A Message From the Authors
THE LONG FLIGHT HOME
A True Story of Years Lost & Love Found
Using the analogy that authors become like parents when they labor together to create a book, “Libby” is the perfect blend of her “daddy’s” laughter and her “mother’s” smiles. Yes, just for fun, we gave her a nickname beyond her official title. She’s a blend of her daddy’s wanderlust and her mother’s curiosity of the world outside of hilly boundaries. She’s a mixture of her mother’s tenacity and the complex reasoning of her daddy’s engineering mind. She’s the tenderness of her mother’s compassion and the mischief of her daddy’s playfulness. She is a blend of our disappointments, failure and tears followed with a story of healing.
With that glimpse of her character and sense of adventure “Libby” embarked on a journey to a world beyond our watchful care in early December, 2024. Our hearts leapt that day when she finally launched. It was like watching a first-born child leave the nest. Every bit of laugh and every shed tear helped forge her character. She represents all the highs and lows, through all those defining moments, good and bad.
Fifty-six months in her creation, sometimes remembering events with laughter and sometimes with pain and tears, we labored with an intense sense of purpose believing we were given a journey to share that would help others. “Libby” (AKA The Long Flight Home is the culmination of every recalled moment of our separate journeys, even the ones that never made it to print.
We dressed her for positive first impressions in a thoughtfully designed custom cover even before her content was complete. We incorporated a bit of mystique to spark your curiosity about what’s inside that cover and draw you in.
“Libby” was never offered for sell to a traditional publisher or agent, therefore “Libby” was never rejected. Libby is ours. She is our legacy and we are fully financially invested in her success.
Some authors suffer eight years or more of publisher rejections and never make it to a published work. Eventually they become discouraged. I knew one such potential author. Her name was Jane and she was a dear friend to us both. Sadly, she never survived to see her book published. We were determined (& also to honor Jane) to self-publish as independent authors.
Traditional publishers become a book’s chief investors since they fund the editing, cover design, printing costs and marketing of a book. By contrast, authors who sell to traditional publishers give up much of their rights for a mere pittance of the profit.
Just over 2 months into her ambassadorship, our “Libby” has already been across the U.S, to Canada and England. She has been sending back really good reviews of her adventures and this always encourages us. This week she exhibited her financial maturity by beginning to repay us for our investment in her travel expenses. It was strange though, feeling like we were robbing her piggy bank when we used some of those funds to pay off some of her expenses.
Her success is no longer tied directly to this couple of authors who lovingly nurtured her for the past 56 months. She has become her own entity, apart from either of us. We gave her a strong foundation, but like good parents, can only cheer on the sidelines as she makes her own “friends” in the literary world. She has now entered many literary competitions, even as far away as England. It will be many months before we hear feedback, but regardless, it is good exposure. As an independent author work, we can only hope for her success in a very competitive literary world.
JD always said that selling a piece of his art felt like he was selling one of his own children. Although very proud that his art was appreciated had value to another person, once sold, would be forever a part of him out of his sight.
Now that you know the hearts of these two authors, pick up your own copy of The Long Flight Home A True Story of Years Lost and Love Found and settle into a comfy chair. Our journeys will come to life with messages of hope we pray will warm your hearts and encourage you on your own journey. There is something for everyone inside these covers, an intangible message of hope. Godspeed on your journeys!
BB & JD Aubrey