In 23 years of writing books, I have never encountered such a situation. The new book in my Stella Bankwell series will be released on Oct. 29th.
It’s a light-hearted, blue-skies mystery.
The problem? Life’s not very light-hearted lately.
Mercer University Press and I set the release date months ago. We discussed it at length.
We wanted it close to Christmas but before the election.
I firmly wanted to debut the book at Sea Island’s Cloister for two reasons: Sea Island is a character in the Stella Bankwell series. It has a co-starring role, while another Georgia coastal island – a different one in each book – has the starring role. Secondly, Parra Vaughan and her team have been good to me for over 15 years.
They befriended me and helped me when no one cared to know me. I strongly believe in the Appalachian folk saying, “Dance with the one who brought you.”
That meant coordinating a release date when they were available for a large luncheon. Because of their kindness, we now sell out Cloister member events quickly.
After much discussion and studying it, we chose Oct. 29th.
Perhaps I should say that I wish we had chosen another date, but after thinking about it for weeks, no date would have been better.
Only God Almighty can change the significant, life-changing events that have crashed upon us.
When the first occurred, I did what proper Southern women have often done – though I’m a country girl, so I’m expected to be more stoic – I took to my bed. For three days, I’d open my eyes in the morning, then pull the down comforter over my head, crying myself back to sleep.
Even when I finally forced myself out of bed, I was heavy-hearted and weepy. My close, longtime friend, Walt Ehmer, Waffle House Chairman, died after a 14-month battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 58. Whenever I think of living out my life without him, I am still prone to tears.
Amid that sorrow, my two favorite cats on the Rondarosa, disappeared. How can we love animals so much?
Then, on a mild early Autumn night, our family stood wordlessly, watching my brother-in-law’s barn, which had been filled with over 60 years of hard work, burn to the ground. Rodney grins all the time. Even when he wants to be disgusted or look aggravated, a grin always tugs at the corners of his mouth.
Toward the end of the fire, he walked over to me, shaking his head and grinning, good-natured.
“Well, there goes my John Deere tractor.” He smiled so sweetly. Rodney loves John Deere.
It was time to start promoting the book, but the pieces of my heart weren’t in it. Then, came the horrific hurricanes.
I stayed up all night, praying, while Helene spun a path of utter destruction, especially in the Carolina mountains, where wealth is a stranger. What little they had was gone.
Next came Milton. I pushed further back from promoting a sweet, funny book.
The news that followed left me speechless. Seven people, much-loved by many, died when a ramp collapsed from a Sapelo Island ferry.
Sapelo Island.
My new Stella Bankwell book, Sapelo Island, was two weeks away from being released. It is a fun romp through a beautiful island where a murder mystery occurs at RJ Reynolds Jr.’s mansion.
He once owned the island.
The answer was inspired by Rodney’s smile that night when his beloved John Deere melted in the fire. His pleasantness made us all feel better.
My new Stella Bankwell book is laugh-out-loud-funny.
We all need laughter now. God knew that when we chose the release date. My mission field, at this moment in time, is uplifting hearts too heavy to lift themselves.
Laughter is a powerful weapon against sorrow.
Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of St. Simons Island: A Stella Bankwell Mystery. Please visit www.rondarich.com to sign up for her free weekly newsletter.