by Becca Kinzer, @BeccaKinzer
You guys, today is the day. My debut novel is out in the world. I am now officially a published author!
Excuse me while I check the front window for the marching band that will surely pass by my house any second. Hmm . . . still not there. Strange. Oh well. I’m sure the parade will get here soon. In the meantime, I’ll just whip out a few revisions on my next story. Should be a breeze now that I’m a published author.
Okay, why is this not a breeze? Why does editing and revising still feel like work? And why oh why do my children still expect me to feed them meals every day? Don’t they realize I’m a published author now?
If I didn’t know better, I’d think getting published hasn’t changed my life at all. At least not on the surface. I still have to show up to my day job. I still have to buy groceries. Do laundry. Hit deadlines. Struggle writing that first draft when the words aren’t flowing.
Oh, let’s be honest. Getting published hasn’t changed things beneath the surface either. I still struggle with imposter syndrome. Envy. Impatience. Validation. An overabundance of chocolate consumption.
But why? Shouldn’t things be different now? Shouldn’t I be different? I’m published. I reached my destination. My goal. My dream. My prize. Why hasn’t the stinking marching band arrived yet?
Maybe because I forgot for a moment that publication was never the ultimate prize. Publication, while a lovely and beautiful scenic view worthy of a few snapshots, might have been a goal and a dream, but it was never the final destination.
Because I’m still on the journey. You’re still on a journey. And when we look at it in that context . . . wow. I think we see how our writing journeys have changed us. How our journeys are continuing to change us—whether we’re published or not. We’re no longer striving aimlessly for an earthly prize that won’t last. We’re showing up, putting in the hard work, not giving up, and remaining obedient to the journey God has called us to in such a way as to win an eternal prize.
I’m no Bible scholar, but I’m one hundred percent sure the prize Paul referred to in his letter to the Corinthians had nothing to do with publication. But I am holding out hope it’ll involve some sort of marching band.
He thinks she’s an elderly widow. She’s convinced he’s a grumpy old man. Neither could be further from the truth.
After a short and difficult marriage, recently widowed Edith Sherman has learned her lesson. Forget love. Forget marriage. She plans to fill her thirties with adventure. As she awaits the final paperwork for a humanitarian trip to South Africa, she accepts a short-term nursing position in a small Midwestern town. The last thing she needs is a handsome local catching her eye. How inconvenient is that?
Henry Hobbes isn’t exactly thrilled to have Edith, who he assumes is an elderly widow, dumped on him as a houseguest for the summer. But he’d do almost anything for his niece, who is practically like a sister to him given how close they are in age. Especially since Edith will be working nights and Henry works most days. When he and Edith keep missing each other in person, they begin exchanging notes―short messages at first, then longer letters, sharing increasingly personal parts of their lives.
By the time Henry realizes his mistake―that Edith is actually the brown-eyed beauty he keeps bumping into around town―their hearts are so intertwined he hopes they never unravel. But with her departure date rapidly approaching, and Henry’s roots firmly planted at home, Edith must ultimately decide if the adventure of her dreams is the one right in front of her.
Reminiscent of the beloved classic You’ve Got Mail comes a delightful new romantic comedy about mistaken identities, second chances, and finding love in unexpected places.
Becca Kinzer works as a critical care nurse in Illinois. When she’s not taking care of sick patients or trying to convince her husband and two kids that frozen chicken nuggets is a gourmet meal, she spends her time making up lighthearted stories with serious laughs. Dear Henry, Love Edith is her debut novel.