My LDStorymakers Conference

My amazing friend and critique partner, Melanie Jacobson, is the head chair of the LDStorymakers conference, and she convinced me to go. Almost immediately after I paid my  registration fee I began to have second doubts. Not that I don’t think the conference is wonderful, but the last time I had attended I felt that it was geared toward the traditionally published and those hoping to be traditionally published, and since that wasn’t my hope or plan, I really regretted my decision to go.

At one point, I decided that I didn’t want to pay for the flight, the rental car, or the hotel, and I considered ditching. I felt so conflicted I made it a matter of prayer. I received a strong prompting that I needed to go, and I needed to put my finished but unedited book Witch Ways in the Kindle Scout program and ask people that I met at the conference to vote for my book. So, I polished the book, sent it to my editor who got it back to me in a remarkably short period of time, went through the edits, asked my daughter to make my cover, and made up business with a “vote for my book” sticker that I placed on the back. Finally, I put the book in the Kindle Scout program and announced to the world that I had done so.

Witching Ways has been in the program for a week and it’s been rocking the hot and trending list since day one. (You can vote for it here. https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/1KK4JDTJN8YFY ) I never would have put the book into the program if I hadn’t waffled over my decision to attend the LDStorymakers Conference.

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Further more, once I decided I would go a series of amazing things happened. My friend who owns a 125-year-old house just a few blocks away from the conference told me her house was empty (aside from a sofa—my bed) and that I was welcome to stay in it. My sister, who lives in Utah, asked if I wanted to borrow her spare car. She also provided a sleeping bag, towel, and umbrella. And suddenly, the cost the trip didn’t seem like such a big deal. I think it’s interesting that I had to decide to go, finish the book, enroll it in the program and make up the cards before my friend offered up her house and my sister mentioned her spare car. On a very small and minor scale, it reminded me of how the Children of Israel had to enter the Red Sea before the waters parted and gave way to dry land. We have to prove we’re willing to wade in before the amazing things can happen.

And yes, I still had to pay for the flight, but it was less than $200. And yes, I still have to be social and rub shoulders with friendly strangers, but the workshops have been wonderful and the speakers inspiring. I’m glad I’m here.

I don’t know if Witch Ways will be picked up by the Kindle Scout program, but it’s been exciting to watch it bounce around the hot and trending list. I’m glad it’s there.

I believe in prayer. But I also wonder if prayer isn’t more effective when I don’t have my own agenda. I was really ready to stay at home, or go. Either one. I was open. And I’m glad.