Today I want to tell you “The Rest of the Story” behind the writing and publishing of Homespun Faith, The Rest of the Story, Volume One. I knew long before I finished the Sarah’s Legacy series that Homespun Faith, The Rest of the Story, would be my next project. My goal was to compile my blogs into a devotional book, but I hadn’t realized the challenges it would present!
My original plan was to call the book Homespun Faith, Volume Two, The Rest of the Story, until Donn told me he thought I had too many devotionals for one book. It would be too expensive if I included all the devotionals from my blogs in this book. So the title became Homespun Faith, The Rest of the Story, Volume One so that the next book could be Homespun Faith, The Rest of the Story, Volume Two, etc.!
My first Homespun Faith book, Reflections on the Seasons of Life, had been published by Xulon Press, at a substantial cost that I’ve never recouped. I knew I didn’t want to do that again, but I loved the cover Xulon had developed. Would they be willing to work with me on the cover of my second Homespun Faith book even if I published it with Ingram Spark?
No, they wouldn’t, but my contact at Xulon told me where they bought the pictures they used for their covers. Armed with that information, I found the pictures they’d used for the first Homespun Faith cover and chose the pictures I wanted for the second Homespun Faith book.
Then in November Donn began having problems with his computer—the computer which had the programs we used to do book covers. Finally, he took it in to be repaired. No problem, I wasn’t ready to publish yet anyway.
On January 5 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, Donn’s computer still wasn’t fixed. One of my goals was to publish Homespun Faith, The Rest of the Story, Volume One before surgery/treatment. My surgeon had told me women said the worst part of the breast cancer journey wasn’t surgery or chemo, it was the waiting. I was determined not to spend my time waiting for an event whose timing I couldn’t control.
So I kept busy editing and compiling my blogs and hoping Donn’s computer would soon be fixed. Then we were given the word that his computer wasn’t fixable. He would have to order a new one, and when it came, the computer repair shop would salvage what it could from the old one.
That’s when I started thinking about other options for the cover. Our friend, Doug Williams, had lots of equipment and experience working with pictures. Maybe he could help us with the front cover? Not only could he do that, he said he’d be happy to help with the back cover as well. What are friends for, he said! Because of the age of technology we live in, the fact that he lives in North Carolina while we live in Pennsylvania wasn’t a problem.
What had begun to look like an impossible goal was looking possible again! I continued to work on editing, compiling and proofreading while Donn and Doug communicated about the book cover. When Donn told me he intended to have Doug work with the Ingram Spark Cover Template Generator when we were ready to publish with Ingram Spark, I wondered if Doug would freak out since he had never done anything like that before. I think it was a little scary, but he was game to try. He did a great job!
When we were ready to publish, it took all of our skills to come up with a version of Homespun Faith, The Rest of the Story, Volume One that I would want to bear my name! We couldn’t have done the cover without Doug, and I couldn’t have had the text properly formatted if Donn hadn’t persevered in figuring out the problem and fixing it with his old, old computer that had a newer version of Word than I use, and I couldn’t have concentrated on the editing and proofreading if God hadn’t given me peace beyond all understanding despite the uncertainties in my future.
I should also give credit to the amazing doctor God provided for me who has guided Donn and me through this journey thus far. To our amazement he has called us repeatedly and spent countless minutes of his precious time explaining and encouraging and listening to us. We didn’t know there were still doctors who did that. God has used him to make even news I didn’t want to hear more palatable by his kindness and compassion.
All of this reminds me of I Corinthians 12:4-6. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Praise God for the gifts He gives His children and for their willingness to use them!
Father, we give you praise when you bring others to help us with tasks we could never accomplish alone. Amen.
The BOOK LAUNCH for HOMESPUN FAITH, THE REST OF THE STORY, VOLUME ONE is scheduled for Friday, April 14, 2023, from 6:30 – 8:00 P.M. at Fresh Grounds Coffee House, 172 Main Street, Greenville PA, Sans Moco Level. Books can be pre-ordered on my Facebook page or my Facebook Messenger until April 13, 2023, for $14 or purchased at the event for $15. (Regular price will be $16.)
Health Update: My doctor had hoped to have a date for surgery for me by last Friday, but he didn’t know that one of the doctors who will be assisting him will be away and wouldn’t be able to see me until March 31. It’s unlikely that he will be able to schedule surgery until after that day and surgeries are being scheduled four weeks out. So I probably won’t have surgery before the end of April or even later. Please continue to keep us and our family in your prayers.