David C. Hughes, Writer

Publication and Writing Status as of May 15, 2014

Here’s the latest status of my writing projects as The Epiphany of Joy and Melted Clowns move toward publication.  This process has been fun, interesting, exciting, and sometimes nerve-racking as I prepare the final manuscripts for submission to Progressive Rising Phoenix Press (www.progressivrisingphoenix.com).  After this post, I’ll report the latest status of all of my projects in the “Book Projects” tab at the top of my blog page.

Projects Under Contract:

The Epiphany of Joy 

The completed, edited second draft is now in the hands of the readers.  To ensure theological and Biblical veracity, I provided the manuscript to more than a dozen folks I consider extremely knowledgeable and very well-acquainted with Christian doctrine and the Bible, including several pastors.  Once the readers provide their feedback, I’ll incorporate their suggestions into the final draft.  In the meantime, my amazing wife, Mary, graciously answered the call to use her Spiritual gift of administration to fact-check the book and procure permissions to use quotes from other authors.  Once we accomplish all of this, I’ll ship it off to Progressive Rising Phoenix Press for design.  My sixteen-year-old niece, Emilie Hughes, enthusiastically took on the assignment to produce the artwork for both the front and back covers, and I can’t wait to see what she creates.  She’s one talented young lady, and I’m proud to have her on the team!

Melted Clowns 

Speaking of Emilie, she completed and submitted all of the artwork for Melted Clowns, and the next step is to submit the final concept to Progressive Rising Phoenix for design and layout.  I’m excited about this process, not only because the book will showcase Emilie’s immense talent, but also because this is my first experience creating an illustrated children’s book.  I’ve got so many ideas for future books and Melted Clowns is blazing the trail for all of them.

Other Projects:

Ten Little Hiccups 

Ken Bryson, a retired Air Force Colonel and my neighbor, agreed to illustrate my pre-school board book, Ten Little Hiccups.  My six year old, Hannah, drew the first sketch of a Hiccup after I tried to come up with a rendering of my own.  Ken took Hannah’s simple drawing and brought it to life, giving each of the ten Hiccups a personality and coloring scheme based on Hannah’s inputs.  Gotta love this kind of collaboration!

Children’s Story Collection and Love Me from the Inside Out 

While I wait for the readers to submit their comments on The Epiphany of Joy, I’m taking the next couple of months to put together a collection of short children’s stories based on tales developed while playing the “Tell Me a Story” game with Hannah.  I intend to write several fairy tales in the style and voice of the brothers Grimm, many of them humorous.  I also intend to throw in a couple of weird ones (I still love writing ghost stories, and Hannah loves listening to them!).

After writing the book of children’s stories, I’ll then embark on the initial planning and interviewing for Love Me from the Inside Out, a true story about our friend Courtney Gonzales’ challenge to maintain hope after doctors diagnosed the baby she carried with omphalocele, a gestational condition in which the fetus’ intestines, liver, and other organs develop outside of the baby’s abdomen in a sac.  Miraculously, Courtney not only delivered her son, Landon, but she was also instrumental in convincing and assisting the medical staff to treat Landon’s condition with a method known as “paint and wait.”  Landon not only left the hospital years early, but he is now a healthy, energetic four-year-old boy with one astounding feature: he has no belly button!  He is truly a miracle!

In Conclusion . . . .

I’m having a blast, and with your support, encouragement, and prayers we’re producing real fruit!  I appreciate each and every one of you.  Please continue to spread the word about my blog page, and keep me, my family, and Amanda M. Thrasher and Jannifer Powelson at Progressive Rising Phoenix Press in your thoughts and prayers as we continue to live this adventure one amazing moment at a time.

God bless!

David