And the Title is ????

And the title is????

My fourth book is finally ready to go to the publisher, I just have to find one. In my last blog I said I did not write for money but that I love writing fiction because of the challenge. The truth is I would not mind making a few dollars, but I have been discouraged with my own marketing efforts. As persistent as I am in writing a book, the persistence in marketing the published work wanes after rejections come -  one ‘no’ thanks after another. I don’t know why this should bother me after submitting hundreds of queries and receiving just as many no’s. After the effort of putting the book together – hours of editing, rewriting and proofing over and over again – it is difficult to realize that as many publishers that rejected it the same amount of possible booksellers do also. Blab, blab. I know I’m whining.

Nevertheless, I am excited about this 4^th book which I started in 1999. I have a friend with a technical background who is proofing it – and the title is????. She is doing it in exchange for some home decorating advice that she asked me to give her, i.e. my decorating business, Flair & Dare. I am excited about having a professional make sure there are no errors.

Before I give the title, I will tell you that there is a thread of salvation running through it, and the story takes place starting in Northern California and ends in Southern California. It takes place during the 1930’s. The reason it has taken me so long to finish it is because initially the setting was in 1798 England, but several years after moving from Sothern Ca to Sacramento, I changed the story to 1930’s California. I thought it good to write about what I knew best – the great state of California.

This new book is a Christian love story that some might consider a ‘chick’ book, but it is not totally. So what is the title????. When I find a publisher, I will post it here, maybe sooner. Maybe I’ll add a few more hints as to what it is about. Thank you for following my blog.

Time to update

Time to Update

I once had a publisher call me directly regarding a query I sent them for Gifts for the Road. Imagine my surprise when I heard back from them after they looked at the book. They actually complimented me on the story- said I did a good job – but the problem for them was that I did not have much of a following. I supposed that to mean that I didn’t have enough activity on my blog, my website, or Facebook – much less twitter or tweet.

Well that may be a problem, but I was more interested in writing than spending time on social media. Granted I should be concerned with that but obviously I am not. After al,l it has been over a year since I wrote here. Gifts for the Road has not sold as well as I hoped but I do not write for money. The Good Lord forbid, I write because I love the endeavor and it keeps me out of trouble. This past year however, I have not devoted as much time to writing as I did since I began in 1998. I went from writing every day to every other day and then more recently several times a week.

The problem is that editing takes its toll when you do it yourself along with proofing. It becomes tiresome to the point that you just don’t want to look at the same book again. There is only one option for me to overcome that, and that is to work on more than one book at a time – and I do. I have just completed my 4^th book out of the other 3 published ones I have about 8 more in my drawer that are partially finished. See next entry to discuss the latest new book that is ready for a publisher.

Good news – I have a new office and desk to start on an old book.

Gifts now on Kindle

My new book is doing well and I am excited. Life Way Christian Books is considering carrying it in their Sacramento store, maybe all their stores, but I won't know for a while. Also, though it is not on the shelves at Barnes and Noble you can ask them to order it for you and not pay shipping, or you can order from them on line, or at amazon.com or if you have a Kindle it is now an EBook.   I love this figurine that a dear friend gave me when I first started writing Gifts. However, I have to say that I don't believe  Mary would have ridden a donkey all the way to Egypt. In addition, Joseph was an educated man and he was not a pauper, therefore, in my story, before getting Word that they had to leave, he had made a cart for Mary to ride in and that is how they went to Egypt, most of the way that is.
I hope you will read this book, - see the review below - and ENJOY.




Gifts for the Road: A journey about trusting God, while facing the unknown by Priscilla McDaniel (Feb 24, 2014)

(1)

 

Formats		Price		New	Used
Kindle Edition Auto-delivered wirelessly		$9.95
Paperback FREE Shipping with your current order	$29.95	$28.85		$27.76	$33.81

AMAZON REVIEW - This review is from:

Gifts for the Road: A Journey about Trusting God, While Facing the Unknown

Have you wondered how the gifts for a King the Magi gave Jesus might have been used? Gifts for the Road tells how they helped Mary, Joseph and Jesus escape to Egypt when Herod ordered the killing of baby boys in Israel. Their helpers Azariah and Salome traveled with them, always on the lookout for a couple bandits who followed from village to village. The characters and dialogue were realistic. Laced with humor and romance, the adventure kept me turning pages. Mary, Joseph and Jesus inspired me by the trail of blessings they left along their journey and made me consider how I might be a daily blessing too.

 

Ordering Gifts for the Road

Ordering Gifts for the Road.

You can go into any book store and ask them to order you one, using ISBN# 978163043670, or you can buy on line at Amazon or Barnes & Noble, they are both better prices than the publisher, America Star Books is a traditional publishing company whose primary goal is to encourage and promote the works of previously undiscovered writers. Like mainstream publishers, America Star Books pays its authors royalties and makes its books available through all bookstores. America Star Books offers a distinctly personal, supportive alternative to vanity presses and less accessible publishers.

Here is what the publisher says about Gifts for the Road. Enter the historical world of Jesus. In Gifts for the Road, McDaniel demonstrates her storytelling prowess as she chronicles Jesus’ birth in the midst of harrowing tragedy.

Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, with helpers and borrowed servants, flee to Egypt from Bethlehem under the threat of Herod’s soldiers looking to kill Jesus. Two bungling thieves are also close behind hoping to steal the money Joseph carries with him. Travel with the wayfarers as they sleep in caves, face wild animals, ride camels and sail the Mediterranean. Meet the families along the way that Joseph and Mary share prophecy with and tell of Jesus’ birth when they are asked why they’re so far from home. Journey nearly two hundred miles south of Memphis to the cave where they live for over six months. Find out the fate of the two crooks and experience romance among the travelers when they help a destitute family in Alexandria get back on their feet. Meet the wealthy Roman who offers them safe travel back to Israel on his Roman vessel.

Gifts for the Road incorporates

Prophecy and truth, as well as traditions and myths established by the Coptic Orthodox Church and folklore recorded in Eastern and Western apocryphal literature.

 

 

 

Exciting News about Gifts for the Road.

Exciting News

A story about trusting God while facing the unknown!

Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, with helpers and borrowed servants, flee to Egypt from Bethlehem under the threat of Herod’s soldiers looking to kill Jesus. Two bungling thieves are also close behind hoping to steal the money Joseph carries with him. Travel with the wayfarers as they sleep in caves, face wild animals, ride camels and sail the Mediterranean. Meet the families along the way that Joseph and Mary share prophecy with and tell of Jesus’ birth when they are asked why they’re so far from home. Journey nearly two hundred miles south of Memphis to the cave where they live for over six months. Find out the fate of the two crooks and experience romance among the travelers when they help a destitute family in Alexandria get back on their feet. Meet the wealthy Roman who offers them safe travel back to Israel on his Roman vessel.

Note: Gifts for the Road incorporates

Prophecy and truth, as well as traditions and myths established by the Coptic Orthodox Church and folklore recorded in Eastern and Western apocryphal literature.

I just talked to my publisher, America Star Books, (new publisher)and my book – Gifts for the Road – will be officially released in two months. You will be able to buy on line from any major book store, or you can walk in and ask them to order Gifts for the Road for you. You can call America Star Books and speak directly to Robbin, the Special Services Coordinator, at 443-684.7592 – you can do that today if you like.

Gifts for the Road will be published soon.

Gifts for the Road has been accepted by PublishAmerica – and this is not self published. They do not charge anything. However I will need to do some marketing, so you may hear from me more often than usual.   Here is a brief description of what the story is about, which I hope many will be edified by if not curious.

It is a story based on the journey taken by the Holy Family fleeing Bethlehem to Egypt under the threat of Herod’s soldiers looking to kill Jesus. The family is also pursued by two thieves seeking to steal the Magi gifts. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus travel with Mary’s maidservant, Joseph’s friend and borrowed servants. The wayfarers visit family, sleep in caves and are hosted by Jewish families living in Egypt. They face wild animals, ride camels and sail the Mediterranean. Answering questions along the way of why they are so far from home, Mary and Joseph share prophecy and the birth of Jesus. Some believe them, some do not. Joseph takes his family one hundred and fifty miles south along the Nile, where they spend six months in a cave and one thief comes to them asking forgiveness. Before heading home on a Roman vessel, Joseph and those with him help a destitute family in Alexandria get back on their feet.

Gifts for the Road incorporates prophecy and truth, as well as traditions and myths established by the Coptic Orthodox Church and folklore recorded in Eastern and Western apocryphal literature.