Reaping What You Sow

in Life and in Writing
From Sharon Ledwith
Have you ever stripped a piece offurniture to give it a new life and a fresh purpose? Recently, I finished aproject that I’ve been dragging my feet on and found the process actuallyrefreshing and satisfying. I inherited my late brother’s trunk, which he inturn inherited from our late father. It was sooo dated that it would have madea great prop for a pirate movie. Yet, there was so much history and characterto this trunk, I wanted it for a personal challenge, as well as to have a keepsakefrom my brother and father. So, after being ‘stuck’ as my hubby called it, inthe garage since February, I began to seriously work on my trunk at the end ofthe August.

Honestly, I really, really hate thestripping process. It’s kind of like editing the first draft of your book. Youknow you have to grin and bear it to remove the gunk and get to the bones ofthe story. So you do it. My elbows and hands are still screaming at me! Slowly,but surely, the old red and gold paint peeled off to reveal the trunk’soriginal color. The poor thing appeared so naked, so exposed, like a newbornbaby with bits of after-birth stuck to it. Sorry for the visual, but it’s true.

Next came choosing the new paint color. Iwanted to go with a dark brown—mostly to hide all the flaws in the trunk’s bodycaused by my scraper. Perhaps I used little too much elbow grease. Hubby helpedme with this part, carefully spraying the sides, allowing the trunk time todry, then giving it another coat. Covering the flaws reminded me of the care awriter takes in creating characters. Like the gouges and grooves in my trunk, yourcharacters NEED flaws because readers must feel some sort of connection withthem. Readers WANT to cheer on those flawed underdogs, see them scream, watchthem change and grow. And when that connection happens, they wholeheartedlyinvest in your characters and the hell authors drag them through.

Once the paint was completely dry, it wason to varnishing the trunk. Boo-yah! This was a painstakingly long process,done by hand. But there was no turning back now! I did two coats and allowedthe varnish time to dry and hardened. Like revising and polishing your bookbefore submitting for publication (self or traditional), the varnishing stepprotects and gives a glossy finish to the trunk to give it life. This processreflects something every writer needs to do in order to get the best qualitybook in the hands of their readers.
Finallycame the finishing, the piece de resistance. I wanted the trunk to becedar lined. Call me anal (hubby did), I don’t care. I wanted to be able to usethe trunk to store bedding for guests, as well as double as a coffee table. I’dalready invested quite a lot of time and money into this project—think how muchtime writers invest in their books, and you’ll understand me completely. So Iwent all in and did it the way I visualized the trunk that I wanted. This washubby’s job, as he’s a skilled woodworker and finisher. And he didn’tdisappoint. The trunk smelled of cedar (love the smell) and had a fresher,cleaner look to it. Truly an improvement my brother and father would have beenproud of!

Speaking of improvements, Book 2 of theLast Timekeepers time travel series, TheLast Timekeepers and the Dark Secret was originally written in 2001.There’s been so many revisions and rewrites to this novel that fifteen yearslater, I’m so proud of the final product. I do hope you get a chance to checkit out. Sograb your spy gear and suit up, the Timekeepers are going undercover in theirnext time travel adventure! 

Here’s a glimpse of the premises of both my youngadult series.

The Last Timekeepers Time Travel Adventures

Chosenby an Atlantean Magus to be Timekeepers—legendary time travelers sworn to keephistory safe from the evil Belial—five classmates are sent into the past torestore balance, and bring order back into the world, one mission at a time.

Children are the keys to our future. And now, children are theonly hope for our past.

Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mysteries

Imagine a teenagerpossessing a psychic ability and struggling to cope with its freakish power.There’s no hope for a normal life, and no one who understands. Now, imaginebeing uprooted and forced to live in a small tourist town where nothing muchever happens. It’s bores-ville from the get-go. Until mysterious things startto happen.

Welcome to Fairy Falls.Expect the unexpected.

The Last Timekeepers Time Travel Adventure Series:

The LastTimekeepers and the Noble Slave, Book #3

MIRROR WORLDPUBLISHING׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀

The LastTimekeepers and the Dark Secret, Book #2 BuyLinks:

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The LastTimekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, Book #1 Buy Links:

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Legendof the Timekeepers, prequel BuyLinks:

MIRRORWORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES& NOBLE׀

Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls TeenPsychic Mystery Series:

Lostand Found, Book One BuyLinks:

MIRRORWORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES& NOBLE׀

Blackfliesand Blueberries, Book Two BuyLinks:

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SharonLedwith is the author of the middle-grade/young adult time travel adventureseries, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, and the award-winning teen psychic mysteryseries, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, reading,researching, or revising, she enjoys anything arcane, ancient mysteries, andsingle malt scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a southern touristregion of Ontario, Canada, with her spoiled hubby, and a moody calico cat.

Learn moreabout Sharon Ledwith on her WEBSITE and BLOG. Look up her AMAZONAUTHORpage for a list of current books. Stay connected on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST, LINKEDIN, INSTAGRAM, and GOODREADS.

BONUS: Download the free PDF short story TheTerrible, Mighty Crystal HERE