GUEST BLOGGER LORIE LANGDON: DETOURS AHEAD (And Giveaway!!)

First, let me say that after years of reading Seekerville, Carey and I are thrilled and honored to share a piece of our journey with you.  We pray it will inspire and challenge you as so many Seekerville posts have done for us.

For me, divine detours—or Divine Interventions, if you prefer—have become a way of life. Sometimes the detours are clear blessings, and other times they send me down a path that has me smacking my GPS and demanding an alternate route.  But even the most terrifying detours, eventually lead me to destinations better than I could have dreamed.

One such diversion happened a few years back when my corporate job of eight years was downsized. Even with our combined incomes, my husband and I struggled to cover all our expenses. And yet, we both felt the nudge that this was my time to pursue writing as a full-time career. So we took the detour.

Was it scary trying to support our family on half the income? Absolutely.  But every day I would put the kids on the bus and then sit down and write. And there was always just enough for everything we needed. I finished my first novel, an adult inspirational time-travel romance set during the Revolutionary War, and began to query agents. (Yep, it’s still sitting on my computer waiting for the inspy market to embrace its…er…unique combination of elements.)

 

As the rejections rolled in, I searched for a new project. I’d been kicking around the idea of doing a retelling of Brigadoon and it seemed appropriate that I should write it through the lens of my teenage self, since I’d seen the musical for the first time as a starry-eyed, hormone-crazed sixteen-year-old. Enter my brilliant critique partner, Carey Corp, who “coincidentally” had just finished her second young adult novel. When I began discussing my idea with Carey, the creative sparks exploded. Far away kingdoms, heroic swordfights, magic spells, two charming princes in kilts … soon it became clear that this story was bigger than the both of us, but that together we could make it amazing!

As you may have guessed, we took the detour, and DOON was born. We soon discovered co-writing is a rocky path, fraught with hairpin turns in communication, rock slides full of compromise and slippery tests of faith. But through two agents and seven (yes, seven) rewrites, our partnership and friendship have not only become stronger, but DOON is a better book than either of us could’ve imagined when we took the leap into co-authoring.

But neither of us could’ve guessed that our biggest divine detour was yet to come. After three long years of whipping our masterpiece into shape, it was time to enter the submission process. Carey and I are both Christians, and our novel has a subtle inspirational thread, but we decided we would play down the spiritual element in order to reach a broader readership. So our current agent, the fabulous Nicole Resciniti, sent our manuscript to all the top secular YA publishers. Weeks turned into months. We prayed and we waited and we prayed some more, but still we heard nothing—not even a rejection. Until we received a call from our agent who was attending a Christian publishing conference, she was ecstatic because every editor she spoke to was looking for a book they could market as an inspirational/mainstream crossover for teens, and they all wanted to read DOON.

Carey and I didn’t know there was such a thing as a mainstream/Christian crossover novel, but we couldn’t imagine a more perfect fit for our magical, modern-day fairytale. After a few more agonizing months of waiting, we received an offer from Zondervan/HarperCollins. Not only did they want to publish the entire DOON, four-book series in hardcover, they created a new division called Blink YA Books entirely for YA crossover novels and they wanted to make DOON their lead title!

Did we take the detour? You bet your pretty panties we did!!! And we haven’t regretted it for even a moment! Once again, God has exceeded our wildest expectations through Blink’s excitement and support for this series.

Exhibit A - Blink sent us to BEA in NYC last month and we signed over 300 books!

Was I a wee bit scared taking a leap with a brand new, untested imprint? Nope. Because after all the divine detours my magnificent God has taken me on, I’m beginning to trust and obey. I can look back and see how my character has been strengthened and how my faith has grown. I’ve learned more about myself and what God wants for my life than taking the safe route ever could’ve taught me.

So the next time you see a bright yellow divine detour sign, take heart my friend, you’re about to embark on a wild and wonderful adventure!

 ABOUT CAREY & LORIE:

Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon are the co-writers of DOON, Brigadoon reimagined. Book One coming 8/20/13 from the new YA imprint BLINK (a division of Zondervan/HarperCollins). Join us on our journey at http://doonseries.com/.

GIVEAWAY!!

What are some of your experiences with divine detours? I’d love to chat with you! Leave a comment or question to be entered into a drawing for a signed advanced copy of DOON!

       ~Lorie

 Exhibit B - our amazing, custom designed cover!

ABOUT DOON:
Veronica doesn't think she's going crazy. But why can't anyone else see the mysterious blond boy who keeps popping up wherever she goes? When her best friend, Mackenna, invites her to spend the summer in Scotland, Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months. But the Scottish countryside holds other plans. Not only has the imaginary kilted boy followed her to Alloway, she and Mackenna uncover a strange set of rings and a very unnerving letter from Mackenna's great aunt---and when the girls test the instructions Aunt Gracie left behind, they find themselves transported to a land that defies explanation. Doon seems like a real-life fairy tale, complete with one prince who has eyes for Mackenna and another who looks suspiciously like the boy from Veronica's daydreams. But Doon has a dark underbelly as well. The two girls could have everything they've longed for... or they could end up breaking an enchantment and find themselves trapped in a world that has become a nightmare.