The Faith-Filled Grandmother Book – Why I Wrote It

The Faith-Filled Grandmother

While I was visiting with friends they ask me about the process of writing my latest book and they found it interesting so I thought I would share it with you too. It’s a good reminder to “never say never.”

After I wrote the book Mom PhD in 2004 I thought I was finished writing books. I had been fortunate to write 4 Precious Moments books, ,The Knot at the End of Your Rope: 10 Ways to Hold on When You Are Stressed Out and I was a contributor to Humor for a Teacher’s Heart, and a few more books but writing a book takes time….a lot of time and between my blog, my kids and my grandkids, I just didn’t think I had it in me.

Then I was contacted by a gal who worked for a company who helps writers get proposals written and to publishers. She was so sweet and sincere that she convinced me I needed to write a book for grandmothers. I knew she was right because today’s grandmothers face unique problems that my grandmother didn’t have to deal with. Things like long-distance grand parenting (my grandmother lived down the hill from me. I could literally be there in seconds) or grandparent alienation (when the child’s parents don’t allow them to see the grandparent. Our family wasn’t perfect and their were disagreements but we were always allowed to see our grandparents and they played a major part in our life.

In fact, because of my maternal grandmother I knew that grandparents can and do provide a secure anchor in times of trouble for their grandchildren. So I committed to writing a book proposal, which was a major undertaking. Most would be authors don’t know how complicated writing a proposal is. For me it’s much harder than writing the book. Fortunately, I had an agent to help me and after a year of back and forth we had the proposal done.

After you finish it then you sit back and wait while it’s shopped around to publishers. This process can be lengthy too. I got one offer that wasn’t a good fit and I turned it down. I got a “maybe” from a publisher I really wanted but it fell through. Finally (like Goldilocks) I got an offer that was “just right” from Skyhorsepublishing and Good Books 

I loved the editor I worked with and the fact that they involved me in the selection process for the cover of the book. I got to pick the colors and I’ve never been allowed to do that before and the book turned out gorgeous.

The actual writing process was finished in the fall but the book wasn’t published until April of this year. A lot of people compare writing a book to giving birth, that’s true and it is a very, very long labor! From the time I committed to write the book until I had it in my hand was about 3 years. So if you are going to write…..patience is a virtue!

Obviously I don’t know everything about being a grandmother so I enlisted my friends who are grandmothers as well as the 40,000 grandparents on NanaHood’s Facebook page. I also joined some grandparent support groups and getting to know them enlightened me to many things I was unaware of. So many grandmothers and grandfathers helped write this book that I think of it as “our book!”

I love writing and helping and encouraging other writers. I’ve done this at conferences and even via email and phone calls. If I had to pick the best advice for someone who wants to write a book it would be to have a clear vision of the book you want to write, even down to where you would find it if you went to the book store and looked for it. Then start writing and don’t stop until you are finished! You have to be determined and dedicated.

Do you love writing? Do you have an idea for a book but don’t know how to start? Ask me your questions and if I don’t know how to help you I will put you in touch with someone who can!

I love writing so much I can’t imagine NOT writing. Maybe not another book, but who knows. Never, say never!

Now click here and get yourself a copy of The Faith-Filled Grandmother (or buy one for a friend who is a grandmother)! My prayer is it will encourage and uplift whoever reads it!

Let me know what you think after you read it!