It's a book!

Some of you know that I began writing the novel that became Shift shortly after we began the intial process of adopting Evie June. We were living in India at the time, and as Evie grew inside her birth mother halfway around the world, we joked that her twin was growing inside my laptop. There was something about the process of creating something that kept me occupied and hopeful and strangely connected to the daughter we hadn't yet met.

Beyond their origins, the parallels between baby and book are evident. A few examples:
--In parenting and writing, I rarely get things right on the first try.
--Both pursuits are infinitely surprising. Evie was supposed to be a boy. Shift was supposed to be a lot shorter.
--Both children are messy, bringing headaches and happiness in cycles, but are so worth it in the end.
--Both Evie June and writing sometimes seem to require more of me than I think I can manage. Both actually do.

So when I got a rough version of the cover of my book last week, I confess I got a little weepy. Not sobbing with joy like I did when I first laid eyes on Evie, but there was the hint of that wierd mixture of pride and awe and wonder in looking at this image for the first time. It was real. All those months of anxiety (also familiar) didn't seem to matter anymore.


But Evie doesn't have to worry. In the end, for all the parallels, a book is just a book. The story is static and unchanging once the final printing is done. Its far more captivating to watch Evie June write her own story every day. A story filled with triumph and heartache, lessons learned and love shared. Her gift is new every morning, a first edition autographed in chewed on crayon, applesauce, and sloppy kisses.

And that's a story worth reading over and over again.

Jen

PS: Though we've had our trying moments, I've never been tempted to post her here:
http://www.amazon.com/Shift-Jennifer-Bradbury/dp/1416947329/ref=sr_1_2/105-4564025-4362824ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186519891&sr=1-2