, Missouri
December 7th – Missouri River Regional Library in Jefferson City, Missouri
Just a quick note to remind you that if you are within driving distance of Boonville, Missouri, please meet me tomorrow, November 22nd, at Bloom & Bindings in the historic downtown.
Please bring a friend. I’d love to chat with you and introduce you to Julia and her life in Morgan’s Landing.
The event is also posted on Bloom & Bindings Facebook page, so check it out!
Subscribe to keep posted on updates on Book 2 in the series and upcoming book signing events.
Enjoy this video trailer for “Hear My Whisper”, Book 1 in my Morgan’s Landing series. It makes me want to read the book and I already know what happens!
Here’s more about “Hear My Whisper”:
“And you can be certain of one thing, Abigail. I’m no angel.”
Julia Lansing stumbles into an embarrassing scandal when she’s discovered in a compromising position with a U. S. senator!
Though she’s innocent and it was all a misunderstanding, the shame burns. Matters are made worse later at dinner, when she seeks to hold her mother’s hand for moral support and finds herself holding a strange man’s hand by mistake! With mishaps abounding, how on earth is she meant to survive her trip to Savannah? Returning to her predictable life back home would be ideal—if it weren’t for the handsome Adam Cole. What is she meant to do about him?
Meanwhile, Beatrice Lansing, Julia’s mother, is expanding her business ventures in dress-making. With only a short amount of time to stay in Savannah, she’s striving to showcase her designs and build the network of employees and customers she came to create. Can she make her dreams come true, or will she return to Missouri empty-handed? And why is she receiving telegrams from her husband about explosions and replacing curtains?
Set against the backdrop of Savannah, Georgia and the small town of Morgan’s Landing, Missouri in 1904, Hear My Whisper, book one in the Morgan’s Landing series, invites you to follow Julia Lansing as she navigates the mores of a different city, state, social class, and the newfound interests of a young man (or two or three). Can she make the choice that’s best for her own happiness? Can her family succeed in the pursuit of their dreams? Or will it all come crashing down?
When Smuffy came into the kitchen and told me that I had something on the front porch and I had better bring my camera, I gave him a quizzical look, wondering why he thought we should start taking pictures of those bubble-wrap bags with the smiley arrow on them. When I stepped outside, my first thought was how silly it was of me to have forgotten what I’d been anticipating for the last few weeks! So, yes, I squinted into the sunlight and let Smuffy take my picture.
My first shipment of “Hear My Whisper”, Book 1 of the Morgan’s Landing Series, arrived and I was very pleased with how everything turned out.
Those of you in my local area can grab a copy from me personally if you see me out and about or, better yet, attend my first book signing this coming Saturday, November 22nd from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Bloom & Bindings, located ta 315 Main Street in Boonville, Missouri. You can click HERE for the Facebook event and let us know if you’ll be attending and save the event so you’ll get reminders.
If you’re not within driving distance, you can click HERE for all the ways to get the book.NOTE: Amazon will offer you the ebook not, but not the physical book until the actual release date, which is Tuesday, November 18th. Ozark Hollow Press and Barnes & Noble now offer ebook, hardcover and paperback versions.
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but we do. Finalizing the cover for “Hear My Whisper” was a real challenge. Leave a comment and let me know how you like it.
You are invited! If you are anywhere in the vicinity, please join me at Bloom & Bindings Book Store in Boonville, Missouri. I’d love to visit with you and, of course, I’ll have copies of “Hear My Whisper” (Book 1 in the Morgan’s Landing Series). Click HERE to see the event on Facebook and let us know you’re coming!
If you know of any place that would enjoy having me come for a book signing event, please LEAVE A COMMENT and let me know.
I pondered for a moment as to what my subscribers might enjoy having the opportunity to win for the month of October and then, in a flash of brilliance, I realized that I have a brand new novel out and you might just like one for the First Friday Freebie! I’m quick like that.
Let me tempt you with this from the back of the book.
“And you can be certain of one thing, Abigail. I’m no angel.”
Julia Lansing stumbles into an embarrassing scandal when she’s discovered in a compromising position with a U. S. senator!
Though she’s innocent and it was all a misunderstanding, the shame burns. Matters are made worse later at dinner, when she seeks to hold her mother’s hand for moral support and finds herself holding a strange man’s hand by mistake! With mishaps abounding, how on earth is she meant to survive her trip to Savannah? Returning to her predictable life back home would be ideal—if it weren’t for the handsome Adam Cole. What is she meant to do about him?
Meanwhile, Beatrice Lansing, Julia’s mother, is expanding her business ventures in dress-making. With only a short amount of time to stay in Savannah, she’s striving to showcase her designs and build the network of employees and customers she came to create. Can she make her dreams come true, or will she return to Missouri empty-handed? And why is she receiving telegrams from her husband about explosions and replacing curtains?
Set against the backdrop of Savannah, Georgia and the small town of Morgan’s Landing, Missouri in 1904, Hear My Whisper, book one in the Morgan’s Landing series, invites you to follow Julia Lansing as she navigates the mores of a different city, state, social class, and the newfound interests of a young man (or two or three). Can she make the choice that’s best for her own happiness? Can her family succeed in the pursuit of their dreams? Or will it all come crashing down?
To enter to win a free paperback copy of “Hear My Whisper”, the first book in my “Morgan’s Landing” novel series, the first thing you need to do is become an email subscriber HERE if you haven’t already done so. Then, “Leave a Comment” on this post, saying, “Can’t wait to curl up with a good book!”
Subscribing is FREE and First Friday Freebies are FREE – don’t you just love it?
Often I fail to invite you to follow Midwest Storyteller on Facebook HERE and on Instagram HERE, so check those out.
SHARE this post through Facebook, Instagram, X, Pinterest or send the link in an email to all your friends so they can enter to win!
Previous freebies can be found on the “Freebies” page. Take a look at the gifts subscribers have been winning.
Once again, a winner will be chosen at random from those subscribers who enter before midnight tonight, October 3rd by leaving a comment which says, “Can’t wait to curl up with a good book!”
And now, here are the complete First Friday Freebie Rules by clicking HERE.
Don’t delay. You know you’ll forget if you don’t enter now! Subscribe if you haven’t already, confirm and comment to enter before midnight tonight, October 3rd! “Hear My Whisper” is available for pre-order right now, so get all the details on that right here.
Note: I have noticed that if you order extras for family and friends, the publisher will give you FREE SHIPPING. Any combination such as two hardcovers, a hardcover and a paperback, or three paperbacks (or, of course, more) will qualify for free shipping.
Upon release, physical books will also be available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
NOTE: If you do plan to order an ebook, I would strongly encourage you to do so on Amazon. This helps build numbers for my book that might give me one of those “bestselling” banners upon release. That, my dear readers, would be nice!
My publisher has set the “official” publication date as November 18th. However, that is to allow for any unexpected “stuff that happens”. I am expecting to have physical books available in early to mid-October.
The act of kindness that would mean the most to me is for you to post your review of Hear My Whisper to platforms like Goodreads.com, Amazon.com (or whatever platform for book reviews you prefer). This will help give the book a strong base to have staying power in the long term.
Here’s a bit from the back of the book:
“And you can be certain of one thing, Abigail. I’m no angel.”
Julia Lansing stumbles into an embarrassing scandal when she’s discovered in a compromising position with a U. S. senator!
Though she’s innocent and it was all a misunderstanding, the shame burns. Matters are made worse later at dinner, when she seeks to hold her mother’s hand for moral support and finds herself holding a strange man’s hand by mistake! With mishaps abounding, how on earth is she meant to survive her trip to Savannah? Returning to her predictable life back home would be ideal—if it weren’t for the handsome Adam Cole. What is she meant to do about him?
Meanwhile, Beatrice Lansing, Julia’s mother, is expanding her business ventures in dress-making. With only a short amount of time to stay in Savannah, she’s striving to showcase her designs and build the network of employees and customers she came to create. Can she make her dreams come true, or will she return to Missouri empty-handed? And why is she receiving telegrams from her husband about explosions and replacing curtains?
Set against the backdrop of Savannah, Georgia and the small town of Morgan’s Landing, Missouri in 1904, Hear My Whisper, book one in the Morgan’s Landing series, invites you to follow Julia Lansing as she navigates the mores of a different city, state, social class, and the newfound interests of a young man (or two or three). Can she make the choice that’s best for her own happiness? Can her family succeed in the pursuit of their dreams? Or will it all come crashing down?
There’s one way to find out! Pre-order now.
Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. Are you considering writing a novel, a true story? Smuffy says he’s going to enjoy the book in his happy place – in the bathtub for a long soak. Where’s your favorite spot to curl up with a good book?
I am so excited! I hope you are excited along with me. The first book in my Morgan’s Landing series, Hear My Whisper, is available for pre-order. Take a look at the cover.
Hear My Whisper will be available in paperback and hardcover editions and also as an ebook. I don’t know how the relationship is between you and the books you read, but I make friends with mine. Though I’ve read a few books on Kindle (mainly because I couldn’t find them anywhere else), I’m a true book lover and I like to hold the physical book in my own two hands. In our household, we are all book sniffers, burying our noses in the pages to see if they smell as a good book should. I neglected to discuss this fine point with the publisher, so I am hoping that when my own copies of Hear My Whisper arrive, they pass the sniff test.
If you’d like to pre-order physical books (paperbacks and hardcovers) and get a savings of 20%, click here: Hear My Whisper | Ozark Hollow Press From September 24 to September 29, 2025, you can use the promo code WHISPER20 to get 20% off your pre-orders. After this date, the retail prices will be:
– Paperback – $17.99
– Hardcover – $25.99
Now for ebooks. They’re great to have with you when you’re on the go, but a trifle difficult to get autographed.
If you’d like to pre-order the ebook, click here for Barnes & Noble:
Until September 29, the pre-order price for the ebook will be $2.99. After September 29, the ebook price will increase to the retail price of $5.99.
I would strongly encourage, if you can possibly do so, to pre-order on Amazon. This helps build numbers for my book that might give me one of those “bestselling” banners upon release. That, my dear readers, would be nice!
My publisher has set the “official” publication date as November 18th. However, that is to allow for any unexpected “stuff that happens” and I am expecting to have books available in early to mid-October. That’s right around the corner!
The act of kindness that would mean the most to me is for you to post your review of Hear My Whisper to platforms like Goodreads.com, Amazon.com (or whatever platform for book reviews you prefer). This will help give the book a strong base to have staying power in the long term.
Here’s a bit from the back of the book:
“And you can be certain of one thing, Abigail. I’m no angel.”
Julia Lansing stumbles into an embarrassing scandal when she’s discovered in a compromising position with a U. S. senator!
Though she’s innocent and it was all a misunderstanding, the shame burns. Matters are made worse later at dinner, when she seeks to hold her mother’s hand for moral support and finds herself holding a strange man’s hand by mistake! With mishaps abounding, how on earth is she meant to survive her trip to Savannah? Returning to her predictable life back home would be ideal—if it weren’t for the handsome Adam Cole. What is she meant to do about him?
Meanwhile, Beatrice Lansing, Julia’s mother, is expanding her business ventures in dress-making. With only a short amount of time to stay in Savannah, she’s striving to showcase her designs and build the network of employees and customers she came to create. Can she make her dreams come true, or will she return to Missouri empty-handed? And why is she receiving telegrams from her husband about explosions and replacing curtains?
Set against the backdrop of Savannah, Georgia and the small town of Morgan’s Landing, Missouri in 1904, Hear My Whisper, book one in the Morgan’s Landing series, invites you to follow Julia Lansing as she navigates the mores of a different city, state, social class, and the newfound interests of a young man (or two or three). Can she make the choice that’s best for her own happiness? Can her family succeed in the pursuit of their dreams? Or will it all come crashing down?
There’s only one way to find out! Pre-order now.
Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts. Are you considering writing a novel, a true story? Smuffy says he’s going to enjoy the book in his happy place – in the bathtub for a long soak. Where’s your favorite spot to curl up with a good book?
Yes, it is my present situation that brings to mind one of my favorite quotes from P. G. Wodehouse’s writings:
I am, indeed, far from gruntled as I bring you the first half of this update on my novel series, “Morgan’s Landing”. The artists who have been given the task of cover design must have also been given something designed to induce a coma. Everything is ready and nothing is stopping us from going to print – except the cover. I thought the cover would be the least of my worries. All I asked for was something eye-catching and beautiful that carried the general feeling of what lay within its pages.
Having not read what lay within its pages, the artists must have assumed that I am one of those Russian novelists Wodehouse wrote about when he or his characters made observations like these –
“In the spring, a livelier iris gleams upon the burnished dove—but not in Russia, where they shoot poets for writing that sort of thing.”
In “The Clicking of Cuthbert” we find: “No novelist anywhere any good except me. PG Wodehouse and Tolstoy not bad. Not good, but not bad. All the rest worse. I spit me of them.”
“A Russian novel is where everyone is called Ivan and either dies of consumption or spends 400 pages deciding whether to.”
This Vladimir Brusiloff to whom I have referred was the famous Russian novelist. . . . Vladimir specialized in gray studies of hopeless misery, where nothing happened till page three hundred and eighty, when the moujik decided to commit suicide. . . .
One character, a Mr. Mulliner, said of himself, “I have a tender heart and I dislike to dwell on the spectacle of a human being groaning under the iron heel of Fate. Such morbid gloating, I consider, is better left to the Russians.
Another, while suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, prompted the narrator to remark, “If he had been a character in a Russian novel, he would have gone and hanged himself in the barn.”
One reference attempted to look on the bright side: “Cuthbert was an optimist at heart, and it seemed to him that, at the rate at which the inhabitants of that interesting country were murdering one another, the supply of Russian novelists must eventually give out.”
And my personal favorite: “No wonder Freddie experienced the sort of abysmal soul-sadness which afflicts one of Tolstoi’s Russian peasants when, after putting in a heavy day’s work strangling his father, beating his wife, and dropping the baby into the city reservoir, he turns to the cupboard, only to find the vodka-bottle empty.”
You dear Russian folks out there have all my respect and admiration. However, I’m thinking P. G. Wodehouse had a point back in the day when he took a poke at some of your novelists.
I, however, am not a Russian novelist and you can expect something a bit brighter from the “Morgan’s Landing” series. This is likely what has put some sand in the gears with the book cover.
The first cover they sent me was absolutely beautiful in that it had the depth and tone of an Old Masters painting. However, the woman featured there, though her hair and clothing fit the description of the main character, sat in a windowless, darkened room and looked as though she were consumed with thoughts of ending it all.
After that, things took a turn, but it seemed to be on a path that was not reflective of the book’s setting.
Next, I received a cover design that looked representative of the character and setting, but the addition of a sky filled with black storm clouds convinced me once again that the artists thought they were designing something for one of those Russian novels.
Not that the characters in “Morgan’s Landing” don’t have their troubles – they do! However, the sun does shine in Morgan’s Landing and there is a lot of fun within those pages. Tweaks have been suggested and now we wait. Hopefully, we won’t wait too long because I want these books in your hands and mine.
If you’ll remember, there is a “Morgan’s Landing” screenplay circulating out there amongst several productions. One of them in particular has taken the positive step of attempting to bring in A-list talent for one of the main roles and if that comes to fruition, things could start to get even more exciting! It’s hard to be disgruntled with all that going on. In fact, I’m about as gruntled as I can get!
My part in this is to wait. It’s as if my “baby” has been put up for adoption and there is nothing I can do other than wait for a producer to give the screenwriter a “Let’s go!” I so appreciate award-winning screenwriter, Alan Roth, who has done a wonderful job of writing the screenplay and in getting it into all the hands of the people who need to see it. If any of you are inclined to add a request for blessing a favor in this matter to your prayer list – go to it!
Hopefully, my next update will be a release date for Book 1 in the Morgan’s Landing series. It’s entitled “Hear My Whisper” and will be with you as soon as the cover design is finalized. Following the release, there will be book signing events and I hope to see you there.
Many of you have a story to tell. DON’T WAIT to get started! The road ahead is full of bumps and detours.
Leave a comment and tell me what is stirring in your heart and mind to write. It may be fiction or it may be a true story that you can’t bear the thought of being lost to the ages. I know I have one of those and I hope to have the time to start on it soon.
Though I know you can’t possibly have been waiting as impatiently as I have, I thought perhaps you’d like a quick update on my “Morgan’s Landing” novel series. (I’m thinking that by now some of you have come to think I’m fibbing about the whole thing.)
The first book in the series will be entitled, “Hear My Whisper”. I am painstakingly reviewing the final proof as we speak and have another set of eyes on it as well. After you’ve spent this much time writing and editing a manuscript, you learn not to trust yourself.
I am awaiting the arrival of what I hope is the final cover design. This has been a struggle, as the artists doing the work haven’t actually read the book and you can just imagine what it might be like to give them ideas as to the feel of the thing when they don’t know the characters or the setting from a hole in the ground.
Once the proof of the internal manuscript and the cover design get the thumbs-up, “Hear My Whisper” (Book 1 of the Morgan’s Landing series) will go to print!
The release date is projected for June (or perhaps July). I am praying fervently that it will be in your hands in June. It’s a fun read and I think you’re going to enjoy it.
It’s been a long road and while the journey isn’t over, I’m starting to see the finish line. I remind myself, however, that there are at least two more books in this series that must undergo all these processes, so I just hum that little tune about the mulberry bush and press on.
The screenplay for “Morgan’s Landing” is a whole different matter than the actual books. It’s in the hands of several well-known studios and updates are encouraging.
If you’re surprised at all this, you might need to play catch-up and check out the earlier updates here and here. You’ll see that the cogs of the publishing world turn slowly and realize that if you’re going to write your book and get it published, you’d better start now!
If you have any questions, I’m happy to answer, so leave a comment!
I have a question for you today. Do you have a book in you?
If the answer is anything other than “absolutely not”, then maybe we need to have a little chat.
I’ll be posting another update on my Morgan’s Landing book series soon, as well as news on the screenplay, but today it’s time to ask you – Do you have a book in you?
Do you have a family member who has led an amazing life or survived a major ordeal and their story needs to be told? Perhaps that person is you!
Do you have scribbles, sketches and ideas stewing in your brain all the time, yet you’ve never sat down and put it all into a form readers could enjoy?
There is a huge difference between something that is easy and something that is simple. Easy indicates that the activity will take little to no effort. Simple means that the process is going to be relatively uncomplicated. There’s a big difference! Getting your story out of yourself and into written form is simple. Getting it ready for the world can get you way into the weeds.
I came across this again the other day and thought I’d share C. S. Lewis’ sound advice and toss in a few of my own thoughts. (Yeah, right – I’m sure the world’s been waiting all these years for me come along just so I could add just the right touch to round out his advice!) I do believe I have one piece of advice that he omitted to share. Here’s what he had to say –
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I don’t think the great C. S. Lewis’ advice could get much better. If all he’d ever written were The Chronicles of Narnia, he would certainly have learned a thing or two along the way. While that series, due to the motion picture industry, may be the first thing that comes to mind, he has much more to offer, so be sure to delve into all the other things he’s written.
For the twenty-first century writer, we need only to give the obvious tweaks, such as:
1. Turn off the radio. And the TV. And the podcasts. And all the other stuff. You are not looking to put things into yourself – you are wanting to draw them out.
2. When he recommends you read “good books”, I doubt he is referring to “trash you like”. He is speaking of good, solid literature. Read old stuff, folks. Really old stuff. “Avoid nearly all magazines” would now have to be termed, “ditch nearly all social media”. Not only is it a time-sucker-awayer that will cause you never to write, it will influence you to write the way others want you to write. Don’t be a victim of the influencers.
3. Absolutely! This one goes without saying. Learn to craft a sentence, even if passersby think you’ve finally gone off the deep end and taken to muttering to yourself.
4. Read that one over and over again. If you don’t have a passion for what you write, how are you going to face the thing day after day?
5. When he uses the word “pains” here – he’s not kidding around. You will edit and edit and re-edit, trying to be sure your reader grasps exactly what you’re trying to convey. Ask me how I know.
6. This is valuable advice. Keep all your musings and writings. I used a character in a play I wrote years ago as a pattern for a character in Book 3 of Morgan’s Landing. I have a folder full of “seeds” that I’ve scribbled down at writers’ group meetings that may someday become something.
7. Well…I agree with the great C. S. Lewis here. Don’t, under any circumstances, use a typewriter. However, do use a computer. If you keep writing in spiral books and binders, you’ll only have to type it all into the computer at once later and that, my dear readers, is a drag. Spiral books and binders are for capturing ideas and taking notes, but get your actual stories into the computer (and backed up) as you go. Whether you self-publish or go with traditional publishing, you will not be submitting a paper manuscript anywhere.
8. This one should go without saying, but C. S. Lewis realized that it can be a problem, so get a dictionary and learn how to use it.
Now, for the overly obvious writing tip that the famous author omitted. DON’T WAIT! START NOW! The story within you deserves to be written and honed and shared and that will never happen if you keep putting it off. Carve out the time and start right away.
Leave a comment and let me know if this has encouraged you to move forward and get that great story out of the depths of your soul and formed into something that is ready to share with the world.
I may have given my readers the impression that nothing much is happening, so I thought it might be time for an update. It will be the first of many, because things are hopping in my publishing and production world.
Here we are in September, pretending it is fall while waiting for the real thing. I was so excited and relieved last week to send in to my publisher the painstaking edit I’ve been working on for the second book in my “Morgan’s Landing” historical fiction series. That certainly lifted a load of stress from my shoulders. It has been one of the big factors in my not providing you with more content here as it has been top priority other than taking care of Lil’ Snookie and Fruity Pebbles.
Meanwhile, the first book in the series is on its way to you! Artists are working on the final cover as we speak and I am expecting an email with some line edits. As soon as I approve those, the book goes to print with a projected release date in October. The photo above does not reflect the eventual book cover in any way other than the fact that it was taken in the location and era that the fictional town of Morgan’s Landing is patterned after.
In related news, you may recall my earlier announcement concerning a screenplay for “Morgan’s Landing”. If you missed it, you can click here to see the announcement and brief video. This has been quite the adventure for me and it isn’t over yet. It’s a bit like a road trip – you just don’t know how long it will take or where you’ll end up. I have learned so much during the process and thought you might want to join me on the journey. We are now entering a new phase.
I continually see the fingerprints of God all over “Morgan’s Landing”. In the first place, I literally went to bed one night and dreamed this story, so I can’t help but feel that it was gifted to me. Writing and editing did take a long time, but there was something about this story that kept pushing me forward. I knew that if a publisher took the time to read it that it would be published. I determined to do what I could to make that happen and make it a success, but my dreams for the books hadn’t taken me further than that.
Then, several months ago, the Lord saw fit to take the book in an entirely new direction when I had an unexpected opportunity to sit down and discuss the story in person with award winning Hollywood screenwriter, Alan Roth. To my delight, he asked to read the book which, of course, wasn’t even out yet. After reviewing the manuscript, he told me that he felt it had merit as series and that he would like to write the screenplay. We began working on the pilot episode in April and finished it in July. I have truly enjoyed working with Alan as we met regularly via Zoom to go over each and every page of script.
Now, the finished pilot is on the market! Seven or eight studios (ones you would be familiar with) have been approached and now we wait. Some have already agreed to appointments to consider the project and one has already met in person with the screenwriter, responded favorably, and asked for the book in addition to the screenplay, which is a great step forward.
As I stated earlier – what an adventure! The feeling I get when I think of my project going into the hands of a studio is somewhat like I imagine I might have if, having tossed my baby up in the air, I had to fold my arms and trust a total stranger to catch it before it hit the ground!
Keep an eye out for more updates. Soon the publisher will release an author’s interview as well as sneak preview of the actual cover. I’ll soon be a guest on the Inspired Writer Collective podcast and I’ll post links to that as well. Of course, when I know the book’s official release date, you’ll be the first to know! Following the release, there will be book signing events and I hope to see you there.
If you have a story in you, and I’m pretty sure you do, my best advice is DON’T WAIT! The road ahead of you will be a long one and it is best to start now.
Leave a comment and tell me what is stirring in your heart and mind to write. It may be fiction or it may be a true story that you can’t bear the thought of being lost to the ages. I know I have one of those and I hope to have the time to start on it soon.
Sometimes you’ve just got to shout it out! While I’m thrilled that you enjoy all the stories and articles here on my blog, sometimes it is a struggle to bring you blog posts as often as I’d like. The biggest reason for that is that I have been up to my eyebrows in writing a historical romance novel series for years now. However, if you’ve been keeping up here on the blog, you will know that several months ago, a publisher offered me a contract on the series (which I signed). If you missed that news, you can read that short post here.
Signing contracts, dear friends, is only the beginning. Since then, I’ve been overwhelmed with developmental edits on the first book and polishing manuscripts on the other two books in the series.
I think my next book will be entitled: “How to Get Your 3-Novel Series Ready for Your Publisher and Not End Up in the Funny Farm”.
Through it all, I have felt more than blessed because it was my dream and goal to have this series published. What author could ask for more?
Due to an absolute deluge of grace, however, I got more! My steps were ordered into a place I had not expected and never dreamed of and I want to share it with you today in this less-than-a-minute video.
The book series, entitled “Morgan’s Landing” is coming soon. I’ll post updates here on the blog, but if you would like to be sure that you personally receive the updates on the book release, sneak peeks at the cover and glimpses into the story line, please email me and ask to be on the “Morgan’s Landing” mailing list and I’ll be sure you get all the news. (Please don’t put your email in the comments here, as others will see those.)
Do watch the video, though, and comment on my exciting announcement. While you’re at it, let me know if you have a story to tell. Do you write? Are you thinking about writing? What is holding you back?
