Book Giveaway: IF I WEREN’T WITH YOU

Congratulations to author Rosie J. Pova. She has a new book IF I WEREN’T WITH YOU and has offered to giveaway a free copy of her book. All you have to do to get in the running is to leave a comment, reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know the other things you did to share the good news, so I can put in the right amount of tickets in my basket for you. Check back to discover the winner.

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

“Mama, if I weren’t born, what would you do?” Willy starts a conversation with mama Bear while he’s on the move, acting like a natural youngster. In a series of simple and direct questions, the bear cub seeks and receives his mother’s reassurance of love and security as the two take a walk in the forest. Mama Bear uses imagery of the forest to communicate her feelings to her cub.

The Book’s Journey 

I wrote this story in the spring of 2013. Since it was a quiet story, I didn’t query wildly with it because I knew it will be difficult to attract an agent’s attention with that type of story, especially for an unpublished writer. But I did send it out a few times and I remember one agent’s reply–a personalized rejection–where he said the manuscript reminded him of The Runaway Bunny. I was not familiar with that book. As I grew up in Bulgaria, it wasn’t one of my childhood reads, as it probably was for many people. So I had to look it up.

I was surprised to find out it had been published so long ago but it was still in print. I thought, the fact that this agent had compared my book to a classic was both good news and bad news: on one hand, it would be tough to compete with an established book, but on the other hand, clearly there was still a market for similar stories. Plus, mine was different enough not to be confused with that title.

Staying  on the positive side and with a healthy dose of wishful thinking, I mused that maybe my book would get published one day, maybe the world needs another quiet story about mother’s love, and maybe my book will find lots of readers, too . . . Hey, they say dream big, right?

The story went through a few rounds of revisions with my critique group and a couple of  freelance editors. I did get some positive feedback, but not much happened for a long time. But like I said, it wasn’t my first choice to submit to an agent. However, if I saw an opportunity to submit to an editor who I thought was a good match for quiet, lyrical stories, I sent it out.

Fast forward to the summer of 2016 when I discovered a small local publishing house and submitted the story to them, along with another manuscript that she had invited me to send. The publisher replied in two days and this is what she said:

“Rosie,

Thank you so much for sharing these with me! I absolutely adore “If You Weren’t Here”. It reminds me a lot of a book I would have read to my youngest son. I often referred to him as my baby bear.”

She offered me a contract to publish it.

The original title changed and the manuscript went through many many more revisions and tweakings since that time (I did not keep count but when people say they went through a hundred drafts of edits I can now completely relate).

And that’s how the book came to be. Now it’s out in the world and I’m excited to share it with everyone!

ROSIE’S BIO:

Rosie J. Pova is a children’s author, poet, wife, and a mama bear of three. Ever since childhood, Rosie has been fascinated with the power of words. Her passion for writing took her on a long journey of discoveries, learning, and growth through the ups and downs but she is grateful for all experiences.
With her stories, Rosie dreams of inviting many readers into her make-believe worlds, hoping to touch them with her words. Visit her at http://www.rosiejpova.com

Thank you Rosie for sharing your book and journey with us. We wish you the best!

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy