Chesed

Saturday December 3, 2011

By Michelle December 3, 2011 Uncategorized 34 Comments

Could I host all these giveaways without doing one of our book? I thought not.

Marital Bliss with a kiss of Reality:

July 11_0450G

“Michelle and Christy are sisters and best friends. They got married only two and a half months apart and were each others main support as they soared and dragged through the first year. Six months into marriage, they were ecstatically happy, but also surprised by the nitty gritty work of marriage and their raging emotions.

“I wonder why everyone smiles and pretends newlywed life is perfect?” we wondered. Were we the only ones who found marriage, a new community, and a new family to be a little less than pure bliss? Thankfully we had a few friends who were honest with us and confirmed that they too were faced with a steep learning curve.
In one of our many emails detailing our new lives Michelle first wrote the words that would change our outlook, sparetime, and marriages, “We should write a book!”

Christy’s words were somewhere along the profound, “Ha! Ha! Yeah, we should.”

“No, I’m serious. I think there are more people out there who are having a tough time with this even if they’re not admitting it.”

“And how would we survive without each other?”

“Exactly.”

Chapters flew back and forth. Well, not exactly. Sometimes Michelle spit out a few chapters as Christy hunkered over her keyboard hoping to eek out one. There was a lot of editing. Slashing paragraphs. Adding concepts. Phone calls for inspiration.

Then we wrote up a survey–partially to be sure we and our few friends weren’t a few ill-adjusted women, partially to judge the amount of interest in a book of this type, and mainly because we needed more wisdom than the sum of our own. The response to the surveys was indescribable. As soon as we’d get one in the mail, we called each other, “I GOT ONE!!!!!” and we’d sit and read to each other. To say we were overwhelmed by the response, the eagerness, and mostly the encouragement would be an understatement. Friends copied their surveys and sent them to friends. In all there were nearly a hundred. (And the paper copies are still stashed under my bed! -c.)
After we sent out the surveys there was no turning back. It was no longer a fuzzy dream or a half-hearted asspiration. Because now people knew. From there it was a looooooooooooong process. More writing. Discouragement. Silence. Then one of us would feel slightly inspired and say, “We need to work on the book again.”

More often than we wanted to hear it, friends would ask, “How’s the book coming?” We’d cringe and make another effort at writing.

Sometimes we made goals. Michelle was pregnant for the first time. “We should finish the book before my baby is born.”

Friends asked, “Will the book be done by the time I get married?”

“No,” we said. “It will be done in time for your daughter’s wedding.”

Finally after a few years of on and off writing, we had a book. From there we edited. Cut this. Added that. Retyped. Edited. Sent it off for typesetting. Did the final edit, or so we thought. More changes. More edits. More changes. More “final” edits. Publishing questions. Cover design. More editing.

And finally one day, nearly eight years after we began and six years after Michelle’s baby was born, we held a book in our hands.

A real, true, genuine book.

We hope you will find it the same.”

(copied from the “About” page on our book’s website)

You can see a bit of the inside of the book here.

To order your own copy: visit this page

or find it on Amazon

or you can email me directly at smilesbymiles{at}gmail{dot}com
Mention the giveaway and I will give you free shipping!

And for a gift basket idea check this page.

If you have someone on your Christmas list who has gotten married in the last year, I think she’d love to find this book in her Christmas gift pile!

Same rules … because I’m sure by now you’re tired of reading them. So skip on down and enter if you’ve been in the previous giveaways.

And if you haven’t been: To enter, leave a comment on this xanga post. You can earn a second entry by linking to facebook or your blog. Come back and leave a second comment telling me you did so. If you do not comment with a xanga or facebook identity, please check back when the giveaway ends or leave your email address so that I can get the books to you.

Giveaway ends Thursday, December 8th.

Good Luck!
*************This giveaway is now closed!*****************

34 thoughts on “Saturday December 3, 2011”

  3. itsayoderworld

    I’ve wanted to read this book, because 11 and 1/2 years ago, I was in the same new-bride shoes as you & Christy…new marriage, new community, new church, new family. It was overwhelming. If someone had told me that it would be 5 years before I felt comfortable (and 10 or more till I felt like I really belonged??!), I might not have been so quick to say “yes” when he asked “Will you?” I wish that I’d have had a book like yours back then, since I didn’t have a sister with whom to share the journey. I’d love to give this book to new brides, to help them through the dark days like I had.

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  22. quiet_hearts

    I really like this book and even more so now that I ‘met’ you and Christy.  I have given it to several girls as gifts and they loved it.  Now I can’t find my own copy and I think I either lent it or gave it away.  Winning another would be nice.  I could just keep passing on the goodness. 🙂

    Reply ↓
  26. Anonymous

    After I thoroughly enjoyed your book, I promptly gave it to my neighbor, who had just gotten married. I feel strange, because marriage really was bliss for us, and not a huge adjustment, even with moving 5 hrs. to a new community. And after 12 1/2 yrs, even with all the ups and downs, I’d love to do it all over again!! I could identify with your book tho! A fun read!

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  27. Anonymous

    I have been wanting to read this book ever since I found out about it.  I was in your session at the Ladies Retreat in Hartwell two years ago and really enjoyed what you had to say!

    Reply ↓
  29. down_onthefarm

    “No,” we said. “It will be done in time for your daughter’s wedding.”

    *snicker*

    but… you two did it!!! great job. i’m thinking that this book would make a great bridal shower present.

    Reply ↓

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