Update on My Self Publishing Journey!!

I naively thought I would “leisurely” do blog updates along my journey with the self publication of my book, Seeking the Light of God’s Comforter—When Challenges Dim Our View. 

As you will note, this is February, 2016 and the journey began mid November, 2015. Although there have been some breaks during the holiday season the intensity of this journey has left little energy to “leisurely” do more than exhale for some moments and catch my breath. That said, it is a fascinating journey. I have learned a lot. There are miles to go and more to learn.

After I signed my contract, I was assigned a Project Manager. All parts of this journey go directly to her so, wisely, files are kept in one place. My project manager lives in Ohio. We “met” and were instantly sharing prayer needs with each other as well as the professional essentials I needed to know at that beginning time.

She assigned me to a copyeditor, a woman who lives closer to me geographically and who I actually met the beginning of this month. In November she was finishing up another project and then turned to mine on December 1. We worked “online” one-on-one and she was a dream to work with. I learned so much, appreciated her input, and she was sensitive to mine when I needed to explain why I had done some particular parts of my text the way I did. She scrutinized every word, punctuation, grammar usage, and connected two sections for their coordinated identification. We worked in tandem, my checking over what she did, our coming to a consensus until we were totally in sync. By mid December, all was ready to be sent on to the Project Manager. That work is waiting to go on to formatting along with my 67 colored photos. I’ll explain the reason for the wait later. 

While my copyeditor was working on the texts, the graphic designer was working on readying my design of the book’s front cover. Her work was sent to me. With email exchanges and tweaks (all going to the designer through the Project Manager with my input going to the Project Manager to the designer), the front cover is ready. It will be picked up later when all the interiors of the book are set and approved. Then the graphic designer will work on the spine and back cover design.

January put the next steps on hold, but for good reasons. My Project Manager and her husband have recently welcomed, via adoption, a newborn baby - God’s gift to them after a 7 year wait and many disappointments. Understandably she/they are on maternity/paternity leave as we all rejoice and want to give them this priceless time.

My next literal steps will be to drive south an hour and a half from where I live and have time with the publisher to show her my compiled 3-ring binder where she will review my vision of the formatting of my entire manuscript (including the photos). I will take those 67 colored photos, now in the right format and pixel size, in a zip drive. I’ll hand that over to her! We will discuss what is possible and come to some conclusions. She is the one who will then communicate these needs to the Project Manager (off maternity leave and learning to REALLY multi-task). 

As there have been needed transitions in various positions at the Publishing Company, I chose not to walk into  those occurring during January. A date will soon be scheduled to take the drive south and get on with the next part of this process.

Originally it was thought the publication date would be February, 2016. Not so now. As I have been waiting for six years to be published, a few more months is not of concern as I always have been on God’s timeline. My guess is perhaps a book will be in my hands by April. 

Stay tuned and thanks for ALL your prayers.

I am using this time to tend to some preparation for marketing.

Here are some throw-back images from February of 2010.

I was away from home and using the time to try and figure out how to approach the four Introduction Sections in my book, as well as doing other edits. 

A handful of daffodils got me started. 

There is music in these waiting times. 

The blooms will emerge and oh, the beauty will be worth the wait. 

Click Here to listen a favored song that has kept me inspired along the roads of these years - the roads God and I have walked together while He sang his lyrics of promise.

xo Lynn

Perhaps Love Is . . . !

 Some Thoughts On Love 

My mother used to tell the story of my toddler days and nap times. 

I’d  never awaken crying but lie or sit contentedly singing until she came to get me. One song, popular to her generation in the 40s, poured out of my young lungs.

“I don’t know why I love you like I do. . . I don’t know why, I just do.”

Through my mother’s influence, all kinds of music became an important part of my growing up years. When my brothers and I reached our teen years and beyond, she flowed with interest into the music we loved. 

Music. Such a key love in my life.

In my late 20s, I learned to play the guitar and loved having its ready access for use in my classroom. I passed along many notes from my songbook to my students. Among them were songs made popular by John Denver.

He knew his way with many a song that mirrored the human condition. He promoted the need to honor God’s creation. How far we have roamed from the original Garden and all it contained for us in relating to God and the blooms of his pure Love. In our original Home, love was a known.

“Perhaps Love”  ranks high on my list of John Denver’s songs. 

To listen to its lyrics one gets the impression that 

he was confused about love. Well, aren’t we all? 

I am led to another John, the Apostle who walked with Christ and wrote Gospel accounts of that time. In John 17, we read a communion of words that Christ offers to his Father. 

In the chapter’s context it is placed prior to the day leading to Christ’s Crucifixion, the completion of his earthly mission, and his return Home. He prays from his heart of love on our behalf. 

I compiled a duet between the words of the two men named, John, and within lie some answers about love.  

Introduction 

“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone” (John 1: 1-4 NLT).

The Duet

Perhaps love is like a resting place, a shelter from the storm.

It exists to give you comfort; it is there to keep you warm.

And in those times of trouble when you are most alone, the 

memory of love will bring you home.

“Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began” (John 17: 24 NLT).

Perhaps love is like a window, perhaps an open door.

It invites you to come closer, it wants to show you more

And even if you lose yourself and don't know what to do.

The memory of love will see you thru.

“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them” (verses 25-26 ).

O love to some is like a cloud; to some as strong as steel.

For some a way of living, for some a way to feel.

And some say love is holding on and some say letting go

And some say love is everything;some say they don't know

“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me” ( verses 22-23).

Perhaps love is like the oceanfull of conflict full of change; 

Like a fire when it is  cold outside, a thunder when it rains,

If I should live forever and all my dreams come true,

my memories of love will be of you.

"Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth” ( verses 17-19).

If I should live forever and all my dreams come true,

my memories of love will be of you.

Bridge

And what of that toddler in her crib, singing, 

“I don’t know why I love you like I do. . . 

I don’t know why, I just do”? 

That song remains deep in my heart of memories and 

was pulled out a bit over a decade ago.

 I sat on the bed in a hospice room where my Mom lie in a deep sleep - a nap of a kind -  one from which she would awaken and know the perfection of Love, choruses of love promised because of the Love the Father sent, not a “perhaps love”.  

I sang to her. 

I sang my toddler song but I was able to add on “the whys”. During this rendition of the song, both tears and words fell out of my heart. 

Perhaps love is simply that -- all the pieces in our hearts that cannot be contained but need to flow out and become known. 

It  is the “why of God “ poured into us, his defining of us, his gift to us of himself to extravagantly lavish on those we meet. In following His lead, we come to understand many of the whys and the ways that love becomes real.

If I should live forever and all my dreams come true,

my memories of love will be of you.

“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”

 (John 15: 12-13 NLT).

Listen to John Denver’s song! 

Silver Lining Heart

Mixed Media

by my friend, Mary Peterson