Lately, when I head outside, I practice a little Lamaze breathing.
Actually, a lot of Lamaze breathing.
Because labor contractions over Sugar Birds, my debut novel, are approaching a six on a scale of ten.
Here’s why:
Cover design and layout teams are finalizing details. Marketing and publicity teams are ramping up. Trade reviews are in the works. The book is beginning to show up online.
You can even preorder it now . . . but I hear that if you wait to order until a month or two before its August 3, 2021 release, your purchase will drive up the rankings of the book on various sales lists, which will land it in more locations on seller websites.
AND . . . in the biggest event this week . . . an award-winning, top-tier audiobook narrator has the book in her hands. I’m counting the days until I can tell you more about her—and until I can share samples of both the written and audio books.
Perfect for fans of The Scent Keeper, The Snow Child and The Great Alone, Sugar Birds immerses readers in a layered, evocative, coming-of-age story set in the breathtaking natural world, where characters encounter the mending power of forgiveness and the redemption of suffering—for themselves and for those who have failed them.
Truly exciting days ahead, with so, so much more to come.
Thanks for sharing it all with me.
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In the meantime, here are this week’s posts. Enjoy!
Roger, heaven. Copy that.
“Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
—Matthew 6:10
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Cold turtle.
“Then, at his command, it all melts. He sends his winds, and the ice thaws.”
—Psalm 147:18
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So. I kept my distance. Crept behind trees. Poked my long lens through branches.
They still spotted me.
“And no creature is hidden from his sight . . .”
—Hebrews 4:13
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Double-minded.
(Mt. Shuksan)
“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.”
—1 John 2:9
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As every house waits.
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So glad you’re here.
Watching Nature, Seeing Life: Through His Creation, God Speaks
Cheryl Grey Bostrom, Author 
Your well-deserved joy and awesome photo/scripture combinations bring joy to me, Lynne Curry, founder of workplacecoachblog.com
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Am doing a little happy dance here, Lynne! So fun to share it all with you, my friend.
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EXCITING!! So sweet you are sharing this journey!
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Thanks, Linda! Here we go!
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Cheryl, your writing is always alluring, the title, Sugar Birds, couldn’t be moreso. I get that anxious feeling. Just Breathe. I plan to buy, having shared Goose Ridge this month with one of my authors staying in our writer’s retreat. We had a great conversation over it. From Laura Bartnick, Capture Books. BooksforBondingHearts.com
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Thank you for your beautiful encouragement, Laura—and for sharing Goose Ridge:). Would love to talk with you more about Sugar Birds as its launch approaches—and please let me know how I can support you, as well. It would be a privilege.
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So excited for you!!!
Keep breathing deep,and before you know it’s August.
Love,love your blogs,pictures…… always so beautiful
Tena😍🙏🏻
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Thank you, Tena! Yes, one advantage of having a few years under one’s belt is that time goes quite a bit faster than it did when we were five :D. August will be here in 15 minutes.
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Dear Cheryl;
I Can Hardly Wait . How Wonderful And Exciting For You, The Anticipation Must Be Something Else. Congratulations!
Keep us Posted for Ordering.
Love Joni
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Thanks a million, Joni:). Sharing it with you makes it all the more exciting!
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I am very much looking forward to reading Sugar Birds, Cheryl, and sharing the word! Your photographs and words speak to my soul. Thank you, sister.
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Hi Maggie! Thank you so much! ❤️ Will email you a bit later today…
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Stunning. Your words and your photos. Stunning. The way you showcase our God. Leaves me breathless…which is the way you have helped me breathe today. ❤️
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Oh, Donna, thank you. You have certainly done the same for me. Grateful we’re in this life together.
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I look forward to buying it and reading it. Let us know when the timing’s right to pre-order it.
Love those eagles! We have them here in my part of Florida too. Who knew?
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Will do, Chris! Thank you!
I never tire of hearing about eagle sightings. I didn’t know they were in your area. Such an illustration of resiliency. Remember how scarce they were in those DDT years?
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Just ordered your book…excited to read. Have it coming to my Nook yet will most likely buy the paperback when it comes out. Check B&N, they offer it on Nook and paperback…so anxious to see your first novel. More to come?
Love you cousin!
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Thanks, Wynn! Exciting to see Sugar Birds start to show up! Hopefully the audiobook will be available by August, too.
Yes, have started another one, set in the beautiful Palouse. Love YOU!
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The book sounds intriguing but the question that I have is whether the book is the Christian content of this book.
Is the novel a work of Christian fiction or a work of secular fiction ?
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Hi Charles, Thanks so much for asking. Aggie, one of the protagonists in Sugar Birds, grapples with the character of the God her dad has taught her so much about through Scripture and the Heidelberg Catechism and that he sees illustrated in the created world. Forgiveness and redemption are overarching themes in the story, as different characters seek their own paths through tragedy. While some characters embrace faith in God, others chafe at it. I wrote this book as a Christian author writing literary fiction for the mainstream market, so that both Christian and secular readers could enjoy a compelling story while exploring spiritual themes too often ignored in mainstream fiction. If you’re looking for genre Christian fiction, this book may not be for you. But if you want a story written by a Christian author who honors tenets of the faith, you just may love this novel.
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