Bits for Sunday, April 18

When you write an email column, write a blog, and write on Facebook…and you’ve shot past 30…you start to forget what you said where. And when some people read all three, you start to feel bad about repeating yourself even when you know what you’ve said where. I say all of this because today’s news is somewhat old news in blogland and Facebookland, but for some of you it will be new. And for those of you who already heard…stick around! I have new details.

This week contained a monumental event in Bekahland. I received an email containing the proofs of my book cover and my book text. I remember a day (we won’t say how many years ago) when I stood in my bedroom on a late summer morning, and I received a phone call from Youthwalk magazine’s editor who told me she’d just chosen my article for publication in an upcoming issue. I wrote about my Dad’s depression and no one even knew I’d submitted the article, but I did, and she chose it. I remember calling my Mom at work and both of us crying with excitement. We bought many copies of that month’s Youthwalk, and I was thrilled to be on the path as a real writer.

When I received the email that I knew held the proofs…I tried to capture the emotion in just as much vivid color as I did that day back in high school when Youthwalk called. I savored every moment of gazing over that beautiful cover…reading my name at the bottom…looking at my picture and bio on the back. I made that first phone call filled with squeals of EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! I called co-workers into my office to share with them. Great moment.

One of the best parts of the experience, which was completely unplanned, but definitely a “God-thing,” as one of my friends pointed out to me, had to do with the cover.

I should explain that this book is being published via the self-publishing route. Although a (great!) company is doing the design/layout/printing work, several tasks fell to me that would not be an author’s responsibility in the traditional book publishing world. One of those tasks was cover design.

The publishing house directed me to a website of stock photos and asked me to choose one that they could incorporate into a design for the cover. I thought (and boy was I wrong!) that because my book is about Advent, cover selection would be pretty simple. Not so much. After hours of searching through photos and trying to decide what message I wanted the cover to convey, I found a picture that I felt would work well with the words inside and submitted it.

Problem. That particular picture wasn’t usable. Apparently I missed the memo that not every photo on the site was up for grabs. And once I learned which ones were not permissible to use, my already scant options declined even further. I knew the lack of a cover design would put a hold on the publishing, and I didn’t want that, so in a moment of complete confusion, I found a picture in my computer that I took last Christmas for my blog Christmas tour.

It was a picture of my grandparents’ family Bible, open to Luke 2. Beside the Bible were some poinsettias I’d purchased years ago at the dollar store. And next to that was a ceramic nativity scene, painted white. I might mention that a few years ago, in a rather unfortunate turn of packing events, Jesus’ left arm broke completely off his body and now rests backwards, cradled in his right arm.

You can understand my hesitation to submit a photo in which the Savior of the World is holding his own detached arm.

But I had no choice, so with great apology for poor lighting (my bedroom is painted three shades of purple…none of them very light) and Jesus’ disfigured limb, I submitted the photo.

Oh how thankful we are for designers and Photoshop! The cover came back with the Bible, open to Luke 2, fading out at the bottom, and the dollar-store poinsettia leaf draping into the top of it. You can even see the tiny rip in the page where the Bible had been well-loved.

To anyone else, it’s just a pretty cover. But to me, it’s a reminder of the heritage I have. The family who raised me to love the Lord and writing (and frugal décor). And that made it all the more special.

This week I’ll send back to the publisher my corrections for the cover and the inside, and then I’ll wait to see the updated proofs. After that…I think we’ll be ready to print! That will be a whole new set of EEEEEEEEEEEEEE squeals!

You’ve been warned!