Flyover Country Lives!

My goodness, did I ever get whomped with replies from my Flyover Country column last weekend! Of course it's my own durn fault. I asked for emails, and boy howdy did I get them.

And it gave me heart. I can't tell you how much I loved reading everyone's emails! I received nearly 200 so it's impossible to answer each one individually, but let me tell you...what a blessing it was to hear from such wonderful Flyover folks.

So here's the deal. Let me explain about the book project, and why I asked for reader input.

The working title (“working title” means it will very likely be changed if a publisher accepts it) is “Rural Revolution: An In-Your-Face Manifesto from Flyover Country.” I’ve read some marvelous in-your-face books by conservative authors (Ann Coulter is my favorite) but I don’t think I’ve *ever* read anything by someone whose perspective is distinctly rural. While many of you are urban dwellers, please understand that my viewpoint of necessity is from the boondocks.

What I plan to do is write about a variety of hot-button topics such as feminism, firearms, education, family values, elitism, green living, government spending, wealth distribution, children, personal responsibility, etc…- in short, many of the issues I address in my weekly WND columns.

And unlike the strict 1000-word limit in my columns, a book allows me to explore (or “rant,” as I often call it) more fully on an issue. My husband has some sections he’d like to write as well, so this will be a collaborative project between us.

What I’m seeking from readers is their perspective on various issues. But NOT YET. Please, NOT YET!!! Let me write the book first! (smile) What I would like to do is keep everyone’s email address in an address book, and when I’m ready to get input on a particular topic – let’s say, feminism – then I’ll put out a call and say “Let ’er rip!” That’s your cue to write something, about 400 words or less, about the issue from *your* Flyover Country perspective. If you don’t feel qualified or fiery enough about the issue to write something, no worries. Just wait until I put out a call on the next topic, which might be more your thing. Believe me, there will be plenty of topics.

It goes without saying that no matter how excellent someone’s testimonial is, I can’t use every single submission I receive. I should also say right now that I’ll reserve the right to edit submissions for clarity, grammar/syntax, and other boring stuff.

Anyway, back to the format of the book. For each chapter – say, the Green Movement – I’ll rant away to my heart’s content. But a publisher will undoubtedly assume that because I’m a rural north Idaho housewife – in other words, because I’m one of the “booboisie” – then the whole durn book is just a collection of my pathetic opinions. However, if I bolster my pathetic opinions by dozens and dozens of supporting opinions, then it’s harder to dismiss me as just one of those rural lunatics.

Oh, one other thing - I can’t promise anybody anything, even if your contribution appears in the finished manuscript. I can’t promise any payment, I can’t even promise a free copy of the book. Publishers often give the author very few copies of their own book (maybe ten or twenty at most), so if I have, say, fifty contributors, that would bankrupt me if I had to purchase books to send to everyone who sent something in.

So…if this sounds interesting, do nothing more for the moment. I’ll be in touch. If this sounds like something you’d rather not participate in, just drop me an email and ask me to remove you from the list.