JOY Give-away!!!

***Edited to add: Just to clarify, you do NOT need to have a blog to enter this give-away. Only one entry per person. And I am willing to ship outside the U.S.***

We're at approximately "T" minus three weeks until "the baby" arrives. I believe I have thought long enough about the announcement and give-away, and now I am ready to share the details with you.
OK, not all of the details. There is one thing I'm keeping a secret until the big day. hee hee I love secrets!

And there's a perfect lead-in to a tangent...
We have decided to get a dog (Puppy? We're not sure.) but haven't told the kids yet. Gotta do a little homework first. So last night Joshua was telling me it's hard for him to keep secrets from his friends and I agreed that keeping secrets is hard. Then I asked him, if I was keeping a secret from him, what would be the best secret I could possibly be keeping? He wasted no time in answering, "That we were getting a kitten or a puppy."
On the outside I laughed a yeah-right-that'll-never-happen kind of laugh. On the inside I was squealing with delight and almost blew the secret!!!

So, back to the book give-away.

I told you previously I wasn't sure if I was going to just let you enter, or if I'd make you work for it. Well, I have come up with a sort of compromise.

All you need to do to enter is leave me a comment with your name.(If you want to tell me how much you love me and my blog and how much you hope you win this book, while it won't increase you chances of winning, it will make me happy. *grin*)

The work part comes in claiming your prize. I will not be contacting you to tell you when you win. It will be up to you to watch check the post in which I announce the winner and then email me with your address. Oh dear, did I just give a clue about my secret? I am so bad at keeping secrets.
At this point the book is scheduled to be completed the week of September 30, so my announcement will likely take place during that week. As the time draws nearer I will update you on the announcement date. Don't worry, I will do my very best to keep you informed so you know when to watch check. Ugh! There I go again!

As for how many copies I'm giving away? That part I haven't decided yet. But if there are a whole bunch of entries I know I'm going to want to give away more than one book. So, I guess in this case the more people who enter - the better your chances of winning. Er, I don't know. Someone else can do the math and tell me if the statement I just made is correct.
Anyway, if you have a blog and want to link to this post, please feel free to do so.

But for now all you need to do is leave me a comment with your name, telling me you want to be entered into the drawing. Yes, it will be a literal drawing. I know there is some random number generator thing-y that can pick for me, but I have enough to do figuring out the video delivery for my announcement. So I'm going to stick with the old fashioned names-in-a-bowl selection method.

Blessings to you today!

Was That a Contraction?

If publishing a book is like having a baby, I think I just felt a contraction!

I sent the files to the printer today. Fed Ex tells me they'll arrive by 10:30 tomorrow.
Got my final proof of the cover and have forwarded that on to the printer.
That means, in approximately four weeks I'll have new book in my arms hands.
Yep. I think it was a contraction. And I'm excited!!!

Wanna see a...picture?

I am planning something special to share with you when the book arrives. And I also plan to give a couple copies away to my bloggy friends. I haven't decided if I'm going to simply let you "enter," or if you'll need to work for it. But stay tuned. I'll decide in the next week or two and let the contest begin. *grin*
Hope you're having a blessed day. Mine started out super stressful, but I'm Finding Joy(!) as it goes on.

Close to Finding Joy!

I am so close to sending my book to the printer, I can hardly stand it.
*big grin*
Carol Kent read my manuscript and sent me an endorsement last week. Have you ever read Carol's books, or heard her speak? She is an outstanding Christian woman and it thrills me to no end to have her endorsement.
This is what she said:

If you ever feel like being a mother is the best and the worst of all possible jobs, this is the devotional for you! In Finding Joy: More Confessions of an Irritable Mother, Karen Hossink reminds all of us to stop long enough to listen to God’s voice in the middle of frustration, interruptions, household noise, constant questions, and everyday chaos. This book will let you know you are not alone and will give you renewed hope and courage as you face the daily challenges of being a mom. Don’t miss it!

Carol Kent, Speaker and Author
When I Lay My Isaac Down (NavPress)
A New Kind of Normal (Thomas Nelson)

At this point, it looks like Finding Joy will be available in October. I'll keep you posted!

It's Happening!

**If you live in New York, Massechusetts, Pennsylvania or New Jersey and you didn't see yesterday's post please take a moment to read it now. Thanks!**

I stayed up way too late last night. But it was for a good cause, and I just couldn't go to bed.
I met with my book designer this morning to give her my manuscript for Finding Joy, so she can work her magic and turn it into a book. Which means, last night I had to give it one more read-through. I wanted to make sure everything was just right before turning it over. And, as any mom knows, it's hard to concentrate with little people around, so I didn't get much work done until everyone was in bed.
But I got it done, and now Suzette is doing her thing.
And my cover designer expects to have two book covers for me to look at any day now. I can't wait to see what he's come up with!
I have two endorsement statements and am waiting on one more.
The ISBN and Library of Congress Control Number are secure.
And I already know which printer I'm going to use - the same one who did Confessions. So as soon as Suzette has the lay-out done and I know how many pages the book will be, I'll be in contact with the printer.

Everything is coming together, and I am getting so excited. Many people have likened publishing a book to having a baby, and I fully agree with the analogy. This baby is growing and I can't wait until it's born!
I'm even thinking about a fun "birth announcement" to share with you. Stay tuned! *grin*

It's a book!

Last April my family and I took a trip to Chicago for spring break. Upon arriving home, our answering machine was full of messages - one of which was a last minute request for me to speak to a MOPS group. Apparently the speaker they thought they'd had lined up was never given the date of the meeting, and she had another obligation. I was available and happy to fill in. And it was clear that God was in control of the situation when many moms told me they had really needed to hear what I had to say that day. I was thrilled to see God working!

But He didn't just bring me there to speak. After the meeting I was talking with one of the mentor moms and she mentioned that she'd written a couple of books. I said, "No kidding?! I've had an interest in writing, too." We talked a little and she gave me her contact information so we could talk more later. Time went on, I thought more about writing and publishing, and eventually Christine and I connected again and she agreed to be my editor and book coach and walk me through the process of publishing a book. I remember the end of that conversation. Christine said, "You've conceived the idea. It's going to grow in you over the next several months. And in the fall you'll give birth to a book!"

It has been a wonderful journey. Christine has often referred to herself as my mid-wife and I've gained so much from her wisdom and experience. She has been invaluable to me through this "pregnancy." It's been a running joke between the two of us, that I'm having another baby. Last week I got the news that printing was underway, and the end was in sight. I sent Christine a message, "Someone get the hot water! I think we're going to have a baby here!"

Well, this evening I was in the kitchen and my husband came in with a large envelope. He said, "You have a package. It's from Data Reproductions!" And when I opened it, I found two copies of my book! The baby's here and I didn't even have to push! I don't know if it's a boy or a girl, but it's beautiful.

These two will be followed by lots more next week, and then they'll be available to you! So far they're easy to care for. They don't eat or wear diapers and I haven't heard a peep out of either one. They're just sitting quietly on my shelf, and I'm smiling at them just like I did my first babies. My dream for them is that God will use them to speak His love to you and bring hope to your lives!