It came . . . I cried.

I was not planning on posting today, but I could not miss the opportunity to tell you of my stupendously strange reaction and amazingly awesome feeling.

Yesterday I picked up the mail on my way home.  There was a parcel in the mailbox for me.  I assumed it was a book I had won on a blog that I follow called Girls With Pens.  (I love that blog and was so excited when I found out I won a contest.)  I tossed the parcel and the mail on the passenger seat and drove home.

After parking my van in the garage, I reached over and scooped the mail up in my arms.  My eyes caught the sight of the return address.  I stopped breathing.

Thomas Nelson Publishers
1151 Martin Grove Rd
Etobicoke, ON
M9W 4W7

I squealed from my front seat, "I-it`s here.  M-m-my book came!"  I tore through the yard, into the house and dropped everything but the prized parcel on the linoleum floor.  I hugged the parcel as I walked to the desk that held my scissors.  With a shaking hand I cut open the plastic protector and gently, with the grace of an antique`s dealer, I slid my book out of the envelope.

I held the book up, sniffed the pristine cover and gently flipped back the first pages.  It was beautiful.  I couldn`t believe my eyes. I was holding my book.


Okay.  Okay.  You are either phoning me right now to scream in my ears that 'you can`t believe I didn`t tell you I sent my manuscript away for publishing' or you are on the floor laughing at my ridiculous daydream. Well, you are both wrong.

The book is called There You`ll Find Me  by none other than the awesome and wonderful writer Jenny B Jones.  So, it wasn`t my book exactly but it felt like it.  I have been reading personal blogs of authors I admire and aspire to and they all have at one point or another tried to describe that feeling of their own book arriving in the mail.  I couldn`t believe my reaction to this book.  It was surreal.

Here is the true story.  I joined a group called Booksneeze.  I am a reviewer for them.  I get to read books and then post reviews about each one.  This is my first book and I cannot hold back my excitement about it. I first read a book by Jenny B Jones about a year ago.  It is called Just Between You and Me.  This was the first inspirational novel I had read that came close to resembling what I thought my own writing style was like.  I am not suggesting I am as good as Jenny or even remotely as funny as she is, but the type of book and type of presentation was the only one I had ever come across that seemed similar to mine.

In addition, the story line was about doing what scares you. It is so aptly co-titled 'A novel of losing fear and finding God'.  Pressing past the desire to shelve something in your life because it seemed too hard, too unlikely, too much.  I was so moved by the book I immediately read it again.  Then I emailed the author and told her how much of an impact her book had on me.  I told her that she convinced me to just do it - to write my stories.  I told her if she could do it so could I.  (In hindsight my comment may not have been the best of compliments - who knows?)

Anyway the point being, that this book I am tenderly cradling near to my chest is her latest book.  I wanted to read it, wanted to buy it but knew that I would most likely have to wait forever till either my public library bought it or my church library.  However, here it is. In my trembling hands.

Hold your horses though, I can`t start to read yet - which is killing me - because I promised myself I would write today.  (Another story came into my head yesterday which is like lighting a fire under my butt to get me writing the other 20 books before this new one!)  So, the book will lie breathlessly awaiting it`s turn tonight, when I can gingerly turn over the first few pages to the long anticipated Prologue page.

Jenny, I can`t wait to hear about how you will inspire me now.  I am tingly inside at the anticipation.

For the rest of you, I will be posting a review on my blog and on Amazon as soon I have turned the last precious page.  Then, I will donate it to my local library so you to can have an out-of-body experience holding someone else`s book.  Although you won`t get the thrill and excitement when it arrives in the mail!!

I wonder how I will react when the book I won on Girls With Pens arrives?  (Shivers run up and down my spine.)