Finishing Dad's Novel was a Family Affair #1

I first met Janet and Steve Bly at a writer's group in 1980. Both of them helped me master the art of writing and publishing. Janet posted a "Finishing Dad's Novel was a Family Affair" in Nine parts. You can read them all and see Janet's photos on On the Bly website. Be sure and scroll down to the first page to read the journey of Janet and her sons. Kat 

My husband, Stephen Bly, hated half-done jobs. But more than that, should I say to him, “You know, some day it might be nice if we did this or that . . .”, the mere mention of something I wanted repaired or built became to him an uncompleted project, something he had to get done now. He couldn’t stand to let a ‘to do’ list lie around more than a day or so. 

In early January 2011 he determined to tackle three big undertakings and finish them by summer: 1) oversee the pruning of more than sixty tall Ponderosa pines in our yard, 2) hire a re-roofing of the house, and 3) complete his contracted 106th novel, Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot.

A few weeks later he played 18 holes of golf. The next day, he could hardly stand for more than a few minutes without sitting, breathing hard. We found out he had pneumonia. His almost 5-year battle with prostate cancer began to take its final toll. The next four months he spent more days in the hospital than out with one complication after another. He passed away on June 9th, 2011.I determined to finish the projects for him. I hired a tree trimmer. I found a roofer.Meanwhile, my sons each said to me, “Let’s get that book done. I want to help.”At the start, I sensed the wisdom and perhaps God’s individual purpose for including our sons in this undertaking. They had their dad’s genes in creativity and wit. Together they’d impart their father’s personality. I couldn’t do it without them. I also discovered the value of their on-the-spot feedback and weekly encouragement.


The contract had been signed, the advance given. I emailed the editor and asked for permission for my sons and me to finish writing the novel and for a deadline extension. 


“I’d like very much to publish Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot as a tribute to Steve,” she instantly wrote back.

She gave us four months, until November 1st. The third project on the list became a family affair.

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Janet Chester Bly has authored 31 nonfiction and fiction books, 19 of which she co-authored with Christy Award winning author, Stephen Bly. Titles include The Hidden West Series, The Carson City Chronicles, Hope Lives Here, and The Heart of a Runaway. Her 3 married sons, Russell, Michael and Aaron, live down the mountain with their families at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers in Lewiston, Idaho.