Major Gains

"Minor" disappointments

This was a good year, folks.

The new novel needs polishing, but it's finished. The Song of the Desert Willow exists. Yay!

I gained about 7,000 fans/followers. Praise God! If you've never seen my Twitter account and/or Facebook author page, I encourage you to stop by. We have fun. Too much fun sometimes. 

Good news about endorsements: I have two lovely ones on my proposal now. I've always dreaded asking for it, but after reading agent Dan Balow's blog post about how even Jesus used endorsements (see it here), I worked up the courage to ask three people.

The two who'd already read my first manuscript were happy to do it. The one who'd never read me (but who's helped me in a million other ways) said I should ask people who write like I do--same themes, genre, etc. Good advice. Working on it.

Here's what I've got so far:

Editor Jeff Gerke: "Patricia’s writing is delightful. She’s teachable, creative, and hard-working, and in my opinion, she’s ready for publication."

Christy finalist and Carol Award winner Nadine Brandes, author of the Out of Time Series: "For 329 pages, I was a world-traveling ballerina. This book was not only a captivating story, but an impacting journey. I am changed. Bravo, Ms. Beal."

Major gains. I'm so thankful for these kind words. They mean the world to me.

In 2015 I was a semifinalist in Genesis and a finalist in First Impressions (first contest nods ever). Not winning hurt (a lot!), but I’m thankful for how far I made it. I learned important truths about my first manuscript–truths I was able to use to my advantage in editor pitches in Dallas. The result? Three houses have a partial and one has the full.

Maybe 2016 will be THE year?

God, help me remember I'm not supposed to carry my burdens. The small disappointments make my heart so heavy sometimes. That's not right. You've given me a million reasons to rejoice. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Travel light, friends!

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A Season to Dance: The Book That Wrote Me

From heathen to saved in 329 pages

The salvation story behind A Season to Dance was such a big hit at conference this year that I decided to blog about it. The history of the manuscript was my first blog post as a member of the International Christian Fiction Writers (ICFW) blog group this fall. I'm thrilled to be there--another 2015 gain. I post once every six weeks.

"When I wrote the first line of my first novel in January of 2011, I wanted to get published because I was desperate to feel important. I finished writing A Season to Dance that fall and hired coach Gloria Kempton via Writer’s Digest to look at the whole thing and tell me if it was any good." Read more.

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The latest from the publication front

So where are we with those 2015 conference submissions?

Nothing has changed since the autumn newsletter: Three fabulous publishers have the A Season to Dance proposal and another equally fabulous publisher has the proposal + the full manuscript.

Since then...

Silence.

Nothing.

Nada.

No news is good news? Absolutely (for now).

I haven't been rejected in three months! And that, boys and girls, is a new record. I'll take that.

But if I don't hear anything by the end of March, we might have a problem.

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A Guest Post: Ghosts of Rejections Past

Remember the story of Jacob wrestling with God in Genesis 32? Read more.

Thanks, Angie Dicken, for inviting me back! Love the Alley and all the Alleycats :)

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Another post I wrote for the ICFW blog:

"Children do some things fabulously well. Joy is one of them. They spin around, sing, shout, giggle, and run with wild abandon. You know why? They don’t carry their burdens. They know they depend on everyone for everything all the time. Dependency is their way of life. Bravo, kids. I want to be more like you. 
But they are fabulously terrible at other things. 
Once upon a time, a first-grader named Caleb got to go to Disneyland." Read more.

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Author to Watch in 2016

Sara Ella -

"Happily Ever After is Never Far Away"

I first met Sara in St. Louis in 2014. We were both first timers at the American Christian Fiction Writers conference.

She signed a three-book deal with Thomas Nelson / HarperCollins last July, and her debut novel comes out in October of 2016.

In her own words: YA author of UNBLEMISHED (TNZFiction / HarperCollins, 2016) repped by Jim Hart. King's kid. Coffee Snob. Oncer. Booktuber. Former Disney Character. Mom.

She's a sweetheart and incredibly helpful. I'm thrilled for her, and I think she'll do great things in publishing.  

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A Good Book for the Journey

Victim of Grace, mentioned in "Ghosts of Rejections Past," is about Robin's first manuscript, critique group, the search for an agent, publishers, rejection, successes, dangers, book tours, and the many detours and potholes of her journey.

Above all, the book is about her heart and family life during the early years of her writing career, and about how God indeed worked all things together for good. Brutally honest and a great read.

For more on Robin Jones Gunn, check out her website: www.robingunn.com

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#WritersLife

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