Seven weeks and counting

 Seven weeks just does not seem like a long time to me. Especially when I consider the fact that after seven weeks, we’ll have a baby living in this house. Amazing. Really. I’m feeling slightly more prepared however. The nursery is almost finished and we’ve got the carseat and pack and play–so we have a way to bring the baby home and a place for her to sleep. Little Ashtyn is so active these days. I was sitting in a meeting this morning, watching the presentation being given–but Ashtyn was trying to get my attention. I kept wanting to laugh out loud as my stomach was moving around. Jeff and I both find this whole process fascinating. He keeps telling me there’s a baby inside me–as though I’m forgetting or something. Tomorrow we go to the hospital and tour the OB unit, so we’ll know where to go when it’s time. That whole “when it’s time” part is still a bit sketchy (and terrifying) to me. I figure it’s coming no matter what, so I try not to worry. Feeling more prepared definitely helps with the anxiety. And I love the fact that people just seem to be really nice to pregnant women. It’s been a good experience. So . . . seven weeks and counting down until the adventure begins. I’ll keep you posted.

 

 

 

Conversations with Editors: Miranda Gardner

Miranda Gardner is an associate editor at Kregel Publications. She works on a wide variety of books, including fiction, non-fiction, and academic titles. She enjoys reading (of course!), discussing theology, analyzing movies, and writing music reviews for a community-run radio station.

What made you want to work in book publishing?
As is true of many editors, I started as an intern and fell in love with the job. I took the internship when I learned it was a paid position; I had no designs to be an editor beforehand. I had been working two jobs plus an internship that summer and didn’t want to keep up the pace during a semester. I finished the internship for my philosophy professor, dropped my two jobs, and started at Kregel. My passion for editing increased with each new job responsibility. Within a few weeks I didn’t want to do anything else.

What do you look for in a good proposal?
I look for a good book concept and strong author voice. Transparent authors and mature Christians stand out to me. Transparent authors are honest about their failings and provide hope to readers in the same position. Mature Christians (of any age) demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit in the writing itself, not just the content.

What jumps out at you as a bad proposal?
I understand that an author wants me to think that his or her book is unique by saying no titles are comparable. But the “no titles compare to my book” line makes me think the author has done no research. I usually find comparable titles in a two-minute Amazon search. What I find most amusing is that authors who compare and contrast their book with published titles often end up convincing me of their book’s uniqueness.

What books are you reading right now?
Today I finished Michael Chabon’s Gentlemen of the Road. I wasn’t thrilled with it. I’ll try his other titles later this summer because I was impressed with a Q&A session he gave at Calvin College. Next on my reading list is Wendell Berry’s Jayber Crow. I’m also reading Frederick Buechner’s Beyond Words.

What book(s) made a difference in your life and why?
The Old Man and the Sea was the first book I read as literature. I liked the language better than the story. I memorized dialog, analyzed figurative language, and sought out literary criticism online. After this book I read a lot of Hemingway titles (probably more than I should have as an impressionable high school student) and other American classics.

So, this week . . .

I’ve been pretty much obsessed with orange soda. Who knows why. It could be that our baby loves it and is making me want it. I don’t know. Speaking of the baby–we’re only two months from delivery now. I cannot believe we’ll have a baby in this house in just two months. For those who don’t know, we’ve chosen a name for our little one: Ashtyn Noel. And we’ve started working on the nursery.

My younger sister Laura has been with us for going on two weeks now–just visiting. It’s been so fun having her with us. We’re going to see Mount Rushmore tomorrow. Jeff has pulled her into his love for National Treasure and seeing Mount Rushmore is our historical adventure for the weekend. Which is fine with me, because I love adventures. And spending time with Laura is a great adventure.

I’m constantly remembering myself at her age as I listen to her tell me the continuing drama of high school. There’s about a 14 year age difference between me and her. I can listen and talk with her about things now–scrapbook with her, go to the movies, have all kinds of fun–but some moments I just suddenly remember holding her the day she was born, holding her hand when she was so small and we’d walk together, picking her up when she’d reach for me. I know I’ll have all these same kind of moments with Ashtyn, too. No wonder my parents are so sentimental!

Blog Tour! First Chapter of Dragonlight by Donita Paul

Castle Passages

Kale wrinkled her nose at the dank air drifting up from the stone staircase. Below, utter darkness created a formidable barrier.

 

 Toopka stood close to her knee. Sparks skittered across the doneel child’s furry hand where she clasped the flowing, soft material of Kale’s wizard robe. Kale frowned down at her ward. The little doneel spent too much time attached to her skirts to be captivated by the light show. Instead, Toopka glowered into the forbidding corridor.

“What’s down there?”

Kale sighed. “I’m not sure.”

“Is it the dungeon?”

“I don’t think we have a dungeon.”

Toopka furrowed her brow in confusion. “Don’t you know? It’s your castle.”

“A castle built by committee.” Kale’s face grimaced at the memory of weeks of creative chaos. She put her hand on Toopka’s soft head.

The doneel dragged her gaze away from the stairway, tilted her head back, and frowned at her guardian. “What’s ‘by committee’?”

“You remember, don’t you? It was just five years ago.”

“I remember the wizards coming and the pretty tents in the meadow.” Toopka pursed her lips. “And shouting. I remember shouting.” “They were shouting because no one was listening. Twenty-one wizards came for the castle raising. Each had their own idea about what we needed. So they each constructed their fragment of the castle structure according to their whims.”

Toopka giggled.

“I don’t think it’s funny. The chunks of castle were erected, juxtaposed with the others, but not as a whole unit. I thank Wulder that at least my parents had some sense. My mother and father connected the tads, bits, and smidgens together with steps and short halls. When nothing else would work, they formed gateways from one portion to another.”

The little doneel laughed out loud and hid her face in Kale’s silky wizard’s robe. Miniature lightning flashes enveloped Toopka’s head and cascaded down her neck, over her back, and onto the floor like a waterfall of sparks.

Kale cut off the flow of energy and placed a hand on the doneel’s shoulder. “Surely you remember this, Toopka.”

She looked up, her face growing serious. “I was very young then.”

To read the rest of chapter 1, go to http://fictioninrathershorttakes.blogspot.com/.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1400073782/