When I told the friend who had been a huge part of the story, the rescue farm volunteer who had helped me with our vicious dog, she told me, "See? You want to get something done, you do it yourself."
That was what I had learned in rescuing the dog, and it was what I discovered in publishing my book.
I spent the morning reading a second time the agreement between me and the publisher, and then spent a few hours getting the book uploaded and ready. After a year of writing and two years of peddling it to agents hesitant to let a nobody in the door, my book was published. I was a published author, a dream I had nurtured since writing in my dairies at age 5.
To celebrate, we invited Asherel's friend Alex kayaking with us, and took off to a wonderful section of Lake Wylie. It is a favorite kayak place. We kayak from the shore to a little sandy beach island and swim off the island. Right before I walked out the door, I got some very bad news. It is not insurmountable, but it was bad enough to take my breath away. I left for kayaking as the girls chattered happily with one side of my face dancing with joy over the book, and the other side struggling not to slide off into my feet in despair.
As soon as we unloaded the boats with only a minor ripping of some crucial back muscles, the sky clouded over. We zipped out to the island but I kept a wary eye on the sky. It had the dark purply color tinged with green that means massive thunderstorms are hiding nearby. We squeezed out one and a half hours of swimming at the island, and the rain started.
"I think we better head back," I said.
Then the deluge started. Alex stretched out her arms and lifted her face to the pounding rain.
"I love the rain," she cried, her kayak bouncing on the waves, while the rain fell so thickly that she was obscured in grey opaque sheets of water.
That image described my day. My beloved kayak bobbing on waves, gloriously gliding on the beautiful lake, ....and the raging storm closing in on me. Delight and Despair all in a single moment. Victory and Defeat. Hope and Worry.
As we raced to shore, I heard that little whisper in my soul that sustains me when I threaten to crumple.
"I know what I'm doing....," He said.
"You do?" I answered, "I mean, you DO! But I don't, and sometimes that makes it hard."
"If you can trust me in the little things, you can trust me in the big ones," He reminded.
I let the rain beat that message into my pores.
When I got home, I gazed another few hours at the Amazon site with my book on it, and my name beside the word Author. It was mine, that book that could be viewed by millions was my book, written by my hand, of my experiences. I felt such pride and love for my little book that I could hardly contain myself. And then the very bad news came tumbling back into my thoughts.
"And you are mine," said the still, quiet voice, "Trust me."
http://www.amazon.com/Im-
kindle edition but kindle app can be downloaded to any smart phone, ipod, ipad, iphone, MAC or PC, or reading device.
Ephesians 3: 20-21
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Congratulations on publication! It looks like a special book about a very special dog.
ReplyDeleteThankyou Amy, she is a special dog....and I hope you read it and decide it is a special book.
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