A Long Time Coming in the Blink of an Eye

It’s less than two weeks to the release of THE LAST SUPPERS on December 26. That’s 12 days, 12 hours and change. The whole journey to publication has been mind-boggling – and lengthy. Which makes 12 days seem like a blink of the eye.

• I started writing the book in September 2013. I just looked back at one of the first Word files I saved. The first page of chapter one is almost word for word what the printed book features, except that the draft was in first person and the finished product is in third person. (Many thanks to my nephew, Hunter Knox, who suggested the change.)
• It took until February 2015 to finish writing the draft (including the back and forth with my main critique partner, Micki Browning). While still holding a day job.
• My agent, JL Stermer, and I worked on it for the next four months (including the revisions she suggested).
• The book went out on submission to publishers in October 2015.
• John Scognamiglio, editor in chief at Kensington Publishing, read it over Thanksgiving and wanted to know what else I was working on. My agent and I pitched the synopsis for THIS SIDE OF CRAZY, the first book I wrote, back in 2010.
• In mid-December 2015, John made the offer of a two-book deal.
• During summer 2016, I revised the book based on John’s insightful suggestions. (He’s truly amazing. For those of you who love the character, Dot, he’s the reason she has a much more prominent role in the finished product.)
• The cover was designed in January 2017.
• In spring 2017, I learned the book would be the premiere title in Kensington Publishing’s new hardcover imprint, John Scognamiglio Books (named after my editor who was celebrating his 25th year with the publisher).

The rest of 2017 has been a blur of promotion (thank you Vida and Lulu for your incredible publicity skills), reviews, anticipation and stress baking. Back in December 2015, I thought I couldn’t possibly wait A WHOLE TWO YEARS for the book to be published. And now, here it is. HERE IT IS. Methinks 2018 will be its own special kind of blur. I’m ready.