Anne Faye

 A couple weeks ago, I logged into Amazon's KDP service and was surprised to see that they were now offering a beta service to create hardcover books. I decided to give it a try with my latest book, The Lacemaker: A Novel of St. Zelie Martin .  Overall, the process was very similar to publishing a paperback version on Amazon, so if you are familiar with that, you'll be able to handle this one with no problem. In fact, because I kept the hardcover version the same size as the paperback (6" x 9"), I was able to use the same interior file as I had used with the paperback. It did require some adjustments to the cover, however. If you are using Amazon's Cover Creator to create your cover, you'll need to go through that process again for this version. In my case, I create the complete cover and then upload it. The amount of area needed for the spine is larger on the hardcover version which means the total size is different and visual items need to be moved accordin...

  Friday, December 15, 1876 It is nearly midnight and Louis is sleeping. I’m glad of it. I know that his heart is hurting and that I am the cause. And yet, what can I do? This illness is not of my making. I would not have chosen it. It hurts me a great deal to watch Louis and my children suffer, more even than the pain the tumor causes me. Emotional pain and physical pain are often two sides of the same coin. The emotional pain digs deeper. It sets its tendrils in the mind and heart and does not let go. I went to the doctor today. I had put it off as long as I could. I had been taking the medicine my brother Isidore had recommended, but the pain and swelling kept getting worse. I tried to keep my worry to myself. There was no need to concern anyone before that concern was unavoidable. Now, my whole side is numb and there is a dull ache on the right side of the swelling. I cannot lie on that side anymore. I doubted that there was anything that the doctor could do for me, b...

 I don't know if all authors feel this way, but I find releasing a new book into the world to be terrifying, but here it is: The Lacemaker . Those of you who have been following along with the process will notice that the cover has changed since my last post. Once I received the proof copy, I decided the cover needed a little more contrast. I'm happy with how this version came out! Here is the official book description: St. Zélie Martin (1831-1877) is best known as the mother of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, one of the most-loved saints of modern times, but she is also a saint in her own right. In this work of historical fiction based largely on St. Zélie’s letters, a compelling portrait of a working mother who always put God first comes to life. St. Zélie is a saint many women can relate to. She suffered from anxiety, struggled with work-life balance, grieved the loss of children, cared for aging parents, had a child with special needs, and dealt with personal illness. Above all...

      It is always exciting when after months and months of work, a book finally has a cover. It means it is getting close to the time when a book ceases to be something only living in my imagination and becomes a tangible object ready to find its place in the world. This cover features a backdrop of Alencon lace with a photo of St. Zelie Martin in the foreground.  The book has passed through the hands of a beta reader who offered some helpful comments. I made her recommended changes (which were thankfully minor), formatted the book, and uploaded it to Amazon. My proof copy should be here Tuesday. I'm looking forward to seeing it!    Then, I will be able to do a final read, make any necessary changes, upload the corrected paperback file, create the Kindle version, and then, fingers crossed, have it go live and be available for sale. Have I ever mentioned a lot of work goes into creating a book?     

  It took about six weeks, but I finally finished typing The Lacemaker ! It ended up being about 56,000 words. Next up is proofreading and then sending it out to be beta read by a couple trusted colleagues/readers.  This has been such a project. All books are. I work as an editor in my other life. My life as a writer helps me understand the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into what they are sharing with me. After all that work, it is hard to put a book out in the world. It is harder still to have it be rejected or ignored. What if no one reads it? What if no one cares? As much as I know that the work is not me, the prospect is still painful. My life goes on whether or not this book succeeds in the world, but all the work will feel like it was for nothing. All my time and effort will feel worthless. I have had this happen with other projects. I'm not sure I can bear it again. But for now, the work continues. For the moment, there is still hope.

  I was surprised to see it had been a year since I last wrote in this blog! That post was about how I wanted to write a novel about St. Zelie Martin. I spent much of the first portion of 2020 doing research. The writing began in earnest over the summer and I fully committed to it in the fall, trying to write every day.  I prefer to write my first drafts in longhand in simple notebooks. It is easy for me to carry them when I am going places or to pull them out for a quick few minutes of writing when I have a chance. I finished the first draft last night! I ended up filling up one-and-a-half notebooks. There is still a lot of work to be done. I need to type it up. I write my second draft as I do that, making changes as I go. I'm not sure how that is going to happen. It is much easier for me to pull out a notebook and scribble down a couple of paragraphs than it is for me to set up my laptop and type. I'm going to try to take 10 minutes out of my computer time each day (I usuall...