The book I ran away from, repeatedly, is finally published. And now I wait.
Except, several bloggers have done a lot to make the waiting easier. Some sent me wonderful email reviews as they read An Honest House: “I’ve reached (this) part now and I’m loving it!” Or: “I stayed awake till 2 in the morning, reading!” And so on.
That’s a new experience for me, and I appreciate it.
Then, Sally Cronin, a European blogger who has done much to help authors and other bloggers around the world, kindly highlighted An Honest House.
And, from Gibraltar, Katherine, the sharp-eyed editor and tough book reviewer who previewed the book before it went to print, published her review last weekend. Finally, I found out what she thought of the finished product. (I was anxious.)
By our priest, Rev. Canon Claire Wade at St. Thomas’ Anglican in the village of Brooklin, Ontario
And our church community, family and friends
At 9.a.m in the morning of a long weekend, no less!
It was a full house. The food was great, the speeches were short, and I didn’t stutter or cry while reading.
Thanks to Hamlin for the photos and to publisher Don Bastian for his beautiful speech below:
Publisher Don Bastian
“I’ve attended many book launches, but this is the first book blessing I’ve ever heard of. I think there should be more of them!
In my experience as an editor and reader, memoir writers fall into one of two camps.
In one camp are those who create a book. Their book falls somewhere on the spectrum from boring waste of space to keen insight into a life well spent. But in the end, all they have created is a book.
In the other camp, and this camp is less populous, are those who create a book, of course, but who also create a world. In some mysterious way, in telling the story of their own life, they tell the story of their readers’ lives, as well.
I think you know into which camp Cynthia Reyes has pitched her tent.
Opening the pages of AN HONEST HOUSE is like opening a colourful gift. Yes, we do grapple with the pain we are subject to, having messed things up in the Garden of Eden. But we do get closer to the border of that wonderful garden. We are drawn into Cynthia and Hamlin’s literal garden and into their big-hearted marriage and church relationships and extensive set of friendships. And we are so much the better for it.
And so I am honoured to congratulate Cynthia on her new book. To congratulate her for displaying:
great skill as the writer of a book;
supreme artistry as the creator of a world;
and amazing grace to confer on us, her readers, honorary citizenship in that world.”
~~
Thank you, Don, Hamlin, Rev. Canon Claire, Sharon and everyone who took part.
I’m praying for two women I’ve never met in person.
They are in my blogging community. One in Southern Africa, one in the United States. Each was bereaved recently.
I’m also praying for a blogger and his beloved wife in England. She has been undergoing cancer treatments.
Some people may be surprised that we care so much when another blogger hurts. But we do, especially when someone has a health scare or experiences a loss.
Through blogging, we get to know each other’s stories. We read about each other’s lives, families, dreams, disappointments, and triumphs.
We rejoice over the good times: a daughter passes her exams; a parent’s health improves; a husband gets a better job.
So why wouldn’t we also hope and/or pray that a blogger – or a spouse – will triumph over a serious illness?
Why wouldn’t we feel a terrible sadness when the husband of a blogger-friend dies suddenly?
Bloggers know that life changes when we least expect it. That the challenge is to learn, accept, adapt. Which is so easy to say, and so hard to do.
There is such pain in the world.
But also, such hope. Such kindness.
And such courage.
We see that every day in each other’s blog posts.
And we know that, sometimes, just taking the next step is an act of courage.
Dedicated to the persons mentioned in this post, and to all who currently feel buffeted by life’s strong winds. All these flowers are for you.
Every writer needs an extra pair of eyes, but the reality is we only have two!
Here’s a shout-out to two women who have kept faith with me at different stages of the writing of An Honest House:
Lesley, my writing coach, mentor and first editor.
Lesley Marcovich believes everyone has a story to tell. She runs a writers’ group, biography workshops, and is the creator of www.biographytimeliner.com.
I’ve been blessed to find this woman. Strong on storytelling structure, she divines the things I’m scared to write about, and tells me – gently but firmly – that I have to do it. On my rougher days, she even traveled for meetings on my verandah.
Provide a pre-publication review of your manuscript, AND provide critical feedback.
I was blessed with great editors and generous, smart, first-draft readers. As the book neared completion, I wondered: how could I get the kind of review that usually comes only after the book is released?
(Photo of Katherine’s desk)
And that’s where Katherine came in. Her review and report — she writes a thorough report — were excellent. Katherine – a former journalist – asked great questions, made key observations.
Back I went to the manuscript — polishing, polishing.
Congrats to Katherine for her keen eyes, skillful suggestions and empathy for anxious authors. Other authors tell me she’s also a wonderfully professional editor, which makes total sense to me. But even if you already have your own editor, I’d still recommend Katherine, as an extra pair of eyes.
