Confessions of a first book editor

Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending the book launch for Written World Communications' most recent release, the prarnormal/action/adventure novel Rockapocalypse by Byron Suggs. Although all WWC book releases are exciting, this one holds a special place in my heart.


It is the first book edited by me.

For months, author Byron and I emailed, talked by phone, quibbled over words, debated grammatical issues, discussed scenes, and at times, agreed to disagree. I can't say I ever got inside Byron's head, but I did start thinking the way his characters would think. 

After a while, I no longer had to ask grammar or local flavor? in a character's dialogue. I just knew. 

I turned in the final proofread, and in a matter of days, the manuscript was off to press. That's when the doubts bombarded my brain. 

Had I caught all the typos? 

Had I corrected inconsistencies in capitalization?  

Had I been tired when I read the final copy and missed something really important?  

It thrilled me to make my way through a throng of people to the back of The Written World on Saturday where Byron sat behind a table with a stack of books next to him - real printed books we and other members of the Written World team had worked on and perfected together. The cover art we had all agreed on was replicated in a big poster located next to him.

Even though Byron and I had joked about never reading the book again, I couldn't resist thumbing through the pages, skimming sentences and scenes I'd read at least a dozen times over the past weeks. Somehow, the words looked different between the pages of a bound book than they did on a computer screen.

Then I found it The one thing I had feared. It jumped out at me like a mole on the end of a model's nose. 

A mistake! 

I won't repeat the sentence itself to avoid ruining any portion of the story for readers, but there is a period where a comma should be!  

Readers might not even notice, but that particular oversight is one of my pet peeves. 

This example will explain what I mean.

"Let's go." Sue said. (incorrect) 

"Let's go," Sue said. (correct) 

UGH!

My granddaughter, who accompanied me to the booksigning, saved my crushed ego. 

"Look, grandma. All books have mistakes." She showed me the book she had brought with her, a novel written by a world renowned author that has sold millions of copies.

Sure enough, at the end of a paragraph of dialogue, there was no closed quotation mark! I double checked to be sure the same character was not continuing his dialogue in a new paragraph. 

Nope, this was a genuine, bona fide mistake!

When it comes right down to it, the only book where I have never, ever seen a single error, whether it be typo or missing comma, is the Holy Bible. How fitting that God's book is the only perfect one I've ever found!





There are probably other errors in Rockapocalypse, things I missed. I heard that during the printing process, in one place, the word "chief" lost its "c." Bet any reader smart enough to read the book will figure that one out.







I believe in this story. 

The message overshadows the mistakes by miles.

Welcome Home!

About a year after they married, our son Jason and his wife Jaque decided to make their home in New York City, a fair distance from our Colorado home. Two years ago, they stretched the mileage chasm even further when they moved to the UK. 

Two years is a long time to not see your son, but contact such as instant messsaging on the computer, gmail chat via cell phone, and an occasional Skyped conversation along with a phone call every few weeks kept us pretty well in touch.

Three weeks ago, our daughter told us she was taking our granddaughter to the mall to do some back-to-school clothes shopping. My husband and I took our granddaughter, Madi, with us to look for a new laptop that morning, and when we took her home, we stayed for lunch and watched a movie. 

I thought it strange, when it got to be late afternoon, that they had made no move to leave for their shopping trip, especially since the mall is eighty miles away. "The sale doesn't start until six, Mom," our daughter, Joelene, told me. "We have plenty of time." 

When I texted her at 11:00 PM and she told me they were just leaving Pueblo, I was surprised. "Madi talked me into taking her out to dinner and we played some mini-golf." 

Oh, OK, that made sense. 

When 12:30 (A.M, mind you) rolled around, I was getting tired and thought I would text again just to be sure they were home before heading on to bed. No sooner did I get the text sent when I could have sworn I heard a car drive in the yard. I chuckled to myself. Madi must have talked her mom into letting her come over and show us all of her new school outfits, even though the hour was late.

I heard a knock on the door and went to unlock it with a smile for Madi, Towering above me with his six-one frame stood Jason! Joelene and Madi had been to DIA to pick him up, and they'd been keeping the secret that he was coming since April!

We had a wonderful couple of weeks together. Jaque had also come along, but they had parted ways in Charlotte, N.C. They had brought a friend from the UK, Josie, who had never been in the US, so Jaque and Josie flew on up to NYC to do some touring there while Jason flew on out to Denver.

A couple of days later, the girls flew to Denver, spent the night with a friend, and Jason drove up and picked them up the next day. They had a chance to visit friends and family here locally as well as take a couple of days to visit friends in Colorado Springs.

It was fun to watch "the kids" do some of the silly things they used to do together years ago, like climb on the garage roof!  Back in the day, I would have been up there with them. Not any more!

Jason sure misses Mexican food, so we went out to dinner at one of our local Mexican food restaurants.

Um, Little Bro, did you really just take a drink of MY pop?

Dairy Queen is the only fast food restaurant in our small town, and of course we had to make a visit there!

One day Josie treated us to home-made crepes. Oh, man, were they ever good! 

Jaque mastered the art of flipping them, but, nope, I didn't even try!







One evening, Jason and Jaque brought out a whole bunch of sweet treats from the UK. We're still enjoying the variety of candies and cookies! In the meantime, they purchased some of the favorites they miss, mainly Mountain Dew and Chips Ahoy cookies! 

The vehicles overseas are smaller than here. They don't have many "big trucks" or SUV's, so I invited Josie to take my Ford pick-up for a spin. 







The second week of their visit, the girls and Jaque's family went on a road trip out west to see Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. 

Jason was able to arrange to work while here, since he normally works from home on a computer. He brought a laptop with him and the company supplied him with a phone. Due to the time change between the UK and here, he worked his shift at night.

Of course, I didn't remember to get any more pictures until we were at the airport and the three were leaving!

Jaque & Jason

Jaque & Josie

Jason & his mom  (yours truly)

Jason was not thrilled about having to go through the body scanner at the airport, but they all made it out okay.  As you can see, we had a chance for one last wave good-bye!

A lot of people say they miss the days when their children were young. I guess in a way I do too, but I'm also proud to see the adults both of our kids have become. It's fun to relate to them as adults, to listen to their view of the world, their experiences, and the sibling banter that occurs when they reminisce about their childhood. 

Modern technology allows us to stay in touch with loved ones, no matter how much distance separates us. When kids move away, it's still hard, but not quite as hard as it was back in the day when the only means of communication was by letter or a phone call.

Still, it's not the same as giving a child (even an adult child!) a hug, seeing them smile with their sibling at some silly memory, or watching your once little boy stride across the room with the determination and maturity of a grown man. 

We will cherish the memory of every moment of this visit and can't wait for the next one!

Vacation in the Adirondacks of New York

After the Philadelphia writer's conference, I flew to Albany, NY, on Sunday,  where my sister picked me up and took me ninety miles north to her home in Schroon Lake, the heart of Adirondack country. 

We had a wonderful ten day visit, laughing about everything, sharing memories, and enjoying our time together. Here are a few of the things we did while I was there.

Monday, we went to the Neighborhood House, the assisted living facility where our mom lives, to pick her up and spend the day. She had a doctor's appointment in Saranac Lake, she and dad's former home. We brought a picnic lunch, but cool weather caused us to eat lunch in the eating area at the Adirondack Medical Center. We finished up the afternoon with some shopping.

Monday evening, we went to town to check out the performance at the boathouse, located on the lake.  The event draws quite an audience.

Schroon Lake boathouse

Scaroon Manor is close to my sister's house. Tuesday, we went for a little hike...and came out at the lake.

Scaroon Manor

Schroon Lake at Scaroon Manor

We were going to go back to the picnic area on Saturday with our mom, my brother-in-law, and the ruler of the house, Wesley, but the rainy week-end forced a change of plans.

Wednesday, we went back up to Neighborhood House for coffee with mom. Terry and Pete had a golf engagement that afternoon, so I relaxed and caught up on a little work.

Schroon Lake is a tourist town with all kinds of activities in the summer. Wednesday evening, we went back to the town park to watch the square dancers.

square dance in town park

We took a walk along the beach.(Notice, my beautiful sister is taller, thinner, and younger than me!)

This is the tree we planted when our dad passed in 1996. We call it "grandpa tree'.

sunset on a lake is one of the most beautiful of natural wonders

Thursday, Terry wanted to take me on the Word of Life guided boat ride, but it was full. However, she met a friend in town who offered us a ride on her and her husband's boat. We went for a long ride that would have been even longer if the storm hadn't come up. It lightninged, thundered, and rained like crazy for the rest of the afternoon.

I could get used to this!

 

We picked mom up on Friday and brought her to Terry's for the week-end. Friday evening, we had a "girls' night out" with some friends of Terry's that mom and I have come to know over the years.

The weather squashed any outside plans for the week-end, but we did get out of the house to do some shopping. Sunday, we attended church, and in the evening, we went to the Seagle Music Colony for vespers.

Monday, we took mom back to Neighborhood House. 

 That evening, I met a couple of friends for dinner who graduated from nursing school with me way back in 1972. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of us together! That day was my sister's birthday, so she and Pete went out to a dinner of their own.

Tuesday, Terry and I were able to take the Schroon Lake Cruise on the Word of Life Pontoon boat that we had missed on Thursday. That was great, since Linda and John had taken us to the south end of the lake and the cruise traveled to the north end.

Later that day, we went in search of a place called Blue Ridge Falls. Wow, this place reminded us of our childhood days, when we used to stop by those mountain streams on our way up-state from Long Island and run along the rocks.

Wednesday, it was time to go back to the airport for my trip home. The suitcase that had weighed in at 46 pounds when I left Colorado now weighed a whopping 64 pounds, which meant a fee of $90 additional dollars! 

My husband, daughter, and granddaughter met me at Colorado Springs airport. We made the long drive back to town, another two and a half hours.

Vacation was absolutely wonderful! Still, it's always good to get back home! 

GPCWC in retrospect

I've been away from home for the past couple of weeks. Hence, the reason there is a big gap in my posts from the end of July until the present.

 

First, I had the pleasure of serving on faculty at Marlene Bagnull's Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference.Marlene is one of the most inspirational people I have ever met in the world of writing and publishing. She blesses conferees and faculty alike with her ability to bring God up close and personal. Unfortunately, this is the only photo I have of Marlene. (lady with the blue jacket.) I managed to delete just about all of my other pictures from the conference off my camera before I could get them downloaded. Don't even ask me how I managed that!

I enjoyed many different experiences at the conference this year. Sometimes, I feel like the conferees taught me more than they learned from me.

After a long day of travel that started at 3:00 AM for me, Wednesday evening was fun because it provided a chance to greet old friends and meet new ones. Everyone was charged with excitement and the anticipation of teaching and learning. I was especially excited to see my coworker with Written World Communications (WWC), Rowena Kuo, who was also my room mate. She lives in the Chicago area and we had not seen each other for two years. I was also excited that another coworker, Chris Richards, was able to attend the conference as well. Chris lives in Colorado, but the distance between us is about 200 miles, so we don't get to see each other often either.

I had a few appointments Thursday morning. This is one of my favorite parts of serving on faculty because it is  a time to connect with writers, hear their creative ideas, and share thoughts about the writing life. Appointments are ongoing between other responsibilities from Thursday to Saturday.

Thursday afternoon, I taught a segment of Teens Write. This year, the theme was The Publishing Games, which mirrored The Olympic Games. Each presenter was assigned an event. Mine was archery, about which I know next to nothing I know the contenders use a bow and arrow, but that's about it. I figured I was fairly safe, though, since the chances of any of the kids knowing a lot about it would be pretty slim. I did look up the names of this years's US competitors. When I asked if anyone recognized the names, didn't one of the kids raise her hand, her eyes filled with excitement. Archery is her favorite sport in the entire Olympics. I learned a lesson there. Never underestimate the knowledge of your audience!  

The magazine editor's panel, held on Friday and Saturday, gave me an opportunity to talk about my "baby," Starsongs magazine. Rowena and I also made conferees aware of the many magazines WWC  already prints or plans to launch over the next few months. The lovely lady standing behind us is Cindy Sproles, who moderated the panel and serves as editor for christian devotions.us. It's always interesting to sit on the panels and learn about what other editors guidelines are and what type of content they are looking for.

This year, I was assigned two paid critiques. A paid critique allows a writer thirty minutes of one-on-one time to discuss a piece the critiquer has received and evaluated several days prior to the conference. I have to admit I was nervous about this. What if the writer felt I was too critical? Suppose she felt I didn't provide enough information to help? As it turned out, both of my paid critiques were delightful ladies with a passion for writing, open to suggestions for improving their work, and filled with a desire to improve their skill. 

Saturday, I taught The Over Fifty Writer, which is a bit out of character for my persona as the Division Manager for YA and Children's Imprints with WWC.  However, as the picture above definitely indicates, I am - well - well over fifty! I began the session with a written speech I had started to prepare several days prior to the conference, but ended up completing between 1 and 3 AM Friday night. Yeah, I still haven't conquered the procrastination thing. I had forgotten all I learned in Toastmasters, that a written speech is not always the best speech. Twenty minutes into class time, everything written on paper had been said, so I had to rely on extemporaneous talk, which, in my opinion as I listened to the recording of the class later, sounded much more natural.  What ensued was a discussion among the class members about some of their experiences. A lot of emotion came out during that segment of the workshop. Perhaps that was more important than anything I had to say.

There are a great selection of workshops, continuing sessions, general sessions, and clinics offered at Marlene's conferences, both in Philly and Colorado. I had planned to attend a couple of the workshops, but was so busy that I didn't get the opportunity. Not that I'm complaining! I love to encourage other writers and spend time with them. I am so blessed to be a part of Marlene's faculty. Another great thing about the conferences is that all workshops and sessions are available on CD,  the entire conference can be obtained as an MP3 file.

The speakers Marlene engages for the worship sessions, like Tim Shoemaker, and Jim Watkins, are inspirational and engaging. Oh, to be able to speak with the power and the polish of these men someday! Then there are Marlene's prayers. She talks to the Father as though she could see Him standing right next to her. Sometimes I believe she can. 

After the awards ceremony and closing session on Saturday, those faculty who could attend went to Marlene's home for a delicious spread of food. It had been a hectic four days (especially for Marlene!) and everyone was ready to relax. Most folks fly out on Saturday, but those of us who were able to attend had a wonderful time.

I won't remember the faces of all the folks I met with at appointments. I don't know the names of most of the attendees at Teens Write or The Over Fifty Writer workshop, or of those who were in the audience at the editor's panels. Still, I hope I left the people who came in contact with me something valuable that they can use to further their writing journey.

If you are a writer, I hope to see you either in Philly or Colorado next year! In the meantime, I urge you to check out Write His Answer, Marlene's great book for writers. 

If you are not a writer, I urge you to check out the various web sites mentioned in this post anyway. Most of them have wonderful information about the Christian life and books available, from novels to devotionals. 

A huge thank you to Marlene, who has fueled my passion to help others pursue publication as they write His answer! 

(Next, read about the ten days I spent in up-state New York)

Thanks for reading my blog!

I am pleased to welcome author Staci Stallings to Patti's Porch today. Staci has an inspiring message and a FREE Kindle download of her new book Aug 15 & 16 only.

Drowning Lessons

Any lifeguard will tell you the worst thing someone that the lifeguard is trying to save can do is to “help.”  A drowning person in a panicked attempt to “save” themselves by thrashing about can end up taking the lifeguard down with them. It’s a lesson all of us need to learn no matter how good we are at swimming in spiritual waters.

Many people ask:  “What is my purpose here on earth?”  They go through various exercises and workshops to find out what their purpose is.  I will save you some time and money if you, too, are asking this age-old question.

You have one purpose here on earth, and it can be summed up in two words:  to learn.

You were sent here to learn—to learn about yourself—your capabilities, your liabilities, your strengths, your weaknesses, your abilities, and your limitations.  You were also sent here to learn about and how to deal with others—those who are easy to love and those for whom God’s mercy will have to be super-abundant for their forgiveness to be obtained.

Nonetheless, you were mostly sent here to learn about God and His unending, unfathomable, unstoppable, overwhelming, unbelievable love for you.

One of the biggest lessons and one of the hardest to take and accept is what has been called a disruptive moment. These are the times in your life when you have been easily walking next to the water when suddenly something pushes you in to the deep end.

This something might be someone. It might be an event or an illness or death or a sudden change that blows gaping holes in your belief that all is right with your world.

Suddenly you are buffeted—slapped on every side with wave after wave of despair, doubt, anger, hopelessness, helplessness, grief, anxiety, and fear so strong it pulls you under like a rip tide.

I believe what we are sent here to learn is that it is precisely in these times of trial and fear that we learn the real depth of God.  It is in these moments that the Almighty Lifeguard takes hold of us, rather than us holding onto Him.

The problem here is that many of us continue to struggle. We continue to try to save ourselves even as the waves wash over us time and again.  What God says to us at these moments is exactly what the lifeguard would say to the drowning person. “Relax. Let Me do it. Do not rely on your strength, trust in Mine.”

Your purpose here is primarily to learn that one lesson as deeply as possible.  When the storms blow, quit struggling. Trust the Lifeguard.

He has the strength you need. Relax, and let Him work in your life, and you will surely see wonders come from the moments you thought you were destined to drown.  By your own effort, you would have.  In His strength, however, you will be brought out of the waters of chaos and confusion into a new life you can only know when you have felt both the rip tide and His marvelous, sustaining strength.

In your weakness, His strength can be made manifest.  Trust it for it will save you—especially when you feel you are drowning.

Copyright Staci Stallings 2006


Staci Stallings, the author of this article, is a Contemporary Christian author and the founder of Grace & Faith Author Connection. Staci has a special surprise for you today and tomorrow only.
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