Birth

I don’t know when I began this novel. I do know that I had a draft version in early 2019 . I worked diligently that year, revising and revising again. I sent it to some agents and got feedback in crumbs. Then the virus hit; I lost a year in terms of writing but re-surfaced in December.

In March 2021, I renewed my vows to this project in a few terse sentences. In June, someone published a book with the same title. Good grief! It even got decent reviews. Stubborn determination was the result. I added another word to my title and off we went again. Birthing a book takes longer than nine months for most of us.

In early 2022, I read through my book and decided it needed more revision. I was in the process of finding a new home which gave me a deadline (finish before this chapter of life gets going) but also fresh distractions: nomadic months, uncertainty, and then a house that needed painting . Another “final” read-through in September after my furniture arrived, followed by formatting, proofreading, re-formatting, proofreading again. But the day has come at last.

Baby birthed: Friday, January 13th, 2023.

Treat her with care; she may not be perfect, but she carries a piece of my heart.