What'SUP?

Not only do I walk in a circle when in doubt, I can also paddle in a circle too.

May 16, 2024

Good Stuff

I’ve decided to include highlights of my Substack reading (so I can go back and find them later, too!). What do you think? Do you like the suggestions?

If not, and you want to skip this part, just scroll down past the divider line for the main topic of this newsletter.

Fit to Be Tied: My Gym Class Disaster - I had a good laugh reading
Pam C
and her experience with Captain CrossFit. I will take a new perspective into the classes I lead this week because of her newsletter. (Pam, looking forward to your next share!)
Note from Carlos Greaves -
Carlos Greaves
is always making me think. This last week, he asked a question that made me wonder if I’d adequately take advantage of an opportunity in book 2 of my upcoming series… I’ll be double-checking as I go through the developmental edits. I don’t want to miss this opportunity!
Selling Pasta at Minimum Wage - Check out this 3-part story from
Rosana S
for some good belly laughs. Bet you’ve had similar thoughts about the “Jack” in your life!
Why you should do the thing - In Dan Grant’s
The Deal Space
, he told me “I don’t know what you are resisting most today - it’s likely that’s the exact thing that you should go and do.” And then went on to reference a Rush song. Yes, Dan, I’m listening. Thanks for the reminder.

Now, on to the regularly scheduled message…

Starting is the hardest part

But the work is worth it

Last weekend, my husband and I took our SUPs out for the first time this year. They were dusty from storage. We struggled to get the straps attached (how the heck did we connect the strap?). We had to jump our car (I don’t recommend leaving all the doors open for an hour while attaching the boards to the top when the car has a known electrical-draining issue). But we made it!

Finally.

And the day was glorious. And worth all the hard work to spend it together. Outside. I mean, just look at that glorious sunshine!

My upcoming book with Provender Press is one that (if you asked me a year ago) I would’ve never believed would be on its way to being published (in the spring of 2025).

One year ago, the first draft of my three-part coming-of-age dystopian series was completed. I’d contracted with a developmental editor (a friend who I used to make do burpees… with a smile) and had beta readers pick it apart. But I still hadn’t decided if I’d take that next step and actually have it published.

Step back in time

The genesis of Tessa’s story happened in July 2012, when I was visiting my parents’ home and watched the setting sun light up the foothills. I wrote a couple of thousand words, mostly settings, and stashed the files in my Dropbox.

In September 2013, I imagined Tessa’s awakening on the train and was immediately fascinated with how she came to be with her aunt and uncle. I would lay awake in bed—in that half-sleep state—and allow my mind to wander until her story was revealed. Once I had the scene on the train and realized why she was traveling from her home, I was hooked.

I thought about her world—fixated on it.1 What it would be like one hundred years from now if the path we are on had a dramatic shift?

I mapped out a rough timeline, which included a calendar of events. And, as my kids would be quick to tell you, this “rough” timeline included a spreadsheet with specific dates and took into consideration the day of the week, the moon cycle, exact locations around the Pacific Northwest, and an A/B day high school schedule.

I considered the people surrounding her and developed a character list with a complex mapping (of parentage, personalities, and connections) to get the right “mix” for the story. Then I jumped in and allowed Tessa’s recounting to flow from my fingers.

At the end of this second phase of creation, I had written a meager ten thousand words and put the files to rest.

Forgotten for a decade

In October 2021, Dropbox notified me of a change in their policy, so I logged in to see what I had hidden in my cloud storage unit. And I found my first draft.

I sat on my couch to read, mesmerized by Tessa’s story once again. That evening, I devoured the words before climbing into bed, but sleep eluded me. I needed to know… what. happened. next?

An obsession born

At this point in my marriage, my husband had become used to my nocturnal ways—I’d spent several years wrapped up in volunteer positions and often found myself working late at night. At first, I didn’t tell my family that I was writing a book, mostly because I wasn’t willing to admit it to even myself. They eventually figured it out (probably sooner than I realized).

By the end of October, I’d drafted another twenty thousand words. It was not fast-going, but I was also working at the time. And then… I wasn’t working.

A blessing in disguise

By Thanksgiving of 2021, I was no longer working outside the home, so I had all day to focus on Tessa and her story. By the time I started my new job in February of 2022, I’d completed the first draft of all three books in the series and written over 250,000 words. I still didn’t know if I would publish this or just enjoy the fact that I typed so many words.

The push I needed

Have you ever had a friend that said something in passing that stuck with you? I had one who told me (I paraphrase here because this was said YEARS ago) that “everyone thinks they have a story to write, but not everyone should be a writer.”

A serendipitous moment

Even after having beta readers (strangers to me) pick the story apart and push me to be a better writer, I was still unsure.

Did I take that scary step to either self-publish, find some way to get my manuscript in the hands of a publisher, or simply stash it back in Dropbox for another decade?

At this point, I’d told a small handful of friends that I had a three-part series written. Close friends, mostly.

Luckily, I’d told the right people (or person, really). A friend was attending her work holiday party at a local event center that has business offices attached. While in the bathroom, she met someone from the business complex side of the building. They realized that they shared the same name and got to talking (not surprising if you know either of them… the talking-to-strangers part). I imagine the conversation went something like this:3

A.D. = “Oh, hi! What a lovely scarf! My name is A.”

A.B. = “Thank you. Wait. My name is A.”

Big grins shared.

A.D. = “I’m attending the party in the ballroom. What brings you here?”

A.B. = “My publishing business just opened an office here.”

A.D. tilts her head and holds her chin in a contemplative manner.

A.D. = “Publisher? I have a friend who wrote a book. You should publish it.”

A.B. = “Well, you do have the perfect name, so you must be correct. Yes, we should publish your friend’s book. Give her my number.”

Phone numbers were exchanged. And eventually, A.D. gave me A.B.’s number. And the rest is history. Sort of.

Now, the hard part

Right. I thought writing the manuscript was difficult, but the upcoming steps seem 100 times scarier! My publisher has been kind and given me a spreadsheet with a timeline so I know what to expect. (Yay! A spreadsheet!!! Can I add a filter, please? How about formatting? Maybe some conditional formatting?)

Next up? Line editing.

Looking forward to the sunshine

I know completing all the remaining steps will be difficult, and I won’t know what to expect until it happens. But, like our weekend excursion to scout a location (and enjoy the sunshine), the work will be worth it. (I just hope no jumpstarting will be needed.)

I’ll have a published book. Readers will be able to buy it and read it,4 and they will want to read books two and three. Because I’ve done the hard work—I made Tessa’s story come to life—even if I felt like I was paddling in a circle at times.

Highlights (since we last took a stroll in a circle together)

✔ Professional Photo Session
Talk about re-living a past experience, it was like doing my Senior Photos all. over. again. No, seriously, I did some of the same poses! I’d give you a preview, but the photos have not been released by my publisher (yet), so you will just have to believe me. (I’ll give you a comparison once I have the new ones… it will be a good laugh, no doubt!) During my session, I hit some of the most popular senior photo locations in our town, ones that I have on my living room wall sporting my favorite secondborn’s face. (Maybe I’ll frame them and hang them side-by-side… a kind of who-wore-it-better display.) And I should mention that it was a busy Friday night in our little town, so people who know me SAW me… posing… running across a street to get an action shot (I’m not even kidding! Can’t wait to see those!)…

✔ Reached FIFTEEN subscribers!
Thank you to all dozen+3 people willing to receive my newsletter in your inbox! I see you. I appreciate you. Your faith in my writing means that I’ve reached double digits! Thank you! I am curious when I’ll get to the point of having more subscribers than subscriptions. That will happen, right? No worries. Even if it doesn’t happen, we will have fun here together, and that is all that matters! So thanks again😊 Maybe we can convince the nineteen followers to subscribe too?

✔ Stock responses personalized
I’ve updated the stock responses from Substack for new subscribers and newsletter recipients, and that feels good. I’ll take it as a win that “my voice” is now in the automation!