A Timely Encounter

My book, Chasing Sunsets, had just released. In an effort to touch base with all the Christian bookstore managers in the Central Florida area, I packed my Jeep Cherokee with hot-off-the-press copies, a hand-drawn road map with directions from Store A to Store B and so on and so forth, and my trusty admin behind the wheel.

Her job was to drive, mine was to jump out at the stores, run in, introduce myself with a gift of a book and some bookmarks, and a happy-to-meet-you smile.

We went to the first store. The whole thing went well. And, I somehow managed to go into a bookstore without coming out of the bookstore without having bought, ah-yet, another book.

Then we went to Store B, which was no longer there.

Store C. Which we drove past. If we looked head on at the extraordinary long strip mall, the Family Christian Store was at the far right end. We had to enter the parking lot at the far left end. The mishap cost us a good two minutes. Maybe three. (That's important for later on.)

Cheryl drove toward the front door of the store, pulled up alongside it, and I jumped out. "Be right back," I said, then darted in. Just inside, I found the store empty (at least as far as I could see), save one store clerk who stood behind the counter to my left. She was talking on the phone.

I stood a few feet away, waiting patiently for her to end the call with the person on the other end, apparently a customer. When she did, I took a few steps forward and introduced myself, handing her the copy of my book. A hand reached over my shoulder--out of no where, it seemed.

"Did you write this book?" a woman's voice asked.

What the heck? Where did this person come from?

I whipped my head around to look at her. Tall. Slender. Angular features. Wild dark hair. Funky glasses. I liked her on sight, even though I still couldn't figure out where she'd come from. But that wasn't the greatest mystery.

You see, what I didn't know--yet--was that this phantom customer was about to bring a change to my life. A deep change. In a most unexpected way.

Thursday's Talk About a Book

Today I'm going to navigate you to a couple of other websites. But, before I do that, I want to tell you something amazing.

Sometimes, when God places these book ideas in my head--these story lines--I just see a story. My life has always been like this. I see something, hear something, taste something, touch something, and even smell something ... and a story forms. Sometimes I get only a shred of the story. Sometimes the story goes on and on, forming details I couldn't come up with on my own in a hundred years of Sundays.

So, I know this is God, blessing me again with this marvelous gift.

When the story for Chasing Sunsets came to me, I was in Cedar Key, sitting on the bed, talking to my friend Janice Elsheimer, who sat on the nearby sofa. Outside our rented condo, the Gulf's water lapped against the sand of the beach. People walked to and fro. Gulls cawed. Fishermen hollered. And the late summer breeze moved the palm fronds.

I thought it was just a story. And then, on another trip, I thought it was a story about a father's love ...

...and then ...

http://seekerville.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-does-it-feel-to-be-fhlirca-finalist.html


And now for a cool announcement: Chasing Sunsets took first place at the RWA Faith, Hope & Love chapters IRCAs last night.

For more information: http://www.faithhopelove-rwa.org/irc_winners_2012.html

Thursday's Talk About the Book

I remember when I was first starting out in this writing thing. I wrote for hours a day. The following day I edited what I'd written the day before and then I'd write some more. The next day, repeat. And so on and so forth. I had no other agenda but to write. There was no PRing going on. No worries about corporate finances. No meetings to attend. No social media, etc. Just the writing.

I kinda miss those days.

When a book is published, the focus shifts from "only writing" to "marketing what you have written." Color me guilty. I do this because I have to. And, because I want my work to sell. Not so I can make a lot of money (though I wouldn't complain, I don't think) but because the whole point of the writing was so that people could read...could grow...could ask questions and draw closer to God in whatever genre I chose to display Him (fiction or nonfiction).

So, here's the latest...my ABOUT ME page. And, if you visit it, you can "vote" and maybe mine will be the face used as the ABOUT ME poster girl. Wouldn't that be...fun? I think it is!

So, here it is...

 EVA MARIE EVERSON'S ABOUT ME PAGE

Will you take a minute go go there, read a little "about me" and ... vote? While you are there, make your own "about me" page. It's easy and it's fun!

Thank you!

Thursday's Talk About the Book

Two things to talk about today.

1.  I have an AUTHOR'S INTERVIEW at Christianbook.com! Check it out by clicking below:

Eva Marie Everson's Author Interview 

2. If you live in the Cedar Key, Florida area or just want to take the most awesome couple of days off, come see me at KONA JOE's in Cedar Key, next Saturday from 1 - 4. I'll be signing  books at one of the coolest places ever! And you'll just LOVE Edie and Kona Joe himself! 

Click here for more information about KONA JOE's:  Kona Joe's Island Cafe

Owner Edie Zapir at Kona Joe's!

Thursday's Talk About the Book

BOOK SIGNING!!!!

WHERE:  Kona Joe's Island Cafe

WHEN:  Saturday August 27, 2011

TIME:  1:00 -- 4:00 pm

Come to Cedar Key (or if you are in Cedar Key, come to Kona Joe's)! I would love to meet you and my assistant would, too!

Monday Musings on All Things Southern

I thought that, starting today and for a few future Mondays, we'd start a Southern dictionary.

While working on Waiting for Sunrise, the second in the Cedar Key novels, I had a character use the word "ever" for "every."

Examples:

I went the the library ever week of the world.

I took a samplin' of ever one.

These words that come so easily to those of us reared in the South are strange to everyone else. Foreign, like Greek. Or Hebrew. Or Russian.

So, I'm just letting them come to mind as they come to mind.

Here's one: Hankerin'.

Definition: a craving.

Example:  I've got a hankerin' for some shrimp and grits.


Mmmmm.... now that's good eats! And it reminds me, I'll be in Cedar Key, Florida on August 27 signing my latest book Chasing Sunsets at Kona Joe's (Located at 24th & 6th). If you live there or just want to get away for a wonderful weekend, come on down!

Thursday's Talk About the Book

I so appreciate good reviews for my work because I work hard at what I do.

Here's one from Crosswalk.com; a website I have written for over the years and have a tremendous amount of respect for:

Crosswalk.com:  Chasing Sunsets Leads to Lessons Learned

Thursday's Talk About the Book

THE VESSEL PROJECT

Another blogger gives her (mighty fine) opinion of Chasing Sunsets. 

Just click on the "The Vessel Project" to be rerouted. 

Be sure to leave a comment! Bloggers like that (true me...)

Until tomorrow:

Eva Marie

Thursday's Talk About the Book

I'm excited that several blogs have already posted about the book! If you have a moment (and, well my gracious, even if you don't!) would you take a minute to read them? Some may even offer a chance to win the book!


First up, Barbara Johnson (who also loves going to Cedar Key) has posted at her blog:

http://barbarajrobinson.blogspot.com/

Kathy Harris's Divine Detour blog:

http://www.divinedetour.com/?p=8045

The Award-winning Novel Journey blog:

http://noveljourney.blogspot.com/2011/06/eva-marie-everson-chases-sunsets.html

And Gail Pallotta's Peering Through Life's Window (in which I talk about finding refuge in a storm):

http://www.gailpallotta.blogspot.com/

Chasing Sunsets is

Downloadable at:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-a-million

and

Christianbook-dot-com

I am on the road today...going from bookstore to bookstore, meeting managers, handing out my book, leaving some bookmarks, and hoping to meet anyone of you who just may happen to be in a Central Florida bookstore today for a little summer reading and to escape the heat.

Thursday's Talk About the Book

I am excited to announce that Chasing Sunsets is featured at a couple of websites this week.

Check out my interview with Michael Ehret at: 

Novel Journey: 

WRITER'S DIGEST 101 BEST WEBSITES FOR WRITERS, 2008, 2010 & 2011

Also

The official trailer/video for 

Chasing Sunsets

has been uploaded to YouTube.

Check it out for the first time

or

go on!

Watch it again!

Thursday's Talk About the Book

From Romance Times Book Reviews:

Everson's evocative writing puts the reader in the midst of the gorgeous seaside setting. It takes a while to connect with the characters, but after a few chapters they seem like real people. The abrupt ending is puzzling, but possibly a sequel is in the works to further explore this wonderful family.

Okay...first, I'd like to say a huge THANK YOU to Melissa Parcel, who reviewed the book. And another THANK YOU for calling my writing "evocative."

Let's look at that word, shall we? To be EVOCATIVE means to EVOKE...feelings, memories...to "call them up" and to "draw them out."


Well, I believe I like that, don't you? I like knowing my words can "call up" memories or feelings. That's the whole point, I think. I write to tell a story, but even more, to make my readers think the story is real. And, in that "reality" they can find answers to their own life-questions. Or, maybe they can just escape for a while. 

Okay, bottom line. I write because if I don't, my brain will pop, what with all these men and women, boys and girls running around, talking to me, telling me their stories as if I don't have enough of my own. (Perhaps only novel writers will truly appreciate that.)

I also like knowing my characters seem like real people. (Thank you. Thank you very much. My work here is done...) But I have to be honest...they are real people. At least to me. I spend a LOT of time with these folks. I have their photos. I've put together their wardrobes. I've gone over their past, their present, their future. I know what they like, what they don't like and all the things you wish you knew about them but don't. (If they knew I knew, they may rise up and kill me so...shhhh!)

AND... I just LOVE that Ms. Parcel thinks the family is wonderful. The family is dysfunctional at best...but then again, what family isn't? I think this honest writing makes the reader say, "Oh, I know exactly  what this feels like!"

In Chasing Sunsets, Kimberly Claybourne Tucker is a divorced mother of two boys. Her husband "just didn't want to be married anymore" and Kimberly cannot, for the life of her, understand that. After all, wasn't she a good wife? A doting mother? Enter Steven Granger, her high school sweetheart. The boy who broke her heart. The only man she ever loved, other than her husband. Steven is also divorced. His wife left him with their toddling daughter, Eliza. He reared her the best he could, all the while working hard, staying away from the dating scene to concentrate on Eliza, and now--with Eliza in college and Kimberly back in Cedar Key--he's willing to open his heart again. He knows he did Kim wrong way back when, but he also knows they were kids. 

Kim, however, hasn't quite gotten over that fact.

Here's the point I'm trying to make. Years ago, when I first entered in to the world of Christian fiction, we Christian fiction writers were hard-pressed to find a publisher who'd let us write about such things as two divorced adults who are both Christians and want to find love again. So, BRAVO to Baker/Revell (my fabulous pub house!) and to all those who are saying, "Yes! This is real life, people! This is what the church is facing today...and we must confront it."

Finally, I'd like to address the "abrupt ending." While, yes, there is another book on the horizon (I have a matter of DAYS...okay WEEKS...to get this thing done!), I honestly didn't feel the ending was abrupt. So, here is what I have decided... the book was just SO GOOD, the reviewer didn't want it to end. (Smiling broadly here!) I know I didn't! When I knew this part of the story was over and that it was time to type: THE END, I cried. I have grown to love Kimberly and Steven and Patsy  and...

...Oh! Did I mention the second book is Patsy's story!? Wait till you hear....

Thursday's Talk About the Book

I had a meeting today with the print and media publicists at Baker/Revell for Chasing Sunsets.


Okay, first I have to tell you this. They loved the book. The print publicist, Karen, went on and on and on about it. And, of course, I let her. I mean...after all...

I shared with them that I'm getting ready to return to Cedar Key to do some videotaping of the area, some of the locations and the people you'll read about in the book. Can't wait. Cedar Key just really is one of my favorite places and I want to bring it to all of you as well.

I found this neat video on YouTube... so I'm kinda stealing it here. It'll do for now, right?

Meanwhile, I have Book Two to write. If I'm going to finish in a timely manner, I have to write 1005 words a day between now and due date... and so far today, not a word has been tapped out of this computer.

I'm on it!

Thursday's Talk About the Book

This gives me an opportunity to chat a little about my upcoming book, Chasing Sunsets. 


How about the story behind the story?

2004 brought to Florida what will forever be known as the Summer of Hurricanes (not to mention tropical storms). First Charley tore us to pieces. He was then followed by Frances, who was then followed by Ivan and Jeanne. There were others that built to Hurricane Force but either died out too soon or just never made it to land. But these four--Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne--were the four that devastated Florida.

I know. I was there.

Afterward, I was looking for a place to go for a writer's retreat. Everything on the east side of the state (where we'd gone previously) was still in a state of disrepair. So, I started looking to the west. One afternoon, while having my hair trimmed, I mentioned this dilemma to my hairdresser. She suggested Cedar Key, a tiny island off the west coast of Florida and somewhat near the panhandle.

I called a good friend of mine, Janice Elsheimer, said the word "Road Trip" and away we went.

We found Cedar Key to be a delightful little town. It is, in fact, an island...part of a group of keys...but to me it was more than that. It was the island time forgot. Not only did my cell service cease (for which I was grateful!) but everything about the location screamed of another era, another lifestyle.

And it called to me.

Janice and I returned again (and again and again). The next time I brought a stack of magazines to sit and thumb through. I remember it clearly. I was sitting on the bed in our condo, Janice was sitting on the sofa. We were both flipping the pages of various magazines when I stopped, tore one out and said, "Wanna know the story behind this ad?"

Janice said she did. And so I began to weave a tale, as I saw it, of four sisters and the childhood friend who impacted their lives in ways they wouldn't know until they were all adults. A few weeks later, I came home, worked on a proposal, and sent it to my editor extraordinaire, Vicki Crumpton. She liked what she saw, took it to committee, and they liked what they saw.

Three novels were "born."

Well... they were gestating...

Book One, Chasing Sunsets, will be released in May 2011. I not only look forward to holding my "baby" in my hands, I look forward the taking my readers away to a tropical paradise (at least to me it is...), to a place so distinct, so calming, so ... Cedar Key.