So now we come to the point where we must have an author photo for publicity purposes. From what I've been able to gather, this involves hiring a photographer to take the photo, then photoshopping/airbrushing/manipulating it within an inch of its life, then finally releasing it into the world.

If it's good enough for Jonathan Franzen, it's good enough for me.

I've talked to a local photographer, and I'm envisioning a black-and-white studio portrait, along with three or four "location" portraits. Waking Lazarus, my first novel, takes place in the town of Red Lodge, Montana. So, I'm thinking I should have my photo taken at a couple of places around Red Lodge.

Idea #1: Under the nifty-yet-politically-incorrect neon sign at the Red Lodge Cafe. Why? A few key scenes in the novel take place here, and, well, it's a cool neon sign.

Idea #2: Standing in a grain field (probably a stubblefield now, since most grain in these parts has been harvested). I'm kind of picturing a giant combine/harvester looming in the background behind me, because that seems somewhat menacing. Again, you may wonder why. Grain fields are something of a recurring theme in the novel. Call it my weak attempt to echo John Steinbeck. I've emailed Karen (she of karbonkountymoos fame), and she has been gracious enough to offer one of her very own fields for the occasion--should my photographer agree that it's a worthwhile shot.

Idea #3: Um, I don't know. Perhaps Wild Bill Lake, since it's a key scene in the climax of the book. Perhaps the City Bakery in downtown Red Lodge, since it gives me an excuse to go inside and have a schnecken. Perhaps the Red Lodge Cemetery, because I'm morbid. No seriously, I feel I need to have something that looks mysterious/otherworldly/creepy (well, maybe not creepy, since it's ME in the photo). After all, that's the kind of stuff I write--no one wants to flip open a novel of supernatural suspense and see some guy with a cheddar-eatin' grin. At least, I don't think they do.

Idea #4: You tell me. Any author photos you particularly love? (Or hate?) Tell me about 'em.

Some of the most enjoyable, and unexpected, side effects of a book deal have been the reactions of people. No, I don't mean the process of me telling them about the deal (and that's certainly quite nice); I'm talking about what they do when they find out.

They get, well, excited. I guess I figured most people would say, "Well, that's nice," then move on to other subjects. Instead, just about everyone is genuinely thrilled, wanting to hear all about the book, when it's coming out, how I sold it, and so on.

I love that (how could I not?), but I have to say a part of me is already beginning to say, I hope I don't let these people down. I want my books to succeed, of course, for purely personal and selfish reasons. But I also want them to succeed so that I'm worthy of the reception I'm getting among friends and acquaintances. I want them to be able to say, "Hey, read this great book by my friend TL Hines." I want them to be able to say, "You know the author TL Hines? He goes to my church." I want them to be able to say, "I was one of the first people to buy his book." In short, I want to be able to live up to the excitement they feel when they first hear the news.

And that, my friends, is a challenging proposition. Depending on where you get your figures, something like 10,000 (give or take several thousand) novels are released each and every year. Maybe a couple hundred--maybe--make bestseller lists. I can cite other figures for you. Only 5% of novelists are able to make a full-time income from their writing. The world's reading audience is shrinking. Television/the internet/fill-in-the-blank is a tool of the devil, stealing time people used to spend with books. Blah, blah, blah.

All of which points to one sobering fact: when you get a book deal, you haven't climbed Mount Everest, no matter what it may feel like at the time. You've only reached base camp, and you have a lot of ice fields, crevasses, freak storms and other obstacles to contend with before you even get a chance at the top of the mountain. Most people who set out to reach that peak, unfortunately, end up frozen and lifeless somewhere along the way.

And I think I've probably squeezed much more out of that particular metaphor than I really should have. But you get my point. I've got a long way to go, folks. Of course I dream of standing on the summit and planting a flag some day (guess I wasn't ready to let go of the analogy quite yet), but even if I don't, please remember: once upon a time, when you first heard about my novels, you were excited. And so I was excited. And it was good.

Right now, that's enough for me. Hopefully, it will always be enough for me.

Me, I'm the kind of person who usually goes into a bookstore in search of a specific title. (For instance, I need to visit the bookstore to pick up John Twelve Hawk's The Traveler right now. Anyone read it? Looks great to me, and it's getting some good coverage.)

According to industry statistics, however, a large percentage of folks wander bookstores without specifically knowing what book they'll be going home with--or even IF they'll be going home with a book, for that matter. The book cover, then, is an important hook. Like the title, it has to identify the genre, set a tone and mood, and ideally make a promise about what's inside.

More than that, the cover can largely determine your reception in the trade. Buyers, merchandisers, book store employees and everyone else along the chain are all motivated, at least in part, by a book's cover: if it ain't up to snuff, it ain't gonna get recommended, displayed, or hand sold.

Did I mention covers were important? Of course they are. You knew that. And so, my Monday afternoon meeting at Bethany House, in which we discussed the cover for Waking Lazarus, was an important next step on the path to publication.

Dave (my editor), Paul (Bethany House's Art Director), and I talked about Waking Lazarus in detail, of course. But we also talked about similar titles and their covers.

I keep getting lumped in the same category as Dean Koontz (no complaints from me there, although I'm sure Mr. Koontz suffers a bit in the comparison), in that we both write thrillers with a touch of the supernatural. Two Koontz covers we talked about were Odd Thomas and From the Corner of His Eye. Between these two, I like Odd Thomas best--the cover feels odd because the image is unexpected, and the "legs without a body" motif hints at the ghostly subject matter of the novel. (As an aside, I like the cover for Forever Odd, the forthcoming followup to Odd Thomas, even more: a hand reaching out from the ghostly mists. Again, I think it sums up the subject matter well.)

I mentioned covers for a set of supernatural thrillers I've quite enjoyed: Stephen Wodworth's "Violet Eyes" trilogy, consisting of Through Violet Eyes, With Red Hands, and the forthcoming In Golden Blood. I'm a big fan of the first two covers (and the books attached to them); the third for In Golden Blood is less successful, I think, but still quite interesting.

Other covers discussed included Eric Wilson's Dark to Mortal Eyes, Frank Peretti's Monster, and the Circle Trilogy from Ted Dekker.

Was it fun having my name bandied about with such heady company? You bet your bippy. And, it was just as fun to start talking about possible images for the cover on Waking Lazarus. My quick pitch for the book (which should give you enough information to envision covers) is:

A man who has died and returned to life three times must unravel the mysteries of his own deaths to stop a killer.

The first chapter ends with the main character (Jude Allman) waking up in a hospital morgue. Dave suggested showing a corpse--complete with the tag on the toe and a sheet over the body--sitting up on a gurney. Neither Dave nor Paul felt this image would be ultimately selected, but hey, God bless Dave for saying it. I like the way he thinks.

My suggestions centered around visual aspects of Jude's deaths (lighting and drowning, most notably). I also like the idea of a tombstone in a cemetery, reading: JUDE ALLMAN, b. 1974 d. 1982, 1990, 1998.

Will any of this ultimately be used by the design team assigned the project? Maybe, maybe not. But I'm quite excited to see what they come up with--I saw other designs they've done, and loved, loved, loved all of them.

I'll keep you posted.

Recently, my lovely wife, my lovely daughter and I went to Minneapolis (read: Mall of America, Build-A-Bear Workshop and Ikea) for an end-of-summer getaway. Whilst there, I was able to spend an afternoon at Bethany House Publishers headquarters.

Dave Long, my editor, was kind enough to host me--putting his other work on hold to introduce me to staff and sit in meetings. I didn't meet the entire Bethany House team (more than a few people were at sales conference), but everyone I did meet was kind, gracious, energetic and genuinely passionate about what they do. In other words, the kind of people I want to work with. For example, Luke, one of the line editors, was in the midst of a manuscript he's working on for release next Spring. He said, "Here, let me read you a few lines from this," then quoted from the book and chatted with me about it for a few minutes. He didn't do that because it was part of his job; he did it because he was excited about the book, and excited to let other people know about it. That kind of energy was in the faces of all the people I met at Bethany House.

Dave and I met with Dan, Linda, Brett and Debra--the marketing and publicity team--to talk about some initial thoughts for launching the book next summer. (Carra, the Intern who has been posting insightful comments on Dave's blog each Friday, also joined us.) Everyone asked thoughtful questions and offered great ideas as we discussed marketing and publicity hooks, possible endorsements, and the book's background.

Following that, Dave and I went into a meeting with Paul, the art director who oversees cover designs for all Bethany House books--no small task, with 100+ books each year. And, like the rest of the Bethany House staff, he had wonderful insights and questions. We talked quite a while about similar books and their covers, possible images for the cover of Waking Lazarus, and the general tone and feel of the book. (I'll post more on this tomorrow, linking to some of the books and covers we talked about.) During this meeting, Dave offered a great insight on the book--something I've never been able to articulate as well as he did. "Even though the main character dies and comes back to life three times," he said, "the irony is: each time he comes back to life, he's actually a little more dead than he was before." Man, he made me want to read the book when he said that.

Did I mention before how much fun it was to meet all these people? I'm already making plans to return in a few months so I can chat with people who weren't there. Maybe I'll even try to give them more than three days of advance notice next time.

Last week, if you recall, I asked you fine folks to vote on seven title possibilities for my first novel releasing next summer. A total of 135 people completed the survey, and it became clear three of the seven possible titles were singled out as favorites: Reprise, Signs of Life, and Waking Lazarus.

My publisher further narrowed this down to two (Signs of Life and Waking Lazarus), and as of Friday, we have a winner: Waking Lazarus.

I love this title. (It was, in fact, my working title.) Some of the fine folks at Bethany House thought it might be confused with another competitive title (one that also has "Lazarus" in its name), but everyone ultimately felt this was the best match for the content: Waking Lazarus is a good trigger for a story about a man who has died and come back to life three times.

A few interesting tidbits about the survey. First, participation among women was much higher than among men: 65% to 30% (5% did not answer this question). The single most popular category of fiction "most often read" was SciFi/Fantasy/Horror/Spec at 53% of the responses, and 57% of the respondents were 25-44 years old. Each and every title was the favorite (or least hated) of at least one person; each and every title was the least favorite (or most hated) of at least one person.

Now we begin the cover design process, which I'm very much looking forward to. In fact, that's why I'm writing this entry from beautiful Minneapolis, Minnesota, just a few miles from Bethany House headquarters. I'll be meeting the Bethany House team (including Dave Long, my editor) in person for the first time this afternoon, and one of our topics of conversation is cover design. So, if you have any favorite covers, would you mind pointing them out to me?

I'll update you on my first meeting with Bethany House later. Hopefully, I'll be hearing from some of you with cover thoughts, as well.

Deeanne Gist spoke about A Bride Most Begrudging and the publishing process on Wednesday, and the writing of it yesterday. Today, we finish with marketing, some advice to writers, and Dee's upcoming plans.

TL Hines: On your web site, you have a preview trailer for your book, which is a marketing tool we're seeing used more and more in the publishing industry. How has this been received, and where did the idea come from?

Deeanne Gist: I'm very big on marketing and had several objectives for my website. One was I wanted it to be "over the top" because the subliminal message is: If her website's this good, her book must be awesome. Second, I wanted it to create "buzz." I wanted people to be standing in line at their corner coffee shop and say, "Have you seen Deeanne Gist's website? It has games and a scrapbook and this trailer-thing, just like the movies do." Third, I wanted a place my readers could go and find me. Whether through email or a newsletter or blog discussions, I wanted to connect with them. Lastly, I wanted it to sell books. My objective with the trailer was the same objective the movie-makers have when they produce trailers. Entertain, spark some interest and sell, sell, sell. I have heard nothing but positive feedback in regards to the trailer. It was a lot of fun to make and I appreciate all who helped make it happen.

TL Hines: Maybe you'd do it differently, maybe you wouldn't. What have you learned from going through the whole publishing process for the first time? What can you offer as advice to others?

Deeanne Gist: I have learned that it is so much better to wait on the Lord, then to try and run things yourself. If I had published back in the 90s when I first finished Bride, I would have missed out on so many things the Lord had planned for me. I also would have missed out on working for Bethany House. They are incredible. You know how the Lord says He'll give you back tenfold what you give to Him? Well, that's how I feel about Bethany House. Never in all my imaginings would I have dreamed to receive such support, encouragement and blessings from my publisher. So, my main advice is: give what you are doing to the Lord because whatever He has planned for you is worth the wait.

TL Hines: Other books in the works? Followups to ABMB? Do tell.

Deeanne Gist: No sequels to Bride are in the works at the moment. But I will continue to have historical romances coming out every summer through 2008 and, Lord willing, beyond. Next year's title is Sunbonnet Woman and is set in 1849 San Francisco. In the early days of the gold rush there were no women--at least not of the "respectable" sort. And much like a classroom of children without a teacher, the forty-niners did just about everything they wanted and then some. So, when our character shows up in her calico and sunbonnet, and decides to tame these rowdies, she's in for the fight of her life.

Many thanks to Dee for taking the time to answer my questions. On a personal note, I thought A Bride Most Begrudging was A Book Most Entertaining. Do I typically read historical romances? No, I do not. (I'm pretty sure Stephen King, F. Paul Wilson and Neil Gaiman wouldn't fall into the "historical romance" genre.) However, reading fiction is supposed to be all about stretching your boundaries, isn't it? Bride was well-plotted, moved along at a brisk pace, and set up some tense, well-described climactic scenes.

While reading it, I thought Dee had brought the main characters together too early, but by the end she'd pulled it off and made final act enjoyable precisely because it wasn't what I expected. If you enjoy historical romances, or even if you don't, it's a fun read.

A continuing interview with Deeanne Gist, author of A Bride Most Begrudging. Yesterday, we talked a bit about how the book got published; today, we'll concentrate more on the book itself. Tomorrow, we'll finish with a few words about marketing, advice for writers, and Dee's upcoming works.

TL Hines: Let's talk about the book now. What especially struck me--more than anything else--was your ear for dialogue. It had the right balance of historic authenticity (the novel takes place in Colonial America), yet still sounded natural and contemporary. Did you do a lot of research on the colloquialisms and speech patterns of Colonial America? How did you strike that balance of formal-yet-conversational?

Deeanne Gist: I did a TON of research on 17th century slang and tried very hard to sprinkle the dialog with a 17th century feel without slowing down the story. It's kind of like salt. Use a little and it enhances the flavor, use too much and it ruins the flavor. Definitely a fine line, eh?

TL Hines: While it's not a bawdy romance, there are certainly some very sensual scenes with a lot of sexual tension and energy in them. I can see how it maybe fell in between the cracks--not explicit enough for ABA audiences, but perhaps a big more sensual than the typical prairie romance. What's been the reaction in the marketplace?

Deeanne Gist: Depends on what you mean by "marketplace." As far as reviewers go, they, for the most part, haven't batted an eye--with the exception of two. One raised an eyebrow, the other pitched a fit. As far as the readers go, I have only heard from readers who have enjoyed Bride and to date, haven't heard from any nay-sayers. Sales are going extremely well, so if that is any indication, then the "marketplace" seems to be enjoying the content of Bride.

TL Hines: There's also a real comic, witty energy throughout the whole novel. I have to say, the opening scene had me a bit predisposed against Constance for the first 30 pages or so, mainly because of her mistake in the first chapter that sets the whole story in motion. But as you developed her character, I grew to really enjoy her energy and wit--and you painted a picture that put her actions of the first chapter in perspective. Were you concerned about starting where you did, or was that just my individual reaction?

Deeanne Gist: That's another one of those fine lines. You need to have your character flawed and real, but not so unheroic that they are unredeemable. Constance definitely had room for growth, though. No arguments there. Was I concerned? That's what's so nice about having an editor. If something doesn't work, they are quick to tell you about it. :)

TL Hines: I'm also a big believer in appropriate names. "Constance" is a perfect name for your leading lady, simply because it suggests much about her character: she's constant, unrelenting, single-minded. What's your approach to naming characters, and are there any fun stories about who--or what--inspired the names of characters in the book?

Deeanne Gist: I wish I could say I go through some intense, scientific process, but you know what's embarrassing? I choose names that I like and that my husband wouldn't let me use when naming our kids. Ha!

Tomorrow: the final installment of our interview, in which Dee offers advice to aspiring writers.

Part of the fun in this whole publication process is learning from those who have already been through it. Case in point: Deeanne Gist. Bethany House Publishers released her first novel, an edgy-inspirational romance called A Bride Most Begrudging, on July 1st. Since then, the book has been enjoying a run on the CBA Bestseller List (currently #15), the #1 spot on the Christian Book Distributors fiction list, and a rush to a third printing--a pretty heady six weeks.

In the midst of this, Dee was kind enough to talk to me about the whole process. Today: Part One, in which Dee shares a bit about how the book came to be published.

TL Hines: Dee, On your blog, you've been talking about your path to publication--which, unlike the path of many CBA writers, included getting a well-known New York agent to rep you. Did you feel you had "made it" when you signed with a high-profile agent?

Deeanne Gist: No, I can't say I felt like I'd "made it," but I did feel some validation. If he picked my manuscript up, I knew the writing was what it should be. If it was rejected by the publishers, I could now rest easy that it wasn't because of the writing.

TL Hines: You admit in your blog that you made many early mistakes on the path to publication. But really, would you go back and change any of it now? Don't the mistakes somehow sweeten the successes?

Deeanne Gist: There are a lot of things in my life I'd like to go back and do over. Mistakes are never fun. But I definitely can say if publication had come easily and quickly, I wouldn't have appreciated that sale half as much as I did in actuality.

TL Hines: On his blog, Dave Long has talked a bit about how your work first came to his attention. Tell us about it. Did you approach Dave first, then have your agent follow up? Or did your agent pitch him?

Deeanne Gist: When I submitted to Dave, I no longer had a working relationship with the agent I had previously. I have a manager instead. He differs from an agent in that he manages my career. Because I write non-fiction and fiction and journalism, etc., he helps me juggle/manage all those obligations. So, in answer to your question, I approached Dave directly and once Dave showed some interest in my manuscript, I introduced him to my manager.

Tomorrow: Part two, in which Deeanne discusses--among other things--how she names characters. (It wasn't the answer I expected.)

I've already recounted the joy of getting a book deal. The culmination of a lifelong dream is a wonderful thing. Recently, I spoke to a friend I've known since childhood. Ron was one of my best friends from grade school through college, and we still have that bond, even though we only speak once a year or so now. (He's in the military, spent a year in Iraq, and is now stationed in Germany. But that's another story.) Anyway, when his inevitable question ("So, Tony, what's been happening in your life?") came up, you can probably imagine what I talked about.

I've been pleasantly surprised at the reaction from everyone when I tell them I have a book deal--that's perhaps a subject for another post--and Ron was no different. He was downright ecstatic. "That's great news, Tony! You've wanted that ever since we were kids!" I hadn't thought about it, but after I hung up the phone, I realized just how right he was: I've been scribbling in notebooks, writing and dreaming of being published since the time I had a vague grasp of what "being published" meant. So yes, I've been dreaming of this for more than two decades, and edging closer to three.

I suppose I expected, once I had a deal in hand, that I would cross some kind of threshold into a realm of supreme confidence and self-assurance. After all, a publishing contract is an independent verification of your storytelling ability, isn't it? Respected publishers wouldn't give you a contract unless they thought they could sell your books, right?

If anything, I've struggled a bit with the opposite feeling. After that initial euphoria (which, truth be told, still exists, and probably will for a long, long time), I've begun to notice an opposite boomerang effect: What if it gets bad reveiws? What if it doesn't sell? What if it really isn't any good, and gets laughed off the shelf? Every writer struggles with that Dark Heart inside, the Anti-Stuart Smalley voice that whispers You're not good enough, you're not smart enough, and darnit, people don't like you. I guess I expected a publishing deal would kill that voice, but sometimes it's actually louder. After all, the stakes have been raised, and other people will, in fact, read my work now.

Okay, it's not like I'm collapsing into some jangle of quivering self-doubt. But it's important to acknowledge, and that's today's Object Lesson for writers chasing a deal: make sure your work is as good as it can be before you send it out. Not only because it has to be that way to get noticed and published, but also because you don't want to give the voice of self-doubt any kind of toehold.

You will, inevitably, hear your mind say you have no right at all to be published. But then, of course, you'll remind yourself that you are going to be published, and the fog will lift, and you will cock your arm and send that boomerang back into the crisp blue sky once again.

Selling a novel is a wonderful, wonderful thing. But when people hear about it--especially folks who are trying to sell novels of their own--they tend to think luck (or, as I prefer, Divine Providence) has something to do with it. "Why did it come so easily for TL," they say in their minds, "and yet it's been such a difficult, long road for me?"

I understand those feelings too well. I've had them myself, when other friends sold novels: you're excited and thrilled for them, of course, but you're also wondering when--maybe even if--it's ever going to happen for you.

And so, I'd like to tell you about the two years of work that led to my overnight success. And, about the bit of Divine Providence that eventually led to my publishing contract. (Man, it still feels good to say "my publishing contract.")

In 2002, I finished a novel, revised it, polished it, and decided I was ready to venture into the big wide world of publishing. I drafted a query letter, revised it with help from some friends, polished it, and sent it out. And sent it out. And sent it out. Revised it slightly and sent it out. And sent it out. And sent it out. I did this, mmm, about 60 times--until I'd exhausted my list of legitimate ABA (American Bookseller Association) agents who handled my genre. During all of this, I'd been wondering if I really should try to be selling my book to the CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) instead--it did, after all, have some strong spiritual overtones. So, I built a list of CBA agents, which was somewhat smaller, and began querying them. Same result: nothing. Mind you, I had some close calls during all this, including a few agents who said they'd like to read something else from me.

Seeing no other realistic options, I chalked the first book up to experience, put it in a drawer (figuratively speaking), and began writing another--this one more of a dark fantasy. After nine or so months, I had it in pretty good shape, and felt it was time to start querying again. So, yes, I started at the top of my previously-assembled agent list again. If an agent had responded positively to my first book, I reminded her of it and asked if she wanted to see the next one. I got a lot of reads, but still no offer.

After exhausting about half of my agent list on queries for the second book, I decided I was wasting too much time and energy worrying about becoming a published novelist.

So, I stopped. I began writing a third book, and put a moratorium on new queries. I decided I'd simply write, and concentrate on that alone. Publication, well, I'd worry about that at some undefined future date.

That's when the magic happened.

About a month after that decision, in April of 2005, I received an email from Dave Long, an Acquisitions Editor for Bethany House Publishers. "Discovered your blog," it said, "and downloaded the first chapter of your book. Don't know if you'd be interested in pursuing publication with a CBA publisher, but I'd like to see more." The book he was referring to was the first book I'd written--the one I frankly hadn't opened and looked at for more than a year. Well, heck, so what if I hadn't been trying to market that particular book? He wanted a partial, so I sent him a partial. Dave wrote back, asking for the whole thing, so I sent that to him. A month later, he wrote back to say he was taking it to editorial review--pitching it to the rest of the publishing house. Well, that's farther than I've been before, I thought. Cool.

At about this same time, I received The Call (described below) from my soon-to-be agent. Well, that's farther than I've been before, I thought. Cool.

Also at about this same time, I found out I'd won the spec fiction category of the Maryland Writers Association Novel contest, which I'd entered in February with my second novel. Well, that's farther than I've been before, I thought. Cool.

Meanwhile I continued to work on an outline for my third novel, and started the first couple of chapters.

Then, June 22nd, the day of The Call, came. My agent told me I had an offer from Bethany House, as well as interest and potential offers coming from two other publishers. (I'm not sure Dave even knows this.) At any rate, long story short, my agent negotiated a nice deal, I signed on the dotted line, and here we are today.

But I want you to realize, especially if you're a writer trying to sell your own novels, two important things. First, the novel that got me a two-book contract was the same novel I'd abandoned and given up for dead more than a year before. Second, I didn't sell anything until I'd decided to stop worrying so much about selling.

Am I telling you to just stop trying, and wait for a bit of Divine Providence to take over? Not at all. I'm telling you: it will happen when it's supposed to happen. After being rejected by 80+ agents, it would have been easy to think, hey, maybe this book sucks. It would have been even easier to just pack it in and give up. But it was the exact same book the folks at Bethany House liked enough to give me a two-book contract. Nothing about the book itself had changed; only the circumstances were different.

So it's really true: agents turn down saleable work every day. Sometimes 80 of them do it. (I'm not saying this to hack on agents in any way. Thank God for mine, who patiently explained what "Royalty on Net" meant. I'm just saying it all boils down to individual judgments. And the judgment of an agent is no more "correct" than yours or mine.)

Keep plugging away, and you can indeed reap what you sow. The growing season just may be a little longer than you expected.

In my previous entry, I talked about "The Call." In this entry, we move on to some actual work. And one of the first tasks is to pick a title. "But wait," you're saying. "Aren't you the writer? Haven't you already done that? Isn't that part of your job, you lunkhead?"

Yes, indeed, it is. But it's also the publishing house's job to make sure the title will resonate with the audience, reflect the genre, intrigue the eye, and so on. So, in the midst of batting around possible titles, I said to my editor, Dave: "Hey, mind if I survey a few folks to find out what they say?" He said sure, and so now here we are: I'm asking if you might be willing to take a quick, 5-minute survey (tops). No need to give your name or email; it's totally anonymous. On the survey, you'll be asked to rank seven possible title options, from best to worst.

Easy enough, huh?

Once we have the results, I'll talk a bit more about the title process. For now, though, I don't want to color your opinion. Okay then, ready to take a survey? Then go do that voodoo that you do so well.

A good portion of an aspiring fiction writer's life is spent waiting for The Call. Yes, you keep writing, grinding out (hopefully) a few thousand words on your Work in Progress each day. Yes, you interact with other writers, seeking advice and encouragement. Yes, you market yourself and your potential works by sending out queries and entering contests.

But even while you do all those things, a secret part of you is always waiting for The Call.

I'm not sure why I think of it as The Call (my friend Justine Musk, whose first novel is coming out this October, may have labeled it as such in one of her blog posts), but that's exactly what it is. Or perhaps I should say what they are, because The Call is really two calls: the first from an agent wanting to represent you, the second from a publisher wanting to publish you.

For me, The Call--The Calls--came in the last few months. In May, following a two-year agent search, I received The First Call from an editor-turned-agent, who said, "I think your book is wonderful--something like Dean Koontz meets Leif Enger." I've never read much Koontz, but to even be mentioned in the same breath as Enger (whose Peace Like a River remains among my top books of all time), well. He had me at "hello."

As thrilling as it was, I didn't know I was already well on my way to getting a contract--thanks to a manuscript I had given up for dead a year before. Yes, I sold a book only after I stopped trying to sell it. That's an interesting story in and of itself, and one I'll relate soon. But for now, we're just talking about The Call, and about the feelings it generates.

I woke up the morning of June 21st (my birthday, incidentally), turned to my wife, and said: "Hey, maybe I'll get a big publishing contract as a birthday gift." We both snickered because, well, because. I hadn't marketed my work seriously for some time, my newly-signed agent had only been on board a few weeks, and I was pretty sure the straggling manuscripts still circulating would die the slow, painful deaths their bretheren before them had. Experience had taught me this, if nothing else, and my comment to my wife was said as--and received as--a joke.

By now, you're probably thinking I received The Second Call on my birthday, aren't you? A wonderful, unexpected, fairy tale resolution. An answered prayer, if you like. Well, it didn't happen that way. Instead, I got The Call on June 22, the day after my birthday.

Still, I'll take it.

When the phone rang around two in the afternoon, it was my agent. I remember his first words quite clearly: "Tony, I have some good news. You have an offer for two books in hardcover." The rest of the conversation is still somewhat foggy. I know we talked about royalty rates, possible publication dates, questions to ask, and so on. But I had a hard time concentrating on all that, because for me, this was The Call. Two books. Hardcover. Can I say on my list of most memorable moments, it immediately made the Top Ten? Maybe even the Top Five? And can I tell you, if you're a writer waiting for The Call yourself, that it's one of those rare events that live up to expectations?

The next few weeks were spent negotiating the contract, setting the timelines, and doing everything else to help all the pieces come together. And I'm pleased to now say my first novel will be released by the wonderful folks at Bethany House Publishers in summer of 2006, with many thanks going to Dave Long. (More about Dave in the coming days, too.) In fact, this whole experience has given me a number of interesting tales, and we're still at the beginning of the journey.

Let me say this: I'll be sharing all of it with you as it happens. Indeed, I have some interesting ideas (at least interesting to me) about how to do that, and I'll be inviting you to join me. In fact, I'll be making a few changes around the halls of tlhines.com in the coming weeks. You can hear about all of them, and get some inside information, if you join my mailing list now. And again, that's stuff that will be happening as the journey to publication continues.

For now, I'm still riding on the wave of The Call, some six-ish weeks later. A fine, fine, birthday gift.

And only one day late.