Writing a Novel: The Journey from Idea to Publication by Gina Scholl

Higginbotham Military breakfast with my family

My last blog post was a year ago. Changing careers into Community Relations, I found myself writing every week, telling the stories of my colleagues and community partners on LinkedIn. What began as a professional pivot quickly became a deeply fulfilling journey. I immersed myself in building connections within our company, drawn in by the incredible people surrounding me. With each new relationship and opportunity, I felt fortunate to grow both personally and professionally in this second career.

At the same time, I poured my heart and soul into writing a novel, and now, at last, it's complete.

There is something surreal about publishing a story that has been a part of you for five years.

I lost count of the times I said, "It's almost done."

A year ago, when I typed the final chapter, I thought I had reached the finish line. But editing now, that is an entirely different beast.

Reading the same words over and over, trying to refine, simplify, and strip away the excess while preserving the warmth of my characters, was a challenge. Then, just when you think you've got it, you decide to read it one more time... just in case. It’s in that phase of book publishing where perfectionism and fear can become your greatest obstacles. It’s also where you must make a choice; stay paralyzed by the fear of judgment or push forward and share something that has the potential to inspire, move, and touch someone.

Every artist wrestles with this moment, but there is freedom in finally releasing to the world what you have nurtured in private for so long.

Family dinner at the Marcantoni home.

This story lived in my heart long before it lived on the page. It was there in the way my grandparents lovingly teased each other across the dinner table, in the joy radiating from my grandfather as he sailed the open ocean, in the legacy they built through their children and grandchildren.

A day at the beach with Nonno and Nonna.

I have always believed in writing about what moves you, and this story deepened my appreciation for the strength, resilience, and love that shaped my family. It made me proud to be part of this legacy, and I am proud to publish "Marcantoni: The Unfailing Love of Pili and Italia."

But my writing journey is not over. Another true story calls to me, one from World War II. It involves a German woman, a U.S. soldier, and a Bible that intertwined their fates. That, however, is a story for another day.

For now, I celebrate this moment, this milestone, and the privilege of sharing a story that means so much to me. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this whirlwind of a year, it’s this: every ending is just the beginning of something new.