June 2006

Is it really June already? I hope your summer is starting well. Take a well-deserved vacation with family or friends, and have a great time. Memories are stories tucked away in our minds to enjoy again and again.

I have so much to tell you this month. First, my short story, “Our Scrapbook Journey,” will appear in Chicken Soup for the Scrapbooker’s Soul. The book is due in stores on July 30, 2006. Woo hoo!

Many of you e-mailed me last month with suggestions for my dog’s birthday, about your writing projects, or your opinion of my nonfiction endeavor. Thank you! It is so fun to hear from you! My dog, Nugent, is now one, celebrating with gourmet doggy dinners, new treats, and a new hotdog toy. He probably wants everyday to be his birthday.

The nonfiction proposal, Lessons from the Zoo – finding God in the Animals that Surround Us, has been requested by two editors that I met at the writer’s conference. Your encouraging words gave me the boost I needed to learn how to create and get the proposal completed before I left. Thanks!

Remember the new mystery series I began a few months ago? Missing on the Mountain – An Erin Crocker Mystery is a chick-lit that was requested by another editor. She even asked that I propose a series of three in that book proposal. Wow! Guess I need to learn how to create a fiction book proposal now.

Are you familiar with the God Allows U-turns series by Bethany House? The creator and editor of this anthology series, Allison Bottke, was at the conference. She requested that I write more for her. Look for my short stories in the Choices Moms Make and possibly the Choices Families Make.

There is so much more, but we’ll leave it at that for now. If you’d like to tell me more about your writing projects, learn specifics about any of the things I’ve mentioned, hear of the importance of writer’s conferences, or set up future speaking engagements, be sure to contact me at paulab07@paulafblevins.com. Details of each project can be found on the ‘Works in Progress’ page at my website. See you there!

I’ve already thanked you a lot this newsletter, but I especially want to thank you for your prayers. Your prayer support was felt so intensely, giving me courage and clarity of speech to meet with these editors. I couldn’t have done it without you! To quote my pastor, “God showed up large and in-charge.” Thank you for being a part of that.

I’m praying for you,
Paula
www.paulafblevins.com
paulab07@paulafblevins.com