I Just Pray That God is Pleased with My Books; If So, Then So Am I

I received an email recently that I've been expecting, but it kind of broke my heart a little bit nonetheless.  The publisher of my two novels, Cheryl Dickow at Bezalel Books, informed me that Erin's Ring had only sold 9 copies this past year (and it has hardly been a bestseller at any time since its publication in 2014), and therefore she could no longer afford to make it available for distribution.  I know it broke her heart a little, too, because she'd had such high hopes for this book.  She pictured it being used in Catholic school classrooms and homeschool programs, as a part of the history, reading, or religion curriculum.  But despite the fact that it received two Book Awards from the Catholic Press Association in 2015, my sweet little historical novel filled with endearing Irish immigrant characters just couldn't find its audience.  What this means for Erin's Ring is that once they run out of the stock they have on hand, Amazon and other booksellers will no longer have new copies of the paperback available on their sites--although they offer used copies for sale from other sellers, in varying conditions at varying prices.

A year or two ago, Cheryl had to drop my first novel, Finding Grace (published in 2012), from distribution for the same reason.  The good thing about this book, however, is that unlike Erin's Ring it is also available in the Kindle format.  But otherwise, henceforth only used paperback copies will be found on the Amazon site.

RIP, my babies!

And RIP, writing career.

Okay, that is just extremely dramatic!  And seriously, how can I be sad about the way things turned out when I had the opportunity to do what I love--to write fictional stories that showcase the beauty and truth of the Catholic Faith, of married love, of strong family bonds, and of openness to life--and not only that, to fulfill a girlhood dream of being a published author?  I always thought that was an unreachable goal for me, and it happened.  How blessed am I?  My husband used to joke--years before I ever got around to starting work on Finding Grace, after decades of being a SAHM--that I would one day write a blockbuster book that made me a millionaire, and he could retire early and be supported by my earnings in old age.  Ha!  He's 61 and 1/2 now, and mandatory retirement in his line of work is 65.  So with this latest email from my publisher, I would say that his dream will not be coming true!

God has a plan for all of us; and even though I question Him sometimes, I know this to be true and I trust that He knows what I need to get to Heaven a lot better than I do.  If my books were meant to sell like hotcakes, they would have.  (I've told this story before here at the blog, and if you are a longtime follower, forgive me for the repetition: my husband, who makes me laugh every day, would always say, "But they're selling like lukewarm cakes.")

Early on, I was somewhat involved in the world of Catholic authorship.  My husband and I attended a Catholic Writers Guild/Catholic Marketing Network conference in NJ in August of 2013, and Finding Grace was a finalist for a Catholic Arts and Letters Award that year.

I even stepped way (way,WAY) outside of my comfort zone at that conference and did a short interview with EWTN when they stopped by the CWG booth!

Wow, looking at these photos for the first time in years, it seems like a whole lifetime ago.  And truly, it was.  Not too long after this conference, we had a whirlwind 11-month stretch during which three of our sons got married.  And in the summer of 2013, I only had three young grandchildren; but before long, our sons' families would start to multiply at breakneck speed, and this Grammy's life would become more and more about traveling afar to see them and less and less about traveling afar to do author-type things.

But I would not trade the full and busy family life I have now, with all five sons happily married and at last count, 16 grandchildren--all of whom live within an hour of their Papa and me!--for all the tea in China (or all the 5-star reviews and massive book sales in the world).

So I am not a bestselling author.  But I am an author.  And what's most important of all to me is that I believe God is pleased that I used whatever talents He gave me to give glory to Him--or at least I hope and pray He is pleased.  The fact that these two books didn't succeed in the eyes of the world is not the measure of their worth.  Even as I sit here, feeling a bit down about the fact that my books will not be as easily available to the young souls who might be inspired and edified by their messages (which are in direct opposition to the messages with which they are being bombarded by our increasingly secular-humanistic world), I realize that they were published for a reason, and if just one reader was meant to find them, he or she will (or has).

Luckily, I will still be able to order author copies of my books for myself, to give as gifts or to sell here at the blog.  These author copies are considerably more expensive than they used to be, so I can't offer the same lower prices that Amazon could, or that I used to.  But if you're interested in either book, there are yellow "Buy Now" buttons on the sidebar at the right on my home page under the images of the book covers.  If you click on one of those buttons, you will get to a PayPal page and can make your purchase there.

I am offering signed copies of my books here at String of Pearls, for the following prices (which include shipping and handling):

Erin's Ring: $12.00

Finding Grace: $17.00

I'm thinking that maybe with the holidays approaching, I'll run a little blog book giveaway.  What do you think?  I could offer one of the novels...or I could offer a copy of My Little ABC Book (a labor of love for my family which was never expected to be a commercially successful project!).

Which of these three books should be the giveaway item?  If you have any preferences, let me know in the comments.

I don't know if I'll ever write another book...but I'm glad I'll always have this little space on the Internet to come to when the writing bug hits.  God bless you for stopping by!

INSTAGRAM GIVEAWAY: A Signed Copy of Erin's Ring

I am currently running a giveaway on Instagram.  On July 25, I will randomly pick the winner who will receive one signed copy of my YA novel, Erin's Ring.

If you're interested in entering to win, you can go to my Instagram feed (where I go by @laura.h.pearl) and find this recent post.  (I also have a tab on the sidebar here at my blog's home page that will take you right over to my IG account.)

Erin's Ring was published way back in 2014, and I haven't been as good at promoting and marketing the novel as I could/should have been.  It is a book that I never thought I'd have time to write, as my family was beginning to grow by leaps and bounds right around the time that my publisher, Cheryl Dickow of Bezalel Books, approached me with an offer to fund a second novel--one that would be appropriate for younger readers than my first novel, Finding Grace, which was published by Bezalel in 2012.  All I could see ahead of me were the weddings of my sons (one of whom got married shortly before I finished writing the book, and one shortly after) and the imminent births of new grandchildren.  I was also suffering from some strange symptoms which turned out to be caused by hypoparathyroidism, and I had to have a non-malignant parathyroid tumor removed from my neck. We hadn't moved down to VA to be near our married boys yet, and I knew that I would be doing a lot of traveling from NH for all the upcoming family events.  I had no idea how in the world I was going to be able to write a novel (even a relatively short one) in six months' time, with all that was going on in my life and in the Pearl clan.  I am a wife/mother/Grammy first, always and forever, and the role of writer takes a back seat to those vocations.  But somehow, I got it done.  And not only that, but I wrote without panic or stress, in a state of almost complete joy.

I can only attribute this almost otherworldly happiness I experienced while working on Erin's Ring to the Holy Spirit, who was definitely working in me bigtime.  I almost turned down my publisher's generous offer, for fear that my life was just too busy and I wouldn't be able to concentrate properly and meet the requisite deadlines.  Left to my own devices, I would have said no; but during that whole time I was trying to figure out what I should do, my husband's faith in me never wavered.  Even knowing how I sometimes suffer from an extreme lack of confidence, he convinced me that I could do it.  I prayed.  I prayed hard, very much aware that if I turned down this amazing offer, there would most likely never be another opportunity like it for me. And once I signed the contract, the first thing Cheryl did was to take it with her to Adoration, to pray for the success of the book while in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.  (With a start like that, how could I doubt that I had made the right decision?!)

Of course, we all know that true success, the kind that is pleasing to God (the only Book Reviewer whose opinion matters at all!), is not measured by the world's standards.  By worldly standards, my poor little novel has not had a very good run--despite being the recipient of two Book Awards from the Catholic Press Association in 2015.  But I do believe that it can do some good in the world.  And that's what convinced me to have this giveaway, hoping that a copy of Erin's Ring will find its way into the hands of the very reader who needs it, who might be inspired or edified by it.

Thanks for stopping by, dear readers.  And if you do decide to enter the giveaway contest, may the luck of the Irish be with you!

Grace-Filled Tuesdays (Book Club "Meeting" #36): Writing about Writing about Writing

I love to write.  Writing is my favorite.

And one of my favorite subjects to write about, not so oddly enough, is writing.

So yes, as the title of this post has already warned you, today I'm going to be writing about writing about writing.

Confused yet?

I haven't been the best of bloggers in recent months (make that years), but my output used to be rather prolific here at SOP.  My archives are jam-packed with old posts about any number of subjects, and if you're ever bored and hungry for fresh[-ish] reading material, you could always scroll through them and hopefully you'd stumble upon something that would pique your interest.  The 1,300-plus posts are not all about books and writing, not by a long shot; but those grouped under the label "Grace-filled Tuesdays Book Club" most definitely are.

I started this little online book club quite a while ago, at the urging of my publisher (Cheryl Dickow at Bezalel Books), and it has indeed been a pleasure to host these book "discussions" with you over the years.  It's a great forum for talking about how my two novels went from tiny sparks of inspiration to fully fleshed-out stories filled with characters whom I got to know better and better as time went by.

I enjoy it so much when novels I read have Q and A's with the authors at the end, where a reader can learn exactly what motivated them to write their stories in the first place.  I usually flip back there before I even dive into Chapter One, because it adds another layer of enjoyment for me to learn how the writer was inspired to start the book and the amount of time it took to research and write it.  The writing process itself is endlessly fascinating to me.  So you can imagine why I get such a kick out of sharing my own stories here at the blog--about how I was inspired to write Finding Grace and Erin's Ring and how the books eventually took shape.

Most writers will admit that even the fictional stories they create have pieces of real people, places, and events embedded in them; that was certainly true for me--especially with Finding Grace.  But trust me, this novel is NOT autobiographical (or even semi-autobiographical).  So much of what was real was tweaked and reworked, and characters who were inspired by people I knew began to take on their own unique identities--which surprised and delighted me; truly, these characters became friends whom I missed dearly when I'd finished writing the last chapters.

I think this is a common phenomenon for fiction authors.  In his biography Becoming Jane, Jon Spence discusses how the peerless Jane Austen wove together real life and fiction in her work (I've brought this up before here at the blog, in this past book club post, and this one, and this one, too --sheesh, you guys, I'm like a broken record!):

"Jane wrote her early pieces for the amusement of her family and friends, and she put in shared jokes, teasing jibes, and allusions to real events in their lives."
 
"Austen is never autobiographical in the crude sense of recording what happened to her or to people she knew.  But a real situation was sometimes her starting point and developed in her imagination as something quite separate from the 'real'."

Yes, Jane, that's just what I ended up doing!  And I didn't even know that you did this, too, until I'd already written Finding Grace!  (I believe we would be BFF's!)

But Austen is by no means the only fiction author who did/does this sort of thing.  Here are a few quotes by some talented modern-day writers whom I also admire, about how real life sneaks its way into their fictional tales.

In the acknowledgements at the end of One Day, a book I absolutely loved, author David Nicholls writes, "It is the nature of this novel that certain smart remarks and observations may have been pilfered from friends and acquaintances over the years, and I hope that a collective thank you--or apology--will be enough."

Ha ha, so true: I am convinced that a novelist cannot help but employ tidbits of actual conversations that he's been involved in or overheard, tweaking them to fit the storyline he's creating.

In the Q and A section at the back of Anne Rivers Siddons' Off Season (a book that had some very strange elements, to be sure, but which I nonetheless enjoyed on the whole very much) the interviewer asks, "Do you base your characters on real people or are they purely products of your imagination?"  And Siddons replies, "There is always a flicker or a seeming of someone real in most of my characters, but by the time I have developed a character enough to carry them through a book, they become their own selves and there's no doubt about that.  I never knowingly copy anybody--I'm not that good at it."

Yes, Anne!  You, Jane, and I--if only we could go out for coffee together and talk shop!  How fun would that be?

I know that when I was writing about Peggy Roach Kelly's feelings for her five sons in Finding Grace, I couldn't help but channel my feelings for my own five sons, whom I adore completely.  Whenever my husband and I would walk with our tall, handsome boys across the church parking lot for Sunday Mass, I would watch them with eyes full of love and think, "Those are all mine!  Those wonderful young men belong to me!"  They had a way of walking, a "Pearl boy walk," that made them look alike from behind. So there you have it,  the inspiration for this scene in Chapter 6 (pages 61-62 in the paperback version), where Grace and her parents are following the Kelly boys across the church parking lot:

"It was interesting how much the five brothers resembled one another, particularly from behind, where one couldn't see the variations in their facial features.  They were all Roaches, similar in height and build, and all had Peggy's chestnut-colored hair (only Grace had inherited the stature and coloring of the Kelly side).  They shared a gait that was uniquely their own, genetically programmed, so it seemed--the "Kelly boy walk": they sort of dragged their feet, yet bounced, with hands jammed in their pockets and shoulders slightly hunched, their heads leaning forward a bit.  The five of them laughed together easily as they made their way over to the church, looking and acting for all the world like a set of giant quintuplets.  They seemed nearly identical in appearance from this view, and as they say about babies of multiple births, they had almost a language of their own.  They often finished each other's sentences, and laughed at the same moments.  Their hand gestures and the inflections of their speech were uncannily alike.

They shared a tight bond that was indeed extraordinary, one that their parents hoped would never be broken.

Peggy drank them in with her eyes; Grace saw the expression on her mother's face and wished for a moment that she had ever been the one to produce such a look of naked adoration.  Then she watched her brothers loping along ahead of them, and if she'd had a mirror she would have realized that her own face bore an expression very nearly the same as her mother's.

'Aren't they something special?' Grace thought, filled with tenderness. Right then she knew more than ever that she hoped she would one day be the mother of many boys."

How obvious is it that that passage was written by a hopelessly smitten Boy Mom?!  I slid that little piece of real life in there as an homage to my beloved offspring; yet as much as the Kelly boys were originally modeled after my string of Pearls, they really did evolve and become their own selves the further along I got in the writing process.

Okay then, that's about it from here.  But before I sign off, I'll leave you with a few images of the six fabulous men in my life, who inspired me to write a book that included five completely lovable brothers and a perfect love interest for my shy little heroine, Grace Kelly.

Office Space (Just What a Writer Always Wanted!); and a CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY!!

Once upon a time, when I was writing novels, I would have given my eye teeth to have an office space to work in like the one I have now.  That is one HUGE plus of our new house in VA, where we moved in March of 2017 in order to be closer to our grown and married sons and their families.  We did downsize considerably when we moved here; but one thing our old house didn't have was an office.  Oh, initially we did carve out office space in our basement, which was mostly finished off thanks to the DIY skills of my hard-working husband.  But after our boys got older and outgrew the desire to hang out together down there, playing with their toys and video games, heading down to the basement to write or do filing or paperwork felt like being banished to the dungeon.

I eventually fashioned an office space for my husband, behind the couch in the family room, where he could keep up with the family finances without getting a bad case of FOMO.  I did write most of Finding Grace down in the basement, because I was using an ancient (and finicky!) tabletop computer for the first few years I was writing it, and that old girl couldn't be moved to another room.  But after my husband saw that I really was going to do it--I was going to finish that novel!--he got me my first laptop.  And so by the time I was writing Erin's Ring, I either worked at the dining room table or went off to Barnes and Noble for the afternoon, where I ordered one Starbucks coffee (and maybe a pastry to go with it!) and sat at a little table in the café area, happily pounding the keys of my laptop until my battery started to run out.

In our new house, one of the four bedrooms upstairs had been used as an office by the previous owners.  Since we no longer have any boys living under our roof with us, and that means every bedroom other than the master is now a guest room, we decided to follow the previous owners'  lead and continue to use the fourth bedroom as an office.

His work area.

And hers.

More hers.

Full disclosure, dear readers: those photos were snapped shortly after we moved in and set up the room.  Almost two years later, the office has seen a few changes.  (And it is much messier than it was back then, especially on my hubby's side.  Wink, wink.)

I love that our grandchildren's artwork now decorates my side of the office.

My desk is crowded and messy...but I don't dare show you his!

I cannot tell you how absolutely wonderful it is to have a place where my husband and I can both work so efficiently.  We each have our own desk, our own printer, and we sit in matching faux leather rolling office chairs.  We have two filing cabinets and plenty of storage and shelving.  It is everything I ever wanted in an office, and as I said, it makes it so that in some ways, we are better set up than we've ever been--even though we loved our big Colonial in NH, where we spent 26 of the best years of our lives.

It's almost too bad that I don't really write anymore, now that I have a great place to do it.  I don't even blog as much as I used to.  (See above: we live near a small army of Pearl grandchildren now...and time spent with them and their parents trumps time spent at my laptop!)  I'm so happy that before life became too hectic to do it, I fulfilled that long-held childhood dream of becoming an author, of writing just one novel that might make some infinitesimal difference in the life of even one reader.

Well...Hopefully, that has already happened.  Because I recently was given the rather discouraging news that because Finding Grace has not sold well enough in the six years it has been in print, after the end of 2018 it will no longer be available to the public in the paperback version.  It will still be available as a Kindle download, however.  Erin's Ring has not exactly sold like hot cakes either (my husband, who makes me laugh every day, jokes that it's more like "lukewarm cakes").  For the coming year 2019, it will still be available in paperback from Amazon.  But after that...I'm not sure.  It was never formatted into a Kindle book, and unless my husband and I decide it's worth investing whatever it takes to have that done, it will probably not be available at all.

In our correspondence over the years, my publisher (Cheryl Dickow of Bezalel Books) often comments that although I have been blessed in so many ways, having my books be financially successful just isn't one of them.  But I do believe that there is a reason for everything: I fully believe that I was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write my first novel; and I also believe that it was not meant to be a best-seller, but had some other purpose (which I may never know in this life).  So I am a bit sad that the paperback version of Finding Grace will no longer be available for sale on Amazon; I much prefer it, personally, because I use a lot of dashes in my writing and they look the same as hyphens in the electronic version of the book, and I worry that it's confusing to the reader.  But at least it will live on in Kindle.

I vacillate between not even believing that anything I've ever written is of any real worth or that I am even a real writer at all (instead of just "sort of" a writer), and hoping beyond hope that my books will find their way into as many hands as possible--particularly the hands of young adult readers whose lives might be changed, even in some small way, by these Catholic works of fiction. I trust that God knows what he's doing, and if Finding Grace  and Erin's Ring are meant to go the way of the dinosaurs, there is a very good reason for that.  But I have to admit that in my heart of hearts, I'd love to see those books available for my grandchildren's children.

In the meantime, I have plenty of copies in the office to share with my family.

And you know what?  I think in the spirit of Christmas giving, I'd like to give away one copy of each novel between now and Dec. 15. 

Leave me a comment by Dec. 15 and tell me which one you'd like to win and whom you'd like to give it to, and I'll toss all of your names into a hat (one for each book) and choose two winners randomly.  I will mail the prizes out to the winners the next day, and hopefully they will arrive in time for Christmas gift-giving.

I think I'll head on over to Instagram and post the contest there as well.  Thanks so much for stopping by here--and maybe I'll see you over there?

An Open Book: Promoting Catholic Fiction

I have been a fan of fiction for as long as I can remember.  Like my oldest granddaughter (a 7-year-old identical twin who is really only the oldest by a few minutes), I can think of almost nothing more pleasurable than curling up with a good book.  I gave this granddaughter the blog handle "Bonnie Babe" many moons ago, but she is hardly a babe anymore; she's growing like a weed and has morphed into a tall, lanky, lovely, well-spoken young lady who could probably outscore most high schoolers on the vocabulary section of the SAT.  She pretty much taught herself to ready by about age 4 or 5, and if you happen to see her on any given day, she will most likely look something like this:

Bonnie Babe has three sisters: Cutie Pie (her twin), Little Gal, and City Girl; and now a baby brother (who shall heretofore be known here at the blog as "Simba") has just joined their crew.  We're not sure about Simba yet, but the four tight-knit sisters have all been book fanatics pretty much since birth; seriously, a trip to the library is their favorite activity--better than an amusement park outing, I'd wager.  Bonnie Babe is not the only one in her family whose nose is often buried in a book, not by a long shot.

Bonnie Babe has mentioned on several occasions that she would like to write books when she grows up (which makes her very much like another little girl I used to know--who had the same dream when she was about her granddaughter's age, but didn't know if it was an achievable one). I'm not exactly sure how, but she has recently been made aware of my two novels, Finding Grace and Erin's Ring.  About a week ago, she said to me in an admiring tone, "Grammy, you write books!"  Ever the self-deprecating, little-known author of a pair of little-known Catholic novels, with a wry smile on my face I sort of mumbled, "Well, I wrote books. But I'm not writing one now, and I don't know if I'll ever write another."  That was probably not the right thing to say, was it?!  If I had known it was going to come up, perhaps I would have prepared a better response for my darling little reader/future writer.

I don't know why I'm so shy when discussing my books, even with beloved members of my family.  I don't know why I feel the need to kind of put myself down and minimize what I've accomplished--especially when talking to a granddaughter who should hear from me that yes, it's very possible that if that's what she wants to do someday, she can--and might--actually do it.  If Grammy did it, then surely she can.  I will have to work on being more positive when discussing my "writing career" with her in the future.  (See what I did there?  I felt the need to add quotes, lest you think I take myself, or my writing, too seriously.  Heaven forbid!)

My wonderful publisher, Cheryl Dickow of Bezalel Books, knows how much I struggle with the marketing/promotion aspect of being a published author.  (A salesman I am not!)  She has tried over the years to encourage me to put myself out there and proudly promote my work--because when it comes to Catholic fiction, she reminds me, it's not about the author.  It's about the message.  It's not about garnering praise or making buckets of money (thank goodness, or I would have to say it's all been for naught!); it's about getting inspiring works of fiction that spread the Truth of our beautiful Catholic Faith into the hands of those who could be touched or edified by it.  Fiction can definitely be used as a tool for evangelization, because there are some people who would rather just read an entertaining story than tackle a Faith-based non-fiction work that they might consider too "dry."  So Catholic fiction authors should be confident that promoting their work is not a vain enterprise at all; they should realize that if their fiction glorifies God and His Church, the more people who read it, the better!

But still, I struggle.

So I decided to put myself out there today (gulp!) and talk about my own books here at Carolyn Astfalk's An Open Book link-up.

My first novel, Finding Grace, was published in 2012 and earned the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval that same year. (It was also a finalist for the Guild's CALA in YA fiction.) This lengthy novel, which I wrote over a period of almost five years (beginning when my youngest son started high school), is near and dear to my heart because it is set in Plattsburgh, NY, where I grew up and starting dating the high school sweetheart who has been my husband for 38 years now.  (He might have even been the model I used to create the handsome love interest of the title character, Grace Kelly--wink, wink.)   The book's target audience is teens/adults; because it deals with some difficult topics (underage drinking, premarital sex, abortion), I would not recommend it for readers younger than high school-aged.  But rest assured, parents, that you will not find any cringe-worthily inappropriate scenes described in this pro-life coming-of-age love-story; it is safe for your teens to read.  Mistakes are made and tough things happen to some of the characters, but these situations are handled with as much tact, compassion, and grace as possible.

My second novel, Erin's Ring, was published in 2014.  It was a recipient of two book awards from the Catholic Press Association in 2015: Second Place in Books for Teens & Young Adults, and Third Place in Books for Catholic Novels.  This is a different sort of book than Finding Grace; written over a six-month period, this work of historical fiction (which goes back and forth between the early 1800's and the year 1998) is much shorter in length and geared toward a younger audience.  It is appropriate for readers as young as middle school or junior high (but has been enjoyed by readers of all ages).  Although my first "baby" might always be my favorite, this book is dear to my heart, too, because it is set in Dover, NH, where my husband and I lived for 27 years and raised our five boys.  I've always been a huge fan of historical fiction, and I was able weave some of Dover's fascinating history into the tale, so this was a complete joy to write.  If you're an inveterate Hibernophile like me, you'll love how this book is populated with a cast of plucky Irish characters (fictionalized versions of some real 19th-century immigrants) who brought their Faith--and a Catholic church-- to a small New England town.

I never believed I would actually have a novel published; and two--well, that was truly beyond my wildest dreams.  So imagine how floored I was this past January when I was approached with an offer to work on a non-fiction book, by someone who works on an acquisitions team for a reputable Catholic publisher.  As flattering--and shocking, too, I must admit!--as the offer was, I knew that I was not the right person for the job.  For one thing, my comfort zone as a writer is in the world of fiction rather than non-fiction, so I wasn't confident that I could deliver what this publisher wanted.  For another, my husband and I had moved from NH to VA just months earlier, to be closer to our married sons and our ever-growing brood of grandchildren (13-going-on-14!), and I just didn't think this was the time to get involved in a project that would burden me with deadlines that might get in the way of my current favorite career: being an available hands-on Grammy.  So I said no to what most writers might consider a "once-in-a-lifetime offer that you just can't turn down," wondering if that meant that I was not a "real" writer after all.

But those two Catholic novels are real to Bonnie Babe, who I hope will read them one day.  And they've touched at least a couple of young readers who have written me the sweetest notes.  If God is pleased with them, if they have brought Him greater glory even in some teeny, tiny way, then my mission has been accomplished.

I may never write another book. But if I ever do, I'm pretty sure it will be fiction.  If Bonnie Babe writes books when she grows up, I think they'll be fiction, too.  And her Grammy will be cheering her on every step of the way.

(BTW: I just checked and today Finding Grace is marked down on Amazon, from $14.99 to $9.80.  It would be a good time to get a copy, if you're interested!)

Before I sign off, here are two worthy works of Catholic fiction that I've read recently and for which I am currently working on written reviews:  A Single Bead, a YA novel by Stephanie Engelman; and The Wideness of the Sea , by Katie Curtis.   These are books that deserve a shout-out, and I hope to have a post about them finished in time for next month's installment of this link-up!

Okay, then.  Now head on over to Carolyn's to see what all the other bibliophiles are reading these days!

String of Pearls (Book Club "Meeting" #20): An Erin's Ring Giveaway!

Tuesday's Child is full of Grace...

Welcome to the 20th meeting of the Grace-filled Tuesdays Book Club at String of Pearls!

Today, I thought I'd talk a little bit about my second novel, Erin's Ring.

Just a little shy of two years ago, at the end of November 2014, this YA Catholic novel was published by Bezalel Books.  Part historical fiction, the story includes some fascinating information about the Irish immigrants who came to Dover, NH in the early 19th century, worked their fingers to the bone in the Cocheco cotton mill, and wouldn't rest until they were able to build the first Catholic church in the area.  That wooden church completed in 1830, St. Aloysius, burned down in 1870; but in its place, on that same plot of land deeded by the mill to its Irish-Catholic workers, a larger brick edifice was constructed.  This church, St. Mary's, still stands today and is in fact where my husband and I attend Mass every Sunday (when we're in Dover, and not off visiting members of our far-flung family).

I was very humbled and honored when I learned that Erin's Ring had received two book awards from the Catholic Press Association.

Here is what the CPA had to say about it:

2nd Place Catholic Press Awards 2015 Winner Category: Books for Teens and Young Adults  
"Presented in a story-within-a-story, Erin's Ring offers an historical novel set within the story of two contemporary teen-age friends from very different kinds of families. Both stories have elements of Catholicism offered as ordinary and important parts of life. The small town setting is appealing and the characters are multi-dimensional. Erin's Ring would appeal to younger teens and older ones looking for light reading."

3rd Place Catholic Press Awards 2015 Winner Category: Catholic Novels  

"This is a charming story, beginning with a charming cover and with a good measure of history, contemporary drama, and spirituality between the covers. It is highly readable and can be used effectively as an evangelization tool for young people who would otherwise never open a book that espoused Catholic morals and teachings. Adults, particularly of the Celtic persuasion will enjoy this lighthearted yet meaningful tale as well."

Last Sunday after Mass, I was thinking about Erin's Ring as I stopped in front of the garden located just to the right of the front entrance of St. Mary's Church in Dover.  This sweet garden dedicated to the Blessed Mother was actually the inspiration for the opening scene of the novel.  I thought it was the perfect place for young Molly McCormick to find an old Irish Claddagh ring, buried in the dirt at the foot of the statue, which would in turn compel her to research the history of the Irish in Dover, hoping to figure out the origins of the ring.

Here's a picture of the St. Mary's garden, a spot I've always loved.

And here's an excerpt from the first chapter of Erin's Ring.

          Before she could finish storming the heavens with her heartfelt petition, a sudden cool, apple-crisp October breeze blew, and Molly's white lace chapel veil was lifted into the air and landed at the feet of the statue of Mary.  That's what she got for forgetting to fasten it into place with bobby pins!  As she bent to retrieve her veil she noticed a tiny gleam of gold peeking through the dark topsoil in which the mums were planted.  She dug around it with her fingers and pulled the metal object out.  Just as she got to her feet again, her family was suddenly there beside her.  Her mother forgot all about asking her why she hadn't gone in to find a pew yet, for she saw the look of wonder on her daughter's face as she stared at something she was holding in her upturned palm.
          "What is it, Molly?" asked Ellie.
          "It's...a ring.  A gold ring!  I think it's pretty old.  It's got a crack in it.  Look."
           "Oh, it's an Irish Claddagh ring!  How lovely." [Ellie said]...
          "And it's engraved!"  Molly cried, squinting as she read "To Erin--Love, Michael" there as plain as day on the smooth inside of the band...

          Who were Erin and Michael?
          And what story might this ring tell, if only it could talk?

I hope this makes you insatiably curious to know who Erin and Michael were, too, if you haven't read the book yet.

If you haven't and you'd like to, today might be your lucky day.  I'm hosting a giveaway here at String of Pearls, and giving away five copies of Erin's Ring.

If you're a blogger and you'd like a chance to win a free promo copy, just mention the giveaway at your own blog and send me the link to your post, and you'll be entered in the contest.  If you're a blog reader but not a blog writer, you can tweet about it or share it through an Instagram or Facebook post (where applicable, using #erinsringgiveaway), and your name will also go in the hat for the drawing.  Just get in touch with me to show me where you shared the information about the giveaway, and you might be one of the five lucky ones to receive a paperback copy.  The winners will be announced on November 1, the Feast of All Saints, which is fitting for a number of reasons.  It's actually the date I finished the manuscript for Erin's Ring in 2014, and it's also my late mother-in-law's birthday (and the book is dedicated in part to her Irish immigrant dad).

I believe that Erin's Ring would make a great addition to a homeschool or Catholic school reading/religion/history curriculum.  I would love to see it in the hands of more YA readers of all ages, and I greatly appreciate your help in spreading the word.  Thank you!

An Open Book: Bezalel's Quality Offerings

Hi fellow bookworms!  Are you ready to talk books?  I am!  So I'm linking up with my fellow 'worms over at Carolyn Astfalk's blog.

Okay, then.  Well, recently I had myself all pumped up to start a juicy-looking secular work of fiction by Kate Morton, a best-selling author whose novels I've enjoyed in the past.  The cover grabbed me; and the title did as well--especially now that we've purchased a lake house of our own (#oysterhaven!) and have enjoyed one glorious family reunion week there with all 18 of the current members of Team Pearl.

I've gotta say, this one looks good, and I hope it won't disappoint.

I posted the above photo on Instagram a few days ago.  See, I'd already put my feet up, opened up a nice cold bottle of Diet Coke, and gotten myself ready to settle in for an hour or two of  having my nose firmly planted in a good book, which has to be my favorite guilty pleasure of all. Besides Diet Coke.  And coffee.  And chocolate.

But I digress.  Books, that's what we're talking about.  Books.

So I was planning to become immersed in what I hoped would be a grippingly readable fantasy world.  But when I was barely more than a chapter into Morton's novel, I had to go upstairs for something or other, and I spied a too-long-neglected paperback on my nightstand.  It made me realize that before I move on to yet another book, I really should finish this one that I'd already started months ago, when the summer was young.  I was thoroughly enjoying said book, but then put it down when life got busy and never got around to picking it back up.  (I could do that, you see, because it's a collection of short mystery stories that get tied up nicely by the end of each chapter, rather than a novel per se, although they all feature the same thoroughly engaging time-traveling priest.)

Here's the cover of that book I started but didn't finish.

The Father Capranica Mysteries, Stories of the Strange and Supernatural, by Father Mike Driscoll, Ph.D, was published by Cheryl Dickow's wonderful Catholic company, Bezalel Books, which published my two novels as well.  (And I couldn't be more proud to have the imprint of Bezalel--a company esteemed in the business for producing quality works of both fiction and non-fiction--on my "babies," Finding Grace and Erin's Ring!)  When I started Fr. Driscoll's book, I remember being enchanted by the main character, a diminutive priest who finds himself jumping back and forth in time to investigate all kinds of strange happenings, "things-that-go-bump-in-the-night," as it were; so before I delve any further into The Lake House, I'm determined to go back and re-read The Father Capranica Mysteries from the beginning, finish it, and next month perhaps I'll have a review finished to share at the October Open Book link-up. 

Another offering from Bezalel that I've been enjoying lately is actually a coloring book.  And it's not just for kids, either.  Cheryl Dickow very generously sent me a copy of the company's recently published The Stations of the Cross, an adult coloring book, by Kathryn Mulderink, OCDS (with illustrations by Father Victor KyNam), hoping I would spread the word if I found the opportunity to do so.

Adult coloring books like this one appear to be a popular trend nowadays; in fact, I've seen racks of them all over the place--not only at bookstores, but at Walmart, Michael's, and even Bed, Bath, & Beyond.  I think adult coloring books are to the new millennium what paint-by-numbers kits were to the 1950's.  I mean, check out this display I noticed on a recent shopping trip.

Putting a Catholic spin on a popular trend is something that Cheryl Dickow does very well, employing her proudly Catholic company as a tool to evangelize our beautiful Faith.  Bezalel's adult coloring book is filled with masterfully and tenderly rendered illustrations of the 14 Stations of the Cross, each with a coordinating scripture passage and prayer.

When I sat down to color one of the pages, I chose to begin with the 4th Station, "Jesus Meets His Mother," because as a mother of sons this is an image that has always touched me deeply.  I set to work with my trusty colored pencils, and I found the experience of adding color to the beautiful illustration very relaxing.  When I was finished, I read the inspiring prayer to the right of the picture and was reminded of all the suffering Mary willingly took on when She surrendered completely to the will of God.

Ever the self-critic, I wish now that I'd used a darker color behind the faces of Mary and Her Beloved Son, so that they would stand out better against the background.  But there are 13 more Stations to color, and I can try to do better next time.

As I was contentedly coloring this page, I was struck by how perfect an educational tool this would be for homeschooling families.  It combines an art lesson with a religion lesson seamlessly.  In fact, if this coloring book had been around when we were homeschooling our youngest son during the years he was in 4th through 8th grade, I would certainly have incorporated it into our art curriculum. 

Get this book for your homeschool book shelf.  Or just get it for yourself, so that when life's pressures get to you, you can find peace as you create art that will feed your soul.

So that's it from me, until next month.  But head on over to Carolyn's for more book talk.

Grace-filled Tuesdays (Book Club "Meeting" #12)

Okay, it's Tuesday.  And you know, of course, that Tuesday's child is full of Grace...and Erin!  (Hardee har har.)  So here we are, book clubbin'.

I do think I'm going to have to work on a new meme for Grace-filled Tuesdays.  I'm not sure that this one is snazzy enough.  Here's one that I always loved over at Housewifespice.

It's got that great vintage look about it, and it's a very easy to recognize image.

Mine is...meh.  So-so.  (And I forgot to put the // after the http, so the Internet address is not even technically correct!)  My design team is on it, though. Look for a better meme the next time we meet.

I recently found a YouTube video showing how to make a Christmas tree out of a paperback book, so I decided to try it with a copy of Erin's Ring.  I ended up not being as impressed by the final product as I thought I was going to be, so I never added the ribbons and glitter.  And I'm not going to waste any more of the author copies I've bought from the publisher--even though it's very "circle of life": from a tree, to a book, back to a tree again.

Speaking of Erin's Ring, I was thrilled to see it mentioned in a print publication, an actual paper-and-ink magazine (something that surely doesn't happen every day!).  Catholic Library World featured a number of Catholic publishing houses in its December 2015 issue, and Bezalel Books (the publisher of both Erin's Ring and Finding Grace) was included.  Among other Bezalel works, Erin's Ring got a nice shout-out.

I told you that earlier in the month, when I spoke to some Catholic school students (including the eighth grade class of my nephew and two nieces--triplets!), once we got to the Q and A part of the presentation, the kids got pretty quiet.  Hands were not exactly shooting up in the air.  I thought I'd sort of blown it with them.  But my sister-in-law (the triplets' mom) called me recently and said that she'd eavesdropped on one of her daughters and a classmate, while she was driving them to a basketball game in her van, and my niece's friend was talking about Finding Grace.  This friend told my niece that once I'd come to visit their class, she suddenly felt that it was time to finally read it.  A teacher had recommended it to her long ago, but she hadn't gotten around to it yet.

My sister-in-law was giddy relating the details of the girls' conversation to me.  This young reader claimed that Finding Grace was one of her favorite books of all time.  For four days, she couldn't put it down; and when she finished, she wished it hadn't come to an end.  To say that this made my day would be a gross understatement!  Those are just the kind of words an author yearns to hear--especially a Catholic author who dearly hoped that she would be able to reach and inspire impressionable young people through the medium of fiction.

And book clubs are a great medium for discussing fiction.  So I'll ask you a question, dear readers: if you've read either Finding Grace or Erin's Ring, did you have a favorite character?  Why did you like him or her so much?

And do you have any questions for me?  Don't be shy now, ask me anything you want.

Okay then, until next time, I hope your life will be filled with blessings and grace.  And plenty of good books!

Bookishness

I have a few book-related things to share today.  First of all, several days ago I saw that there was a new review for Erin's Ring on Amazon!  It's always exciting for an author to get positive feedback from readers--especially ones that aren't related to her by blood or marriage.  Reading those generous words made me feel like a million bucks.

Here's that review, from my new BFF (whose pen name is "go4th"), if you're interested:

5 out of 5 stars
Captivating Historical Fiction- Excellent Read for Catholics & others

Bygo4thon December 9, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This uplifting novel weaves together friendship, family, and faith through strong women characters from two very different time periods. I loved Ann and Moira, two young Irish immigrants who come to America in 1827 to support their families back home. They face the hardships of working long hours in a mill, and the loneliness that comes from separation from their families; and they do so with humor and grace. Equally endearing are modern teens, Molly and Theresa, who are facing trials and tribulations of their own. I could identify with some of the characters and saw friends of mine in others. A few weeks after finishing the book, I find myself looking at things through Anne's perspective to overcome some of the challenges in my own life.

In one part of this book, Ann and Moira join with other immigrants to protest the lack of a Catholic church and the mill responds. I was delighted to find that this part of this story really happened. A few other parts are based on history as well.

Although I enjoyed this well-written tale as an adult, I could definitely imagine using it in a high school or middle school literature class. There is enough spice to keep it lively without embarrassing the readers. It was refreshing to see typical Catholic routines intermingled with the events in the story, and interesting to see how fallen away Catholics and non-Catholics interacted with the practitioners of the story. I highly recommend this book.

Wow!  My cup overflows!

No less exciting for me was the news that my niece (an 8th-grade Catholic school student for whom I will be a Confirmation sponsor in the New Year) chose Finding Grace as the subject for a school project.  (She read it over the summer, and a big written report was due at the beginning of the school year--but I forgot to blog about it when that news was fresh.)  When my niece got the project completed, my sister-in-law sent me some pictures of her finished work.

Over this past Labor Day weekend, when we were out in South Bend for a Pearl family gathering/tailgater/Notre Dame football game, my niece wanted to get a picture with the author. (Oh gosh, it's still hard to get used to--but I guess that's me!)

It's been such a busy fall that I completely forgot to ask how she did on the report until just recently.  And I found out that she got 100%!

I am very encouraged by these developments.  A reader of Erin's Ring writes a review that says, "I could definitely imagine using it in a middle school or high school literature class."  A junior high student uses Finding Grace as the subject for a school reading project.  I couldn't be more pleased!  It's not important if either book ever becomes a money-maker.  If these novels can touch even a few young lives, if they can inspire even a few young readers to know and love the Faith better...well, that's all I could ever ask for, and more.

If you are a teacher or a parent who might be interested in implementing either Erin's Ring (appropriate for middle school and up) or Finding Grace (aimed at older teens/young adults, high school and up) in your kids' religion/reading/English curricula, contact Bezalel Books for information about bulk purchasing for classroom use.

And remember that if you read a book and like it, an Amazon review (even a short one, with a star rating) can help enormously.

Another thing that can help enormously is using social media as a book promotion tool.  Sometimes I'm embarrassed that so many of my blog posts (like this one) revolve around FG and ER.  But recently, my blogging friend Erin, of Seven Little Australians and Counting, sent me an email with a link to a post by Aussie blogger and author of YA fiction Allison Tait, giving advice to authors about promoting their works.  In it, Tait says, “I can’t imagine doing well without the blog. I feel like people are not just buying the book, they’re buying the story behind the book, which doesn’t mean that they’re buying me, but they’re buying all of the things that I like that they like too."  When I read those words, I realized that there's absolutely nothing wrong with mentioning my books at String of Pearls--because anyone who enjoys the stories and anecdotes they find here might enjoy my fiction works, too.

I'm going to let you go now, because it's Saturday and Christmas is less than two weeks away, and you probably have things to do.  Okay then, in closing...go 4th, my friends--and be bookish!