Today, I focused on paperwork (like, catching up on my bills) and the remaining cleaning. The studio ALMOST looks like it’s back to normal. Tomorrow, bright and early, it’s hard on the book. To answer questions about the book–I don’t have a title right now. You can’t pre-order it right now. (But thank you!) And I don’t know when it’s coming out, but probably fall 2013.

My book sold at auction to HarperCollins and will be published in its HarperOne (non-fiction) imprint. This is traditional publishing, and traditional publishing is slow–but I am a fan of traditional publishing for its real-book feel, and I’m a fan of major publishers for their overall distribution power. This doesn’t mean that the book will not also be available in digital form. It will! I love my Kindle. If you have a Nook or a Kindle, or just an app on your phone or laptop or tablet, you can get it that way, too, but it will also be published in traditional format, a bound book. As much as I love reading on my Kindle, I am still a lover of a book you can hold in your hands. My book will include extras (recipes and crafts) and full-color photographs, which is also nice in a real book. In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, my book is a memoir of my adventures at Stringtown Rising. It’s a story of becoming a farmer–and a few other (or many) lessons learned along the way. If you’ve been reading my blog every day for the past several years, some of it will sound familiar. After all, I wrote every day about what was happening.

And yet.

There were so many stories I didn’t tell, and trust me, this book is a soul-baring reveal into my private turmoils and troubles at Stringtown Rising. If you’re wondering about the juicy stuff, IT’S IN THERE. There’s nothing worse than a book slapped into print off a blog. My book is NOT THAT. It’s the story of my life at Stringtown Rising–with all the parts you may already know balanced with ALL THE PARTS YOU DON’T, giving a private and personal insight into those events.

And that was freaking hard to do, to let go.

But it felt good after!

I finished the book–mostly–before heading into the retreat. I’ve written over two dozen books (romance novels published by Harlequin and a few other houses), so I know where I’m at with a book, where I’m comfortable to a point. I couldn’t go into the retreat without being at a comfortable place. Now I have until October 1 to finish up, polish up, clean up, dig out and sort through the photos, crafts, and recipes that will be included, and get it to my editor.

And then you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to live my next story. It may take a few years. Stories like this aren’t made up, imagined, or built in a day. They’re lived. My agent has asked about a follow-up memoir. I told her I didn’t know yet. I’m just now living that story….. And I’m only at the beginning!

Posted by Suzanne McMinn | Permalink  

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