The Birth and Arrival of A Book

Ah...the waiting is almost over. The birthing of a book is different with each one. Mary Magdalene, Her Legacy is my third published book and now as I wait for UPS to deliver my ordered copies from the printer, I am poised to begin my marketing strategies which I have developed after careful research and based on past experiences.

However, during this wait there are the dishes to washed, laundry that calls out to be washed and thank god I managed to get it washed and into the dryer before my handy fix-it son cut off the water in order to install a new filter for the washing machine. Of course, Mom has to be the hand-me this until he realizes that he is missing a part. So off to town he goes. (We live in the country.) I decided to let off some energy and write a piece for my blog. Am I antsy? Perhaps a wee bit. So I play it down some.

I sit a moment and contemplate the readers of Secrets of the Magdalene Scrolls. My overall feedback has been on the positive side. Somehow, I sense that this second book will excite the readers as much as the the first one did. Again, in this sequel, I never knew where the story was going to take me. As idea after idea came, I wrote.

As most authors will say, the writing is the easiest part. Then comes the editing and proof-reading. I have found that this second part takes as long - if not longer, than it did to write the book. Am I satisfied with the results? Yes! I will say it is all worth it.

I have been asked why I havn't pushed my second book, A Christmas Awakening and I really don't have the answer. It is a novelette that I cherish and perhaps I
have a subliminal desire for everyone to discover this jewel on their own. It is based on a teaching I heard in 1994 and I made a few photocopies of it along with
my own drawings. JZ Knight liked it so much that she gave it as a Christmas gift to
over 1500 students that year. Perhaps for this coming Christmas season I will promote it.

Why have I self-published? I have the satisfaction of knowing that I own my book and I am the one who has all the responsibility. I can also take full credit for my work.It is my creation. I also realize that the publishing industry has changed drastically in the past five years and more and more writers are turning to self-publishing. If you are willing to risk the responsibilty--go for it. If you are one of the faint-at-heart people, then look for a literary agent and hope you have good rapport and that the agent will sell your book to a publisher.

I have learned that every published author--whether self-published or agent published must at some point market the book. It would be nice if we were all a DaVinci Code best-seller. For the time being, I will continue to write, publish and market and enjoy the ride. Life is for living one's dream. Enjoy yours.