The Next Big Thing – Free For You
Yesterday, the glorious Jennifer Luitweiler invited me to participate in this meme. I’m honored that she tossed the ring to me, so today, the latest on my new project. And be sure to scroll down to see who I caught in this game of writerly tag. 
What is the working title of your book?
The God’s Whisper Manifesto: The Makings of a Dream.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
I started thinking about what I wanted the principles of this farm to be – the guiding statements that would shape how we lived and worked here.
What genre does your book fall under?
I’m sitting here trying to remember where I filed the Communist Manifestowhen I worked in a bookstore. It’s not entirely applicable, but maybe . . .I could shelve this book in essays? farming? That odd shelf by the front register that holds the local history books and gift books?
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I would, of course, be played by Laura Linney, but she would say more than “This is Masterpiece Classic,” thus allowing this film to be more awesome than Downton Abbey in one small way. I would want Marissa Tomei to play my friend Shelva, and Hez would be played by Tina Fey. Tim Allen would play my dad, and Meander would play herself as would Oscar, Emily, and Charlotte, with Charlotte getting a big chunk of tuna if she actually appeared on screen.
Now, this would be the most boring movie ever since there is no plot in this book – just a list of ten principles – but still, it would be fun to hang out with these folks.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
God’s Whisper Farm is a place where we value love, conservation, intention, art, play and rest, good food, comfort, the opportunity to help, story, and dreams.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
This will be my first self-published book. . . until, of course, Wendell Berry reads it and gets his publisher to produce it in a leather-bound volume with gold leaf on the page edges.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
This book is short – just 10,000 words – so I wrote it over the course of two weeks.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I don’t know if I’ve ever read anything quite like this, but it does remind me of some of Jenna Woginrich’s writing about Cold Antler Farm, and it definitely fits into that new genre of books that is growing – farm memoirs. Well, sort of.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
My friend Laraine Herring suggested I write a manifesto so that I continued to write, even as my previous book You Will Not Be Forgotten gets shopped to agents. And here we are.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
If you’ve ever had a dream of how your life will look, of how your daily interactions with people and place will go, then this book will share that dream with you. It speaks to my vision for community and this place, for how I think we can live together well and care for each other and our world. It’s my little bit of idealism, and I’d love to share it with you all.
And share it I will – if you would like a free copy of the God’s Whisper Manifesto, just sign up for my email list in the top right-hand corner of this screen. You’ll be the first to get a free copy.
Now, I say, “You’re IT” to Shawn Smucker, Alise Wright, and Meghan K. Barnes.