Rain, Rain, Go Away. . .

(Outside my window: Rain. Rain. Rain for almost a week now. The Potomac River is at flood stage.)

It's been gloomy. The sky gray. But as I sat at my writing desk this morning, and looked outside my window, the sun broke through the clouds for a brief moment. It illuminated the green grass, and it looks fluorescent. The bark on my maple tree is black, spotty with brown. I noticed lime-green lichen has sprouted through the bark, here and there.

With every dark cloud there is a silver lining. With every rainy day there is growth. This past week, I've heard from several writers who have said they are feeling discouraged, and they are uncertain what to do about getting published. It's hard to know exactly what to say except...I've been there. I know what it feels like to receive a rejection letter, to feel frustrated and discouraged. The rain will fall. But keep in mind that each rejection letter, each hard critique, and all the time and effort that you put into submissions, even when they go nowhere, is a stepping stone toward publication. Allow your 'rainy days' to sweep you forward.

Patience and perseverance have got to be the greatest strengths in a writer.
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A few more advanced reviews for Surrender the Wind have come in.

Rita Gerlach has smitten me with the first chapter of her newest novel. 'Surrender the Wind'. With the tone and dialogue of the times, along with taunt Dickens-style phrasing, she instantly captures her characters. Her imagery is breathtaking: 'The quill scratched over the parchment. Mingled with the resonance of rapping vines outside his window and the crackling fire, the sound dominated.' Every page reels in the reader. I impatiently wait to read the complete novel when Abingdon Press releases it it August.
Bonnie Toews ~ Author of Treason and Truimph

Wow, I just read Rita Gerlach's first chapter of 'Surrender the Wind'! I was completely drawn into the story. So much emotion, so much depth of charater in those few pages. I can't wait to read the rest!!!
Marylu Tyndall ~ author of 'The Red Siren and The Blue Enchantress