ANNOUNCING: THE BLOG TOUR!

Hey Everybody!

I am excited to announce my upcoming blog tour for my new book, "Season of Change!" If you're not familiar with a blog tour, this is simply a virtual way to spread the word about my book by chatting with people on different blogs all over the Web! I'm working on scheduling a two-week tour, but I'm so excited about the first week that I've booked that I'm going to post it here now!

Sept. 8--Chatty Kelly
Sept. 9--Sheila Wray Gregoire
Sept. 10--Lara at Moms of Faith
Sept. 11--Leigh Gray
Sept. 12--Dawn at My Home Sweet Home

Another author, Sheila Wray Gregoire, introduced me to this concept, and I'm going to try it! I think it will be lots of fun! The second week of the tour will actually include a Dad's blog, and I think it will be interesting to chat with him and get a dad's questions and concerns about middle school! I don't know if I'll have a full second week, but I'll see how the Lord leads. Whatever and however, it's going to be fun!

It is hard to believe the book "officially" launches next Tuesday; I have had copies of it since Memorial Day weekend and the FPEA conference.

I'll be blogging in the coming days about book promotion, and I'm happy to share with those of you who are writers what I know about it! It isn't easy. You have to get past thinking that you are "self-promoting" and recognize that you are promoting a message you believe in, a message that God gave you. When BBC first came out--oh my goodness--I had half of a room stacked with 5,000 copies of that self-published first edition. They were stacked next to my treadmill and I would get on my treadmill every day and pray, "God, please move that mountain of books." He did. HE DID.

How did He do it? He opened doors for me. Here are just a few ways:

• A rookie LifeWay store manager who bought 100 copies on consignment
• My friend Sherry's husband, who was then editor of Rick Warren's Ministry Toolbox, sent word of BBC out to 40,000 pastors through a brief review on the site.
  
• My husband met Lysa Terkeurst, gave her a copy of the book, and she called and invited me to attend the very first She Speaks! back in 2001. About a year and a half later, Lysa gave my name to a ministry that invited me to be a part of three parenting conferences in New Jersey, Texas, and Georgia (and they purchased 150 of my books upfront!)
• A feature article in the Lexington Herald, all because I called the newspaper and asked if there would be any interest in a story.
• A couple of Christian OB-GYN's here in Nashville who bought 300 copies to give to their expecting moms.

Did I have to knock on the doors? Yes, of course, I did! But He led me to those doors, and He gave me the courage to press on when doors did not open, because not every door did. Debra Maffett, who wrote the forward for BBC, told me, "You're on learning curve right now," and I was, indeed. And I still am--which is why my tagline has always been, "Learning as I go!"

J. Hudson Taylor said, "I have found there are three stages to every great work of God: first it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.”

Think about that today. Are there seeming impossibilities in your life or relationships? Are there dreams, goals, desires of your heart that seem way too out there?

Impossible.
Difficult.
Done.

I like that.