Shelley Shepard Gray's Blog, page 25

Revisions and CA and PW…Oh, my!

I knew this day was on its way.  It's Revision Day.
On Friday afternoon, I received my revision letter and notes for MISSING.
 Yes, I have quite a bit of work to do.
First books in a trilogy are like that. It's hard work, setting up a whole series. And while I do a pretty good job with characters, it's always the details that seem to get the best of me.  I knew when my editor had a chance to read the book she'd have some suggestions for improvement.
 All weekend I stayed off the computer. I read, my husband and I went out to a play. I watched way too many episodes of my new favorite show, Blue Bloods. I pulled out my needlepoint and worked on that. Took the dog for lots of walks.
But now it's time to settle in and get ready for a busy week. I'll be working on revisions, then will head off to California on Friday. In CA, I'll see my mom, then will drive up the coast to Monterey and San Francisco. On Monday, I'll stop by my editor's office and give her an update on how those revisions are going. And catch up, too. She's a new mom!
Right before I printed out my notes for revisions, I pulled up a kind of fun review I received about a month ago for Christmas in Sugarcreek. It's from Publishers Weekly. This was my first review ever from PW, and I was so suprised to see the review. The best part about it is the little star (that didn't show up here) next to the title. PW gave Christmas in Sugarcreek a starred review , which, in the publishing world, is a very nice surprise.
I had revisions for that book, too! I always receive revision letters. : )  Receiving this review reminds me that I can make a book better…
I just have to get started. This morning.
Off I go~ hope everyone has a good week, too!
Shelley 
Christmas in Sugarcreek
Shelley Shepard Gray. Avon Inspire, $16.99 trade paper (272p) ISBN 978-0-06-208976-2
Goody-two-shoes Judith Graber has always helped out in her parents' store, gotten good grades in school, and pitched in at home, but has never felt like anyone was looking out for her. When hometown bad boy Benjamin Knox comes back and starts working at the store, he treats Judith with the caring and consideration she craves. An Amish community backdrop adds homespun sweetness, with a focus on simplicity and family that's never heavy-handed. Fans of Gray's Seasons of Sugarcreek novels will especially appreciate the cameos by familiar characters, but new readers will have no trouble starting the series here. (Nov.)
 
http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-06-208976-2
 
 

MISSING

I saw this book cover on Amazon.com today! One of my editors showed it to me a few weeks ago, and I've been anxiously waiting to see if it was the final cover. I guess it is! I love it!  It's different and the colors are pretty and a little haunting. The manuscript is with my editor right now. I really hope she likes the book!

People have been asking if MISSING  is a mystery. It is suspenseful, and there is a mystery element to the series, but at its heart it is a romance.  

Here is a little bit about the book, at least as of right now…

Sometimes, it is not a matter of what is missing in a person's life….it's what is not.

Disenchanted with love, dismayed by her parents lies, and afraid that she is a suspect in Perry Borntrager's murder investigation, Lydia Plank reaches out to the only man she trusts, brutally honest Walker Anderson. She doesn't care that he's English or that he's a suspect, too. She's willing to risk her reputation to have someone she can depend on. Of course, Walker's the very last person she expects to give her heart. All she can do is hope and pray that she hasn't made a deadly mistake.

MISSING will be released in March. So, what do you think?

Catching up

Last night around 6:00 I finished up the first draft of SEARCHING. I was sitting on my back deck with Suzy and half-typing/ half-watching the deer wandering around our back yard. She had discovered the bird feeder, and would eat a few leaves off a tree, take a sip or two of water from the creek, then snack on bird seed. Two bright red cardinals hovered nearby-They Were Not Happy.  It was hysterical! Suzy didn't even bark at the sight-which is very unusual-so she must have been intrigued by that deer and those angry birds, too.

Yesterday I got a lot done, writing-wise. I wrote a Christmas essay for some future promotion for Christmas in Sugarcreek, finished up a synopsis for a book I'll be writing this winter for Harlequin, and then wrote the last chapter and epilogue for SEARCHING. By the time the deer left and I went inside, I was tired!  My exciting evening involved watching an old episode of Chopped and eating a slice of peanut butter pie. (still on a peanut butter kick!).

Today I finally made it to the post office and mailed off the copies of A Texan's Promise to the drawing winners. So, if you're one of those people, please know the book is on its way!

Quite a few people have emailed me, asking for information about upcoming books, so here's the information:

The Survivor, Book 3 in Families of Honor Series,  On Shelves Now! 

A Texan's Promise, Book 1 in Heart of the Hero Series Available Now on www.cbd.com, and www.amazon.com . Should be in stores on October 1.

Christmas in Sugarcreek   Book Releases on October 25.

Sisters of the Heart Trilogy (this will be Hidden, Wanted, and Forgiven in one volume.) January, 2012

A Texan's Honor, Book 2 of the Heart of the Hero series February, 2012 (fingers crossed this date is right)

MISSING,  Book 1 in The Secret of Crittenden County Series  March, 2012 

Thank you to everyone for your interest, and especially to those of you who've taken the time to write a review for any of my books on Barnes and Noble.com, amazon.com, or on Christian Book Distributors. People really do read your reviews!

Hope everyone has a great day!

Shelley

A Quick Hello~

Hi everyone! I'm hoping tomorrow will be less hectic, but these last few days have been especially busy. I'm also just about done with the first draft of SEARCHING…so until I write 'The End' (which I really do!) that book needs to be my first priority.

Here's a quick question for those of you who are experienced empty nesters…how do you manage your cooking? With my husband traveling so much and my daughter now gone, it's becoming interesting around here at meal time. I've found out that eating popcorn for dinner isn't working out too well!

It's 70 degrees out and beautiful! Off to write outside!

Shelley

We're on Youtube : )

Happy Saturday!

 Just last night I received the link to this Youtube video-all about our upcoming Amish Booktour in November. Even if you know you can't come out and join us at any of the locations, I hope you'll take a look. It's beautiful! The marketing and promotion folks at Zonderman and Harper Collins are so talented!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umSEbGUqkgI

A Texan's Promise Drawing Winners

Congratulations to the following Twenty Winners! Please send me a private email or contact me privately on FB with your mailing address. Thank you to everyone who shared a promise that you've made.

A Texan's Promise Winners

* Cheryl Callan (from comments)

* Marg (from comments)

*Nicole R. (from comments)

 * Brittany Mcnamara (comments)

* Mary B. (comments)

* Carolyn Jefferson (comments)

* Patsy (comments)

*Vicy Yoder (private email)

* Holly Struve (comments)

* Teresa Burruss (comments)

*Sherry S. (comments)

* Ashley Bonham (comments)

* Jennifer Ackler (Fb)

* Mandy Bentley (comments)

* Regina Fujitani (FB)

* Yana Bien (comments)

* Heidi (comments)

*  Kristen (comments)

* Sharon Hayes (private email) 

* Peggy Reid (comments)

A September Resolution

Just recently, I became a mentor for a local MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group. When I was asked to help out with this, at first I was caught off guard-Me, a Mom Mentor? But I've come to enjoy this group so much-a lot of the women have both toddlers and newborns, or preschoolers and elementary kids. It's fun to see those babies, and being around them brings back a lot of memories when my kids were small.

When my two were preschoolers, I taught school. It was an exhausting time. I got up, got dressed, packed everyone's backpacks, then got my two kids up and off to daycare-all before 7:30 am! After work, I'd pick them up, do dinner and baths, and try to spend as much time with them as I could before they went to sleep. Then there was laundry and bills, and everything else.  Whew! Even thinking about it all makes me tired! In a lot of ways, the memories are all blurred together. I just remember trying to make it through each day the best I could.

Today, I gave the devotional for the MOPS meeting. It was all about enjoying the journey that you're on instead of hoping it will be over soon. The analogy the author gave was for jogging. Instead of wishing that the hour spent running two miles would end soon-it would be far better to give thanks for the time spent exercising.

Hmm.. I don't know if I've ever been thankful while jogging!

But I do know what the author meant. It's nice, during our hectic, over-scheduled lives to take a moment to make sure we enjoy what we're doing. I think that pertains to jogging, or taking care of  children, or working.  Funny how a devotion always seems to be just the perfect thing I needed to hear!

Lately, I've been so focused on page counts and deadlines that I've forgotten how much I absolutely love to write. So here's a September Resolution for me: I resolve to take more deep breaths and try not to get overwhelmed with work!

  That's a promise I'd sure like to keep.

Anyone want to join me with a September Resolution, one where you hope to enjoy the 'journey' just a little bit more?

Hope everyone is having a good week here. It's been raining and raining at our house. After a very hot summer, I have to say I've enjoyed it.

with blessings,

Shelley

A Texan's Promise Contest

 My library talk in Akron got cancelled, so I'm home today! I hate to say it, but I'm kind of happy not be getting ready to make the four hour drive. It's pouring down rain…a perfect excuse to stay home!

The rainy day is also a great excuse to hold yet another book giveaway. This one if for copies of A Texan's Promise!

Below is the latest review that's been posted about the book. I'm so happy people are enjoying this historical western romance. 

http://judyg54.blogspot.com/2011/09/texans-promise-by-shelley-gray.html

If you're interested in winning a copy, all you have to do is write a comment here, on FB, or email me privately about a Promise That You've Kept. Have you made a promise sometime that you made sure you kept? Maybe it was a promise to your kids, or to your parents. Maybe you promised yourself you'd do something. Maybe you promised a friend you'd keep a secret?

I'll be giving away 20 copies. The drawing will end tomorrow evening, and winner announced on Friday afternoon.

Good luck!

Shelley

Happy Fall!

Oh, I know it's not the first day of fall, but it sure feels like it here! It was 55 degrees when I woke up, and the forecast says the high is only going to be 70 degrees. Yay! I love fall.

Tomorrow, I'll be driving up to Akron for a Library Talk. I'm looking forward to it, I haven't done a talk/booksigning in a while, so I'll be very excited to speak with some readers. I'll be speaking at 7:00 pm at the Green Branch of the Akron-Summit County Public Library System. If you go to their website, you'll see directions and details about the event.

Today, though, it's time to work. I found a lovely Amish quote for the day: Everything has its beauty-but not everyone sees it. 

Finally, here's a photo of me and my daughter, right before we got in the car and drove back to college. I'm proud of her!

Hope all of you have a great day, too!

Shelley

A Monday Hello

We're going down to Lexington in a couple of hours to take our daughter back to college. For some reason, our SUV is loaded down again. She's a girl after my own heart-she likes all her 'stuff' just like I do!  I don't know if I'll ever be one of those travelers who can pack a carry-on for the weekend.

On Saturday night, we went to Hobby Lobby and then got crafty. We decorated her sorority letters with pretty paper, pins and such. I needlepoint-that's the extent of my craft abilities. However, I do wrap presents pretty well-so I was in charge of the wrapping. It was fun! My husband kept walking by and smiling at us. I was smiling, too!

I was happy to spend time with my daughter-those of you with kids can probably relate to our conversation…I cut, I folded paper, and listened.

 She chatted, telling me about her dorm, and the food, and her classes, and the boy in one of her classes, and her new friends, and her old friends…

I loved every minute of it. : )

I've got a busy week planned! On Wednesday, I'll be going to Akron, to speak at the Akron-Summet County Public Library. I'll be speaking at 7:00 pm. On Tuesday and Thursday, I have a few church committments, then on Friday, our crique partner meeting. In the midst of all this, I'm hoping to have another book drawing, too-this time for A Texan's Promise.

Now, though, I'd better go write. Though I had high hopes for keeping up with my word count, I didn't write all that much. I decided I'd rather be 'Mom'.

What have y'all been doing all weekend? Anyone bake? I made an apple pie and a banana cake!

Happy Labor Day!

Shelley