Maria Martinez's Blog - Posts Tagged "goodreads"
The Apple Tree Wish
November 2, 2012
Over the past 25 years as my friends, family and others have read the copy of the original journal and heard the cassette story, I have been asked for more details. From time to time I will be posting information about The Apple Tree Wish.
Nov. 2, 2012 - How I came to write the Journal.
Dorene Walth, my pastor’s wife, lived around the corner from us and we were close friends. She knew of the events leading up to meeting my father and she encouraged me to write a journal. She said that the first year with my father would be very important and I should write about it. I had never written a journal before and I have not written one since. In November of 1985, after meeting my father a few months earlier, I asked him what I could give him as a birthday gift next year. He said, “I just want you.”
So I decided to purchase one of those hard bound books with blank ruled pages and write a book of letters to him. On December 3, 1985, after writing the title and dedication pages (shown as pages 99-101 in the book) I headed the next two blank pages “Table of Contents” and then wrote the first letter as shown on page 103). I numbered the pages as I wrote them and then would go back to the Table of Contents and put the title of the letter and its page number. The words just seemed to flow and I know the Holy Spirit was directing me. Especially because the last chapter called “God Is Love” written on October 5, 1986, completed the last blank page of the journal. It amazed me that all the pages were filled.
I don’t know what became of the original journal. However, before I gave it to my father I made a photocopy of the pages. I showed it to Dorene and she said, “Maria, you should get this published. There are so many that could be helped by reading this.”
“Oh, no, no, no. It’s way too personal. I could never do that.”
“Maybe someday in the future after your mother and father are gone, you will feel comfortable about publishing it.”
That was over 25 years ago and I am so glad that she is alive today to see how right her wise words to me were so long ago.
Nov. 16, 2012 - How I got the title and cover design.
After the manuscript was typed into a word document from the copy of the original journal and from the audio of the story, my Crossbooks representative told me that titles are not copywrited, but everything else in the manuscript would be. I was instructed to choose a title that was unique and not like another author's title so there would be no confusion to people who wanted to order it on the internet. My story was now ready for submission. I struggled with not knowing what to title the book. I wrote down about 25 suggestions that I got from others who read the draft. My husband and I discussed it many times. Then, one afternoon just as I was coming awake, I actually saw the cover and the title. I went directly into my office and told my husband, "I know what the title is and I know what the cover looks like." I thank God for choosing the title and letting me see the book's cover before it actually was published. And Crossbooks came so close to reproducing this "vision."
Nov. 28, 2012 - Godwink
There are times in one's life when things happen that are just not explained as random coincidences, times when you know God was definitely interacting in your events or circumstances or thoughts. Those times are referred to as Godwinks. Here's an example. In speaking with Brian Fox of CrossBooks on June 16, 2012, he suggested that I find some retired teacher would could proofread my manuscript before I submitted it to them. A short time later, while in the pool as a physical therapy patient, I was telling another patient that I was finishing a manuscript for publication and needed to get it proofread. "I would be happy to proofread it for you," said the patient, Pam Dyer. "I taught english composition for 42 years before I retired." Now what are the chances that I would find a retired english composition teacher in the pool just when I needed one. Pam, almost a complete stranger, was the first person to read my story, rather than hear it from the cassette/cd like the others in the past. I was wondering what she would think as she read it because she did not know me and I did not know her or if she had any spiritual interest. But I thought, "Okay, Lord, I will send it to her." I emailed it to her and the next week at our pool therapy session, she said, "Maria, I know I should have been proofreading it, but I got involved in your story, especially those letters to your father. They brought tears to my eyes. You really inducted me." I really felt God winked at me by her comments to let me know I was on the path with Him and also by letting me meet her at just the right time.
Recent Site Activity
Over the past 25 years as my friends, family and others have read the copy of the original journal and heard the cassette story, I have been asked for more details. From time to time I will be posting information about The Apple Tree Wish.
Nov. 2, 2012 - How I came to write the Journal.
Dorene Walth, my pastor’s wife, lived around the corner from us and we were close friends. She knew of the events leading up to meeting my father and she encouraged me to write a journal. She said that the first year with my father would be very important and I should write about it. I had never written a journal before and I have not written one since. In November of 1985, after meeting my father a few months earlier, I asked him what I could give him as a birthday gift next year. He said, “I just want you.”
So I decided to purchase one of those hard bound books with blank ruled pages and write a book of letters to him. On December 3, 1985, after writing the title and dedication pages (shown as pages 99-101 in the book) I headed the next two blank pages “Table of Contents” and then wrote the first letter as shown on page 103). I numbered the pages as I wrote them and then would go back to the Table of Contents and put the title of the letter and its page number. The words just seemed to flow and I know the Holy Spirit was directing me. Especially because the last chapter called “God Is Love” written on October 5, 1986, completed the last blank page of the journal. It amazed me that all the pages were filled.
I don’t know what became of the original journal. However, before I gave it to my father I made a photocopy of the pages. I showed it to Dorene and she said, “Maria, you should get this published. There are so many that could be helped by reading this.”
“Oh, no, no, no. It’s way too personal. I could never do that.”
“Maybe someday in the future after your mother and father are gone, you will feel comfortable about publishing it.”
That was over 25 years ago and I am so glad that she is alive today to see how right her wise words to me were so long ago.
Nov. 16, 2012 - How I got the title and cover design.
After the manuscript was typed into a word document from the copy of the original journal and from the audio of the story, my Crossbooks representative told me that titles are not copywrited, but everything else in the manuscript would be. I was instructed to choose a title that was unique and not like another author's title so there would be no confusion to people who wanted to order it on the internet. My story was now ready for submission. I struggled with not knowing what to title the book. I wrote down about 25 suggestions that I got from others who read the draft. My husband and I discussed it many times. Then, one afternoon just as I was coming awake, I actually saw the cover and the title. I went directly into my office and told my husband, "I know what the title is and I know what the cover looks like." I thank God for choosing the title and letting me see the book's cover before it actually was published. And Crossbooks came so close to reproducing this "vision."
Nov. 28, 2012 - Godwink
There are times in one's life when things happen that are just not explained as random coincidences, times when you know God was definitely interacting in your events or circumstances or thoughts. Those times are referred to as Godwinks. Here's an example. In speaking with Brian Fox of CrossBooks on June 16, 2012, he suggested that I find some retired teacher would could proofread my manuscript before I submitted it to them. A short time later, while in the pool as a physical therapy patient, I was telling another patient that I was finishing a manuscript for publication and needed to get it proofread. "I would be happy to proofread it for you," said the patient, Pam Dyer. "I taught english composition for 42 years before I retired." Now what are the chances that I would find a retired english composition teacher in the pool just when I needed one. Pam, almost a complete stranger, was the first person to read my story, rather than hear it from the cassette/cd like the others in the past. I was wondering what she would think as she read it because she did not know me and I did not know her or if she had any spiritual interest. But I thought, "Okay, Lord, I will send it to her." I emailed it to her and the next week at our pool therapy session, she said, "Maria, I know I should have been proofreading it, but I got involved in your story, especially those letters to your father. They brought tears to my eyes. You really inducted me." I really felt God winked at me by her comments to let me know I was on the path with Him and also by letting me meet her at just the right time.
Recent Site Activity
