Today has been one of those ‘wonderfully stressful’ days that leave you both exhausted and invigorated all at the same time. Needless to say, I have jumped headfirst into this latest book project (*see announcement below) and spent the better part of this morning communicating via email with the publisher, as well as the church and NPS reps, in order to begin the process of acquiring source materials and media from their archives.

It has been close to two-years since I released a book (I've written one other during that time) and I have not felt this excited in a while. I now recall what Richard, Eric, JD, Kevin, Michael, and all the others feel when they discuss the status of their latest books online. I missed this feeling, and although I have several magazine and newspaper stories in progress, this book is a most welcome addition to my plate.

The good folks at The History Press have been absolutely outstanding and I am very much looking forward to working with them, as they truly appear to care about the authors that they represent. Apparently, promotional opportunities and a release party are already being discussed and I haven’t even written a word beyond my original proposal. That makes me feel VERY GOOD, as their confidence in me is more motivation than I’ll ever need.

In addition to treating their people right, HP is also graciously open to the author’s suggestions, and although they have a ‘set’ count on the amount of content that they want, their contracts still allow for flexibility. This option enables the author to tell the whole story in the manner that the subject requires. Tentatively, I have a 10-month window to complete the manuscript, and the book will have approx. 35,000+ words (4000+ words x's 8 churches + Introductions and Index) w/ 50 photographs. As I am already receiving tremendous support from both the churches and the NPS, I firmly believe that the readers will have a very original and insightful piece when it’s completed.

Over the last few weeks, I have made some new friends and I am really looking forward to more new relationships with fellow Christians and historians from my area. Most of all, I am looking forward to sharing little-known or neglected stories from our area. I plan to include as many noteworthy accounts as I can from the recollections of local Shepard’s (such as Rev. Tucker Lacy) and their first-hand impressions of people such as Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, to the institution of African-American churches, and their members’ experiences that took place following the war. It’s going to be a lot of work, but I am so grateful to have been granted this opportunity.

How blessed are we to get to do the things that we love - and then have the fruits of our labor enjoyed by other people? The answer is VERY.