Shannon here: Sarah Anne Crouch shares her journey to publication, along with a chance to win an e-book copy of her re-release Contemporary Romance, A Summer in Shady Springs. Comment or answer the question in this post to enter the drawing. Deadline: March 1st, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Sarah:
The Journey to (Re)Publication
There were many things I didn’t know when I first started writing. However, one thing I know for certain that hasn’t changed, is that I always want to glorify God first and foremost with my books. My prayer for years has been “God, if this is not what you want me to do, please stop me in my tracks and shut this down right away!” My path hasn’t been straight, but it has been clearly guided by God.
I first published A Summer in Shady Springs in August of 2021. The process of writing my first novel and getting it published took ten years. The idea for a story about a young artist coming back to faith through painting a mural of Jesus first came to me on a drive to California in 2011. I took my time writing that story and had almost given up when I met my sweet friend Amy Anguish at church who encouraged me to keep going.
Back then, when Twitter was still called Twitter, there would sometimes be pitch events online. You’d write a very brief summary of your story, add the hashtag for the event (something like #FaithPitch for Christian authors), and hope that editors or agents would like your tweet.
I only had one editor like my tweet, the talented Kara Leigh Miller. We went back and forth over email a few times, then she presented my book to her acquisitions board, they accepted, and I signed a contract for my very first book.
The experience of publishing with Anaiah Press taught me a lot, and I still hang on to some of the things Kara taught me about editing. Each editor I’ve worked with (hi, Shannon!) has her own pet peeves. I like to think I carry those voices with me when I’m reading my manuscripts and can hear what they might say I need to fix.
For a few reasons, I chose not to continue my series with Anaiah Press (one of those reasons being they are no longer in business). Again, my friend Amy helped me out. She invited me to join a novella collection called Love in Any Season. We wrote that and two other novella collections together, all published with Scrivenings Press.
Working with Linda and the others at Scrivenings Press was a delight. When my contract was up with Anaiah Press, I knew I could go down the path of self-publishing, but I also knew I didn’t have a lot of free time to dedicate to learning all of the skills I would need to make my series a success. Linda agreed to take me on, and now I am relaunching A Summer in Shady Springs with a brand new cover I absolutely love!
The main character of A Summer in Shady Springs, Madeleine, also travels a winding path. Born and raised in Shady Springs, Arkansas she attended church there with her parents. But when her parents went through a devastating break-up and her father left, her mom was treated badly and chose to leave Shady Springs and the Church. A decade later, Madeleine is a recent graduate from art school and is hired to paint a mural for the Shady Springs church. Through the process of painting Jesus and getting to know the youth minister, Madeleine discovers God and Christians are much different than she previously assumed.
Becoming an author was not exactly what I had pictured. There’s a lot more time spent marketing and web-designing than I anticipated. I don’t spend all my days sitting with a cup of tea by a picture window, furiously typing my little heart out. But God has clearly guided me through everything, and I am beyond grateful. When I start my writing time with prayer, I notice a huge difference in the outcome. And as I look back on my journey to where I am now, I can see how he closed and opened doors to get me to this place.
Question for Readers: How has God closed and opened doors for you? What blessings has God given you that brought you where you are today? I’d love to hear from you!
About Sarah: Sarah Anne Crouch lives in Arkansas with her husband, three children, and thousands of books. She always wanted to be an author, but spent some time as a teacher, earned a degree in library science, and makes feeble attempts to corral her small children as a stay-at-home mom. Sarah loves reading books, recipes, piano music, and emails from readers. Learn more & connect:
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About the book – A Summer in Shady Springs:
The last place Madeleine Mullins wants to be is back in Shady Springs, Arkansas—the town where her whole world fell apart. But when her beloved Aunt Clara begs her for help, Madeleine reluctantly takes a job painting a mural at her aunt’s church. Her plan is to finish quickly and leave her bad memories behind. But the more time she spends with the handsome youth minister and the more she reads her Bible, the more she wonders if she has been wrong about God and the Church all along.
Three years out of college, and A.J. Young still doesn’t know what he wants to be when he grows up. He knows he wants to settle down and build a family but hasn’t found the wife he’d like to share his life with. Then Madeleine comes to town. Their friendship buds quickly, although it can never be anything more as long as she isn’t a Christian.
An undeniable attraction grows between A.J. and Madeleine, but she’s only in town for a few weeks, and he can’t date someone who doesn’t share his beliefs. How can Madeleine help A.J. discover a passion for the career he’s always wanted?
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A Summer in Shady Springs – Preorder e-book only $3.99 Sarah’s Books
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Slamming doors have been a big part of my writing journey, too. Like you, working with Scrivenings Press has been a big door opening experience for me. Arkansas is my favorite place for the setting of a book! I love the idea of getting closer to Jesus while painting his picture!