Finally, A New Thing

Here I am with the cover art for A New Thing

Inlate 2023, I made a list of several writing projects for 2024. Among them, “FinishA New Thing.” This was a sequel to my other small-town romances. It’sabout a single mother trying to figure out what her next chapter is when shefaces an empty nest—thetitle came from thisverse, “Behold, I am doing a new thing” (Isaiah 43:19). Especially exciting is my grandson pilot was a source for the flying element in the book. I began writing this storyin 2022, and it hovered around halfway finished when I made the list.

Iwrote the first draft for another project on the list before I began pluggingaway on A New Thing in the Spring of 2024, but I did finish and started theediting process. I submitted the manuscript to my then publisher in late summerwho wanted to put this book under contract but also others in the series whosecontracts had expired. Great, I thought, we’re on our way. So, we went throughthe tedious process of resigning all the contracts.

Sadly,only a couple of months later, that publisher went under, and I was back whereI started with a finished manuscript and no home for it. You can imagine howdisappointing it was after two years of work already.

Whatmade it especially difficult was the book was dedicated to a friend whoinspired the character of Connie. This character appears in every book in theseries. The real-life Connie now had ALS and barring a miracle, she was on aticking clock. I hoped to get the book out soon, so she could see it.

Iprayed, and then went through the lengthy process of putting together a proposaland submitted to the wonderful Elk Lake Publishing who had published  my book In Search of the Painted Bunting.One of my best Christmas gifts in 2024 was receiving the contract they offeredme for A New Thing during the week of Christmas.

So,the book was off again, and the edits were going along fine. We were down tothe final one, and as I’ve written here before, I had an accident whichfractured both wrists mid-May this year which required surgery. The final setof edits came three days later, but there was nothing I could do with bothhands in immobilizing casts that went from my fingers to over my elbows for weeks.So, a family member communicated my situation to the publisher, who was sogracious about it. But still, there was more waiting to get back on track. Assoon as the casts were off, even with my splints, I managed to get those finaledits done.

Sadly,we lost our beloved Connie in mid-August. I have been so disappointed shedidn’t get to see the book in print. But for me, she lives on in this story, througha character inspired by her joyous and kind spirit.

Sonow, we are headed to galleys, which is the last step in the process. I don’tknow all of God’s plans for this book, but it has had a winding and challenging path, so Ibelieve something good is ahead. I pray readers find hope and spiritual encouragementin its pages...and maybe even a laugh.

Jesusoften used stories to communicate his message. He could have made a list ofthings to do and not do. He could have written essays and read them. But no, heoften told stories. I hope to emulate Jesus in trying to communicate the gospeltruth woven through the pages of my books. There are folks who are much betterat it than I am, but I try to be faithful in using the gift God has given me.

Ifthere is one thing I can offer from this book’s journey, it is if we feel thatGod has called us to something, we don’t give up, even in the face ofimpossibility. When the first publisher went out of business, I wondered what Iwould do, but I prayed, regrouped, and Elk Lake Publishing offered another contract. Whenmy wrists fractured, again, I wondered how I would get the edits done, but Godhelped me to do it much sooner than I expected. If you’re facing a challengethat goes on and on, pray, keep God’s calling and purpose in mind and face thefuture with hope.

So,stay tuned. Very soon, I hope to share the release of A New Thing.

Encouragingwords about A New Thing:

If you are looking for asweet, small-town romance with all the southern, cozy feels—A New Thing couldbe the book for you! A story of second chances and forgiveness, thisheartwarming Christian fiction will invite you into the lives of uniquecharacters in the charming town of Worthville, touching on challenges of theempty nest, running a business, complex family relationships, and thepossibility of romance. A delightful, encouraging read… perfect, ofcourse, with a glass of sweet tea!

—Laura Thomas,award-winning Christian fiction author

Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon. To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.comTo sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX Beverly Varnado copyright 2023