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Birthing a Book

It's almost here. It's on the horizon, even closer than that. It's been a dream and now it's a reality. For those of you that know me, you've guessed already.  The "it" is a book. One with my name on it, officially published, and you can download it to your Kindle or buy it in softcover.

I've been writing since I was a kid. One of my earliest attempts was publishing a neighborhood paper for East Koy--that little intersection where there are more cows than people. I handcopied about five one-page editions and sold them for a couple of pennies each. I can't remember what news was worth printing at the time, but it was East Koy, so it might have been about the cows that got out or Mrs. McGowan baking a special pie. Then there was high school as editor of the literary magazine for two or three years. There have been lots of stories started and stopped over the years, most have gone in the round file.  The dream dissipated during the real life drama of raising children and working.

My jobs have always had an element of writing, whether it was legal documents, policies, minutes of meetings, or reports.  In 2005, the writing bug hit once again and a newsletter for administrative professionals gave me the opportunity to write articles for pay.  That boosted my confidence to write a couple of lifestyle articles for the local paper and some devotional writing for different publications. And then along came some assignments for magazines. All the while, I was diligently working on mystery novels, which were amazingly considered by a major mystery publisher at each query. In the end the publisher decided against offering a contract, although all three books made it through two rounds of the editorial process. Today's book market is a tough gig, but fortunately there are options through the world of e-publishing.

3-Mice Productions, a brand new publisher is taking a chance on my novel, The Time Under Heaven. It's not a mystery, but if you're looking for a good summer read while sipping lemonade on the patio or getting a tan at the beach, I think you'll enjoy it. Written over the span of 12 months, it's been through a rigorous editing and beta reading process that had me making corrections and revisions for the past four months. The final proof arrived and I have to admit it was a little emotional holding my book. It's real and it'll be ready to purchase on Amazon very soon.

Even more exciting is that a devotional book for gardeners  and a mystery series set in Wyoming County, New York will be available over the next few months as those manuscripts go through the final beta reading and editing process. My 3-Mice business partner, Diane has her own set of books just about ready to go. She's a fantasy writer and illustrator whose characters are those illusive rodents that scamper about behind the walls and are invisible to the human world.  Her historical detail and skill as a storyteller will draw you into the exciting tales of Gabriella and Prudence. Readers 10 and up will enjoy her charming stories and clever drawings.

I hope you'll join me in this wild, new adventure as an author and check out www.3-mice.com for more information on the books and stay tuned for our launch date.

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