This week has felt a little blah.
Maybe it’s the post-Thanksgiving tryptophan-induced coma from eating too much turkey and dressing. Maybe it was the way the Aggies lost their football game at the very end. Or it could be mental fatigue.
Since August, I have been working on a project with a literary agent with the goal being the re-release of my book Mockingbird Moments: A Memoir. The book was originally published in 2017. Unfortunately, right before the Pandemic hit in 2019, I discovered that the publishing company for this book went out of business.
This was heartbreaking, stressful, and irritating on so many levels. Since the memoir, I had published two other books. With the publishing company now defunct, that meant my books were as well.
Without going through all the struggles, annoyances, sense of abandonment, and the plethora of emotions I experienced, suffice it to say, I felt defeated.
I pulled myself up by my metaphorical bootstraps, and moved forward, again feeling unsure about how to fix this problem. Because. You know. I’m all about trying to fix things.
My newest book, A Southern Girl Re-Belles, was re-published first, since I had just “released” it and had a book signing, and endless posts on social media.
And then our grandson was born, and none of this seemed to be as important as it once was. What a grown-up feeling!
And that brings us to August 2021, when I began the process of re-releasing Mockingbird Moments. This project would entail many aspects of re-releasing the book. I was given a list of things that I had to “tend to” and as the obedient, ever-vigilant student I tried to be, I completed my homework.
And then the frustration set it. It seemed that deadlines were constantly changed, with the reasons sounding more like excuses. For three months, I have felt like I was in a battle, and the defeats hit daily. I couldn’t understand what the problem was. I had done everything I had been asked to do.
I had literally come to my wit’s end at the beginning of this week. And then I received an email that sent me reeling. The person working on this long-term project was no longer with the company. I was in shock, and to be a little salty, just plain pissed off (sorry for the vulgarity of that phrase, but it’s the only one that fits).
At the same time that I received this email, I also received my daily Bible scripture. And it said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27)
And instead of being angry, irritated, sad, and crushed, I felt at peace.
And that’s when the second email arrived, and I was re-assigned a new literary agent. And she is top notch. In three days, more has been accomplished than in three months. We still have some work to do, but she has promised to get things quickly back on track, and stated, “I have your back.”
All I can say is what an awesome God we serve! He is able. In all things, He gives us peace, if we rely on Him. And I can honestly and happily say, I had handed this whole overly-dramatic situation to Him, because I knew I couldn’t do it alone. I was just too tired, and too disillusioned with the way things go when you’re a struggling, self-published author, who wants nothing more than to share her words to others, and hopefully make them laugh, think, smile, and maybe even cry.
If nothing more comes of this project, I will be happy. The book that is my heart. The book that is a snapshot of my life. The book that comes from the deepest parts of my soul. The book about my Dad, who left us too soon, will be available to purchase through thousands of book vendors.
You know, Ernest Hemingway described it best when he said this: “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at the typewriter and bleed.”
I’ve enjoyed writing all of my books. Writing has challenged me to dig deep inside and do something I never thought possible. Writing has made me believe in myself. Writing has healed me. Moved me. It has been cathartic in ways I never imagined.
Writing has become my purpose. I’m not sure where it will go from here. Will it bring me fame and fortune? Probably not. But it does give me peace, and it allows me to say things that might help others.
After many years (honestly since I was in second grade), I finally feel like I can say, without a doubt, I’m a writer. I have begun to live my dream. And with every word I type, I always hope that I can in some small way change someone’s life, or at least make it a little better for a few moments.
I want to thank those of you who have read my books, and continue to read my blog. I am excited to share my new website, and hope you will spend some time reviewing it, and getting to know me better. Hopefully all, or at least most of the kinks have been worked out.
Click below to go to the site…
Home – Sharon Brown Keith (sharonkeith.com)
From this website, you will be able to order my books. (I will begin the process soon, of re-publishing the biography, Creek to Creek: The Life and Legacy of Charles Raymond Bright, and hopefully it will be available for sale soon).
I hope you’ll read all my books, but I mostly hope you’ll read Mockingbird Moments. Giving birth to this book has made me whole, and without it, I would still be covered up in grief.
And now for the really awesome and exciting news about another birth——we will be welcoming our granddaughter into the world next week. I would appreciate your prayers for the parents, and for a healthy and safe delivery, as well as prayers for our sweet grandson Cooper, who will be welcoming his younger sister.
We are so blessed!
As my favorite scripture states:
Please check out my website, and I would love to hear your thoughts! There is a place for you to contact me, and I will get back with you ASAP, and will also add you to my email list for my weekly (or sometimes not-so-weekly) blog.
Please share this site with your friends, and again, thanks for being a part of this journey.
Oh my goodness! I need to get a bigger cup, because mine is absolutely over-flowing.
P.S. Books make a wonderful Christmas gift! Just sayin’…
