DTC!
For all those who’ve dipped toes in the adoption world before…
You know “DTC” stands for “Date to China.” This means our dossier (all the paperwork compiled together, each document notarized, state certified and authenticated as necessary) has been shipped from the U.S.!
Next on the list: LID (Login Date), signifying CCCWA in China has received and logged in our dossier, at which point the process on this side of the ocean starts moving forward.
In other adoption news: Lifesong for Orphans, via one of their outside partners: We Care for Orphans, has given us a matching grant of $3000! We are so grateful for the Lord’s provision.
CTP!
Here’s an acronym no one’s familiar with. Cause I just made it up.
“Continuing Towards Publication.” That’s my update on the Lily Was the Valley front.
No, I haven’t landed a literary agent.
Nope, no publishers knocking at my door.
I’m getting ready to self-publish, educating myself (slowly) about the process, deciding what to do about a cover, but overall feeling pretty good about everything at present.
I also recently contacted a fellow author about my manuscript, and her advice was to seek professional editing for X reason. So, feeling pretty sensitive about my own editing chops being thus slighted (not that all authors don’t need editors, we do), I saw the problem and did a major restructuring of Part I myself, then sent a hard copy on to the Big League editor in Manhattan. Might be the most rewarding $30 bucks I’ve spent on the book-writing journey so far––here’s what he said:
Got LILY WAS THE VALLEY Wednesday and spent some time with it last night, and I’d be delighted to work on it. However, I’m not at all sure you need an editor, what I read was very well done (about 35 or 40 pages and I scanned the rest). If I were to work on it I would have to go through it carefully twice (which is my basic discipline) and my fee would be $2,000. But I’m not sure at all that it would be worth your money. Definitely don’t hire me unless you’re prepared for an evaluation that said you’d done a terrific job and it doesn’t need any, or much, work. Of course, I can’t say this for sure without carefully reading it twice, but I think there’s a good chance that you’re in excellent shape, so if money is tight my advice would be to skip editing and go ahead.
This guy’s resume proved he was no slouch, and after scores of rejection letters, getting that letter made me feel about the best I have in a long time. I’m grateful for everyone who has chimed in on getting the current manuscript to where it is now.
So…Everett and the book, they’re neck and neck. I wonder who’s going to arrive first?