Trivia Night on the Bellingwood Facebook page was fun!
Illustration by Bec Schreiber
We had more participants than ever before and y’all kept me on my toes. I’m a terrible multi-tasker – always trying to do several things at once. As I get older, those several things turn into one or two things. I fully expected to have a movie or television show playing in the background and maybe do something crafty with my fingers while I chatted with you. Nope. It was awesome. You kept me so active, I just focused on the conversations we were having.
I met Max online. At the time, he wasn’t the slowest typist in the world, but close. This was also long before video chatting. We were on 2400 baud modems and conversed on GEnie (General Electric’s social network) – not even AOL yet. But my fingers still flew across the keyboard. I’d type three long paragraphs to him in a flash and send it. Then, I’d sit back in my rocking chair and knit many rows until I received back a line or two. LOL. I’d send another two or three paragraphs and knit some more. It was hilarious.
Facebook and high speed networks, along with more than two hundred of you responding to questions, kept my fingers and my brain moving right along. What wonderful fun.
Our next trivia party will be prior to Book 22’s June release. Mark your calendar for June 15 and we’ll have more fun! The book will be released on June 25th.
Late last night, I sent the manuscript off to my last two editors for polishing and final edits. I relaxed and wondered what to do with myself next.
Ah ha! I watched my movie – Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Talk about a little slice of heaven. It was a great story and I had fun living among those characters and in that world again. I’m just a happy Star Wars camper today. I’ll watch it a few more times in the next couple of weeks because I love it so much. It’s so much fun to see the way different story tellers look at the Star Wars universe. They allow my imagination to take off.
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Pre-Orders? Available at Midnight? Good questions.
It occurred to me, as I fielded several questions from many of you this week, that we have been acclimated to release dates by the big publishing companies, who ship thousands of books around the country with orders to hold them until midnight on a specified date.
That’s not how it works for an independent publisher. The book doesn’t magically get released at midnight on March 25th. I wish I could make that happen, but I don’t actually have that much control. So why not do a pre-order? Here’s why.
Amazon requires a lengthy lead-time for pre-orders – time that I don’t have because of the short span between the release of the Bellingwood books. Within three months, I write, re-write, proofread, edit, allow time for readers to proofread and edit, then format, and publish. I work to be out in front of my publishing date so that I don’t panic, but there’s no additional time to incorporate Amazon’s requirements for pre-orders.
So … I don’t do them. I’m sorry about that.
I also can’t guarantee what time of the day the Amazon link goes live. Once I upload the final copy to the publishing arm of Amazon, I wait. They tell me it can take twelve to seventy-two hours before it is available for sale. It generally takes between two and twelve hours. All I can do is work to ensure that the book’s link is live when I send out the email at six o’clock on the morning of the twenty-fifth. Anything before that – yay for you.
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Bellingwood Book 21 – A Heart’s Assurance – Coming March 25th.
Winter has taken hold in Bellingwood.
Boots, coats, roaring fireplace, blankets, snow days – the Bell House is prepared for nearly anything.
Nearly anything …
Let’s see. Where shall we start?
Rebecca’s first big party following the Winter Snowball Dance fills the house with joy, but high school kids don’t have much sense sometimes. The next day, a quick trip to Boone turns Polly’s family upside down. Hayden and Cat’s Christmas announcement will bring changes – something that everyone is excited about. Henry and Polly trained to be foster parents and while the Bell House can hold more people, are they ready?
In one of Polly’s most heart wrenching rescues we meet Shelly Nelson, taken from her family at a young age. Suddenly, she shows up again five years later. The young woman has been through inconceivable hell and trusts no one, yet her heart desperately wants to believe that there is goodness in the world and she can be safe again.
In a world filled with brokenness, we look for those who remain steadfast in the midst of the storm. The Giller-Sturtz family has at its core – strength, love and stability. When Polly’s stamina ebbs, she is restored by her friends who, in their selfless love, give each other unending support.
Winter may have taken hold, but spring is coming to Bellingwood.
