Tag: Publishing

Grief, Stories, Writing

“What do you do with that?” – Memoir Update

Mark Wayne

“What do you do when the waves of finality wash over you and cover you in a different reality? Can one single moment define your entire life? A life is made up of a series of events, some happy, some sad, some magic, and some tragic. The tragic moments, the events filled with trauma, pain, and loss irrevocably change us forever. There is no going back from these events. We are undeniably not the same as we were before, so the question remains,— what do you do with that?” ©Mark Wayne

The above is an excerpt from my upcoming memoir ‘Cowboys Are Not Supposed to Cry’ due out next spring, exact date still to be determined. Here is a short list of updates of what has been happening:

  • The first round of edits has been done on the manuscript, waiting on the second round from the editing team at my publisher.
  • Received some permissions and fair use for quoted material in my book, other material has been rewritten to avoid using copyrighted material.
  • I recorded an interview with Ronit Plank for her podcast ‘And Then Everything Changed’ the date for interview to go live is January 12, 2021.
“What do you do with that?”

Grief and loss changes us, how could it not and what do you do with that? #WickedQuestions #BlogPost #Memoir #UpcomingBook

God, Grief, Life, Writing

Memoir Publishing Update – “Cowboys Are Not Supposed To Cry”

Mark Wayne

The journey has begun from draft manuscript to published book.

Please Note: This is most likely not the final cover only a draft I created.

The manuscript, about the author bio, back of the book blurb and foreword have all been submitted to the Editing Department. Next steps is comprehensive edit with suggested changes submitted back to me for further editing and approval. It is a little nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time.

The foreword was written by a good friend of mine who I first met through a professional relationship many years ago. The following is a short excerpt from the foreword he wrote for my book, which I absolutely love. He captured the theme, tone and purpose of my story perfectly. He knows my journey intimately and I am honored he would do this for me and very appreciative.

“This book is for people who have had real pain. People who have loved and lost, and are struggling to move on.” #Memoir #Foreword #UpcomingBook > ‘Cowboys Are Not Supposed To Cry’

I have also submitted ideas to the Cover Design Department to begin the process of creating a book cover. I look forward to the creative ideas from the cover designer. More to come on that progress in a future post.

I will leave you with this – if I can write a book so can you if you want to. It took me over 25 years to finally complete the manuscript. Many years of contemplation, learning, living and healing until I could pull it all together into a whole over the last 3 years. And now I am a mere months away from having a published book in my hands and maybe yours!

You can > Reconcile your Past, Embrace your Present, and Redeem your Future! #LiveYourDreams #JustBelieve #HopeLives #Memoir #Grief

LIVE YOUR DREAMS

Grief, Life, Stories, Writing

Memoir Update – Signed Publishing Agreement!

Mark Wayne

It’s official!

*Note: Working title and not actual cover.

Exciting news!!! I have signed a publishing and distribution agreement with Christian Faith Publishing for my memoir. I submitted my manuscript to their review board, they accepted the draft and want to publish my book. Woo-hoo! 😁

Signing the agreement with my daughter!
  • It has been a long journey for sure to get to this point, never stop chasing your dreams!
  • Expected publication date is still to be determined, sometime in early 2021.
  • Lots to be done before then – editing, proofing, typesetting, cover design etc.

I have been busy drafting my author bio and the book blurb. That is harder than writing the actual book. Who knew? 😳

Book teaser >

When did we come to believe the best thing you can do with death is ride off from it? In Cowboys Are Not Supposed To Cry, Mark Wayne tells his story of living a life with grief beginning in his mid-twenties. #Memoir #AmWriting #UpcomingBook #WritersLife

I hope to post some excerpts from the forthcoming book as I go through the editing process as well as other updates here on the blog. So be sure to hit the follow button and sign up for email notifications to get the latest.

*Note: Working title and not actual cover.

I would love to hear your initial impressions or thoughts. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and will help guide efforts as I move forward in publishing and marketing.

#LiveYourDreams

Adventure, Art, Writing

62,000 Words … What’s Next?

Mark Wayne

The NovelAt long last, 212 double space typed pages, over 62,000 words and 10 months later I have a rough draft manuscript that could be, just might be a masterpiece!  Yeah!  I finally finished my first novel after starting last November during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.)  I completed 56,000 words during the month but it has taken me until now in fits and starts to fully flesh out the chronologically and tie up lose ends (I hope) and come to a conclusion that made sense with the original concept I started from.

Next step is having my lovely wife read, review and tear it apart just a little. 🙂 Then I will revise where and if needed.  I will then be asking for help from others to read the manuscript and give feedback and then who knows.  Publishing?  Maybe self-publishing? E-book?  If you have any suggestions or ideas I would love to hear them.  Oh, and to come up with title!  A little teaser about the story is below!

“Love and destiny sometimes finds us all when we least expect it, as is the case for two couples living in two The Novel #2different eras hundreds of years apart.  As evil hunts each unlikely pair  they find themselves in the fight of their lives as love grows for one another and faith in an all powerful God are renewed.  The stage is set for romance and adventure and in the ultimate showdown between good and evil they discover of a love that exists outside of time.”

This is exciting for me and I have some other ideas percolating and hope to participate in NaNoWriMo again this year.  Thanks for reading and all the support each wonderful reader of my posts has given to me. ~M