Holding My Breath

This part of the process always scares me, not just because I’m opening myself up to criticism — I mean, helpful feedback — but, in this case, I’m mixing my “work life” with my “personal life.” 

What am I talking about?  Nothing as juicy or scandalous as you may think…

I’ve simply asked several coworkers to read the initial Silhouette of a Friendship book and, now, the children’s book… asking for their feedback.

In doing so, I’ve made the conscious decision to reveal the creative and emotional me to those who only deal with the professional and objective me.  

Here is a person (me) who represents herself as one person in the workplace and, suddenly, without warning, offers a view of another side of her personality.  How are they supposed to react to me after that happens?  How am I supposed to function effectively after that happens?

So, asking them to read my books is scary for both them and me.  What if they don’t like what they read?    How are they going to tell me?  Will they tell me or simply avoid the subject altogether?

After they read the book(s), will they see me differently?  Will it be a positive or a negative change?   What if they don’t like what they see?   How will all this affect our “professional relationship”?

Of course, I don’t think of any of this, until AFTER I ask them to read the book(s). 

So, now all I can do is wait... and hold my breath.



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Before You Know It

Can you believe that we’re at the end of 2010 already?  I can’t!

This is usually the time of year we look back at the year and assess how far we’ve come and make promises to do better in 2011. 

Let’s do something different, today.   Something  totally radical!

Instead of concentrating on the past or the future, let’s — for once in our lives — enjoy today…

Let’s focus on this moment in time.

Let’s enjoy each other... now.

Let’s relish in our dreams.

Let’s be thankful for what we have.

Let’s be there for each other.

Let’s simply enjoy this moment in our lives. 

Because it’ll be gone before you know it…

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Attention Everyone!!

Here’s an interesting tidbit for you.  Katherine brought up an article that shows how a book can take on Amazon.com, and become a best seller with NO publisher!! 

Well, that article definitely got my attention!

Turns out that two editors (Malki North and Matthew Bennardo) tapped into their fanbase and had their supporters buy a particular book on Amazon.com — on one specific date.  The plan worked so well that their book held the #1 spot on the site all day, and outsold new releases from mega-authors John Grisham and Glenn Beck, and Keith Richard’s autobiography. 

That got us thinking… creatively… as we so often do.  How can we use this technique to get noticed?

We just started to think out loud, wondering:  What would happen if all our friends would email Ellen DeGeneres (http://ellen.warnerbros.com/show/respond/?PlugID=10) on a specific date — let’s say… January 3 — the first Monday of the New Year — just to wish her a Happy New Year, remind her of our quest to become published authors, and how her help would be greatly appreciated?

Just wondering out loud…  

And what if everyone emailed her around the same time… let’s say 8:00pm (after dinner is done and before the bedtime routines start...) — or any time that works best for you?

Just wondering out loud…

And what if you told her about these two aspiring authors, Anne Marie Girolami and Katherine Abbey, who you've come to know, enjoy, and admire through their blog (http://2aspiringauthors.blogspot.com/) and YouTube channel (2AspiringAuthors)
... and ask her if... somehow... she could help us get published?    

Just wondering out loud…



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A Christmas Story

Today’s Christmas Day.  For many, this day brings with it: great anticipation, excitement, family dinners, and communities coming together. 

This Christmas is no exception, except for… well… let me just tell you what happened when I got home from church, and you’ll see what I mean.

I sing at various churches, so I was away from the house all morning.  As I drove into my garage, I was thinking how nice a nap would feel, right about then…but plans quickly changed.

My neighbor came rushing up and met me at my car door. 

“I wanted to catch you before you went into your house!  Your backyard is on fire!  See?!”  and she points to the back of my house.

Instead of going into my house, I went around to the back and… yes, indeed… my backyard was on fire… along with several other backyards and the detention pond and the pine trees across the way… and…

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree… How quickly thee can burn!

The fire was so close to my house, it was unbelievable!  While I was gone, my neighbors had tried desperately to stop the fire from reaching my house, but their hoses weren’t long enough.

One neighbor was reaching his hose over his wooden fence to try to quench the thirsty flames, while another neighbor was bringing buckets of water to do the job.

I ran up to the fire’s line that was, literally, knocking on my back door, and I started stumping out the flames with my feet.  All I could think of at that moment was that I didn’t care if my pants went up in flames, just as long as my house didn’t!

To add to this little Christmas miracle of mine, I was in the middle of changing house insurance companies.  That’s all I needed was for my house to go up in flames, during this transitional period, and on Christmas day!!!

But… all is fine.  The community got together and stopped the fire before it damaged anyone’s home.  The fire was contained in the huge detention pond behind us, although the fire did come very, very close — too close for comfort — to our homes.

The excitement of the event bonded the neighbors together on this sunny and very dry Christmas Day. 

As we waited in anticipation for the fire department to arrive, my neighbors pieced together what had happened.  Seems that a couple of boys were seen firing off grenade-type fire crackers under the pine trees across the way.  Their actions started the fire that swept through the area.  The wind moved the flames quickly, down the open and dried grass area. 

As we looked over the blackened landscape that nearly engulfed our homes, we can only shake our heads.  We’re sure that the boys responsible didn't think of the consequences of their actions.

Will the boys learn from this senseless act and not do it again?  Will they accept responsibility for their actions?  Will they stand up and pay for the damage that they caused? 

It’s hard to say.  We were lucky this time… but what about the next time? 

I have no idea what comes next… only that… as in the past, Christmas Day brought with it: anticipation, excitement, and a community coming together…

Oh... and a Merry Crisp-mess to All!





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The Byproduct of Synergy

You may (or may not) have noticed that my patience has decreased — and my frustrations have increased —   the closer we get to the holidays.  I wish I could say that I was a rare find, but (sorry to say) I find that more and more people are in my frame of mind than those in the “holiday spirit.”

I want to change that in myself; therefore, I’m stepping off my ranting soapbox… at least for today… to think only good thoughts… pleasant thoughts… happy thoughts.  The thoughts that come to mind are…
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Well, nothing’s come to mind yet, so I’ll give you an update on our book projects…

The Holiday Season has slowed everything and everyone down, so I’ve been entertaining myself with creating audio/mp3 files for the children’s book. 

Yes, I know that I introduced myself as the “writer” and Katherine as the “speaker.”  

Yes — of course, Katherine would be better at recording the children’s book.  She has more talent in this area than I do but not the time to do it; I have the time, but not as much talent in this area as she does.

Yes — of course, that’s the whole reason behind picking a partner that brings talents that you lack to the collective table. 

And yes — that’s what synergy is all about.  Synergy encompasses the idea that a cohesive group of two or more can come together, and that group can outperform the individual members.  The group becomes greater than the sum of its parts, where 1+1=3… and not just 2.

And yes — the collection of various talents of a team will produce an overall better result than if each person worked on her or his own.

BUT… the byproduct of synergy is that the members learn and grow in fashions that they never would have, if they weren’t part of the group.  Each member learns from each other, becoming more rounded, more capable, and more flexible because of the interaction with the other members.

Synergy doesn’t create a group of people dependent on each other to finish a product.  It creates a group of people who can independently stand on their own but choose to share and exchange their resources with each other. 

So, if I want to grow, I can’t simply hold onto the idea that “I’m the writer and Katherine’s the speaker.”  I can't use those job descriptions as a crutch, become totally dependent on her schedule, and wait for Katherine to have the time to devote to this project.

If I want to grow, I have to push myself out of my comfort zone and dive into the speaking/recording aspect of this project.

Even if all I get out of this is the practice (and from that, the self-confidence) of doing voice and editing work, I’ve grown in areas that I wouldn't have had otherwise.  That’s not a bad thing… not a bad thing at all!

So, I’ve been entertaining myself with creating audio/mp3 files for the children’s book. 

I would read a chapter out loud, record it on my computer, and then work on the editing portion to get something that would sound passable to the human ear.  Of course, it’s late at night when I work on this, so by the end of the sessions, I would consider what I’ve recorded impressive, especially coming from me.  

Then, a week later — in the light of day and with fresh ears — after doing 15 chapters or more, I go back and listen to the first chapters and shock myself, “Good Greif!  I can’t believe I thought that was good!”

Well, back to the drawing board… or recording room…

Yep, my supervisor has nothing to worry about.  I’m not quitting my day job over any of this... 




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Words vs. Actions

I can’t believe that I’m ranting again... and so soon! 

Now, it may sound like I’m complaining about the lack of respect, assistance, satisfaction, and courtesy that I've suffered at the hands of a certain cell phone company that shall remain nameless… at least in this posting.  

It may sound like I’m complaining about the inability of corporate America to solve problems of its own making, forcing its customers to pay the price of its incompetencies.

It may sound like I’m complaining about the lack of listening skills, understanding, and conscious effort that should be ingrained and embodied in the phrase customer service.

Granted, all the above do apply in this particular instance, which is fueling my anger, but that’s not what I’m going to focus on today… at least, not in this posting.

What I find more egregious than any of the above, is the lack of integrity companies have built into their customer service procedures.  And, once again, companies have created this integrity problem for themselves, forcing its customers to pay the price.

I won’t bore you with all the details — my close friends will take THAT burden off your shoulders — but I will share with you the integrity issue that has gotten under my skin.

Although I am using this particular cell phone company as an example, most companies follow similar practices around the country and the world, so I’m sure you have come across this in your daily activities… more than once.

Companies instruct their employees to follow written scripts, such as:  They would like to take this opportunity to apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused you.  They thank you for being a customer of theirs.  They appreciate your business.

No matter what is transacting, they are instructed to say this about every 3 or 4 sentences:  They would like to take this opportunity to apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused you.  They thank you for being a customer of theirs.  They appreciate your business.

Because I’m a “long-time” customer of theirs, this particular cell phone company repeats their apology and appreciation every other sentence.  They would like to take this opportunity to apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused me.  They thank me for being a long-time customer of theirs.  They appreciate my business.

As the conversation is going on, they tell me No, NO, NO to my requests for a fair solution to my problem, followed by… They would like to take this opportunity to apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused me.  They thank me for being a long-time customer of theirs.  They appreciate my business.

The fact that they didn’t, couldn’t, and wouldn’t help me with my problem completely escapes their notice, while they say…. They would like to take this opportunity to apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused me.  They thank me for being a long-time customer of theirs.  They appreciate my business.

Do they not understand the meaning behind the words in the script they recite?  As they mechanically and continually recite these words to me, their words become hollow and without meaning.  They become habitual liars to me.  Do they not realize this?

In turn, the entire company comes off as hollow and without meaning. 

Your business is extremely important to us — is a farce.

We appreciate you — is a lie.

Does anyone believe in what they're saying?

Do I, as a customer, feel valued, heard, taken care of, or appreciated?  No.

Do I, as a customer, feel abused, taken advantaged, and discarded?  Yes.

Do I, as a customer, trust this company?  No, because their actions don't match their words.

It all goes back to integrity.

We try so hard to teach this important concept to our children — the importance of integrity and being honest in your dealing with others.  We tell our children that to be responsible adults, they must be responsible for their actions and do what’s right.  We tell them that they need to be consistent in action and word.  They must have integrity in everything they do and say.  If they want to be trusted and respected, their words have to match their actions at all times. They can’t promise something and not follow through with it.

Corporate America must have forgotten all of this.  They must have also forgotten that once your words begin to no longer match your actions, people will no longer trust your word.  Instead of being respected and trusted, your words will become hollow and powerless.  You will soon lose the respect of others.  You will lose all that you worked so hard to gain. 

For corporate America, this means they will lose their customers…

And only then, will they understand what they were reciting… but, by then, it will be too late.

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Warning: Pet-Peeve Ranting Ahead

I ran into something in an online writers’ discussion group forum that has ruffled my feathers a bit… and you get to hear about it.  [Oh, Joy!]

One of the members is promoting his “instant article writing template kit” that turns non-writers into writers overnight. 

I get irritated with similar claims that a 30-minute video can teach you to play the piano.  For all of us who had to endure years of piano lessons and those endless hours of practicing, this “short cut” promise just doesn’t sit well in the pits of our stomachs.

Don’t waste your time learning the notes.  Forget technique; forget the left hand; forget the intent and magic that the composers wanted to convey to you through their compositions.  Forget about the emotions that music stirs within you and others when you infuse yourself into the piece.  Forget all that…

None of that is important. 

Just play the melodies with your right hand and, every once in a while, hit a chord or two with the left hand, and you’re playing the piano. 

Yes.  You are, technically, playing the piano, but can you emotionally move people with what you’re doing?  Are you a pianist?  Are you an artist? 

In my mind, not all those who play the piano are pianists; not all those who sing are vocalists or performers; not all those who draw are artists; therefore, not all those who communicate in writing are writers. 

I know that article writing templates kits are useful.  They save time and help people organize their thoughts quickly.  Organization and structure is necessary for any type of oral or written communication.

Organization and focus is needed to successfully get your point across.  I cannot and will not deny that. 

I also cannot deny that many people are poor communicators, because they don’t organize and structure their thoughts and ideas.  Ultimately, these types of kits would promote better written communication.

So, what’s my beef?  I think I would have an easier time with their marketing program, if they said their kit improves communication skills… instead of saying the kit can turn non-writers into writers. 

Their structure ignores the creativity, imagination, and unique perspective that transform the written word into an emotional experience.

Many may not think that this distinction is important, but I do.

As a side note:  I ran across an excellent video, RSAnimate—Changing Education Paradigms, by Sir Ken Robinson (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U ) that highlights society’s tendency to mass produce education to a formatted standard, while it organizes and formats creativity and divergent thinking to extinction.

So, it looks like there will be more of this type of thinking going on… and more ranting on my part. 

I’m just warning you…


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Where Your Attention Is, Your Heart Will Also Be

Katherine and I had one of our book project meetings last night.  We looked at our things-to-do list for the upcoming weeks.  It was so depressing and oppressive  that we’ve decided to forgo our business meeting for next week and just go out to dinner.  We needed to reconnect with each other instead.

With time becoming such a limited resource for both of us, when we do manage to get together, all we do is work on these book projects.  The frustrations and monotonous work of making our dream come true has pushed our friendship into a fragile spot — into a corner void of the connection, attention, and caring that were once so ingrained in our friendship and so precious to us.  Somewhere along the way, those precious gifts were misplaced, and it’s time to regain them again.

I’m glad Katherine suggested this idea of going out.  We haven’t gone out for the longest time.  We haven’t laughed together for the longest time.  We haven’t really talked to each other for the longest time.  There just wasn’t any time…

Well, no… that’s not true…  There is always 24 hours in a day.  It’s just that we were choosing to spend our time elsewhere.  We were constantly placing our time and attention somewhere else.

It’s hard to admit, but we can go through life taking our friends for granted, to the point that we don’t see them anymore.  We figure that they will always be there; they will understand.  After all, they are our friends.  We’re so busy multitasking our lives away that we can no longer focus on one thing at a time — or one person at a time. 

With so many people and things fighting for our attention, we forget that we must choose who gets our attention and for how long.  If we don’t focus and limit ourselves, then our attention is spread so thin and in so many directions that nothing is accomplished and no one is satisfied.  We end up failing ourselves and failing those we care about the most.

Yes, it's time for Katherine and me to spend more time working on our friendship than on becoming published. 

After all, if we lose our friendship along the way, our dream will never come true.

Our dream only exists through our friendship.



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Need to Mix It Up!

Well, the antsy feeling has turned into restlessness and recklessness.  I’m beginning to feel like a caged animal.

I want to do something fun... and I’ve become obsessed with the idea of recording the children’s book, now.  Katherine is on board with the idea, but again, time is an issue for her.   Plus, with the number of different characters in the book, we would need to have various voices to pull this thing off.

But, I can’t help it.  Even knowing all of this, I want to get started on it… if not now, then… now.

I’m thinking if Katherine isn’t available, I could play around with taping some chapters myself… just to keep me from jumping out of my skin.  It’ll give me some practice in voice intonation and inflection and editing audio tracks…

Ultimately, I want Katherine to do the readings, but at least the practice will keep me busy and entertained until something new comes along.  I'm thinking this distraction will help me deal with the mundane administrative stuff better…

As you can tell, I’m pulling at straws.  I’m trying to keep my energy up for this project.  If I can come up with some fun stuff to mix in with the boring stuff that’s ahead of me, I won’t feel like the happiness of life is being sucked out of me every time I come back to this project. 



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‘Tis the Bah Humbug Season

Oh dear, I’m feeling antsy again.  I’m restless and roaming the house, wanting to do something productive and fun.  I keep coming back to this computer, feeling that I should be doing something, but, at the moment, the only SOMETHING to be doing is the stuff I hate doing.

It seems that I’ve run through all the fun and creative tasks on my project list and am facing quite a boring list again.

The creative process of the children’s book is done — and our little hero is resting before he goes on another adventure.

My friend who teaches elementary school is excited about sharing the children’s story with her first graders, but I’d like Katherine’s son to read it first, before sending it out to other kids.  I’d like to be able to tell him that he was the first kid to read our book. 

I anticipate that once Katherine’s son finishes with the book, the school kids will be on their Winter Break and won’t get back until January.

I can’t go any further on the Ready or Not... book — not without Katherine.  Hopefully, our schedules will mesh again, and we can finish that book before the book club starts up again. 

The book club/focus group gets back together in January, too.  We’ve invited Ellen DeGeneres and her mom, Betty DeGeneres, to the meetings.  No word, yet, as to whether they are joining us — and I don’t feel like we can bother them again… at least for a couple more weeks.   [I don’t want to risk a restraining order.]

Oh… as for a webcam update… I ended up uninstalling the one I was struggling with and got a new one.  I’m happy to report that I was able to install the new one all by myself [proving that I’m not such an idiot, after all!]; and this new one seems to be working better, although I haven’t really tested it yet.  I did use the microphone feature to record a snippet of the children’s book. 

The book sounds good read out loud.  I’d like to get Katherine to record the story.  Katherine even suggested that “we” create a screenplay from the book.  That would fun — but one step at a time. 

Maybe we’ll post a small audio file of the book on the blog, if you’re interested in hearing a bit of it.  All that is fun and exciting to think about, but for right now, all I’m left with is the research and administrative #$@#$ that goes along with finding a publisher for the children’s book.  YUCK!!

It’s the same old story with the children’s book publishers as with the adult nonfiction publishers. I’ve checked out more than 100 publishers for children's books.  Most are not accepting manuscripts at this time (but check back later); or they are not accepting manuscripts without literary agents.  Interestingly, lots of publishers are only interested in multicultural, bilingual, or bible-based stories for kids; and some simply want educational and training materials — not children's stories. 

After all of that, I found about a dozen publishers that may be interested in our children’s book.  We’ll try them, before knocking on literary agents’ doors again.

Unfortunately, the publishers’ for children’s books seem even less affable than the adult nonfiction publishers — at least the way they post their submission guidelines.

Basically, if we don’t hear from them within 6-8-12 months, we are told to assume that they're not interested in our materials.  Usually, publishers will send materials back, or an “encouraging letter of hope” if you supply them with a self-addressed stamped envelop (SASE).  The children’s book publishers tell you not to bother them with the SASE, because they won’t take the time to respond back to you.  If you don’t hear from them after a year, assume they have no interest in you…

Yeah… can you tell why I don’t like this phase of the project?



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Want Honest Feedback? Ask a Child

I’m both excited and apprehensive about this next step.  Our little children’s book is ready to go on its first sleepover to some friends’ houses, to see if it could stand on its own and fend for itself. 

A very good friend of mine teaches in an elementary school in Key Largo, Florida.  She read our little story and thought her class would enjoy it.  So, she’s going to read the story to the class and ask for their feedback. 

What did they like about the book? 

What lessons did they learn from the story? 

What were their favorite characters?

What character(s) would they like to know more about?

If you want honest feedback about anything, just ask a child… but you also have to be adult enough to listen to and accept their opinions.   Children tend to tell you what they think without softening the blows for you. 

So, this will be more a test of my maturity more than theirs — and I’m afraid that I may not pass this test.

If they write back that they like the book, then it may help us with publishers.  If they like the book, we’d like to plan a little field trip down to Key Largo to visit them.  We may even add them to our dedication page of the book to show our appreciation…

But only if they like

 the story…

If they don’t like the story, then forget that I even mentioned any of this.  None of this ever happened.

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Ain’t Technology Grand!

Well, I guess it’s time for me to move into the 21st century…

Because of our different schedules, it’s becoming more and more difficult for Katherine to meet with me at my house and work on our book projects.

Last night, she goes all techie on me and helps me set up a webcam on my computer, so we can still work together when we can’t physically meet.  She gets the thing working and hooks it up to our online chat system and everything.  She leaves all happy because we accomplished something.

The next morning, when I turn on my system, the #@$@$ thing doesn’t work.

I don’t know what it is, but the little green light that was on last night isn’t on this morning.  The computer pings and pokes me that a special file that is needed to run the webcam — that was there last night — is now suddenly missing!

I have no idea who would have broken into my house last night to steal this precious file from the computer...

I tried uninstalling and reinstalling and crossing my fingers and crying and… and… and… until I simply gave up and emailed Katherine for help.  Hopefully, the next time she comes by, she can get it working again.

I hope it's an easy fix, but on the other hand, I won't feel like such a dummy if she can't get it working again.

We'll see what type of magic she brings with her the next time she comes by.  It would be pretty funny if the webcam only decides to work when Katherine is at my house.  That defeats the purpose of this thing, doesn't it? 

Yeah, my techie-days are over for me, I’m afraid, if I can’t get a simple @#$@$ webcam to stay hooked up for me.

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I Have No Choice

It’s amazing how, when I’ve had a fight with someone — whether it be a family member, friend, co-worker, or stranger — it’s so difficult to concentrate on anything else.  All I do is relive the event… the conversation … the feelings… over and over again. 

Why do I torture myself this way?  Do I think I can change the outcome of the fight by just rewriting the ending to something better?  Do I think I have control of things, like I have control over the characters in my stories?

No, I know I have control over very little.  I only have control over my actions, my thoughts, and my feelings.  I have no control over how others see me, how they treat me, how they react to me… and that’s #$@# frustrating!!! 

But it is what it is.  It’s the natural law of things.  I can’t change it with a keystroke or pen.  All I can do is deal with the situation the best I can… and take one day at a time.

Part of me just wants to give up and walk away; the other part tells me that if I do, I will hurt myself more than I can ever imagine. 

Part of me just wants to remain silent to what I feel; the other part tells me that the only way to feel differently is to break my silence.

I know, in my heart, that remaining silent is not the answer.  The longer the silence exists between us, the harder it is for us to reconnect again.  We start to distrust each other, because we are no longer communicating effectively.  Soon, we may end up no longer communicating at all.  We may decide that it is easier to support indifference toward each other than it is to work at connecting again.

I don’t want that… not yet.  I want to stay connected to you; but I also know that, once I break my silence, conflict and discourse will result.  This, too, is a natural law. 

This is because my self-interest has gotten in the way of your self-interest.  It’s inevitable that one of us will feel that splash of hurt, because our expectation of the other is not being met. 

When this hurt is revealed, I will wish that I had kept my silence.

How do I solve this dilemma?  If I break my silence, I create conflict and I could lose you; if I remain silent, I create resentment and I could lose you.

Which path should I take?  Either one could lead to hurt and loss.  

I don’t know what will happen, but I’m not willing to give up… not yet.  I know tomorrow brings with it another chance to do better — and I’m going to take that chance.

Another thing I know is that I have to trust and accept the consequences of that trust.

Here’s another natural law that cannot be changed.  With trust comes vulnerability and, possibly, betrayal.  But trust is so important to relationships that I have no other choice but to build up my courage to weather the pain that comes with it.  I have to trust and know that I can be hurt in doing so. 

I have no choice in the matter. 

I have no choice…

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Got Some Good News and Some Bad News

I've some good news and some bad news.

The good news is…

No, a publisher hasn’t picked us up yet.

No, Ellen hasn’t called yet… nor has her mother, Betty — not yet.

No, Gayle hasn’t called yet.

Kelly Ripa and Oprah haven’t called either — but it’s too soon for them to call.  We just emailed them a couple of weeks ago.

The good news is that we’ve finished writing the first draft of the children’s book — and it’s stellar stuff… in our humble opinion.

Of course, a children’s book needs illustrations, and we’ve conceptualized what we want those to be.  Each picture will tell its own story, while propelling the story further — not just retelling a particular scene in the book.  Each scene will be able to stand on its own as it acts as a bridge to the next chapter.  Really, really cool stuff… in my humble opinion.

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The bad news is:

With the creative part of the book done, we have to jump into all the stuff I’ve learned to hate, Hate, HATE doing.  Because this book is such a departure from the other two, we have to start from scratch — start all over again.  A brand new book proposal has to be written; a new market research has to be done, new promotional ideas have to be generated; a completely different market has to be defined; research on the competition in the children’s book market has to be conducted, etc. 

Because this book is children fiction and not adult nonfiction, there’s a different way of addressing the publishers.  Publishers of children’s books are looking for completely different things.

I’ve got to start searching and creating new lists of publishers interested in children’s books.  I can’t use the ones I already have.  I have to start researching and contacting all new publishers…

By adding illustrations, we need to find and work with an illustrator who can meet our vision and expectations for the book… which is no easy task!  Hopefully, the publisher that picks us up will have the perfect illustrator for our book.

Ugh, Ugh, Ugh!!!  I am not looking forward to any of this!!! 

I know that we must do what we must do… but not just yet.

I’m not ready to start that phase, again... not just yet.

I’d still like to focus on the creative side of things for a bit longer.

The Ready or Not book is not ready yet, so I’d like to refocus on getting that completed, especially if we’re still planning to have that as our next book for the book club discussion that starts in January.   Once that book is finished, we’ll have three completed manuscripts to offer anyone who is interested in reading them.

We can start test marketing the children’s book.  Our first guinea pig will be Katherine’s 9-year-old son (soon to be 10) — and, I’m afraid, he’ll be the toughest critic we’ll face on this journey. 

My dream is that he will get so excited with the story that he’ll want to help us write the next one in the series.  I think that would be fabulous!  If the story can get him interested and excited about writing… WOW!

After him — if the book and we survive that test — we’ll ask other parents and kids to read it and give us their feedback.

After that… 

No, I’m not ready to think any further than that.  Let me stay in my happy place… just a bit longer.





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Another Switch in Direction

Katherine and I had our weekly FB meeting.  Most of our time was spent on the children’s book.  We wanted to go over what we had thus far, to make sure that the tone of the book was just right… not too hard… not too soft… but just right.

The best part of the night was when Katherine read what we had out loud, as it was meant to be read.  This way I could hear the flow and the ease at which the words played off of each other.  

I have to tell you, it’s the neatest feeling to sit back and hear a story being read out loud.  It gives you license to revert back to a child and have someone else take over for you… even if it’s just for a little while.  You never feel alone on this journey, because you have someone walking along with you.  It’s such a comforting feeling…

Add to that… these are your words being read back to you.  You’re the one that put the words together.  You’re the one that created this little world that’s being shared with others. 

It’s just an amazing feeling!

Both Katherine and I got caught up in this spell… so much so that we started to think about how we can further develop the characters and story for the sequels that naturally flow from this first book.  We discussed what we wanted the illustrations to be and what types of animation we wanted for the movie that will be made from the book(s), and… and… and…

Yes, we did manage to climb down from the clouds on which we found ourselves.  By the end of the evening, we were back to (our form of) reality.  First, get published... then start thinking movie deals. 

It is interesting to think that this children’s book may be the most marketable of the three.  This may be the one that starts our careers as published authors.   We may have stumbled on our recipe for success, without even knowing it.

That’s why we’ve switched our focus (again).  For the next couple of weeks, we’re going to concentrate on finishing this book and the Ready or Not book.  By January, we anticipate that we’ll have three books ready for publishing. 

We’re excited and can't wait to see where this road takes us….


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