Vanity Press

When I began this blog I had two main purposes. The first was to update my readers on what was happening, such as getting a website, publishing a new book, sales, etc. The second was to chronicle my journey so that others who want to take a shot at writing might be able to learn from my mistakes and successes. I had so many people who told me that they had always wanted to write a book after I published my first book, that I wanted to encourage them to try.

The email course for ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) this month is indie (independent) vs. traditional publishing. I have been so excited for this course because there is so much about publishing that I don't know. Having someone who is in publishing (the teacher owns a small press publishing company) teach me the differences between the two, the pros and cons of each, the potholes to watch out for, and seeing other authors who are figuring things out just like me has been so helpful.

·      One of the first things I learned was about a mistake I've already made in publishing. I fell for what they call a “vanity press.” These are publishers who stroke your vanity to get you to buy more from them. I don't think it's technically a scam, but their goal isn't to sell your books. Their goal is to make money off of the author. They have you pay to publish your book, then try to sell you editing packages, marketing packages, and your own books. To top it off, they price the books too high so that they won't sell.

This is an accurate description of what I experienced through Westbow Press. Fortunately for me, I didn't have enough money to give them to feel like I've really been taken in. I paid for a low-end publishing package, but nothing more. In fact, in a way I'm glad I went through the experience because I learned a lot.

·      I discovered to research things a little more. I learned to trust my “cynicism” ¾ that part of me that says, “Yeah, you're telling me nice things about me and my book, but you're also trying to sell me something, so I don't think I believe you.”

·      I realized that even though a company is part of a larger reputable company, it doesn't mean that the smaller company is necessarily a good one.

·      On top of all that, if I hadn't gone through them, I probably wouldn't have made the step to have a marketing team, and I wouldn't have found Merge Left Marketing which has been so good to me.

I'm not telling you anything I haven't already told Westbow. They often send me surveys asking about my experience, inquiring if I would recommend them to others. The answer is no. I would tell anyone thinking about publishing to look around carefully, do a lot of research, and avoid a company that's just a “vanity press.” As soon as they told me what they were going to price my book at, I knew I was done with them.

When even my own family members are hesitant to buy it because it's too expensive, something is very wrong. Even I don't want to buy my own book because it costs too much. To top it off, my package included some “free” books (I feel like I've paid for them with my publication fees), but I can't get my books until I pay a separate shipping and handling fee. My books are being held hostage until I can afford the ransom.

I do want to get Sweetheart Suite into print, but I will not be using Westbow Press. I'm going to do some research on other means to get it done. Lesson learned.

Sweetheart Suite

What could be better for a romance author than to write a book about Valentine's Day? I was looking forward to writing this book, and I truly enjoyed the story as I wrote it. I loved the characters, the situations, the way the story unfolded. But this story had another meaning for me as well.

Every time someone finds out I'm an author, the next logical question is "what do you write?" When I answer Christian romance the next questions is "What's Christian romance?" The implication is that Christian romance is an oxymoron. They can't co-exist. Because Christianity is all about purity and holiness and romance is all about lust and passion. The surprising thing for me is that a lot of times this reaction is from Christians. That bothers me. If anyone should know what love is (and what it isn't) it should be those who have personally experienced the unconditional love of God. We've so bought into the world's definition of love that we can't even fathom the concept of Christians and romance together. In my opinion (shockingly) they go hand in hand.

God is love. The only reason we can know love is because we are created in His image. And the best way to experience true love - unconditional, sacrificial love - is through His Son, Jesus. When we come to Him then we are better able to reflect His love because of His Spirit in us.

God created the institution of marriage. He wanted us to experience love with one another. He said that it wasn't good for man to be alone and so He created woman for him. (Gen. 2:18)

Earthly marriage is a picture of Christ and the Church. We are called the Bride of Christ. In the Old Testament, God refers to Israel's idolatry as a wife having an adulterous relationship, because He loved her as a husband loves his wife. That's the way Christ feels towards us as well. I believe that He is looking forward to the day when He can come claim His Bride, and that we should be longing for that day just as an earthly bride counts down the days to her wedding.

And if you still don't believe that Christian and romance are compatible, go read Song of Solomon. It's hard to read that and not see that God does put value on love.

It was such a joy to be able to tell the second story in the Holliday Hotel series. It was a good reminder to me of the love that God has for us, and that we should be loving others as He loved us. Who knows what could happen in this world if we loved as He loved us?

Spiritual Mother

I'm doing a Beth Moore study right now called "Entrusted" on the book of 2 Timothy. She discusses the idea of spiritual parents and spiritual mentors who have shaped us like Paul with Timothy. I was trying to think of who would be my mentor outside of the people in my family (who have certainly had a huge role in who I've become). It took me a while to figure out who it would be, and I think it's because I had the idea of a formal mentoring program in mind. I thought of mentoring as something where we specifically choose each other for the purpose of being mentored or mentoring someone else. There would obviously be a Bible study, and we would have a calendar with a set time to get together every week so she could impart all of her wisdom to me. I'm not saying that those situations are bad or not biblical, but I did have a mentor, and it didn't look like that. In fact, all it looked like was friendship.

Lyn Pickering was my youth leader's wife and is now one of my very dearest friends. Lyn was so great with the youth girls because she simply befriended them. She wrapped her arms around them and made them feel loved and welcomed. It wasn't only me that she did this with. Every single girl that entered her youth group Lyn tried to make feel at home. In the process of being my friend, she taught me so much.

It was Lyn who taught me to bake bread. One year our ladies retreat had a bread-of-life theme. Lyn and I made bread wreaths for every table, bread for decoration, and bread for a skit (which we wrote together). She also taught me to sew, and Lyn, being who she is, didn't have me make something common like a quilt or bag. We made 19th century women's undergarments — pantaloons and camisoles. Because what's the fun in making something normal?

Lyn has shown me what true hospitality looks like. The Pickering home always seems to have some sort of renovation being done, and since her husband does all the work himself, the projects take time. She could refuse to have people over because of the dust and chaos, but she opens her home as it is. I found that I didn't care what her house looked like because I simply wanted to spend time with her. I learned that a grilled cheese sandwich (with three slices of cheese to make it extra gooey) can be better than a five course meal. She's not entertaining me when I come over; she's welcoming her friend into her home, which means she doesn't feel the need to try to impress.

I don't know how many times Lyn and I would stay up all hours of the night talking. Yes, we discussed spiritual things, but often we talked about movies, books, boys, and trivia. Those times were precious, and it made a teenage girl, and later a young woman, feel like she had someone who would listen to anything she needed to discuss. She was my support. The woman I could go to if I needed to vent, cry, or laugh.

After I was out of the youth group, Lyn found out she was going to have another baby. She already had two teenage boys so it was a bit of a surprise to everyone. (My loving reaction was to laugh hysterically.) It turned out that just five months after her daughter was born, I had my first baby. (Our girls are best buddies to this day.) Being with Lyn during her pregnancy and then watching her care for her baby was so helpful for a first time mom. She made me much more relaxed and calm as I entered motherhood than I would have been without her example to emulate.

In her study, Beth Moore said that spiritual daughters are not exact replicas of their spiritual mothers. That's certainly true of Lyn and me. When I first entered the youth group, Lyn couldn't stand me. I was obnoxious and immature, but she didn't let me know she felt that way until after she genuinely liked me. Lyn is loud, outgoing, and ready to try anything (and the weirder it is the better). I am much quieter, shy, and cautious. Lyn says that if we were both to enter a room full of people that neither of us had met, her reaction would be to find out how many people she could meet before we had to leave, while mine would be to wonder how long we had to stay before we could leave. Being around her pulled me out of my comfort zone because she wouldn't let me stand by the door and be a wallflower. Instead, she'd take me by the hand and pull me along with her.

Lyn was never afraid to admonish us if she felt we needed it. But for me, it never affected our friendship. I knew it was because she loved me. She wanted me to grow in the Lord, to choose what was right, and to succeed in the race we're running for Him.

Best of all, Lyn has been a huge encouragement to me. It was Lyn who first encouraged me to start writing. When she read what I had written, her enjoyment of it pushed me to write more and eventually to pursue publishing. I wouldn't be where I am now without her. When my church asked me to co-direct vacation Bible school with my sister, I went to Lyn feeling incredibly inept and unqualified. She reminded me of how God had been preparing me for years to do what He was now calling me to do. Her encouragement helped me to remember two things. First, God does not call you to something that He has not equipped you for. Second, yes I was going to be in over my head even with His equipping, and that was so that I would rely on Him and not on myself. If I could do it on my own, then I would get the glory. When I have to depend on Him, He gets all the glory. Lyn put me at ease to do what I had been called to do.

Who was your spiritual mother or mentor? I'm guessing that there are many others that had mentoring that looked a lot like friendship, just like mine did. If you are able to, maybe you can send them a note or give them a call to let them know what they've meant to you. Beyond that, who can you be a mentor to? You don't have to know everything. You don't have to be perfect (in fact, it's better if you're not). You don't have sit down and pass on your vast stores of wisdom. You simply need to find someone and be their friend. Pray about who God wants you to mentor and simply take the opportunities that He provides. If He is in it, great things will happen.