Katie Ganshert, Author at Katie Ganshert

ARCs and a Super Duper Early Giveaway

Posted on December 5, 2011December 5, 2011 by Katie Ganshert

Last Thursday, my doorbell rang at 2:30 p.m. and my first thought was, “Bookmarks!” Actually, that’s a lie. My first thought was, “You’re going to wake up the kid!” But once that passed through the system, my mind jumped to bookmarks.

So I raced downstairs and opened the door and found……two boxes.

This puzzled me. I was pretty sure we didn’t order that many bookmarks. Surely they weren’t my ARCs. Those weren’t scheduled to arrive for another two weeks. Curious, I picked up a box. And the weight made my stomach go all fluttery.

I hurried to the kitchen. Grabbed the nearest knife. Cut through the tape. Tore open the top. And there they were. My ARCs had arrived!

Seeing my book was a lot like seeing my son for the first time. I used to think, before I gave birth to Brogan, that I’d cry when the doctor handed him over. But when the moment came, I was not emotional. It was all too surreal to be emotional. And I was high on Percocet. The same thing happened here (only without the drugs). I didn’t hold my book in my hand and weep for joy. I held it in my hand and laughed. Not because the book is funny-looking. But because I couldn’t believe what I was holding.

Instead of crying, I felt like tossing the books up in the air and rolling in them.

Once that passed, part of me felt like shoving them into some envelopes and sending them out right away. The other part wanted to hide them from the world.

Before I explain this interesting conundrum, how about a definition?

ARC stands for Advanced Reader Copy. Do you see that purple circle on the bottom right of my cover? That purple circle lets people know that the copy isn’t the final version. It’s a version that has not yet passed through copy edits and galley proofs. And since I’m a perfectionist when it comes to my writing, the idea that people will be reading imperfect copies makes me a wee bit twitchy. Thank the good Lord for that purple circle because I already found two errors. One on the very first page, where it says He man, instead of The man. Just for the record, my book is not about Heman.

Anyway, I have a box of these at my house.

Waiting for the right moment to make their way into the world and hopefully, create some buzz.

The early kind.

While my amazingly awesome in-house marketer will use the ARCs to create a buzz in bigger circles, I’ll use them on a more personal level.

Here’s what I plan to do with them:

Visit the book stores in my area. Introduce myself to the manager. And leave him/her with an ARC and bookmarks.
Give an ARC to the lovely lady in charge of my church’s Books and Things kiosk to see if they might sell my book at church.
Give an ARC to a friend who writes for the Quad City Times to see if she’d be interested in featuring the book in an article.
Send ARCs to book reviewers who’ve agreed to review Wildflowers from Winter on their blog.
Send ARCs to people who have volunteered to be early influencers.

Timing is key.

I don’t plan to send them out until late March. I don’t want the buzz to die away before the book hits the shelves.

But still. It’s Christmas time. And in the spirit of Christmas, and in an effort to let go and dive into the scary world of sharing my work, I’d love to giveaway a free ARC to one of my awesome blog readers. All you have to do is leave a comment that you’re interested, and I’ll pick the winner on December 14th. Come Christmas time, you could have a shiny new book on your door step (albeit, an imperfect one).

Let’s Talk: Are you a perfectionist? In what areas of your life? Would you like an ARC of Wildflowers from Winter for Christmas?

Affection

Posted on December 2, 2011November 25, 2011 by Katie Ganshert

I’m an affectionate mom. My son has grown up with a mother who gives him too many hugs and too many kisses and too many cuddles and too many pinches. I can’t help it.

Have you seen little-boy underwear? I think it might be the cutest thing in the world. So when he’s walking up the steps in front of me with Mater on his tiny hiney, I really have no control over my pinches.

Not to worry. He laughs and giggles and races up the stairs.

And I promise I won’t continue when the little boy underwear turns into boxer briefs. I’m determined to give my child as few complexes as possible.

Anyway, I’m digressing.

This post is about affection.

It’s about how I grew up in a very affectionate home, where hugs and kisses were never lacking. It’s about how much I love to lavish that same affection on my wild-child of a son. And how precious our cuddle times are before bedtime, when he whispers, “I love you, Mommy” into my ear. And how sad I get when I think that someday, he won’t want to cuddle anymore. And how this last thought makes me want to treasure every single cuddle he gives me between now and then.

Let’s Talk: Did you grow up in an affectionate home? Are you an affectionate person? If your kids are older, at what point did they stop wanting to cuddle?

Accomplishing the Impossible

Posted on November 30, 2011December 15, 2011 by Katie Ganshert

Lately, I’ve been feeling a bit stressed.

And what’s scary is that this is only a taste of what’s to come.

Once we’re in the throes of our adoption, and once my book hits shelves, life is only going to get crazier. And to add to the craziness, we recently learned that my hubs is a kidney match for his younger brother. There’s a very real possibility that in four or five months, Ryan will undergo major surgery so he can give one of his kidneys away.

There was a two day span where I felt like my brain was in constant fast-forward. Juggling a million thoughts. And my mind kept nursing the impossibility of it all.

Everything that’s about to happen in our lives felt impossible.

The adoption is going to cost significant money.

If Ryan goes through with this surgery (he’s not the only match), he’ll be out of work for six weeks.

Not to mention the surgery would take place right when my book releases, which is going to be an insanely busy (albeit fun) time.

So yeah. My mind was whirling. And whirling. And whirling. Trying to figure out how it’s all going to work. And the more my brain whirled, the more I realized how absolutely prone I am to anxiety. The more I realized how much Satan relishes in our convoluted, circle-spinning worries.

Because the minute we take our eyes off Jesus and focus on the what-ifs, is the minute we turn into Peter. Walking on water one second. Sinking like a rock the next. So focused on the impossible waves that we lose sight of the One who can calm them with a snap of His finger. So focused on the impossible waves that we freak out and get back in the boat.

But then what?

What glory is there to be had for God when I curl up in the boat?

How will I experience the nonsensical, paranormal, mind-blowing POWER of Jesus Christ when I tackle only what can be done through my own feeble strength?

So there we were. Ryan and I. Rocking back and forth, back and forth about all that’s going down. The adoption. Kidney transplant. Finances. The adoption. Kidney transplant. Finances. Going absolutely nowhere. Trying to figure it all out in our tiny, finite minds. Until Ryan said, “What do you think God would say to us right now?”

Even now, several days later, I can still feel Him peeling our fingers away from the control we grasp so tightly in our white-knuckled fists. I can still hear Him whisper.

Trust me. I’ve got this.

And He does. He’s got it.

So I will take a deep breath. I will keep my eye on Jesus. And I will trust that the crazier the waves, the more glory He will get should He enable us to walk on them.

Let’s Talk: What waves has God enabled you to walk on in your life? How do you keep your focus on Him instead of the worries?

photo by KIJones