This has been one of those weeks with so much to blog about, and no time for blogging. I will catch you up.

Earlier this year, as discussion centered on the Whitney awards, the question was asked about books released in January, but on store shelves before December ended. what was there eligibility? The answer came back that Whitney eligibility was based on copyright date. Well, on December 30th, I had the thought to check my copyright date, and found it was 2010. I double checked, and found that meant Bumpy Landings would be eligible for the 2010 Whitney, but not 2011, and only if it got 5 nominations in the space of 2 days.

Now, I realize the 2010 copyright date was probably just a typographical oversight, but I’ve seen some pretty sad endings from clerical errors this year, and I had no interest in becoming one of them. So I mobilized a dozen of my beta readers, and invited them to nominate me. As a result, Bumpy Landings is an official Whitney nominee in the Romance category. Now, I always saw the book as General Fiction, but I’m secure enough in my masculinity to accept a Romance categorization.

The book does have some pretty good smooching, after all.

And I have some experience at being the token male in a group.

So becoming a Whitney nominee was the first great thing. Then on Friday, I was the Friendly Friday guest blogger over at CK Bryant’s blog. Check it out here.

I also learned, through a Bumpy Landings Google alert, that there are 5 copies up for grabs on a Goodreads contest.

And then I became a January sponsor over at LDS Publisher. Look at that awesome cover.

Then it was New Years, and I got two really big scenes done on the book trailer. There’s still some work left, but I’m gunning to have this done before I leave for the launch.

And then, the UPS man came, and he brought books.

Lots and lots of books.

MY books.

Let that sink in.

My. Books. Mine.

But you can have one or a dozen.

And with the official arrival of my book, I now have been able to join LDStorymakers. Woo!

So you see, it’s been quite the week. And with the Launch Party for Bumpy Landings just a week away (yikes!) there will be no shortage of fun and excitement to keep me going.

Hang on, and enjoy the flight!

As of today, there is exactly one month before the Bumpy Landings Launch Party. There is a lot going on between now and then, but I thought it might be fun to share with you my writers’ journey thus far.

This story has been a part of my life for most of the last decade, and I’m more than a little awed at the prospect that it will soon become a part of others’ lives as well—hopefully many, many others.

My writing journey, like so many others, started with a love of books during my youth. I could often be found with my nose buried in a novel, and the library was one of my favorite places on earth.

I’ve always been at my happiest when creating, and as a teen dabbled in writing. However, those early attempts were extremely poor, and the nauseating results quickly caused me to set aside writing in favor of another creative process; one with much more instant gratification: music.

All through high school and college, I was in various bands and choirs. Playing music scratched the creative itch, and band membership provided much-needed social interaction. Reading became much less important, and any thoughts of writing were abandoned.

Once out of school, however, the ready-made musical opportunities disappeared. I tried on and off to keep music alive in my life, organizing bands at work and participating in ward choirs, but the level of satisfaction was never quite the same. I needed something more; something new and exciting.

I needed to make movies.

Bumpy Landings

I got the word today from Cedar Fort that this will be the title for my book. No release date yet, but now that the title is in hand, the ball is rolling.

Here’s the little pitch about my book:

The air above Hawaii calls to Jordan MacDonald, yet finishing his pilot’s license is out of the question. Although two years away on a mission gave him a glimmer of independence, home is his mother’s domain, and flying is against her rules.

But when a potential romance falls apart, Jordan reacts by defying his mother and returning to the airport. Lacking the courage for open rebellion, Jordan hides his flight lessons. Flying builds Jordan’s confidence, but keeping it hidden from both his mom and a jealous new girlfriend takes its toll.

It isn’t long before an ill-fated flight uncovers his ruse, and in the resulting turbulence Jordan must decide who he really wants to be. While he longs for true independence, turning his back on his mother and the only real girlfriend he’s ever had may prove to be too much to ask.

Bumpy Landings is an 84,000 word romantic coming-of-age novel set in the Hawaiian LDS community of La’ie.

The title comes from a tag line I suggested: A tale of leis, lies, love, and bumpy landings. I think Bumpy Landings really fits the story as both a literal and figurative title, and I’m excited to have finally have an official title.

Thanks again to everyone who has helped me get to this point in my writing career!

Imagine that it is 44 o’clock yesterday, because I really wanted to do this post as my WIP Wednesday entry.

As those of you who are my Facebook friends already know, today I signed a contract to have my novel published by Cedar Fort Inc, a regional publisher based in Springville, Utah.

Wooo Hoooo!

And now the real work begins.

They actually made their offer based on the submission I sent in last September, yet I’ve spent the last three months or so revising and rewriting. The updated story is much stronger. It’s also much longer – by about 40 pages, which is how many pages Cedar Fort wants me to cut.

So I’ve been working on going through and trimming out a bunch of stuff. Not fun. But I have a few ideas how to make it work.

Another thing they asked for is a new title. I guess The Flight of Na Pua Lei doesn’t work for them. I’ve come up with a handful to give them, but I could really use your help – hence the contest for this month is the title game. So far I have one suggestion – left as a comment on my Facebook blog simulcast. Now’s your chance to score some chocolate – contest open through this Friday.

I’m excited to shift gears here on the Delusion blog, chronicling the publishing adventure as I move forward.

Thanks to all of you for following along and supporting me in this adventure. I can tell the fun is just beginning.