Rebekah Simmers
Author
Phew! What A Month It Was & What A Month It Will Be!
I have been pretty quiet here for the month of June, so wanted to check in with an update. It was a rather busy month. And July is going to be quite full as well!
Quick Family Review: We finished up the school year for the kids. (Which ended on a good note, thankfully) Started sorting out our summer. (Which, as we are expected to PCS next summer, I’ve tried to make as relaxing as possible for them. Sometimes the soul just needs a good rest, right?) Spent some wonderfully recharging time with two of my dearest friends from Germany and their kids (which was such a treat, especially as we don’t like to say “Good-bye” but rather “See you later” in the military community every time we move)
Quick Proof Review: I rode the roller coaster of emotions with getting my first round of proof copies for my novel. I posted about how unbelievably gratifying it was to hold my work in print form and it still is. Every time that I pick up that copy, it’s a rush. I sent some of those proofs out to friends and dove into my own to look for any lingering issues. (Which I found. I mean seriously, where do they even come from at this point? Typos / Missing Quotation Marks / Formatting issues – I’m looking at you – please see the note to the left. I wish I knew who to attribute this image to, because it is spot on and makes me laugh every time that I see it.) BUT. As marked up as that proof copy is, and as frustrating as it was, I am OVER THE MOON about that experience now. Why? One, because I got to spend several hours on the phone with a dear friend talking about the book and all the things. Two, because she became invested in the characters and told me she wanted more backstory. Not too much, just a few more lines here and there. That was like music to my ears and also gave me several ideas as I move forward with the next novel. Third, because it gave me the opportunity to fix those things and get one step closer to bringing the best version of it I can to you on August 3rd!
Other Writing News: I attended my first Historical Novel Society North America conference at the end of the month. So. Much. Information! I’m still catching up and watching recorded sessions. It is AMAZING how giving the writing community is. The presentations were incredible and covered so much territory. Everything from “getting into a writing habit” to “how to make history come alive” to “art and symbolism” to “industry insight” to “writing about family history” to “writing fights and battles” to so much more. I always enjoy conferences – I love to learn – but this was especially well organized and made me feel more confident and better prepared as I take these next steps forward.
What to expect in July: Well. Tomorrow, we are officially FOUR WEEKS AWAY from Release Day for The King’s Sword!! It’s so very exciting!! I plan to do a lot of “Countdown to Launch” posts this month to give you more behind the scenes info, bits of interesting history, and a giveaway in my newsletter (look for that information next week!) I’m really quite thrilled and I hope that you enjoy them!
Thank you to everyone who has already pre-ordered and shared about my novel. Paperback will launch on August 3rd as well š Woohoo!!
Rebekah Simmers 
Can’t wait to read the entire story!! š
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It’s so close now!! I’ll be so honored and thankful if you read it Ami! š
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