Search (SEEK book 1) Audiobook
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This is the first time I’ve ever done something like this...ask for money. I’ve donated to some pretty amazing campaigns and rejoiced in everyone’s success. But I’ve been fortunate and until now, didn’t need for much.
Need. It’s such a strong word. I guess this is more of a want. But it’s a want so big I can’t make it be quiet. It’s a want that comes from my soul and rattles me right down to my boots.
It’s a desire that began as a child—I promise not to take too long, but seriously this is where my story begins.
I was severely dyslexic as a child. It crippled me. Not only my ability to read and write, but it broke my soul. People would talk to me and tell me how smart I was, but I was failing school. I couldn’t keep up with the class. My disability crushed my spirit and stole every ounce of confidence I had. It left me with very few friends and a target for bullies.
But inside I kept my dream alive. I wrote stories in my head. I acted them out in the woods behind my house, always happier in my fantasy world than in my reality. Until the day my mom brought home Winnie the Pooh’s Blustery Day on a Read and Play record. I was in the fifth grade and thought “children’s books” were way beneath me (though I still couldn’t read).
Thank heavens for moms. If she had not put that record on and handed me that book I never would’ve found out that I could learn to read. After that, I devoured any book I could listen and read along with, until at last, I was able to read.
However, my story doesn’t end there. I still struggled through school and dropped out of high school in the ninth grade. Well, I was enrolled for ninth grade but I don’t think I actually went.
So, with my barely ninth grade education I hit the world. I got married young and had babies. We didn’t have a lot of money, but we had a love of books. Libraries are awesome! I read every day, it took me months sometimes just to finish one book, but I kept at it. And I wrote. I kept a notebook beside me always and any random thing that popped into my head I wrote it down. Some turned into songs, some poems, and some stories—including children’s books for my kids (which I lovingly illustrated with colored pencils and crayons).
It wasn’t until my children were in high school and junior high that I finally decided to finish my education. I was surprised by how much easier school was then. All those years of reading really paid off. I not only kept up with the class but I made honors.
Five years later, I finally decided it was time to realize my dream of becoming an author. I wrote day in and day out until I couldn’t see straight. I’d forget to eat...or shower. I’d forget that a world existed beyond my realm of imagination. I’d never known such peace and contentment as finally being able to do the thing my heart wanted most. It was pure bliss.
And in another five years I had a book that I thought was ready to share with the world. I started querying agents. The little girl in me needed so desperately to fit in somewhere, this was it I thought. I belong in the literary world. I must—I want it so badly.
I sent out query after query looking for representation. I had some success. I had lots of requests for full or partial manuscript reads. Most of which turned into to “Thank you, but no.” Some of which came back with nice notes like, “I’m not interested in this project, but I like your writing, try me again in the future.”
My little-girl-fear-of-rejection was rearing its ugly head, but I wasn’t ready to give up. I wrote on. And then I got a few “Revise and Resubmit” responses. For me, that was amazing. Agents liked the story, they liked my writing, but my story arc was all over the place. I could fix that...I was so close I could feel it.
But life had other plans for me. And this is whole other story unto itself so I’ll just summarize it by saying in the middle of my almost career God blessed me with two amazingly beautiful babies who needed a safe home. And so my writing took a back burner temporarily.
It’s been three and a half years since then. I decided the agents who were previously interested in my work had probably forgotten about me. But I wasn’t ready to give up completely so when I picked up my pen again I did it to finish what I started. To let my stories be heard.
Heard. That’s how I’d always envisioned my writing. Because that was how I always related to stories, through the art of verbal storytelling. Not just words written on paper, but to actually hear my stories being told. That’s my dream.
And I’m this close.
I’ve published my eBook, the print book comes out in June 2016. I’ve auditioned voice-actors and found the girl that sounds like my character’s voice in my head. And I’ve had the cover art for the audiobook made. Now all I need is the money to make it happen.
If you could help make my little girl dreams come true, I’d be forever grateful.
Thank you,
Candie Leigh Campbell
Need. It’s such a strong word. I guess this is more of a want. But it’s a want so big I can’t make it be quiet. It’s a want that comes from my soul and rattles me right down to my boots.
It’s a desire that began as a child—I promise not to take too long, but seriously this is where my story begins.
I was severely dyslexic as a child. It crippled me. Not only my ability to read and write, but it broke my soul. People would talk to me and tell me how smart I was, but I was failing school. I couldn’t keep up with the class. My disability crushed my spirit and stole every ounce of confidence I had. It left me with very few friends and a target for bullies.
But inside I kept my dream alive. I wrote stories in my head. I acted them out in the woods behind my house, always happier in my fantasy world than in my reality. Until the day my mom brought home Winnie the Pooh’s Blustery Day on a Read and Play record. I was in the fifth grade and thought “children’s books” were way beneath me (though I still couldn’t read).
Thank heavens for moms. If she had not put that record on and handed me that book I never would’ve found out that I could learn to read. After that, I devoured any book I could listen and read along with, until at last, I was able to read.
However, my story doesn’t end there. I still struggled through school and dropped out of high school in the ninth grade. Well, I was enrolled for ninth grade but I don’t think I actually went.
So, with my barely ninth grade education I hit the world. I got married young and had babies. We didn’t have a lot of money, but we had a love of books. Libraries are awesome! I read every day, it took me months sometimes just to finish one book, but I kept at it. And I wrote. I kept a notebook beside me always and any random thing that popped into my head I wrote it down. Some turned into songs, some poems, and some stories—including children’s books for my kids (which I lovingly illustrated with colored pencils and crayons).
It wasn’t until my children were in high school and junior high that I finally decided to finish my education. I was surprised by how much easier school was then. All those years of reading really paid off. I not only kept up with the class but I made honors.
Five years later, I finally decided it was time to realize my dream of becoming an author. I wrote day in and day out until I couldn’t see straight. I’d forget to eat...or shower. I’d forget that a world existed beyond my realm of imagination. I’d never known such peace and contentment as finally being able to do the thing my heart wanted most. It was pure bliss.
And in another five years I had a book that I thought was ready to share with the world. I started querying agents. The little girl in me needed so desperately to fit in somewhere, this was it I thought. I belong in the literary world. I must—I want it so badly.
I sent out query after query looking for representation. I had some success. I had lots of requests for full or partial manuscript reads. Most of which turned into to “Thank you, but no.” Some of which came back with nice notes like, “I’m not interested in this project, but I like your writing, try me again in the future.”
My little-girl-fear-of-rejection was rearing its ugly head, but I wasn’t ready to give up. I wrote on. And then I got a few “Revise and Resubmit” responses. For me, that was amazing. Agents liked the story, they liked my writing, but my story arc was all over the place. I could fix that...I was so close I could feel it.
But life had other plans for me. And this is whole other story unto itself so I’ll just summarize it by saying in the middle of my almost career God blessed me with two amazingly beautiful babies who needed a safe home. And so my writing took a back burner temporarily.
It’s been three and a half years since then. I decided the agents who were previously interested in my work had probably forgotten about me. But I wasn’t ready to give up completely so when I picked up my pen again I did it to finish what I started. To let my stories be heard.
Heard. That’s how I’d always envisioned my writing. Because that was how I always related to stories, through the art of verbal storytelling. Not just words written on paper, but to actually hear my stories being told. That’s my dream.
And I’m this close.
I’ve published my eBook, the print book comes out in June 2016. I’ve auditioned voice-actors and found the girl that sounds like my character’s voice in my head. And I’ve had the cover art for the audiobook made. Now all I need is the money to make it happen.
If you could help make my little girl dreams come true, I’d be forever grateful.
Thank you,
Candie Leigh Campbell
Organizer
Candie Leigh Campbell
Organizer
Pensacola, FL
