My call story is a little unique and demonstrates the Lord's perfect timing. I had been to Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference several times over the previous five years. I had pitched my series and received requests from several publishers and editors for the full, but always returned home and convinced myself that it was not quite ready. They were just being kind.
In 2015, I made a commitment to myself that I would join the scant 30% of writers at a conference who follow through and submit their manuscript as requested. And I added some teeth to the commitment -- I would submit whatever was requested within 30 days of the conference, or I would not attend another writers' conference. As the rarest of creatures, an extroverted writer, swearing off conferences would be a devastating loss of community. Having made many connections with other authors, my conference buddy and I were delighted to discover that one of our friends was having her first book signing in Asheville the day before the conference. We decided it was worth an extra night's stay to be able to celebrate her debut and be rested and ready to go when the conference began the following day. What an exciting moment to see a friend sitting in the midst of the Barnes and Noble, stacks of freshly printed books beside her on the table awaiting her autograph! As we chatted with the author, her publisher introduced herself and my friend mentioned that we were in town for the writers' conference. Her publisher asked us about what we wrote and, after I stumbled through my pitch -- thinking I'd have the rest of the day to practice before the conference began -- she scribbled her email on a scrap of paper and asked me to send her my manuscript.
Over the course of the next several days, I pitched to several publishers and received other requests for the manuscript, and also pitched to Julie Gwinn. Julie happened to represent the same author friend we had come up early to celebrate! When the conference ended, I pushed through additional edits based on once again learning so much from the conference faculty, and hit send on the emails to those who'd requested my manuscript for CzechMate. There is really nothing quite like that moment. The thrill! The relief! The absolute terror! Within thirty days, I received an email back from Dawn Carrington, Editor-in-Chief with Vinspire Publishing, letting me know that they might be interested in publishing my novel. I immediately reached out to Julie, eager to have a savvy agent in my corner for this next step in the publishing process. She has proven to be a tremendous asset, helping me land a two-book deal and then to augment that with a contract for four more books in the International Mission Force series.
I love sharing this story because I couldn't have orchestrated this path if I had tried. It demonstrates the importance of supporting fellow authors and building relationships that encourage, support, and promote one another, and trusting God to put us in the right place at the right time.
 |
| Czech Mate |
 |
| Bolivia Knight |
 |
| Kenya Quest |
About Felicia Bridges:
Felicia Bridges writes adventures that inspire action. Her own escapades as an Army BRAT included living in eight states and two foreign countries by the time she was fifteen. Along with a strong foundation of faith, this nomadic childhood created a passion for missions and travel which leads her writing to exotic places. Her YA series debut, The International Mission Force, features the adventures of teenage missionaries around the globe and currently includes CzechMate, which is set in Prague, Czech Republic; BoliviaKnight, set in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia; and KenyaQuest, set in Mombasa, Kenya. Volume IV, IslandGambit, which is set on the beautiful island of Papua New Guinea, is due to release in 2020. She loves sharing the excitement and adventure of living on mission and is happy to speak to your student group or women's retreat about missions, discipleship, and the gospel. While her degree in Psychology helps her craft realistic characters, her adventures as an HR Manager, short term missionary, mother of four, and Pastor's wife provide her most entertaining tales. Names may be changed to protect the not-so-innocent.
You can find Felicia at:
Gmail: feliciabowenbridges@gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FeliciaBBridges
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FeliciaBowenBridges/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/FeliciaBBridges/
YouTube: https://www.instagram.com/FeliciaBridges_Author/
No comments:
Post a Comment