The Shundi Divas And Televenge

There are no words to describe what I'm feeling at the moment. I spent my lunch yesterday with four brilliant writer friends. The Shundi Divas. Carol, Dena, Lisa, Brenda and me. Trust me, the name fits. We celebrated life on a day that meant nothing to most of the world. Just an ordinary Tuesday in January. And yet, the exhilaration walking out of Bravo Restaurant ... ah ... Bravo! I knew there was a reason we went there! Not just for the good food and chic atmosphere, but for the name! Bravo! Our accomplishments are but a glimmer of good things to come. I do believe.

Those feelings speak to me now as I write. I've wondered at times, does anybody really care? How connected are we to each other’s lives? And do my rambling thoughts bore any of my blog readers? ... I'm very melancholy today, so maybe that's why I sound like I drank my lunch. Or quite possibly, it could be that Televenge, my manuscript, has been completed and is now in the hands of two Editors, two Line Editors, and four fabulous Readers. What that means is after receiving their feedback, the novel will undergo one last rewrite. Not a long process, really. At least that's what I'm anticipating. Then I can really say, The End.

In the meantime, I'm preparing the synopsis, query letter, book proposal, and gathering names and addresses of the contacts I've made over the past five years. Agents who have expressed interest, requested chapters. Hopefully, with all good intentions, late spring or early summer ... sometime in May or June ... the book of my lifetime will be in the hands of the industry.

I'm sure--it's not the last book. In fact, as I sit and contemplate my next steps I'm thinking about digging out the outline for the sequel to Televenge. Or another story I've been tossing around for a year or two. It's just that the next book will not take 15 years to write. I assure you.

I'm still booked with speaking engagements through the spring. I'm going to spend a week in February helping my parents move from Ocala, Florida to Atlanta, Georgia. They're in their 70s and they're upsizing. Can you believe it? A bigger and more beautiful home than the last two. Well, hey, they're healthier than they've been in a long time. Why not? And we have a grandbaby on the way ... so life outside of my writing career is moving right along. And my dream of building a house is sprouting wings. I've started a file with ideas for that endeavor. We have a few pieces of land we're thinking about.

So I celebrate the past few years of labor-intensive writing this week. Those long nights of crawling into bed at 2 or 3 a.m. Televenge will hopefully hit the stands with a powder keg explosion. We shall see. I've been told it's going to piss some folks off. I've also been told it's going to rock the evangelical world with truth and light, and open the eyes of those not in that world to what really happens to many involved in inner circles of major mega ministries. There's always something in the newspapers or the news magazines about evangelicals these days.

My heart is throbbing ... I've given it my best shot. Thanks, ladies, for your encouragement, you're the dearest friends. I look forward to the next celebration lunch of the Shundi Divas.

Time rolls on.

Blessings to you and yours.