Fulfilling a dream

 
         The "profile" on my blog starts out "Me? I am 'just' a mom."  And, for almost 14 years that is exactly how I have seen myself.  I am a mom.  I love being a mom and I love being home with my children.  I wouldn't change being "just a mom" for the world.  Still, there is one other thing I have always wanted to do in my lifetime.  I have always wanted to write a book.

           Last August, I stumbled upon a brief reference to novel writing and “NaNoWriMo” while reading a home school blog that I have never since visited and cannot even remember the name of.  Nevertheless, that old desire to write a book came rushing back to me.  I went straight to the website for NaNo and was intrigued by the idea of writing a novel in a month.
  

It was summertime though, months away from November, national novel writing month, (which, if you have not figured out is what NaNoWriMo refers to). I thought about it, and prayed about it and mulled the idea over in my mind.  Could I write a novel?  Could I do it in four short weeks?  And more importantly could I write a novel in a month and still manage my home, care for my 5 children, home school them -- you know, maintain a relative amount of real life responsibility at the same time?  

The whole idea sounded completely crazy!  But, I decided, now that I knew about it, there was no way I could not at least try.  And, I actually did have a story idea.  An idea I felt God had sent me.  I prayed and promised God this would be His project, not mine, and I let Him know He would have to guide it all.  

So for months I thought about plot lines, character names, and how to fit in novel writing between cooking dinner and folding laundry.  Over and over, I reminded God I would need His help if this was to be and asked again and again for His guidance and reassurance. 

I did not write down one single word of my story before November lest I break a NaNo rule and render my novel illegitimate.  But very early on the 1^st of November, I finally sat down to write, competing with my two oldest children for computer time because they, too, chose to participate in NaNoWriMo and had stories to compose as well.

Three weeks into the month, I reached the goal of 50,000 words.  By month’s end, I finished the entire story- beginning, middle, and end.  

Then, the real work began….editing, editing, editing.  Rewriting, reworking, revising.  But, God answered my prayers and so many things fell into place.  Along the way, I have been blessed with the support and assistance of many wonderful professionals and friends.  Through the grace of God (and the help of a friend), I was put in touch with a professional copy editor who agreed to edit my story.  Later, a friend who is a brilliant graphic designer, agreed to design my cover.  Perhaps the most valuable thing I received, though, was the support of my wonderful family who allowed me the time to work, believed in me even when I doubted myself, and enthusiastically cheered me on every step of the way.  

And now, I can say  

I am truly an author!

My novel, The Life I Dreamed, can be found here in paperback, and here in Kindle edition.

I do not want to give anything away, but I will say my book is a pro-life novel about a young Catholic family who is trying to do what is right and follow God's plan for their life.