Birthing an Angel

Birthing a book is like birthing a baby.

Your publisher, like your obstetrician, has a general idea of the date of delivery—"Give or take two weeks" as margin of error.

Two weeks as a variable is a mighty long time! It sets off the panic button. Especially when you have important specific target dates in mind.

The target dates in my mind for Angel with One Foot, the No. 12 book in the Oh, Mateo! series, was the International Book Fair, to run from September 15 to 19 at SMX, Manila.

If the book couldn't be delivered on any of these dates, it would miss the biggest and most important book event of the year.

Again, uncannily similar to birthing a baby, publishing a book—especially one about an angel—can take many twists and turns down the rocky road. There are just too many people (hardworking and committed they may be) and circumstances involved that can cause a miscarriage.

If someone gets sick, the electricity flickers, a virus attacks the computers, a printing machine breaks down, a holiday is declared, the budget is cut, or a tsunami hits, your deadline goes poof.

It was on the first working day of January that Angel landed on the desk of Joan, my main and first-level editor. Nine months of nurturing and caring later, September, it was due for delivery.

"Will we make it to the book fair?" I asked, taking note of the unexpected delays and feeling a thousand butterflies in my stomach, like labor pains.

Joan had more faith—much, much more—than I did. She texted me, "We'll try our best to finish the final art work in record time, and pray that the printer can slot us in despite his packed workload."

"On what day can you come to the book fair for signing?" Jen of OMFLit marketing texted me after a week.

"Depends on whether Angel is delivered before then. I am not very comfortable with the idea of signing only old books. Please ask Joan," I texted back, the butterflies in my tummy increasing exponentially.

Jen got back to me two days later, "Joan says Angel will be delivered." I took note of the period after her statement. Declarative sentence!

Yes, Angel was delivered. Not by a stork, nor with luck, nor through any one man's power, but by sola gracia.

When Jen handed me a copy of Angel at the OMF booth, I lost my tongue. I reverently held it in my hand, the precious bundle of joy—written, illustrated, edited, reviewed, laid out, designed, proofread, printed—born safely and beautifully in God's perfect time.

With flourish, I signed each copy for children of all ages, their teachers, and their parents in both the OMFLit and PCBS booths. With unconcealed excitement, I answered questions about our newborn at the taped interview of 700 Club. They were my own version of dancing, after the unwarranted mourning.

And voila! The debut of Teo the puppet—cute and cuddly—was the day's coup de grace.
Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. "You of little faith," He said, "why did you doubt?" Matthew 14:31