One More Step Completed (And a Surprise!)

This was a good week! Not only did I finish making the final edits sent to me by the keen-eyed Ann Ward, I stopped waffling on several decisions.

1. After consulting with 120, 725 people (ok – that might be an exaggeration) I settled on my author name: Deborah S. Holman. Of course, that caused a domino effect as I already created the book cover using D. S. Holman. So…
2. I have a new book cover. Since I needed to change the name anyway, I took the suggestion of Marian Burk Wood to make a few tweaks to the cover. What do you think? It might need a little more finessing, but I’m getting close.

3. I decided to publish using Global Distribution through the self-publishing site, lulu.com. I have published several books through them and have always been satisfied. Most of my books were not for public sale, but I’ve had good results selling the dollhouse guide that I co-wrote with Linda Gant.
(The Complete Reference Guide to Ideal’s Petite Princess and Princess Patti Dollhouse Furniture)

Using lulu’s platform, I can sell directly to the consumer, through lulu.com’s online bookstore, and through ANY online site, such as Amazon. Seems like a good choice. Plus, I’m quite comfortable with their process.

What’s next, you ask? Formatting. Ugh. Formatting. I have settled on font and font size (large enough so old, tired eyes can read easily!), line spacing, and how to set chapter headings. The only problem is—drumroll, please—the book is 451 pages!!! I guess I had a lot to say. I am definitely NOT cutting anything. That was taken care of during earlier editing. (Can you imagine—the book would have been even longer?) I will play around with adjusting margins and the spacing between the chapter title and where the body text begins to see if it makes any sense to make changes there. If not, as my sister Kathy likes to say, “Oh well.”

I’m running out of ways to procrastinate. Pretty soon, I am going to have to upload the completed PDF, print the book, and find out what the world has to say about my work.

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So, what’s the surprise? Hang on, I have one more thing to tell you first. Yet another “serendipitous” event happened today. I have had several over the course of this project. (I like to imagine my mother’s entire family is “up there” directing my progress.) The concluding part of the novel reveals the fate of the family members featured in my story. As I edited the paragraph about my Uncle Emile, I read his death date: December 21, 1963. Exactly 60 years ago today. Coincidence? You decide.

That leads me to the surprise. A month or so ago, I received an email from Ancestry that there was a message for me. I won’t reveal names here for privacy reasons, but it turns out I have a newly discovered cousin. Well, technically, she discovered me. I always thought my uncle’s line ended with the birth of his son. Decades later, I am amazed to learn he had a daughter! Last week, we had an hour-and-a-half-long phone call. She is so thrilled to have found family and we are looking forward to building our relationship. Because of my research for the book, I have so much more to tell her about her grandfather.

And that, my friends, is why we explore family history.