My Journey to Neon Crosses, Part 2
The publication of my book was exciting, even if it didn’t receive too much publicity. It was still exciting to recommend it to people from time to time, and one day in 2019, I hopped on Amazon to grab the link so I could recommend it. It wasn’t there.
So I reached out to the managing editor at PJ Media, who is now my boss, and she looked into the situation and found out that the new corporate owners didn’t want to focus on the e-book market, so they generously gave me back the rights to the book. I was a free agent author.
Of course, as soon as the book was out of my hands in 2015, I thought of things I could have added or done differently. I never talked about Southern food, explored storytelling, or dove into race relations, so there was plenty to add, as well as updates to make since four years had passed.
The first person I talked to was the editor who challenged me to write the book in the first place. He had moved on from PJ Media a couple of years before and was looking to get into book publishing, so it seemed like an ideal opportunity. I began working on updates and additions to the book. He suggested that I add a biographical chapter, which I wasn’t too crazy about but went along with anyway.
I added chapters on food, storytelling, and race relations — the latter of which had become a hot topic after the incidents involving Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd. Interviewing two friends whose experiences as black Southerners helped me shape the chapter on race. I was increasingly proud of what I was adding to the book and how I was changing it into something stronger and more substantive.
My editor, friend, and would-be publisher had some really cool ideas for the book. We went back to my original title, which we later shortened to Neon Crosses. We talked about hardback and softcover options, as well as potential merchandise to go along with the book.
Then some things changed. I noticed my editor/publisher friend making theological and cultural statements that didn’t sit well with me. He and I had some disagreements over things that were fundamental to me. I also wasn’t too crazy with the branding ideas he had for his publishing venture.
When he started to partner with another publishing start-up, I asked if I could switch and work with the other publisher. The answer was yes, but it led to disagreements that forced me to sever the relationship with the editor who gave me the original challenge to write the book in the first place. It was heartbreaking and difficult, but that decision turned out to be monumental for the future of Neon Crosses.
After PJ Media gave the rights to my book back to me, a lot of things changed. We had a pandemic and lockdowns. My dad passed away. I changed publishers and even changed jobs, taking a dream job writing and editing at PJ Media.
Working with my new publisher was exhilarating. She helped me take a book that I was already proud of and shape it into something even better. She challenged me in the best possible ways, helping me focus even more sharply on telling the stories that the book gave me the opportunity to tell. Through it all, I could see how much I had grown as a writer since I began the process of writing the original book way back in 2014.
This final stage of editing and preparing for publication reminded me of the first time around except that I got to keep the title I wanted. We talked through cover design, which is always exciting, and maps, which I didn’t have in the first book.
Finally, publication day arrive: March 7, 2022. For an author, there aren’t many things more exciting than having a physical copy of your words in your own hands, which was especially exciting since the first version of the book wasn’t a physical publication.
Now, five months after publication, I’m as excited about Neon Crosses as I was when I first started writing it about eight years ago. It’s been a heck of a journey that I’m thrilled to share. I hope you’re as pleased as I am.