What to Expect When You’re Expecting – By Erica Vetsch

First, thanks to the fabulous Mary C. for inviting me back to Seekerville. I LOVE Seekerville, all the Seeker-girls, the comments, the camaraderie, the cookies! Stopping by Seekerville is something I look forward to each day.

Okay, by now you’ve read the title of this blog post, and I can maybe guess what you’re thinking: Is she making some sort of a baby announcement here?
Um. No. (For me that ship has sailed) But on the other hand, YES! I’m expecting. A debut novel! I received my first book contract in September of 2008, but The Bartered Bride doesn’t release until November, 2009.

Such.
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A.
`

Very.

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Long.
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Time.

`

To.
`

Wait.

It’s like being pregnant for 14 months.

During this time of waiting, I’ve been able to draw some correlations between expecting your first baby and the launch of your first novel.

• Over-the-top excitement and the thrill of telling all your friends and family your good news.

BABY: When I suspected I was pregnant with my first child, I bought one of those home tests. The instructions said to wait overnight, then use it first thing in the morning for the most accurate results. Small problem. The reason I suspected I was pregnant (other than the most obvious) was that I could no longer go all night without making a trip to the bathroom. So at three in the morning, wide-awake and awash with the need to make a pit-stop, I decided I’d just use the test. Woohoo, two pink lines. My husband, whom I had to wake up right away, squinted at the lines, then mumbled, “Tell me again in the morning.” Good thing he was excited about it when he woke up.

BOOK: I received a contract offer at the 2008 ACFW Conference from Heartsong Presents—a thrilling blessing given in front of about 500 authors, editors, and agents—an experience I will never forget.
After the session broke up (and I had heard NONE of Angela Hunt’s Keynote Address because I was somewhere north of cloud nine the rest of the session) my husband got a phone call right from the banquet hall of the conference. I waited to get home to tell my mom, my siblings, my church family, my hairdresser, etc. I shouted it on my blog, and my pastor put it in our church newsletter. I couldn’t tell enough people about the ‘baby’ on the way.

• Feeling a little sick.

BABY: I had morning sickness with my first pregnancy (and the second too, for that matter.) Certain foods, certain smells, certain times of the day. My gag reflex went into overdrive. Not enough saltine crackers in the world.

BOOK: When the initial euphoria of getting a contract wore off, I began to feel a little sick too. Was the novel good enough? Would I get hate mail? What if my mother read it and hated it? What if it fell flat and no publisher in his/her right mind would ever offer me work again? (I should stop typing these questions, because even now I get a little queasy.)

• Preparations. Getting ready.

BABY: When we were expecting our first baby, my husband and I were dead broke. God was providing for our needs, but not much else. Enter Garage Sales. Our child was clothed entirely with garage sale clothing and baby gifts for her first two years. I remember washing those new little onesies and nightgowns, sleepers and blankets, getting everything ready for that precious baby to arrive.

BOOK: Many preparations go into getting a novel ready for publication. These mostly go under the heading of “EDITS.” Critique partner edits, content edits, copy edits, galley edits. Then there’s the cover art questionnaire, the author bio (which felt like writing Elmo-speak…Erica lives in Minnesota…Erica writes historical romance) and the author photo.

• People who ask awkward questions.

BABY: For some reason, when you start to ‘show’ as an expectant mom, people’s social filters bust wide open and they seem to think they can ask you all sorts of awkward questions. “Did you plan this pregnancy?” “How much weight have you gained?” “How many more are you going to have?” “Can I touch your belly?”

BOOK: This happens with expectant authors too. (Well, hopefully not the belly question, but you understand.) “Are you a millionaire now?” “How big was your advance?” “What’s taking so long? I thought you said you were going to be published?” and my personal favorite, since I write category romance, “When are you going to write a real novel?”
The trick is to field these questions with humor and tact. :) Wish I had more of those two things.

• Feeling like you’re going to be pregnant forever.
BABY: With both of my pregnancies, the last two weeks were the longest. Uncomfortable, irritable, and oh, so ready for this baby to be born. And just as certain that it would never happen. I was going to be the first woman in history who got pregnant, carried a baby to term, and never actually gave birth.

BOOK: There are times when I’ve thought, “This book release date is NEVER going to get here.” There is a sweet lady at my church who asks almost on a weekly basis when my book is coming out. While I’m thrilled at her interest, it’s sometimes hard to be patient and explain to someone on the ‘outside’ just how slow the publishing world is. But the day will come. The book has made it through edits, we’re just four months away instead of fourteen, and it is now available for pre-order at www.christianbook.com. Steps that show delivery is imminent.

• Wondering if you’ll make a good ‘mom.’

BABY: I often wondered if God was sure He knew what He was doing putting a scatterbrain like me in charge of a helpless infant. Would I bond with my baby? Would I love her as much as I wanted to? Would I make mistakes? What would I do if she started crying? What would I do if she wouldn’t stop crying? What if she got sick? What about potty training? Should we homeschool, or should we send her to school? What should I wear to her wedding?????? (It’s okay, I already know I’m nuts.)

BOOK: When you’re waiting for your book to launch, you can get into some of the same patterns. Will I be a good author? Someone the editors and publishers will want to work with again? What should I do to market the book? What if nobody likes it? What if I schedule a book signing and NOBODY comes? What if I get a bad review? What if all my author friends who read it laugh at me for my pathetic efforts? ARGH! Deep breaths. Time to trust the Lord and your editors. Time to examine your motives for why you’re doing this. Are you seeking the approval of man or the approval of God? Did you do your best? Then let it rest.

• Some serious family planning for siblings.

BABY: No one can decide for someone else when their family is complete. There are personal, financial, or emotional reasons to limit your family. (File these types of questions under AWKWARD up above, if someone asks you how many kids you plan to have, etc.) My husband and I knew ours was complete when we had two children, a daughter and a son.

BOOK: In the world of novel-writing, it’s the same way. Some folks only want that initial thrill of having a book in print, and they are satisfied and move on to other things. Not so for me at this point. I want my debut baby to have lots of siblings. So far, there are five more in the works.

The Kennebrae Brides Series:
The Bartered Bride – November 2009
The Marriage Masquerade – January 2010
The Engineered Engagement – June 2010

The Brides of Money Creek (Idaho Brides):
Clara and the Cowboy – April 2010
Lily and the Lawman – August 2010
Maggie and the Maverick – November 2010

God is so GOOD! He’s been with me every step of the way, from the shores of Unpubbed Island, to the Obstetrician’s Office awaiting delivery, (yeah, I know, totally mixed metaphors) and I know He will be with me wherever it is that published authors live. :)


ERICA VETSCH is married to Peter and keeps the company books for the family lumber business. A home-school mom to Heather and James, Erica loves history, romance, and storytelling. Her ideal vacation is taking her family to out-of-the-way history museums and chatting to curators about local history. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Calvary Bible College in Secondary Education: Social Studies. You can find her on the web at On the Write Path. Her debut novel, The Bartered Bride is available for pre-order at Christian Book Distributors. If you’d like to order her book, click HERE.