Where I Am Wednesday

So much has happened in these last two weeks since Hurricane Irma.

First, Hurricane Irma cleanup! While our home and property were spared any damage, the same cannot be said for many other parts of Florida. We are doing our part to help those affected. My husband, along with several thousand other members of our church (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), has given up the past two weekends to remove fallen trees, patch roofs, and who knows what else in Ft. Meyers and Naples. This weekend, he will be traveling all the way down to Marathon in the Keys. I am so proud of my husband’s willingness to serve those in need, not just because he is serving others, but because he is choosing to do so even though he would rather be at home with me and our kids. Lucky for me, I have in-laws nearby who are willing to help me with the kids (i.e., give me some me-time among the 21 days (so far) that I have had the kids all day every day (the hubs does help with  the kids on the weeknights, so I have some chill time).

Disaster relief aside, some other noteworthy things have been happening. I had to change the title of my novel. Apparently, The Midwife’s Secret has already been taken by not one but two other works of fiction. So, after Googling my new title, I renamed my medieval romance Fate’s Arrangement. In all honestly, this new title is much more fitting, as the heroine, Cristiana, is desperately trying to escape what it seems fate has in store for her. But more on the plot later.

In addition to a title change, I also designed the book cover, and I’m quite proud of it, especially considering I designed it myself. What do you think? Feel free to comment on my Facebook page or Twitter account.

I have also begun creating the book trailer for Fate’s Arrangement’s release. When might it be released, you ask? The tentative release date is February 1, 2018, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Perfect for a romance, don’t you think?

I am also in the process of exclusively revising Fate’s Arrangement. Though I am highly tempted, I am not currently working on any other projects so I can meet my February 1^st release. While most of the revisions are pretty straightforward, I am re-writing Chapter 5. I reviewed it and decided there was entirely too much summary of events and not nearly enough scene. This is a critical moment early in the novel, too, because Cristiana faces the decision to turn back and risk being caught and returned to the home she ran away from, or continue on, not knowing where she is going and afraid she has made a wrong turn. (She has—big time!)

Writing in my house does not end here. In order to fulfill my parental duties, I am teaching my three-year-old to write the letters of the alphabet, and he is doing quite well. Now if I could just get him to hold the pencil the correct way instead of gripping it in a tight fist. All things in good time, I suppose.