Completing A New Book Manuscript Brings Excitement

Completing a new book always brings excitement to me. My newest project, Daddy's Christmas Angel, has been a story of my heart for several years. I always call it my "Sleepless in Seattle" book because it's the story of a child's dream of having a mother of her own.

Kathleen's mother died in a tragic car accident when she was only a year old. Her father blamed himself for the tragedy and has spent the last six years trying to make up for the loss he brought to his child. He never wants either of them to be hurt again. That means staying away from any relationship that might make him vulnerable. Although David has a trustworthy older housekeeper who has cared for Kathleen since she was a baby, he does not realize how very much his young daughter wants and needs a mother.

When she inherits a rambling old house and land on the outskirts of a small town in Virginia, Angie picks up her life and moves from city life in St. Louis. She takes a job as a teacher, and Kathleen is one of her second-graders. The little girl takes a special liking to Angie and connives to connect them.

A few years ago, I sign a contract with a publishing company for this story as an e-book. Then, I decided the timing was not right for e-books, and I wanted to wait until it could come out in print form. So I asked to be released from the contract.

"Angel in the Trees" copyright MMSikes

The story has waited until this year. Several weeks ago, I pulled it back up on my computer and started revising it into a 75,000-word manuscript. It is not a "Passenger to Paradise" book because there is no exotic destination. It isn't a mystery, and there are no paranormal elements in it. It isn't a western novel. It's a love story. Remember the movie, "Love Story"? It is a little of that sort of story mixed with "Sleepless in Seattle" but with a happy ending.

It's exciting!


--Mary Montague Sikes