The Birth of My First Book ~Deborah Sprinkle

Deborah Sprinkle 

It was the end of another season of my life and the start of a new one. I’d already been through the research chemist season, the stay-at-home mom period, and the years as a chemistry teacher.

Now it was time to retire from teaching. The kids were grown. One married but no grandbabies yet. And my husband still worked. So where was God taking me this time?

Writing. That was it. I would write a mystery. After all, how hard could it be? I had been reading mysteries and suspense books all my life. (Feel free to laugh—I am.)

Fortunately, He forced me along a path that made it very clear to me how little I knew about writing a book. I began attending Christian writing conferences where I took classes to learn the trade and met many amazing people—friends that have encouraged and guided me through the years.

My first novel, Deadly Guardian, went through so many rewrites I lost count! But that was all part of the learning process. Three different friends helped with edits before I finally found an agent, Cyle Young, who happened to be a friend as well.

He worked hard to find my book a home, but after many months, I was ready to give up. My prayers went something like this, “It’s okay, Lord. I realize that Deadly Guardian was meant for me to learn from so I would do better on the next book.” Inside my heart was broken.

In 2018, my dad got sick. He lived in St. Louis and we live in Memphis. I ended up living in St. Louis from mid-May that year until October. As my dad grew progressively worse, he finally requested to be put on hospice. We honored his wishes and set it up.

The second day he was on hospice, Cyle called to tell me that a publisher wanted my book, Deadly Guardian. I must be honest. At the time, I couldn’t get too excited. All I could think about was dad. I had no time to go through edits and help with a cover and all the other stuff that comes with publishing a book. I remember looking at the ceiling and saying, “Now Lord? We’re going to do this now?”

But God. I emailed the publisher and explained my situation—Kathy Cretsinger of Mantle Rock Publishing. She was so kind and understanding because she had gone through the same thing with her parents.

Kathy retired and sold Mantle Rock to my new publishers, Scrivenings Press LLC, but she remains a good friend.

Dad passed away in September, 2018. He never got to see my book, but at least he knew that it was going to be published. Getting that first box of books with my name on them was almost surreal. My friends would get so excited and say things like, “Here comes the author.” And I’d feel like turning to see who came in. It’s taken me some time to grow into that title. It’s a little easier since my second book came out.

Deadly Guardian came out in May 2019. There were five years between when I started writing it and when it was published. A long time. But I learned many valuable lessons along the way.

Besides the obvious ones on how to write a better book, I learned about the value of maintaining good relationships, putting people first above things, and allowing God to work in His timing. Also trusting in the Lord and being patient.

Deadly Guardian became the first in a series of three books called Trouble in Pleasant Valley. Death of an Imposter released November 24, 2020, and the third book, Silence Can Be Deadly, will come out November of 2021. 

Visit Deborah at https://authordeborahsprinkle.com/

https://authordeborahsprinkle.com/blog/

The Five Rs In Writing

By Deborah Sprinkle

Since I became an author, people often question me on how to get started. Some have manuscripts sitting in their desks, but have no idea how to get them published. Others have ideas for books, but haven’t put them on the page. I answer as best I can from my own experience, knowing that each author’s journey is unique.

But it got me thinking about what advice I can give to aspiring authors as someone new to the business. Here’s what I have to offer.

READ. Read voraciously. Read books in your genre, and also read authors you enjoy. If you feel inclined, make notes about what it is you like about the books you read. Or what you don’t like.

RESEARCH. Do lots of research. About everything. Topography, weather, people, housing. Study the language, food, dress, and history. Get specific. Details matter. For instance, a soft drink in the South is called a coke no matter what brand it is, but in Indiana or Michigan it’s called a pop. In St. Louis, the same drink is a soda. That’s a simple example, but a detail that makes a difference when you’re writing about a region.

RELATIONSHIPS. What in the world am I talking about here? I mean getting to know other writers, mainly. Look for writers’ groups in your area and join them. If you can’t find any local ones, look for some that have online groups. I’m a member of a Word Weavers online group. We meet once a month and critique each other’s work. I also belong to a local writers’ group.

Besides writers’ groups, look for writers’ conferences in your area. Here, you will get to know not only other authors, but agents, editors, and publishers as well. You will have a chance to showcase your work and learn your craft.

And last but not least, is what’s called platform in the writing world. Get on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. Start building relationships. That means interacting with the people who friend you and whom you friend. Not just emojis, but conversations. You can decide how personal you want to get, but you should give some of yourself to them so they feel they know you as a person. When it comes time for your book to be published, they will celebrate with you because you celebrated with them in their life events.

WRITE. Put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard on a regular basis. Everyone has a different biorhythm. Some are morning people and some are not. But if you let your writing sit for too long, you spend an inordinate amount of time trying to catch your brain up to where you left off before you can move on. You lose the writing rhythm.

REST and RECREATION. Finally, don’t forget to rest. If you’re like me, my brain is still working on plot points and character qualities when I’m supposed to be resting. Find something that takes your mind off everything. For me, it’s solitaire or a really good mystery/suspense movie. Or a nap. Whatever it is, find time to rest.

Remember to live a life off the page. Make time for family, friends, and recreation. Besides, that’s where you may get the idea for your next story.

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Deborah Sprinkle is a retired chemistry teacher among other things. So it should come as no surprise that the protagonist in her debut novel, Deadly Guardian, is one as well. Mrs. Sprinkle is also co-author of a non-fiction book entitled Exploring the Faith of America’s Presidents.  She has won awards for Deadly Guardian, her short stories, articles, and her latest work in progress. Mrs. Sprinkle lives in Memphis with her husband where she continues to be an ordinary woman serving an extraordinary God. You can connect with her at Facebook.com/deborah.sprinkle.5, Twitter@debbiejsprinkle, and on Instagram. She is also a Goodreads author and a BookBub author.