Today, after a three-month writing sabbatical that the Lord knew I desperately needed (during which time we also moved my mom into our home and I was busily promoting Reconstructing Natalie at Women of Faith conferences) I'm excited to be starting work on a brand new book! And not only a new book, but a new chick-lit series--The Paperback Girls Adventure Club (with Zondervan. Not sure if that will remain the series title or not, but that's what we're starting with.)
Who are The Paperback Girls, you might ask? They're a women's book club made up of mostly twenty-and-thirty-somethings, but with a couple older women thrown in for good mentoring measure. The Paperback Girls are not your average book club where the members read the monthly selection and then discuss it over food and drink. No, the Paperback Girls decide to live out some of the adventures they read about in their eclectic book club picks (i.e., sailing, snorkeling, horseback riding, mountain climbing, whitewater rafting, traveling to exotic places, etc.) The first book in the series is Daring Clementine (my heroine goes by 'Clemmie'--a name I heard and fell in love with when we were vacationing in Britain this past summer. Not sure if that will remain the final title either, but for now, that's it :)
Anyway, after several back-to-back deadlines in a row for the past several years (coupled with some family health issues) I was exhausted and worn out and really needed a break. And the Lord graciously gave it to me at the exact time I needed it--when we realized Mom needed to find a new living situation. During that break from writing, I was able to help my mother downsize and pack, we added a new sun room onto our house and made some other adjustments to our home to make it more comfortable for her. If I'd been on deadline, I couldn't have done all that. God's timing is always perfect.
But now Mom's all settled in, and I'm eager and excited to get back to writing on my new novel. So I'd better get to it! (Oh, and like Siri, I'm turning older this month--although not until late in November. But since it's one of those milestone birthdays--and no, I'm not telling you which one--I'm planning to celebrate all month long with family and friends :) Age is only a number after all, and I'm just grateful to be here to celebrate this latest number!
Laura Jensen Walker is the author of Reconstructing Natalie (Women of Faith Novel of the Year) Dreaming in Black & White and Dreaming in Technicolor. Her fourth novel, Miss Invisible, releases in March, 2007. Look for the first title in her new Paperback Girls chick lit series in Summer/Fall 2008.
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