When my four sons were young, I nearly obsessed over capturing memories - from milestones to the mundane. My children are old enough that when they were little, I dutifully carried a gallon bag full of two-inch plastic canisters of celluloid. My errands included trips to the local drugstore to uncover the hidden images. Always optimistic, I would order "double prints" with the hope that the results justified the expense. My goal was to "scrap book" the results in some coherent life-theme; the reality was the accumulation of disorganized boxes labeled "to sort."
So it was with great personal relief that I observed my husband and sons competently embrace technology, each with their own particular interests. A burden lifted from me when my husband announced he would be the keeper of the family photos. And his electronic filing system, which so easily lets us review our shared past, makes my shoe boxes and mismatched plastic bins obsolete.
It's certainly a tad dramatic to call the progress of my family photo-system a revolution, but it did wake me up to the possibilities of technology. With some initial resistance, I began to embrace those possibilities. Any lingering resistance was permanently eliminated when I pledged to my 90-year-old friend and World War II vet Royce Fulmer that I would figure out how the heck to get his memoir published as a book he could hold in his hands.
That was two years ago this April and since then, I've learned more and made more mistakes than I have since plowing through law school over 20 years ago with a baby on my hip. But thanks to that promise I made to Royce, we got his book done in enough time for him to enjoy some wonderful results before he left this plane and moved on to his next adventure.
Flint Hills Publishing was born out of my experience with Royce. I've learned the power of technology when it is applied to writing and publishing. I've also seen writing friends be taken advantage of by less than scrupulous "publishing houses." People treating others badly in any context makes me mad. I want to help emerging authors protect their work, shine it up beautifully, and launch it into the world.
New technology has opened a revolutionary new world for writing and publishing. I'm thankful my 90-year-old friend led me to it.
Comments