Shelley Shepard Gray's Blog, page 26

35,000 and Counting

I've been working hard on my new book, SEARCHING,  for the last few weeks.  It's due in October, which means I have about a month to go before I turn it in. Which means, of course, that I won't be taking a day off until it's finished.

I know some writers who can sit in a chair for eight hours and write. Or they can write late at night, after everyone else goes to sleep. That's not me. I write a little, then go do something else. Then write a little more.

Over the years, I've developed a little routine. I write ten pages a day. Eleven is better, twelve is great. I write on a sheet of paper the next ten page numbers, and as I complete each one, I cross it off. Lately I've become a fan of my red Sharpie marker for this. Those red X's look very official! When I get around half-way through a book, I start looking at word count-which is where that 35,000 comes from. My minimum word count for a book is 60,000-so hitting 30K always makes me happy.

Yesterday, I wrote eight of the pages down in my basement office, went on an apple hunt, then came home and wrote the rest of the pages outside on our back deck. We have hummingbirds right now, so of course, I found myself watching the birds instead of typing, but that's okay. I finished around five o'clock with eleven pages for the day and 35,000 words for the book. Yay!

This weekend when my daughter comes home, I'll write a little, and then hang out with her. And then I'll write a little more. Believe me, she's used to my laptop and she's used to my silly red X's!

 My book is coming together so well, I don't mind spending a little time each day with my cast of characters in Crittenden County. I think y'all are going to love this series set in western Kentucky where everyone has a secret.

I hope y'all have a great weekend, too!

Shelley

Happy September!

I need to double-check with my sister about this-but I'm pretty sure there's a saying in Greece for the first day of  the month: Good Month! August was very looonnnngggg around here, and kind of tough. So I'm hoping for a much calmer September.

Today's already gotten off to a great start. My daughter's coming home  for the long weekend and she's already requested her favorite dinner-stringy meat. That's roast beef for the rest of the world. I've always made roast beef in the crock pot-so when we have it for dinner, it's 'stringy'. I'm happy to make something that always reminds me of fall and winter.

I also had a visit from the FexEx man today with three boxes of books! My author copies came for A Texan's Promise, and I have to say they are just beautiful! On the back are endorsements from Beth Wiseman and Ann Gahart, two amazing authors. I can't wait to run another contest and give some away!

I did get 11 pages written yesterday, and I did finish Anne Perry's book. Sigh. She can't write fast enough for me.

Now it's time to go write my pages again…then it's off to the apple orchard where my kids used to work. The Galas and Granny Smith apples are in-hooray!  Sounds like a perfect way to celebrate a new month. So, Good Month to you all!

I'd Rather Be Reading

Ever have one of those days? When you wish the phone would stop ringing, the emails would stop coming, and there were no chores to do around the house?

I'm sorry to say that's the mood I'm in.  See, I made the mistake of beginning Anne Perry's newest release, Acceptable Loss, and reading it is all I want to do. I love her books! They're the only books I actually try to read slowly.

They're also the only books I actually hope come out in hardcover! I love them seeing them on our library's bookshelf.  And I love curling up on a chair and becoming engrosed with yet another mystery in Victorian London. 

  Last night, I hosted some MOPS ladies and visited with them for a few hours. They were great! So fun to be around! But still, as the hour grew late, I kept thinking that I'd rather be reading.

This morning, I read while I drank a pot of coffee. I read while I ate a bowl of cereal. And now, here I am, blogging about the book instead of writing one!

Yep, it's something of a problem today.

I think I'm going to have to resort to bribing myself.  I never left the house yesterday-too much work to do. (Wrote, then sent out winners' books!) So today, I've got a very nice carrot dangling in front of me: as soon as I write my ten pages, I'm off to Barnes and Noble! There, I'll look at my book…and then finally get my drink and sit back down and read.

Hmm…don't think any housework is going to get done today!

What have you read lately that you couldn't put down? I'd love some recommendations! Anne's latest book will be done tonight!

Shelley

 

Book Release Thanks

The Survivor is my tenth release for Avon Inspire! I have so much to be thankful for!

Every so often people ask how I got started writing about the genre. When they ask, I often tell them about my experiences writing that first chapter of  HIDDEN. When I wrote those first few pages, I knew I liked the book…but I was also pretty certain no one else would! I never thought it would get published.

 I feel so thankful to Mary Sue, my agent, and Cindy, my editor, for encouraging me to continue writing books that I want to write. I really feel blessed for their guidance.

I vividly remember writing a scene in FORGIVEN…and feeling the whole time that I wasn't writing it alone. It was a pretty intense scene-about asking for forgiveness and seeking God's guidance. About an hour later I realized I'd just written seven or so pages with God's help.  I truly feel that He's been my writing partner with  these novels.

Thank you to everyone who stops by here, who visits me on Facebook, and who never fails to ask their librarians to order more copies of my novels. Thank you to all of you who give my books as gifts and preorder books for yourself. I'm so grateful to all of you!

Today, I hope to get another ten pages written. Then I'm going to bake some cookies (chocolate with white chips), and hopefully make a trip to our local Barnes and Noble. I'll get an iced coffee and go look at The Survivor sitting on the shelf.  It will be my tenth time to do this…and I'm still so happy and proud. I don't think the excitement of Book Release Day will ever fade for me!

I hope all of you have a good Tuesday, too!

with blessings,

Shelley

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who entered The Survivor contest! Once again, I'm in awe of everyone's stories. I did read every one of your comments, but there were so many between here, private email, and on FB, I got a little overwhelmed.  All told, we had almost a 100 entries.

Congratulations to the winners! I had my new helper come over yesterday, compile all the names, and draw the winners. It's always so fun to see familiar and new names listed! Already 10 of the 15 winners have contacted me with their addresses. That's great.

Last weekend when we were in Cleveland, a kind of fun thing happened-they were filming scenes from the new Ironman movie in front of our hotel! So there were  all kinds of Warner Brothers trucks everywhere, and on Friday night, we had to walk and walk to stay on the outside of the roped off sections. They were filming a scene.

I also received all kinds of book news on Friday and Saturday. I got the first look at the cover for MISSING, received the advanced reader copies of A Texan's Honor (these are unedited and go out to reviewers), and saw that Christmas in Sugarcreek is part of the Amazon Vine program-and is already getting reviews on amazon.com. : )

And, after a reader on FB told me that she already had gotten her copy of The Survivor-it was on sale early at Walmart-I just had to go yesterday and see it for myself. It was there! Just as I was about to pop it in my grocery cart,  my husband put it right back on the shelf! He said I didn't need to buy a copy of my own book.  I suppose he's right about that.

Today, it's back to work. I've got lots of pages to write for SEARCHING-and only a month to get them done.

I hope everyone will get lots done today, too!

Shelley

Survivor Drawing Winners

We have 15 winners! Congratulations! If you see your name below, please contact me by email or privately on Face Book with your mailing address.

Book Drawing Winners

* Kathy Sonnenberg (from comment on Website)

* Pam Burke (comment on Website)

*Crickit Carney-Weakly (comment from FB)

*Stephani Brown (website)

* Debbi Sprang (comment from website)

*Angela Nicole Chestnut (website)

*Debra Bearden (comment from website)

*Alecia Ernest (comment from website)

*Lynne Young (website)

*Gail Chevalier (website)

*Cindy Blake (private email)

*Christine Leone Shaffer (facebook)

*Jeanette Styer (website)

*Katherine Grider (website)

*Heather (private email)

Thank you so much for entering! I can't wait to send you a copy of the book!

Shelley

Still Accepting Entries

Hi Everyone!

For those of you who have shared your 'survival' stories, thank you so much! I'm so touched by everyone's comments. We'll continue to accept contest entries until Saturday night. If you're still interested in winning one of the 15 copies of The Survivor, I hope you'll leave a comment here, on the previous post, on FB, or in a private email.

I'm off to my critique partner meeting, then to Cleveland for the night. On Sunday afternoon, we'll post the winners.

Thank you, as always, for your interest in my books. I'm so grateful to each of you!

With blessings,

Shelley

The Survivor Book Drawing!

After a little bit of confusion about my author copies…I was assured they are now on their way to my house. Hooray!

For me, that means one thing…it's time to give some of them away.

I can't tell you how meaningful all of your comments have been about being caregivers and protectors. I know of some readers who stopped by just to read everyone's comments and stories. Y'all are incredible people! All along, I've been anxious to hear about what everyone has survived, so that's the focus of this drawing.

There's a scene in The Survivor where the characters discuss that everyone has 'survived' something.

 What have you 'survived'? * Perhaps you're a cancer survivor like Mattie. * Or maybe you've survived a difficult marriage or relationship like Lucy in The Caregiver.

*Or a terrible storm, or a tornado. 

*Or, maybe you've just survived being a mom of toddlers or teenagers!

*Who knows? Maybe your 'survival' story is about a particularly bad vacation. : ) 

Obviously, anything you want to share counts…it doesn't have to be anything too personal.

Here are the rules:

1) Write a comment about what you've Survived. It can be here on the website, in a personal email to me, or on FB. Please don't write me in multiple places, we'll get all the comments, I promise!

2) People can enter comments until Saturday night.

3) On Sunday we'll announce 15 winners, and the books will go out on Monday!

As always, thank you for your interest in my books! I'm so grateful for all of you!

Shelley

A Little Bit About Mattie

It's less than a week before The Survivor is released, and I have to admit to being a little melancholy about it. Like Lilly in the The Seasons of Sugarcreek books, Mattie Lapp has been a reoccurring character in The Families of Honor series. I'm going to miss Mattie!

Those of you who've been reading the 'Family' books know that The Caregiver opens with the heroine on her way to help nurse Mattie, who's just had a mastectomy and is about to start chemotherapy. Writing about her struggles with her faith and her health weren't easy to write. I did a lot of research about the emotional journeys some cancer patients take, and even read daily blogs about one girl's struggles.  Some days I just wanted to make Mattie's life easier. It was tempting to make her feel less pain, and feel less desolated.

Luckily, Mattie's relationship with her friend Graham was very easy to write. I knew Mattie needed as many people around her who were willing to help her become a survivor. And in The Caregiver and The Protector, those scenes between Graham and Mattie were some of my favorites.

When I began to write The Survivor, I knew I had to give them conflict and a story of their own. While I was writing the book, I was tempted more than once to ask my editor what she thought of oh, 300 pages and Mattie and Graham getting along… I knew that idea wouldn't go over very well, though!

So I dug a little deeper and thought about what it means to be a 'survivor'…and that is what the book is about. It's about surviving tough experiences, or lies, or gossip, or hardship, or cancer. And it's about Mattie and Graham Weaver finally having their own happily ever after.

I can't wait for y'all to tell me what you think of it. If you haven't preordered it, I hope you will, either on www.cbd.com, or www.amazon.com, or on www.barnesandnoble.com . Or please ask your library to put it on their shelves.

Below is the link for a Giveaway from Blackstone Audio! They're offering signed copies of the audio versions of The Caregiver and The Protector. All you have to do is leave a comment to be eligible! Even if you're not interested, I hope you'll stop by…their covers for the books are different but very pretty.

http://blog.blackstoneaudio.com/archives/4855

with blessings to you,

Shelley

One Week To Go!

 

In just one week, The Survivor will hit the shelves! Then, right after that we'll begin a lot of promotional work for Christmas in Sugarcreek and A Texan's Promise.

Then, we'll get even busier with preparations for the book tour.

Until all that happens, I've been enjoying a rare couple of weeks where I haven't had to do much besides write.  No line edits or revision notes have come in…no radio interviews or book signings. Though it was tempting to take some breaks and enjoy having some free time, I've been really pushing myself to get a lot done.

And that means spending a whole lot of time at my desk.

For the last few days I've either been plotting a book for Harlequin, writing A Texan's Choice,  or frantically trying my best to get a first draft done for Searching,  the second book in my 2012 Amish series.

All this work means my desk has become a huge mess! I didn't realize how bad it had gotten until my husband started laughing at the piles of papers this morning.  By Friday, I think I really will stop and clean!

One of the papers that you might find amusing is the one with the pretty red Xs. Every day I write down the page numbers I hope to hit, and as I complete a page, I take out a red sharpie and make a nice, colorful X. It's the little things, I guess. : )

If you're on FB, I hope you'll check out my page for  Blackstone Audio's contest for signed copies of the audio versions of The Caregiver and The Protector. I'll post the information here either later on today or tomorrow.

For now, it's back to making more X's….hope y'all are having a good day, too!

with blessings,

Shelley