Finished--or Just Getting Started?

Yesterday at 5:51 p.m., I sat upright in my computer chair, pumped clenched fists into the air and gave out a big, WOOOHOOOO! And then I did it again. And again . . . about five times until my voice was about to give out. I took a long swig of my diet Coke and fell back somewhat listless into my computer chair, a smile etched into my face.

I stayed in this position for roughly fifteen minutes, give or take.

My 15 year old son and his friend were sitting in the living room, and even though my brain was fried, and I was somewhat comatose, the ears were still functioning.

"Dude, what's up with your mom?"

"I think she just finished her book."

Bingo! I'd just put the finishing touches on my children's novel, MAKE ME A HOME, sequel to MAKE ME A MEMORY, a "Book of the Month" selection by the Utah Commission on Literacy. The books cover a year in the life of sixth-grader, Allie Claybrook who moves with her mom and little brother to the little "hick-town" of Edna, Idaho while her dad, a soldier in the US Army is deployed to Iraq.

As I sat basking in the joy of finishing another novel--the most satisfying feeling in the world, next to giving birth--another part of me knew that this was only the beginning. After I send the manuscript off to my publisher, there will be more editing and re-writes, and eventually I'll have a published book in my hand. And this is where the work really starts.

Hello--I have to market this book!

I've been considering various marketing strategies about MAKE ME A HOME since before I even started writing it. Book signings, school visits, website updates, contests . . . . I've discussed my ideas with friends, I've formulated, plotted, schemed, and daydreamed. I've even had a few marketing fantasies during church. (Shhhhh--don't tell. I try to avoid these, but sometimes they slip through.)

So when you're working on your manuscript, and focused on POV, character development, plot structure, and avoiding those sometimes unavoidable adverbs, keep a thought simmering in the back of your mind about how you're going to market this puppy once it's published.

Because really, that's the beginning!