Coming Soon! Revised and Updated Version of Adopting the Father’s Heart
I sat in my bedroom that doubled as my office at the end of 2011 staring at a list of ideas I wrote down on those big post it note papers that you can stick on a wall. I did this exercise because over the previous year our original plans dramatically changed. You might not know that in 2010-2011, Danielle and I planned on returning overseas as full-time missionaries. That plan had been in motion since 2007 when we lived in Thailand for six months as volunteer missionaries.
But God revealed a different plan for us, at least temporarily. As I read over the list of ideas on the papers on the wall, I could hear Danielle taking care of a little boy, about 13 or 14 months old at that time. CPS placed him in our home when he was only eight-months-old. We didn’t know what his future held, so that meant I didn’t know what my future looked like either. The ideas written on the paper consisted of what I could do with myself. I no longer served on staff as a mission pastor. It had been over four years since I worked as a business analyst. So I allowed my mind to entertain any and every idea of what to do next. Even though I was 50 years old, it wasn’t a mid-life crisis. I simply stood at a fork in the road.
The ideas ranged from common sense ones like another pastor position to restarting my project management career. Other ideas on the list bordered on absurdity, at least in my mind. Things like open a Bed and Breakfast, renovate houses to sell or rent, and write a book. What made those three ideas a little absurd is that I had no idea how to do any of them.
Well by now you know what I chose to do. I chose to write even though I had no idea how to write a book much less how to publish and market one. I jumped in anyway and learned not only what I needed to do to write a book, but also how to begin a blog and a platform.
What is the book about?
My next decision was, “What do I write about?” I had a few ideas, but I decided to write about what I was living at the time. I began writing about our journey into foster care: how and why we made the decision, how we felt overwhelmed trying to get started, what the training looked like, and so on. I wrote about getting our first placement, meeting the biological family, and attending court hearings. I also wrote about how I felt throughout the process.
I wanted the book to not only tell you our story, but also help you understand the process in case you too consider foster care or adopting through the foster care system.
I also learned a lot about the publishing business. I decided to contract with a publisher to self-publish the book rather than shop it with an agent and try the traditional route. I learned that even with self publishing I had many options. I worked with the company on the cover and interior design. I hired an editor, and had friends proof read the book. Overall, I was pleased with the process and the outcome.
Why am I revising the book?
About a year ago, I decided that I wanted to bring the story up to date and revise the book. One thing I learned about writing since publishing Adopting the Father’s Heart is that I didn’t know how to write very well Imagine that!
The main issue I had with the book was that I wrote most of it in a passive voice rather in an active voice. An active voice is when the subject does or acts upon the verb in the sentence. Passive voice is when the object of a sentence is made into the subject. Want an example? Here is one using a common joke.
Active voice—Why did the chicken cross the road?
Passive voice—Why was the road crossed by the chicken?
Passive voice will use a form of the “to be” verb often making the sentence structure weaker and possibly confusing for the reader.
I read my original version of Adopting the Father’s Heart a couple of years after I published it and recognized how much I used the passive tense. My blogging and continued studying about how to write helped me to understand this.
By revising the book I am changing as much as I can from passive voice to active voice making the book stronger and easier to read. And, I am writing one or two chapters that updates you on where we are now in our adoption journey.
The release date for the revised and updated version is tentatively set for June 1, 2018. The book will be available on Amazon in ebook and print version at a lower price than the original book’s price. AND all my email subscribers to KennethACamp.com will get a free, downloadable copy of the book.
I look forward to getting this out to you on June 1. I hope you will share with all your friends about the book when it comes out.
If you want to be a proofreader for the revised version of Adopting the Father’s Heart between April 27 and May 11, email me, leave a comment, or contact me on social media.
