Sins of Our Fathers | Author Blog

Hey everyone (who still reads this blog or who is finding it for the first time), you might want to click over to the Active Christian Media podcast:

A Writers Chat with Author Hal Paxton

Stacy and I discuss things related to writing and a few things not related to writing. Tips, novels, and testimonies of faith.

I recorded it a week ago and meant to post about it before now, but work and life has been a time eater.

You can find Stacy’s blog at Active Christian Media.

Greetings all you reindeer folk and thank you for purchasing one of my little creations on Ken’s Christmas Tree lot.

It’s good to know that the little reindeer are going to good homes.

I am currently working on editing my novel, Sins of Our Fathers, per the suggestions of a well known publishing house who is interested in possibly publishing it in 2010.

Feel free to stop by the lot if your reindeer get lonely and need a companion.

Merry Christmas!

I am pleased to report that I received a very favorable in depth review of Sins of Our Fathers (SOF) from an editor from a well known Christian book publisher.

Out of three manuscripts reviewed in my genre it looks like SOF rose to the top. She presented me with a number of suggested revisions to improve the manuscript.

As I wrote quickly this morning on my other blog, The Great Separation,

“there are some [suggestions] that I don’t agree with – what writer always does We writers tend to have something of an ego, though most would probably say that my ego isn’t all that big (some would say it needs to be bigger), but our work is our baby and ultimately we want our baby to mature and stand on it’s own in the publishing world.”

And making the manuscript shine is the goal. That and getting it on book shelves across the nation then the world (insert world domination laugh here).

So I’m going to put on hold the current writing project I think and return to the world of Jack Grayson, Brooke Simmons, and Maxwell Tyler – characters I love.

It’ll be interesting returning there. Already the gears in the grey matter are spinning, and shifts in story and additional possibilities are going off like little chimes in a mantel clock.

One thing I need to do is break out the flash software and update the news on the main book page. So that goes on the list of things to do along with printing out the manuscript so I can feel the pages under my red pen.

Well, I’ve got some good news on the path of getting my novel, “Sins of Our Fathers,” to publication.

News came at the first of the week from an editor to whom I sent the complete manuscript. It made it through the inital review for publication!

Now it’s headed for the fiction editor and an in-depth evaluation.

Woo-whoo!

It’s funny. I pretty much put the final touches on, Sins of Our Fathers, a number of months back. Well, what I consider the final touches. I’m certain that once I can convince an editor to adopt my baby, that the editor will likely want me to retool some things.

Since then I’ve been focused on my current WIP (work in progress). Which is a non-fiction book idea. I’ve written four chapters of it and am editing those chapters. Once that’s done I’ll be sending them to an editor I ran the idea by at this year’s FCWC.

So I’ve been rather focused on that WIP, but it’s funny to me how some of the main characters in, Sins of Our Fathers, keep popping into my head. Once given life I guess they want to continue to occupy my thoughts. Which is okay, they’re characters I like after all.

I guess at some point they will be wanting some more plots to play with. I’ll have to see what I can come up with for them. Maybe that’s why they keep popping in and saying, “Hey!”

Of course they need to realize that they aren’t the only characters desiring free range on the page. Too bad there’s just one of me and 24 hours in the day.

Greetings. I’ve got two updates. One on the novel and one on the software WordWeb, I mentioned in this post several days ago.

Oh, and here’s a picture of my favorite writing nook at my local Panera. It’s secluded enough to give some privacy and has a nice place to plug my laptop in. Plus it gives me a good view of people coming and going which I love because I can scribble notes for character reference when it comes to creating other people to populate my works. And best of all, the AC doesn’t freeze me out. The other location I sometimes sit at when this one isn’t available is right under a vent and it gets cold there quick.

Now, the update on my novel, Sins of Our Fathers. I mentioned somewhere, either in the eMail updates or on the site here, that I submitted a proposal to Tyndale. Well, I heard from the acquisitions editor last week and it was decided that it would be a hard sell to their market. She said my writing, the pacing, and the dialog were all good. So I’m waiting at the moment to see what decision Strang will make and I’m considering sending it to B&H Books as I just received in the mail an advance copy of Shade, by John B. Olson, and it looks to me have some content and intensity that is similar to my novel.

The second item on the free software, WordWeb. I’ve been using it and I like it. It’s quick and works as far as I can tell in pretty much every program where there are words that you may need to look up. I’ve used it in Word and FireFox without any trouble. So give it a shot. You may find you like it too.

Cheers.

I guess if you are breathing then you likely know that life is full of difficulty and frustration.

Of course if you don’t know this then you are one of three types of people.

1. Born with a platinum spoon in your mouth and never in want.
2. Insane – ie. detached from reality.
3. Dead.

I do suppose you could be two or maybe three of those as well.

Either way it’s pretty safe for me to write that the majority of us deal with frustrations and difficulties all the time.

My question is, how do you deal with them in your life? When at work? Or at home?

There’s a number of pretty large frustrations hammering at me in my life right now and I find them distracting from writing. And part of those frustrations is the hope I have for my novel, Sins of Our Fathers.

The Scripture say:

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Pr 13:12 NIV)

At what point does the heart become sick? How long must hope be deferred?

More importantly, how does one tighten the belt and strive on with what one considers their talent and calling when it appears that the belt is as tight as it can get without cutting off the circulation to half the body?

I think one of the keys is supportive friends and family.

Another of course is sheer will. The emotions can rage but the head must slap them down and say, “Get to work.”

How about you? Any thoughts on these questions? This sort of situation?

Well, I’m sitting in the lobby of the hotel at the Bradenton Christian Retreat Center at this year’s Florida Christian Writers Conference.

It’s exciting to see such writers as Bryan Davis and T. Davis Bunn. Very solid Christian men.

I need to stop and pack the laptop up and head back in a minute. I’m in between dinner and the night session.

But I have to say how refreshing it is to be with fellow Christian Writers and see old friends from the last time I was here.

I have turned my Sins of the Fathers proposal in to be looked at by an editor. Both Tyndale and B&H are here. So say a prayer for me.

I’ve also submitted another proposal for a non-fiction book to get some direction on. We shall see.

Howdy.

Well, last Friday it came in the mail.

A rejection letter from Thomas Nelson, Inc. on my proposal for my novel, Sins of Our Fathers.

It’s still sinking in. I will admit that in the past couple of weeks I had placed a fair amount of hope in the Lord that this would be the place and that I would be able to sell it and make some much needed cash going into the new year.

But as several have said to me, “It wasn’t the Lord’s will.” I have to admit to needing some extra faith in that department. The temptation to give in to self pity and woe-is-me-ism is pretty high. But none-the-less I will trust in God’s Word with the knowledge that He is faithful in all things. And that is a fact I am willing to testify anywhere on. So often we let the current circumstances blind or cloud our vision to the evidences of Jesus’ grace, mercy, and miracles in our lives. It’s an exercise of faith and will to remember those things when life around us is not so good. But in doing so, we find our relationship strong and more secure with Jesus. So that’s where I am working at standing.

What’s next?

Well, a friend of mine out in CA wants me to send her the book proposal. She knows someone in the publishing biz and is going to put it in their hands.

So we will see what develops from that. It is a slow and often agonizing process. But that seems like a good step to take.

For those of you who know me well, you know that I am a very patient man.

As you know I’ve submitted my book proposal to Thomas Nelson, Inc. and am waiting to hear back from them on a yea or a nay. I’m finding myself not so patient in this instance. Which is weird for me. I think it’s because I long for something to happen. I fully expect that the acquisition editor will take her time in getting back to me for the soul reason that I am dead certain that she is swamped with work. All editors are. There is a ton of stuff they must work through, and I sympathize and am amazed at what they are able to accomplish.

So I think my impatience isn’t really with not hearing from the publisher so much as it is with a desire for something to happen. Several years ago I felt on the cusp of something, like the Lord was about to move in my life and things were going to change. So I think that’s from where the impatience is stemming.

Perhaps something has changed, but I can’t see it because my focus is wrong. Something for me to think about.

I’ve been trying to work on several different writing projects from writing a sermon, to working on poetry, to thinking about a non-fiction weight-loss book, to thinking about which novel idea to start next. I’m having a hard time settling into a routine. Part of that is the season. There’s just so much going on in my church. Part of it’s because I’ve gotten out of habits necessary to writing. Saying, “No,” to myself and to others is a very important part of scheduling that I need to re-establish.

Well, I think I will quit waiting on hearing anything on my proposal and get on with those things within my grasp. After all, those are the things the Lord gives me today. I need to let Him dwell on what might be and give my hands to what is today.