An Update on my Grandma’s Western Romance!!

Last fall I made an exciting announcement that my grandma is a writer!!! I’ve always loved to read her poetry and short stories, she’s been doing them forever. What I didn’t know is that she was actually working on a novel! Up until she approached me asking for a spot of help and advice, I was completely in the dark about her true goals and aspirations!

As you can imagine, or if you can remember… I WAS THRILLED! My Grandma’s A Writer! 

During the time I was re-typing it onto a doc, and proofreading the first round, I’d actually written two posts about it. The second one was an update explaining that it was off to be edited a few more rounds by someone else as well. I was passing off the buck, and just waiting to get back to it when necessary. Coming Home To Paradise Valley … (update on a new western)

Well, as of this past week, I’ve been back to the grind on my sweet Grandma Mangum’s soft romance. Coming Home To Paradise Valley has gone through a couple more rounds of intensive revisions and edits, and is ready for the next step! We’ve been pondering our options, speaking about the best rout to proceed, and weighing the possible bumps as well as ups and downs ahead together.

As she isn’t particularly technologically inclined, we’re thinking that a creditable full service publisher may be the better rout to take, rather than walking her through step by step of the fully independent self published way. For her particular needs, something that doesn’t need consistent monitoring, and that offers the marketing help she needs seems to be a better fit…. If the options offered are not quite as shinny under the surface as they seem to permeate from a distance, then I suppose we’ll make the necessary choices to keep on moving forward.

This is such a tedious step for any writer, especially one who’s partially at the mercy of me! *** oh the pressure***

So anyhow, I set to work. I came across a fairly new publishing place that’s actually based in our lovely home state of Utah!  Now, I was/am clearly still a bit nervous as I have been taken by a ‘fresh and new publishing book house’ before. So, I dug just a little further, and found out that one of the authors currently signing with this place is also from my rural little hometown. I reached out to her and drilled her with several grueling questions. (okay, okay, they weren’t that bad lol)

Ultimately, we decided to go ahead and submit a query letter along with the first chapter of her book. The projected time for response was 4 to 6 weeks, BUT to my surprise the very agent I personally addressed, actually requested the full manuscript for consideration!!!!

Again, I couldn’t be any more thrilled!  I can only hope that I’m leading her in promising direction. I can’t wait to see the entire image of her holding her very own paperback, with a smiling face, and an extra bounce in her lil’ ol’ step! She is so beautiful!

On a side note… a very emotional one…

Doris Mangum is the last direct line Grandmother that I have left with a breath of air in her lungs. I actually lost my other Grandmother a few months ago, so the entire year has been an emotional one in terms of Grandparents. In a way, that makes helping her along this journey even more of a heart-fulfilling honor.

Everyone wish Doris Mangum luck in this adventure!