Time Is on My Side

Guest Blogger: Amy Brock McNew

They say timing is everything. I’ve found that to be true in every aspect of my life.

Especially in this crazy roller coaster ride of publishing.

This journey has been a strange and wonderful series of events that completely disregarded my personal time table. Which ended up being a good thing. Every step has been a lesson in patience and faith.

My education in timing began when I started writing my recently published novel, Rebirth. I’d put off writing this story for years because honestly, I was chicken. I’d always been able to use some reasonable excuses to wiggle out of writing the story that plagued me. I didn’t know how to write a whole novel. I didn’t have time to learn or write because of work, school, and family obligations. The list sounded perfectly logical to me. And it was. But my fear was the driving force behind my reticence, not my schedule.

Illustration by magicmarie • freeimages.com

Then all of a sudden my excuses were rendered meaningless.

I was diagnosed with a condition that required extensive spinal surgery. The procedure was successful, but I was no longer able to work in my chosen field of nursing. For months I wallowed and whined, lamenting the fact that what I loved was ripped away from me. Until one day the truth struck me so hard it rattled my brain.

It was time to write that story.

I had no idea what I was doing. I just started writing, learning, making connections. And what do you know, the right people were put in my path at precisely the right moments. These people became my mentors, guiding me through this journey. Before I fully grasped what was happening, I had a finished first draft. A great accomplishment, yes, but only the beginning.

This is where the hunt for an editor began. I thought this step would take forever. Tons of research. Studying references. Making the decision. I was not looking forward to it.

Then a certain freelance editor was recommended to me by a reliable friend and mentor who initiated first contact. And, what do you know? The editor and I made an instant connection. Everything fell into place.

As we began the process, we had a specific finish date in mind. Random crises, family issues, and various other obstacles kept us from meeting that deadline. Both of us were frustrated, trying to figure out why this wasn’t going according to our plan. Then we decided to roll with it, leave it in God’s hands, and trust He had a plan.

We finally finished and had a presentable manuscript in our hands. I went to conferences. I talked about my book to anyone who would listen. I pitched. I queried agents. I pitched some more. Even though several showed interest in my work, each one passed. Over and over. My intrepid editor and I went back and tweaked some more, incorporating feedback. Again, we met with issues that skewed our timeline. But this time, we knew there was a reason.

So we waited.

I continued pitching. I recruited beta readers. One particularly excited reader I’d just met was determined to be on my “team.” The woman would not let it go. I thought it was a little odd someone would be so interested in reading a new author’s first book, but I was flattered.

So of course, I signed her up and sent her the manuscript. Soon, I received her completed questionnaire with some incredibly useful feedback. We had a lovely discussion and I thought that was the end of this part of the deal.

I was so wrong.

Right after Thanksgiving, I got an e-mail from this woman. This time in a more official capacity. Not as beta reader, but a potential publisher. This determined beta reader sat at the helm of a small publishing house.

And she wanted Rebirth.

To say I was side-swiped is putting it mildly. I had met this woman maybe two months before, after Rebirth had already been rejected several times and I was seconds from throwing in the towel. Suddenly I had a contract offer. The publishing house was perfect for me and my story. Everything clicked.

Timing, folks. We were connected at the exact moment we were supposed to be. Had everything gone as I planned, we may have never met. She wouldn’t have offered me a contract. I wouldn’t have found the right home for my book.

Sometimes on this journey, it can seem like everything is against you and nothing is going right. Deals fall through. Excitement fades. Disappointment sets in. You wallow and start to think it’s just not meant to be.

But it’s at that lowest moment, when you are convinced your work is garbage and will never again see the light of day that the divine happens. God has a timetable that we may never understand, but is precise and set up with exactly what He knows we need in mind.

So when you have those days where you feel you can’t go on, that you’ve had enough, remember: it’s all about His timing. Not ours. He knows the moment we are ready.

Time is on your side, because He holds it and you in His hands.

____________________

Liz Brantley has a gift she wants to return. Able to see and fight demonic forces, she has spent her life alone, battling the minions of hell bent on her destruction, running from the God who gave her this curse. Drawn to her abilities, the demon Markus unleashes havoc on her hometown and pulls Liz further into the throes of battle.

She’s desperate for a normal life. When she meets a mysterious man who seems unaware of the mystical realm that haunts her, the life she’s always wanted moves within reach. But her slice of normal slips from her grasp when an old flame, Ryland Vaughn, reappears with secrets of his own. Secrets that will alter her destiny.

Torn between two worlds, Liz is caught in an ancient war between good and evil. And she isn’t sure which side to choose.

Get Rebirth: Book One of the Reluctant Warrior Chronicles at Amazon.

Amy Brock McNew doesn’t just write speculative fiction, she lives and breathes it. Exploring the strange, the supernatural, and the wonderfully weird, Amy pours her guts onto the pages she writes, honestly and brutally revealing herself in the process. Nothing is off-limits. Her favorite question is “what if?” and she believes fiction can be truer than our sheltered and controlled realities. Visit AmyBrockMcNew.com to learn more about this intriguing author.