Mandisa's book is put to bed!

Drum roll, please. Last week Mandisa and I finished her book and handed it in. IdolEyes, her story, should release in June, just in time for the American Idol season six finale.

I've never been more than a hit-and-miss viewer of American Idol--the early episodes are like a train wreck (excruciating, but impossible to turn away from), and I don't get the whole vote-as-many-times-as-you-want thing. Seems undemocratic that anyone should get more than one vote, but I suppose it's impossible to regulate.

But I learned a lot about AI while working on this book, and I was very impressed with Mandisa's spirit and her testimony. Best of all, the girl never missed a deadline! Whoa!

For those of you who are curious about how a book is co-written, the process went like this. Carol, our editor, and I flew up to Nashville and spent a day with Mandisa, and she told us all about her AI experience. I sketched out a rough outline and together we figured out a work schedule.

Then I went home and wrote up everything she told me in the interview. I sent her draft one, which came in at something like 38,000 words--not nearly enough for a full book. Carol and I suggested some places where she needed to "write more," and she did. She took a couple of weeks to do so, then sent it back to me.

We ping-ponged the manuscript this way through November and December and finished up last week. I think you'll find this story informative, entertaining, and yes, educational. Veddy interesting, especially if you're a fan of Idol.

So look for IdolEyes later this summer!

~~Angie