Making Connections with Social Media

I have to say, it’s been taking much, much longer than expected to finish the process of publishing my first book Reaching for the Moon and the Stars.

I’ve had to revise the release date yet again, to mid-September 2009 early 2010.

In the meantime though, I’d like to give you a preview of the book cover (created by Rick Wolff) and also Chapter 1 which discusses the legacy and influence of John F. Kennedy and his vision to reach the moon.

View Chapter 1 PDF here

Let me know what you think of Chapter 1 by leaving a comment below or via the Contact Form.

For my first attempt at self-publishing a book, I’m learning the hard way what it takes to get it to print. I tend to learn best this way, though, by doing it all myself the first time, then deciding what parts to delegate for the next time around.

The research part came relatively easily and I thank all the folks who I interviewed, who were willing to freely share their stories. They were truly inspirational and touching. Also a big thank you for those who helped with the behind-the-scenes research and compiling sources. I now have so much information that the hard part is deciding what to keep and what to leave out for inclusion in future volumes. Plus, I’m continuing to uncover brand new information every day as I complete the process of cross-checking sources for attribution, rights and clearances.

The writing and editing part is what’s been really getting me bogged down. I thought the writing would come much more easily and faster than it actually has, but I find myself writing, then re-writing, then revising yet again, trying to get it perfect. Also, I get burned out after a certain amount of time of working on it, and need to completely disengage myself from the project for a while, in order to come back again with a clear head and renewed attitude. That’s why you’ll see me pop up on Twitter or Facebook every once in a while, chatting about something completely off-topic from the book.

Finding blocks of time has been difficult as I’m home with the kids for the summer, trying to keep them occupied and prevent arguments from bubbling up. And also sitting for hours on end has been a challenge for me because I’m more used to being up and about and active. I hope this doesn’t come across as complaining or whining because that’s the last thing that I want to come across as, a complainer. I just wanted to give you a little glimpse of what’s happening behind the scenes. Any suggestions or advice on how this process could be made easier would be most welcome!

What keeps me going though, is knowing that you, who are reading this and who have been so supportive through the last several weeks, have told me that you are looking forward to the book coming out. I am truly grateful for your kind words, your tremendous encouragement and generous offers to help. I can’t let you down, so I’m pushing forward to complete this.

Thank you again for sticking with me through it all as I continue to get this baby out into the world.  I am grateful for you being there.   Best regards, Eva

In the words of Walter Cronkite, “Go Baby, Go!”

F-1 Engine of Saturn V rocket, Apollo 11
Photo by Eva Abreu, taken at Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, Washington, D.C., Aug. 2009

This entry was posted on Monday, August 24th, 2009 at 12:52 pm and is filed under Apollo 11.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.