I'd Love to Introduce You...

I need to tell you about this remarkable redhead because her story may affect your future. She’d be awfully old if she were still around, 106 to be exact. Maggie lost her husband Douglas in World War II, except she never considered it much of a loss. The fact that her husband would not be returning home to Canada meant she’d never again have to suffer abuse at his hands. Nor would anyone ever know about the beatings she endured, or about the unborn child she’d lost as a result. She could play the role of grieving widow with no one the wiser. The sympathy might even prove good for business.

Maggie ran a restaurant in Winnipeg called Bert’s Diner, after her father who established it. Even during the war years, the restaurant did all right because it was famous for its delicious food—cooked, of course, by Maggie. She lived upstairs over the diner and her customers could never figure out why she took in pregnant teenagers to live with her and help in the restaurant. By 1942, the boys were gone to war and Maggie was down to one girl named Charlotte.

Charlotte was exiled to Winnipeg from faraway Ontario by her wealthy, prideful parents who insisted on keeping her pregnancy hush-hush until the baby could be adopted out so their friends would never learn the family’s shameful secret. They should have realized their daughter was an imaginative, romantic girl who fantasized about her baby’s father marrying her and sweeping her away to live happily ever after. Without telling a soul, Charlotte ran away and succeeded in catching a train that would take her well into the neighboring province. Her plan might have worked, too, if she hadn’t gone into labor on the journey.

When Maggie discovered Charlotte missing, she did a little detective work and solicited the help of her old friend, Rev. Reuben Fennel. The reverend was a bit of an odd duck—even as a kid, he’d get these weird messages straight from God. They were always instructions to do something out of the ordinary and, though Reuben never told anyone about them, he usually obeyed. And they always seemed to turn out to make sense in the end. But when he took off with Maggie on a cross-country chase for a pregnant teenager using a special fuel ration card set aside for church emergencies, it resulted in his getting fired from his job. His involvement In Maggie’s troubles eventually led to broken ribs and a gunshot wound, and Maggie learned that war heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they don’t even go to war.

The lives of these three individuals became intrinsically intertwined and everything that happened to them has affected my life as well, even though I’ve only recently discovered their stories. 

All three are figments of my imagination. They are the main characters in my new novel called Maggie’s War, and I am thrilled to announce it will be released by Waterfall Press next winter. If you read my first book, The Silver Suitcase, something about this second story will have a familiar ring to it. If you haven’t, well, summer’s here. Your deck chair is calling.

I’m telling you all this as a way of saying a huge thank you. It’s largely because my readers were generous with their reviews of my first book that it sold enough copies to persuade its publisher to release the second. And yep, I’m working on a third.

You’re a part of it. Thanks for reading.

A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to the Best Seller List

Folks have been asking how my book has been selling since its January launch, so I thought I’d write a blog post about it.

All right, maybe two people asked.

Okay, fine, it was one person who asked twice. 

The short answer is, it’s doing well. And I’m learning lots about this crazy business.

I’ve learned even the experts don’t always know.

I was told by more than one publishing professional that if I hoped to sell a book to an American publisher, I would need to move the setting of my story from Manitoba to the United States. I like to remain teachable, but this was one hill I refused to surrender and I’m so glad I didn’t! As I write this, over 6,000 copies have sold, mostly in Kindle format, over 99% of them in the United States. In fact, more have sold in the UK and Australia than in Canada! Judging by the kinds of books that win Canadian literary awards, I think Canadian readers might be too sophisticated for what I write. But don’t tell my American friends I said so.

I’ve learned who knows the tricks.

Because my publisher, Waterfall Press, is owned by Amazon, they’ve got all the marketing genius required to rocket my book into the bestseller category. For a few hours on April 6, The Silver Suitcase hit #26 in all of Kindle books (to put this in perspective, Kindle has over a million books available) and #1 in both the inspirational and historical fiction genres. While it dropped back to the six-digit range the very next day, it stayed at the top in the inspirational category for several days afterwards. 

Amazon achieves this by running a $1.99 special available to certain customers for a few hours. That shoots the e-book to the top of the heap for that day... which generates more reader reviews, which generates more sales, and so on. And in May, the paperbacks are going into U.S. Walmart stores!

I’ve learned patience pays off.

If I had gone ahead and self-published, I’d basically be done now. I’ve sold a copy to everyone I know who wants one and I’m not inclined to go peddling it from door to door. But I knew God was directing me to trust him and wait on his timing, and he is doing more than I could have orchestrated in a million years. Whatever you do, don’t miss out on something God has for you because you jumped ahead or gave up too soon! He works far beyond your horizons.

I’ve learned authors don’t get rich.

And for those of you wondering how many millions of dollars I’m earning, I hate to disappoint you. Most people assume, as I once did, that a bestselling book means—at least—an adequate income to live on. But when you realize an average of one dollar per book goes to the author, spread out over the seven years it took me to write and sell this one, you can see why I won’t be quitting my day job any time soon.

But something far better is happening. Every day, reviews are added by people I’ve never met and likely never will. The scathing reviews keep me grounded, and the kind ones keep me working on my next book. My favorite so far is this one, from an unnamed Amazon customer: 

“As I finish the last page of this book, I have to take a moment to reflect the influence it has made. I don’t think my life will ever be the same. This was a beautiful story that can touch the hearts of many. I found myself praying and digging into my own story for peace. I will recommend this book to everyone I know. Initially this was a random download, but now I’m not so sure.”

I’m not so sure, either. So let’s celebrate, shall we? If you’d like your name in a draw to win a free, autographed copy of The Silver Suitcase, email me at terriejtodd[at]gmail[dot]com by 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 1 with the words “Book Draw” in the subject line.

It's My Party and You Can Come if You Want To

A party’s in the works, and you’re invited.

If you’ve ever read one of my blog posts (and you’re obviously reading at least part of this one), then you’re invited. Why? Because, as a reader of my blog, you have played an unwitting role in my quest toward becoming an author. After all, a writer is nothing without a reader, right? And this writer needs some readers to celebrate with, so it’s your party too.

Photo by G. Loewen Photography

On January 26, Waterfall Press will release my first novel, The Silver Suitcase. That evening at 6:30, I’m hosting a book launch party at the Portage Regional Library, 40 Royal Road North. Since I first sat down on January 4, 2009 to see if I could write a book, my journey to this day has been a long, roller-coaster ride. I’ve received more rejections than I care to keep track of and made more revisions than I can count. Through most of it, kind comments from readers have often been my inspiration to keep working at the writing craft. When Jessie, my agent, sold the manuscript to an honest-to-goodness paying publisher last February, I could hardly believe it. This month, before we even took our Christmas tree down, twelve boxes of books arrived on our doorstep. Now hubby’s complaining that our home is beginning to look like a warehouse. We need your help! And besides, I want to meet you and say thanks. (And maybe even sell you a book.)

The Silver Suitcase is primarily for lovers of inspirational women’s fiction, but the few men who have read it liked it, too. It’s a story of two women separated by three generations but connected by the secrets stored in an old silver suitcase…and one powerful, healing God who pursues them both.

If you’re not much of a reader, come for the homemade pie and ice cream. (Chosen because the book includes a funny story about pie and a reoccurring theme involving an antique ice cream maker.) If you don’t like pie, come for the live music (my dear friend and inspiration, Julianne Dick, on piano.) If you’re not into music, come for the fabulous door prizes. If you’re not into prizes, come to hear me read a brief snippet from the book. (And if you don’t like hearing me read, I’ll sell you the audiobook read by professional voice actor, Kate Rudd!) You’re under no obligation to buy a book, but if you want to, you can—for twenty bucks, cash or cheque. I’ll sign it and give a dollar for each book sold to our local Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

I’ve chosen this charity because the two main characters in my story grew up in single-parent homes and both could have benefitted from a mentor in their younger years. As Canada’s leading child and youth mentoring charity, Big Brothers/Big Sisters facilitates life-changing relationships that inspire and empower children and youth to reach their potential, both as individuals and citizens. Our Portage la Prairie chapter has been creating such friendships since 1974.

If you can’t make it to the launch at the library, ask for The Silver Suitcase at Heritage Book & Gift Shop, 1609 Saskatchewan Ave. West, or order online from Amazon: HERE if you live in Canada and HERE if you live in the United States. 

But I sure hope to see you at the party—January 26 from 6:30 until 8:00. You earned it!

How to Talk to Smart Women (and a cover reveal!)

This month, I enjoyed the privilege of speaking to our local chapter of the Canadian Federation of University Women. They asked me to talk about my journey as a writer, which I’m always happy to do—even if feeling somewhat intimidated by the fact that I’ve never earned a degree and even the continuing education certificate I acquired didn’t occur until I was in my fifties. What could I possibly say to these smart women? Would they all be wearing grad gowns and mortarboards? Would I need to learn some high-falutin’ words before they could understand me? Should I make some up?

But then I learned that “any woman who supports the goals of CFUW” qualifies for membership, and that their goals include fostering education and lifelong learning and advocating for women’s equality and human rights. Among their local projects are a scholarship fund for deserving female high school grads and support of our local women’s shelter. Nothing I can’t get behind.

So I shared the things I’ve learned through writing and answered their intelligent questions as best I could. Since much of what I’ve learned is transferable to every area of life, I thought I’d share a little of what I told them here and you can apply it wherever it fits.

You don’t find the time, you make it.

I’ve heard many people say “I’m going to write a book some day when I have the time.” Good luck with that. We’re all given 24 hours a day and if something is really important to you, you’ll somehow make time for it. Two ways I made time for writing? Leaving a full-time job for a part-time one, and not having TV in our home.

Nothing worth having comes easy.

Two guests sit at a dinner. When the first reveals that he is a writer, the other says “I’m a surgeon, but I plan to write after I retire.” To which the writer replies, “What a coincidence! I plan to do surgery after I retire.”

Writing is hard work. Few, if any, write the next great novel without a ton of research, rewriting and revising. It doesn’t happen overnight. Even after my manuscript was contracted for publication, it went through three revisions, and it had been revised many times prior to that.

Perseverance and tenacity are a must.

Author Louis L’Amour said, “If you’re going to be a writer, the first essential is to write. Do not wait for an idea. Start writing something and the ideas will come. You have to turn the faucet on before the water starts to flow.”

I have found this especially true in cranking out a weekly column for the past five years. Deadlines arrive relentlessly, and the words never simply flow. They must be primed, often with words that will later be deleted.

Humility makes you strong in the long run.

Most writers take several years and receive hundreds of rejections before their first manuscript is accepted for publication. I began my first novel, The Silver Suitcase, in January of 2009 and it will be published in January of 2016. Along the way, I’ve learned that rejection and criticism hurt. But both of these, when done constructively and honestly, can teach you more than any book or course. Rather than wallow in despair, take these suggestions to heart and do something about it. Never stop being teachable.

Passion trumps all.

Some folks assume that writing is a great way to become rich, but I won’t be quitting my day job any time soon. Robert Benchley said, “The freelance writer is someone who is paid per piece or per word or perhaps.”

I write from a need to express myself, but also to use a gift given me by my Creator. I want to please him with what I write.

What gift has God given you? How do these lessons apply?

My first novel releases from Waterfall Press January 26, 2016!