Posted by Allen Weaver on March 24, 2009 at 3:12am
Hey Everybody,I'm back from my 14 day trip to Ghana. It was powerful. As some of you know, I'm a part of a N.G.O. (Ghana's version of a non-profit organization) called African Initiative Mission Foundation. We travel to Ghana twice a year and focus on providing help to children and families pertaining to 'education, health and business.' You just have to love these kids! Their level of joy and wonder while they have so little material possessions is humbling. Sometimes I get upset when the worker at McDonald's takes too long with my order. But in Ghana, I meet so many kids who only eat a small meal once a day... and sometimes it's once every few days! AND THEN when you give them some food to eat - they willingly share it with their siblings! I'm getting teary eyed just thinking about it! We take so much for granted in America. I'm already thinking about what I can do to increase my level of involvement to help continue the work of bridging the gap between their reality and their dreams. More about that later... I didn't mean to go on about this...The team got back Sunday evening. I was so exhausted I didn't even check emails until this morning. AND I found a very favorable response waiting in my inbox! The editorial department of my publisher evaluated my 'SpeedSuit Powers' manuscript and think it has great potential to do well in the teen fiction market. They said that the story is original, unique and well told with believable characters.I just need to make a few revisions to several scenes and take care of some punctuation issues. (I should have paid more attention in English class, LOL! But that's what we have editors for, right?) Needless to say, I'm excited and look forward to getting the revisions done. The book is slated for a Summer release - barring no major surprises along the way.Also, the first cover art proof came back from the artist I hired. It looks REALLY good! Once it's finalized we'll see about providing a sneak peek look at the cover. :-)So things are moving - one step at a time. In reference to continuing my work with the children of Ghana - I'm connecting my writing to what I currently do. My plan is to use 'SpeedSuit Powers' to start a literacy campaign there (and here in America), where so many kids have big dreams, but poor reading & comprehension skills. So when 'SpeedSuit Powers' comes out this Summer and people buy copies, they''ll not only be helping teens in America, but also many teens in Ghana as well!Keep pressing forward in your endeavors to make a difference in the lives of others!God bless,Allen
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