I didn’t even feel bad about it, just instinctively knew I had to say no, that the direction they wanted to take with the book was not the direction that I wanted to go. It’s a scary feeling not having a contract or deadline, scary because [...]]]> I turned down a book deal this week.

I didn’t even feel bad about it, just instinctively knew I had to say no, that the direction they wanted to take with the book was not the direction that I wanted to go. It’s a scary feeling not having a contract or deadline, scary because you just don’t know when you’re next book will come out. But it’s scarier still to have something out there, and to have it twisted and turned into something that you can’t be proud of.

When they called me with the offer I felt an instinctive pit in my gut and every pore in my being told me, “Katrina, just say no.” I kept my cool, and let them know I would think about it and get back with them. I called the hubby and told him what I wanted to do. I said a quick prayer. I called my mama. And then I sent them an email and turned down the offer. I felt a sense of freedom with making that decision—I can’t describe it I just felt…lighter.

You see, I’ve been putting unnecessary and unwarranted pressure on myself to churn a book out every year. “That’s what the big boys do, so that’s what I’m going to do to.”

How wrong I was. I am not a big boy. I am still a child wading in this publishing pool, and to be completely honest—I still need time to develop my voice as a writer. Don’t get me wrong—I can write—of that I’m sure. But the only pressure I am going to put on myself right now is to make this book I’m working on the best it can be. To give it my all. Oprah said that she learned as a young girl, that if she did her best she would get noticed. That applies in anything we do, if you do your best—and I’m talking your personal best, not comparing yourself to others—then I’ll get the attention I need to get my book published. Then I’ll be able to swim in deeper waters, so to speak, to challenge myself further with my writing.

So I plan to take most of this year to work on this book. I don’t want to patch it up just so it can grab the attention of an agent. I really want it to be my best work as of right now. I wish that for all my books, that at that time and place in my life that I gave it my best shot. Yes, looking back I’ll cringe when I read some of the things I’ve written, but I look forward to doing that. Because it means growth. Because it means I am a better writer.

“So, how’s the book going?”

“Um…well…it’s going…”

“Is it going to be better than the last book?”

“That’s the plan.”

“When are you going to be finished?”

With [...]]]> Aahhh, the dreaded question. A friend or family member is making small talk and asks the question that most writers (or is it just me?) hates.

“So, how’s the book going?”

“Um…well…it’s going…”

“Is it going to be better than the last book?”

“That’s the plan.”

“When are you going to be finished?”

With a shrug you answer, “Hopefully before my deadline.”

If you’re like me, then you don’t like too many questions about how your next book is doing. Especially, if said book is giving you a hard time. It’s sort of like asking someone, “How’s the marriage going?” when you know that they’re on the brink of divorce. Not the most tactful thing to do. Besides, do people really expect the truth?

“So how’s the book going?”

“Man, I’m having trouble with Chapter Ten. The book’s in first person, but I’m seriously thinking of switching it to third. And I’m struggling with my main character’s voice. She lives in New Jersey, but for some reason I’ve given her a southern twang. She’s a suburban housewife who transports back in time, and I keep wondering if I should let her transport with her clothes on or off. In the The Time Traveler’s Wife, he traveled with his clothes off, which I think is authentic but I don’t want to be accused of copying either. Although, since time travel isn’t real, I could have her time-travel with her iPad and no one could accuse me of not fact-checking…”

“Um…yeah. What’s that? Yeah, I think I hear my husband calling me.”

Don’t get me wrong, I do like talking about my books. But talking about how the writing is going, can be torture when it’s going bad. Or if you’re in deep in revisions and know that you’re book is going through a major upheaval and even you don’t know what you’re book is about anymore. So what is the number one question you can ask if you’re curious about a writer’s work?

“I can’t wait until your next book comes out.”

Done. Simple and sweet. It shows that a) you’ve read their previous work and b) you’re excited to read more work. It doesn’t add the pressure of questioning how the writing is going. In fact, this statement will actually get my tongue flapping about my book—much more than I would probably do otherwise.

I don’t want to leave people thinking that I don’t want people inquiring about my writing. Really I do. But when the writing is going terrible, don’t be upset by my blank stare.

Day one of revisions. I have so many post it notes everywhere I can barely see my desk. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I feel like the hard part is over. Time to make this book come alive!

One of my favorite memories growing up was the family [...]]]>

Day one of revisions. I have so many post it notes everywhere I can barely see my desk. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I feel like the hard part is over. Time to make this book come alive!

One of my favorite memories growing up was the family trip to the library. Every other Sunday, we would pile up in our blue Delta ‘78 and head to the world of books. I loved every minute of it. From the way my father parallel parked—watching the steering wheel whip around as he let it slid through his fingers, the way my mother grabbed the back of my neck like a mother lion does her young cubs as we crossed the street, to the way the books smelled as I sniffed them—pure heaven.

For me, books are a precious commodity. I have a Patti LaBelle cookbook my sister gave me, encouraging me to cook as a new wife. That book is priceless to me now that she has passed away. I don’t have anything fancy in my bookshelf, no first editions or rarities, but each book tells a story. If I pick up, oh say my copy of Jennifer Weiner’s Little Earthquakes, it will take me to the time of my life when I was struggling in the complexities of new motherhood. Susan Lori Park’s, Getting Mother’s Body, I first read when I moved back home after a year of being on my own, (Okay, I lived with my three sisters. But I had my own room and I was out of my parent’s house, so there. On my own.) and I thought I would never be married or out on my own again. Yes, my books tell a story and I wouldn’t part with any of them.

Being such a book lover I absolutely, positively, HATE, when someone dog-ears a book. HATE IT! I feel as if someone has just ripped a page out, it is the ultimate disrespect to any book. I am the bookmark queen. Yes, my daughter has snatched many a bookmark out of my books. And yes, it takes me awhile to put it back where I found it, but I rather that than the turned down corner of a page. I like to read my books over and over again and I hate seeing raggedy corners, a constant reminder of where I had to stop reading. You can use ANYTHING as a bookmark, a torn subscription card out of a magazine, (my personal favorite), a paperclip, (my father’s favorite), or you can get fancy as my mother does and use a ribbon adorned with glass beads on the end. Use anything, but please people we have got to stop folding the pages of books. I’m sure librarians everywhere will thank you.

To say that my husband and I started [...]]]> I’m so glad that my daughter loves to read. Well to be more exact, loves to be read to. I have to read to her at least three times a day, and going to the library renders the same excitement as a trip to Chuck E Cheese.

To say that my husband and I started early would be an understatement. We started reading to my daughter when she was in the womb. Sometimes I would read whatever book I was reading aloud, other times I would pick out an interesting Bible story. I can’t help but think that the early reading made a huge impact on her love of books. It’s interesting to see this new generation of children discovering some of the same stories that we loved when we were little.

Some of her favorites are:

Anything by Dr. Seuss, but especially Cat in a Hat.

Tick-Tock, Drip-Drop by Nicola Moon.

And The Adventures of Isabel, by Ogden Nash. (I have to admit, I picked this one because it had my daughter’s name, just with different spelling.)

What books do you read to your children?