June 21, 2010

Happy Summer! Although this is the longest day of the year, I've been rushing around more than usual trying to keep up with it. Then again, I am dealing with Universal Giggling of the good kind, so a little adrenaline is expected. Here's what happened:
My friend and fellow writer, Theresa Flerx (www.tflerxanecdotalist.com), convinced me that going up to Charleston last Saturday was definitely a good idea since they were having a publishing panel in at Taylor Books. She also convinced me that I should pitch a manuscript to Cathy Teets, President of Headline Books in Terra Alta, WV. I had planned to pitch Clyde, but at the very last second decided that Bart and the Amber Bee Award just felt like a better fit for Ms. Teets publishing house. I must have made the right decision because I was asked to send the entire manuscript and a copy of Fiddlebug so that she could see my illustrations! While this is not a promise of publication and the dreaded and dreary "No" is still hovering like a shadow, this is the first time that I have a bright and sparkly "Yes" hovering too! Since I got the manuscript and the book sent today, I've only got to wait to see which lands. Keep your fingers crossed for the "Yes" if you would - your well wishes will add into the ones sent by the wonderful people at my post office and hopefully convince that "Yes" to kick the "No" out! So it's been a really busy and rather emotional day already and I haven't even got all of my updates posted yet LOL Many thanks to Theresa for talking me into going and to Cathy for wanting to read my words and see if they will fit into one of her books!
Now on to what I need to be On My Way To this week: First things first is to finish with the organization that I started last week. I also have to print out 8 copies of something I've written for my first meeting with the writer's group in Lewisburg - nothing like trial by fire *laughing*! I'm going to take Dragonpox since I've been stuck quite long enough there I think. I also want to work on some honeybee research and an illustration for Ms. Teets because she publishes educational books and believes that the bee information would definitely add to that theme. Most difficult, I have a decision to make on Clyde. While I do not believe Headline Books would be interested in her without a rewrite (educational theme) I do believe she should be in a book, and I have that one manuscript I can send to Candlewick still waiting to be sent... By Friday I will have decided whether to potentially mess up my self-publishing schedule and take the chance on Candlewick picking my little undead dust-bunny to be one of their books or not. Ah, possibilities are so confusing sometimes - and in such wonderful ways too! So there you have my list for the week. I'll work on my part and let you know what is on the other side of the tunnel when I get to the end of it!
p.s. I thought you could use some happy daisies from the front garden to cheer your week on. I hope you enjoy them!