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| Sarah Loudin Thomas |
After pouring ourselves into writing our first book and
striving to make it as close to perfection as we can, starting the process all over can
feel overwhelming and even a bit frightening. Sarah Loudin Thomas shares her
experience and offers encouragement. ~ Dawn
Why Book #2 Is Harder
Miracle
in a Dry Season has been out for two months now. Which means
I’m practically a veteran author, right? Ha!
Having a novel in print is both wonderful and terrifying.
People have been reading and reviewing the book, which has been exciting. It's
SO satisfying to see readers comment on the very themes I hoped were somewhere
in those pages between the pretty covers. Because in storytelling, there comes
a point when I've written, edited, re-edited, and combed through the words to
the point that I'm not sure what's in there anymore.
Which is why it was so hard to let go of the sequel—Until the Harvest. I'd written it,
completed the major edits, and right after the release of book #1, it was time
to send it back to my editor for another thorough going over. And I didn't want
to let go.
I kept wondering if the story communicates what I hope it
does. Did I get the message in there? Will readers love the new characters as
much as the old ones? Am I letting them down in some way by moving on? Having
gotten some feedback on book #1, I now have an idea about what's appealing to
readers. Do I still have that in book #2?
I had not anticipated these doubts. It made me really,
really glad I'd already written Until the
Harvest. If I were just jumping in, I'd be much too heavily influenced by
what I think readers want instead of
what God has called me to write.
And there's the hard part. It's not about me. I've grown the
best book I can from the seed God planted in my heart. I've nurtured and
watered and pruned (oh, how I've pruned!). And those glorious lines that might
capture people's hearts? If there are any, they're the ones God whispered in my
ear. At this point, trying to come up with anything else on my own would be
foolish.
So I pried my fingers off the digital pages of Until the Harvest and hit send. I'd say
I gave it to God except that it's always been His. He's just been letting me
hold it for a while. And that is more
than enough for me.
Tweetables:
I've grown the
best book I can from the seed God planted in my heart. Click to tweet.
Those glorious
lines that might capture people's hearts? If there are any, they're the ones
God whispered in my ear. Click to tweet.
I'd say I gave
it to God except that it's always been His. He's just been letting me hold it
for a while. And that is more than enough for me. Click to tweet.
On October 4,
the e-book of Miracle in a Dry Season by Sarah Loudin Thomas will go on sale for $1.99. Readers can
find at any major retailer. Click to tweet.
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It’s
1954 and Perla Long’s arrival in the sleepy town of Wise, West Virginia, was
supposed to go unnoticed. She just wants a quiet, safe place for her and her
daughter, Sadie, where the mistakes of her past can stay hidden. But then
drought comes to Wise, and Perla is pulled into the turmoil of a town
desperately in need of a miracle.
Casewell
Phillips has resigned himself to life as a bachelor…until he meets Perla. She’s
everything he’s sought in a woman, but he can’t get past the sense that she’s
hiding something. As the drought worsens, Perla’s unique gift divides the town
in two, bringing both gratitude and condemnation, and placing the pair in the
middle of a storm of anger and forgiveness, fear and faith.
“Once
in a while a new author comes along with a work that makes you sit up and take
notice. Thomas has crafted a tale of this proportion.” – Library Journal
starred review
On
October 4, the e-book of Miracle in a Dry Season will go on sale for $1.99.
Readers can find a link to it here: http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/bethanyhouse/ebook-specials-from-bethany-house
or at any major retailer.
Sarah Loudin
Thomas grew up on a 100-acre farm in French Creek, WV, the seventh
generation to live there. Her Christian fiction is set in West Virginia and
celebrates the people, the land, and the heritage of Appalachia. Sarah
currently oversees fundraising and communications for a Christian children’s
home in Black Mountain, NC. She and her husband Jim live in the mountains of
Western North Carolina with Thistle–the canine equivalent to a personal trainer
pushing them to hike, run, and throw sticks. Sarah is active in her local
church and enjoys cooking and–you guessed it–reading.
To learn more and connect with Sarah, please visit:
@SarahAnneThomas
