Hey everyone, it’s Preslaysa!
I’m happy to welcome debut author, Deep Cover 
To celebrate the book’s release, she’s giving away an Amazon gift card! See details at the end of this post.
Please welcome Sandra as she blogs about how she balances motherhood and her writing dream. Here’s Sandra…
Children Learn What You Live by Sandra Orchard
Thank you Preslaysa for inviting me to share a little about my writing journey as a homeschooling Mom. After the birth of my first child, my days soon revolved around feedings and naps and trips to the park, and I quickly realized that I needed a creative outlet to regain a sense of balance.
I’d always loved writing so I signed up for a correspondence course. Then baby two came along and soon after baby three. Before long my creative outlet became designing crafts and curriculum for my growing brood and journaling in my children’s scrapbooks. And I loved every minute of it.
Okay…not the sleep deprivation or the temper tantrums. But I digress…
By the time I dusted off my dream of writing a novel, my children were twelve plus. I’d read that it can take years, and many manuscripts, and many more rejections before a writer’s work is published, so for the first few months I didn’t tell anyone that I’d started writing a novel.
Of course my family soon found me out, but I swore them to secrecy.
I’m not sure what I was trying to protect myself from—the well-meaning “So have you sold your book yet?” questions or the fear of what others would think if they knew how much time I poured into the pursuit…for naught.
It wasn’t long, however, before I realized that even if I was never published, persevering was not for naught. God opened doors for me to minister to others through my writing (my ultimate dream) long before I ever signed a contract. Some were people I likely would never have met if I wasn’t part of a writer’s group. The most important were my own children.
Our children are always watching us.
My children saw me spend hours each day writing and revising and studying writing craft and taking online classes and reading. They saw me choose to sit down and write whether I felt like it or not. (Although I hasten to add spending time with family always came first.) They saw me reveling in learning new things. They saw me enthusiastically share what I was learning with others through critiques and meetings.
They saw me risk being criticized and crushed by putting my work “out there” by entering it in contests and sending it to critiquers. They saw my frustration with negative feedback and my determination to learn from my mistakes. They shared in the excitement of editor requests and the disappointment of rejections.
They saw me persevere.
They saw me rewrite the same story again and again until it was as good as I could possibly make it. And then rewrite it again when I’d learned more.
They learned that pursuing your dreams is hard work. They learned that there is joy and purpose in the journey, that God uses your obedience on each step of that journey to not only grow you, but to encourage and teach and inspire those around you. They learned that it’s okay to fail.
They dared to dream.
In fact, my youngest became a paid freelance writer and published poet and short story author before she was eighteen, before I ever signed a contract!
So if you’re feeling a little guilty about indulging your dream of writing, remember that our perseverance in whatever dreams we pursue teach our children valuable lessons.
Your turn: What dreams are you pursuing?
About Sandra:
Sandra Orchard was the 2009 Daphne DuMaurier Award of Excellence winner in the unpublished category and sold to Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense the following year. Her newly released debut novel, Deep Cover
is the first book in her series, Undercover Cops: Fighting for justice puts their lives—and hearts—on the line. From Southern Ontario, Canada, Sandra has a Bachelor of Arts and Science with a math major from McMaster University. She’s taught high school math, homeschooled her three children, is a bookkeeper, and enjoys doing a variety of crafts and construction projects. (everything from siding and roofing to putting in a corner bathtub.) She’s a member of ACFW, RWA, and several of its chapters, as well as The Word Guild.
CONTEST ALERT!!
To celebrate the launch she’s giving away an Amazon gift card to one lucky fan selected randomly on September 20th from her newsletter subscribers (hyperlink: http://bit.ly/OrchardNews), Facebook fans (hyperlink: http://www.facebook.com/SandraOrchard), and blog commenters (hyperlink: http://www.SandraOrchard.blogspot.com).
To learn more about Sandra and her books, visit her website at www.SandraOrchard.com
About Deep Cover
Maintaining his cover cost undercover cop Rick Gray the woman he loved. Sweet Ginny Bryson never really knew Rick. He never gave her the chance. Not then, and not now, when he’s back with a new alias to gather evidence against Ginny’s uncle. The man’s crimes led to Rick’s partner’s death, and Rick wants justice to be served. But his investigation is stirring up trouble, and Ginny is smack-dab in the middle. Someone wants Ginny to pay the price for what her uncle has done. But how can Rick protect her without blowing his cover, jeopardizing his assignment…and risking both their lives?
Deep Cover
Book 2 ~ Shades of Truth ~ March 2012
A compassionate youth worker fighting to preserve her dying father’s legacy battles the justice-driven detective who threatens her mission and her heart.
Book 3 ~ Dose of Deception ~ TBA (title tentative)
A nurse. An undercover cop. A killer who’ll stop at nothing to avoid being caught.
What reviewers are saying about Deep Cover:
“4 Stars. Great job…a good mystery, interesting characters and a satisfying ending.” ~ Romantic Times
“5 stars. A fast-paced, exciting, romantic story and awesome, fresh writing…” ~ Goodreads reader
Hi Preslaysa,
Thanks so much for having me!
Sandra
Sandra,
Such wonderful encouragement! The beginning of your journey really hit home for me. With my two babies and a mountain of untold stories in my head, I joyfully slaved at the keys during nap and bedtime. Telling no one for fear that I might not bring the work to completion and fear of the pressures that others might put on the process. My oldest is almost 2, and your perspective of the pursuit of dreams as a legacy has me even more excited for the future dreams of my boys. Thanks for sharing your story!