The Wild Ride

The ride I’ve been on the last six weeks or so has provided its share of ups and downs. Some of the dips and rises have been minor and others beyond huge. Everything from a seasonal return of McRibs to our pizza place of twenty years losing their lease at the end of the year. From celebrating another year on this planet to concern about dear friends struggling with vaccine mandate and work/life balance choices and others with personal and family health issues. Even the weather was undecided from gorgeous blue sky fall days when long sleeves felt good even basking in the sun to dreary, damp, I can’t get warm, where is the sunshine days.

In the midst of it all – I lost a friend who also was the mother of a dear friend. She’d had a ride of ninety-five years, but that didn’t make the loss any easier to take. She was a very talented and prolific artist. I was fortunate that over the years she gifted me some of the beautiful paintings she had created. I can sit back and look around the room I write, spin, and weave in and see reminders of her on the walls and tucked away on the shelves of the bookcases. I’m thankful she shared a small part of her life with me. I hope her family’s pain (and my own) at losing her is soon replaced with the joy of remembering her.  

And after that sad free fall down – the ride rocketed up just as precipitously. As most of you know, I’ve been writing and putting my manuscripts out there for the past – almost – six years. I’ve gotten rejection letters, no responses, aborted contract negotiations, thanks but no thanks, and other negative answers to my publishing queries.

 Until now.

I have a signed contract with a traditional independent publisher. I have an incredible editor. I’m writing back cover book blurbs, tag lines and my bio. With my sweet husband, we designed our vision of the “ideal” book cover. There are dedications and acknowledgements drafted. All this while my editor is working with me busily editing my first novel for another review.

To say that I am excited would be a gross understatement. But I am also humbled and filled with gratitude to get to this place – to have this bittersweet turn of events transforming my dream into tangible reality. I’m not sure it will completely sink in until I can hold “Polly’s List” by Kim Janine Ligon in my hands.

Thank you for following my adventure. For all the encouraging words when I most needed to hear them. You have no idea how important they were in making me persist. And persistence is needed to get published. I so appreciate your support and your frequent gentle queries about how my journey to your bookshelf is going.

Please check out The Wild Rose Press – my publisher. I don’t have a publication date yet, but it’s early in the process. You know, I’ll tell you as soon as I know. “Polly’s List” is in the suspenseful, rated-G romance category or as my husband said “A good mystery spoiled by romance.”

I’m sure this wild ride will continue to have ups and downs – but as the plaque Angela gave me on my retirement says : The Joy of the Journey is in the Ride. To which I can only say AMEN!