Aren’t they just adorable? And all that love in their signs made me a little teary…

Thanks so much for having me, Valley Intermediate. It was awesome :)

(Oh, and just in case you were wondering, I do have permission to post these on my blog.)

All dolled up :)

Recently I did an author visit to my nephew’s school. This doesn’t sound like a particularly unusual thing to do, except that in our case, I’m in Ballarat, Australia and my nephew, Zeb, lives in Alabama, USA. Thanks to Skype, I was able to do a school visit to the other side of the world from the comfort of my own office.

The librarian at Valley Intermediate School in Pelham, Alabama is the lovely Mrs Foy. Mrs Foy and I had been trying to line up this visit for almost a year but due to us moving twice in six months and the mismatch of school terms, it was hard to find a time that worked. And when we finally did find a time that suited us both (’suited’ being a highly subjective word as the visit was from 1:15-2:45am for me – not sure that time is ever truly suitable LOL) disaster struck! After testing out our Skype connection earlier in the day, putting my make up on at midnight and getting dressed in suitably groovy clothing for my visit, our internet went down.

I was horrified.

I was worried.

And then I was aghast. After checking the website we discovered that our internet provider were doing a one-off scheduled maintenance from midnight till 6:30am THE VERY DAY I HAD SCHEDULED MY AUTHOR VISIT!!! I really couldn’t believe the bad timing, but Mrs Foy was very understanding and we rescheduled for the following day.

There were no technical glitches the second day, and I have to say I had an absolute blast visiting Valley Intermediate from afar. I did three consecutive sessions with 3rd graders, visiting with almost 250 kids. Mrs Foy had the kids set up in the library with a big screen so everyone could see me and my funny faces. (You’ll see evidence of these funny faces shortly…) I was talking through a computer off to one side of the room which was actually fantastic as it enabled me to have a side-on view of the kids as they watched/interacted with me. I was pleasantly surprised at just how dynamic it was. Just like in a live author visit in a local school, I was able to feel whether the kids were with me or not.

Reading SAMUEL'S KISSES

I began my visit by reading SAMUEL’S KISSES to the students. This was a little tricky as I had to make sure I was holding the book in just the right spot for them to see the illustrations and I seemed to get fumbly fingers when it came to turning the pages, but they were all very patient with me. Mrs Foy did a brilliant job of organising the whole thing and in each of the three session, after I’d read the book, ten to twelve kids had pre-prepared questions. They came and sat in front of the computer, introduced themselves and then asked me a question. Their questions were great! They asked things like:

“Do you live near the beach?” (The beach is about an hour away from where we live.)

“Have you ever been to Ayers Rock?” (No, the only state/territory I haven’t been to is the Northern Territory.)

“What’s your favourite Australian animal?” (The echidna. I love their wobbly little walk.)

“How is Australia different to America?” (There are many things that are the same and many things that are different.)

“Who is SAMUEL’S KISSES about?” (My eldest son.)

And that was where the technology really came into play. I had chosen a few photos from my computer that I thought were relevant – one of them of my son, who was the inspiration for SAMUEL’S KISSES, surrounded by kangaroos – and during the Skype call I was able to share these photos with the kids and let them see what I was viewing on my desktop. The kids were very excited and I think it made the whole thing more real for them.

My Skype visit to Alabama was a huge success. I had a blast, the kids enjoyed themselves and they not only got to learn about my book but also about Australia. I’m heading over the Alabama a little later in the year so I’m hoping to get to meet some of the students and teachers in person. So now I’ll leave you with a collection of funny faces I pulled during my visit.

Scary me

Super-scary me (my personal favourite)

Almost-normal me

Tilted head me

Cranky-face me

Clever kids...and me

High-eyebrows me

I’d love to do some more Skype visits to schools around the place so if you know anyone who might be interested, please pass on my details: karen[AT]karencollum[DOT]com[DOT]au. I promise I’ll try to not pull such funny faces in the future.

First up, here’s a sonnet I wrote that happened to fit in with the daily theme over at my other blog, The Fruity Tales.

A Mother’s Love

A mother’s love aglow and fiercely bright

It renders her a lioness, sharp and taut

A warrior, sword in hand, a fearsome sight

She strikes, the battle of love is fought



For none who dare to cross her precious child

Should come with notions grand and victory won

Be underwhelmed by one so timid, meek and mild

For ‘neath the doe-eyed stare there lurks a gun


The woman who in all her life and days

Would never hurt or maim or kill or strike

When placed between her child and dangerous ways

Thinks not a second, hour or minute or the like


The arms that held, caressed a child so dear

Are they the weapons one should so greatly fear


And thanks to the lovely Anna Ryan-Punch here’s today’s attempt at a sestina. Sestina’s don’t always rhyme but I saw an example with rhyme and I decided to give it a go.

The Blossoming of Power

In the midst of mighty power

In the dark and death of night

I resist the urge to cower

Resist the urge to fight

And so my soul will flower

As I stay the path of right



I am reminded of the right

To not rescind my veil of power

To be treasured as a flower

That only blossoms in the night

But if and when I’m forced to fight

I will never, ever cower



As I crouch and hide and cower

I don’t look left, I don’t look right

Anticipate the fight

In desperate need of help and power

I call into the night

Wait, wait, a wilting flower



Petals beaten from the flower

My leaves, my stem, they cower

Storms blowing in the night

Righting wrong and wronging right

A bright flicker from the power

From the lightning strike of fight



And in the bright I find the fight

Hibernating in the flower

Unseen strength and unseen power

Borne of wilt and death and cower

For what is good and what is right

Even in the midst of night



And at the breaking of the night

Victorious the fight

Not drifting left but staying right

The deadly limbs begin to flower

And my enemy will cower

From the blossoming of power



As the night dawns and as buds flower

No need to fight, no need to cower

I am right and I am power

As a writer it’s really tempting to set a goal like, ‘Get a publishing contract.’ In fact, that was on my list of goals when I first started seriously writing a little over four years ago. I’ve since learned, however, that there are a whole lot of factors that come into play when publishers decide whether to take on a manuscript and in reality, very little of them are in my control. I have no control over the current economic climate, the other similar project they may have just accepted or whether the reader was in the mood for an upbeat, lively story while reading my melancholy manuscript. The only elements I have any control over in this situation are the quality of the manuscript I submit and the choice of publisher to sub to. I now try to set goals that are totally within my control (such as ’submit my manuscript to three publishers’) and follow the S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting technique to help me on my way.

S.M.A.R.T. goals are:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely

Here’s a list of my goals for 2012:

- continue the family challenge we’re undertaking over at The Fruity Tales and blog at least five times a week about our experience

- finish the Year of the Novel course and the first draft of my YA novel

- finish a complete edit of my MG NaNo novel

- write at least one new picture book

Then there are a couple of non-writing-related goals that are going to big ones this year and will eat into my time significantly, especially in the first half of the year.

My husband and I have volunteered to run a program across the Easter four-day weekend during our church’s statewide annual camp. This means we’ll be running a morning and afternoon program for between 60-120 six to eight year olds…and that obviously requires a lot of work. Our planning is well underway but my goal is to run an engaging, meaningful program for the kids that leaves them knowing just how much God loves them.

The other project I’ve got on the go is one involving the gorgeous Kym Piez from A Day in the Life of Us. Kym and I are writing, producing and presenting a new children’s show on the Christian television network, HOPE Channel. It’s will be a similar style to Play School with limited props, lots of singing and stories and opportunities to play and learn. Kym and I have been planning this for a couple of years now so it will be exciting (and scary!) to start filming the thirteen episodes sometime around the middle of the year. My goal is to have the episodes completely planned and structured well before we get to filming.

So there you have it, my list of goals for 2012. They are all specific, measurable, attainable (I hope!), realistic and timely. Now I need to go and create a schedule for myself so I can make my goals a reality.

Wishing you all a wonderful 2012 filled with blessings.

And then came December.

And with December, came The Day that was Made of Awesome (a.k.a. How I got my Agent). This is going to be quite a long and winding tale, so I suggest you grab a cuppa and a biscuit and meet me back here in a few minutes ’cause I can’t wait to tell you the story of how I got my agent, the fantabulous Anjanette Morton from Rick Raftos Management.

The Power of the Twitterverse

I can’t remember when Anj and I first connected on Twitter but we’ve been chatting for at least a year. I think it was a case of us both having a Twitter buddy in common and ending up participating in the same conversation and I followed her from there. I liked Anj from the get-go. From her tweets, I knew she was funny and passionate and smart and kind and loved books and writing and was a mum like me, but – you’ll laugh when you hear this – I had no idea she was an agent. Honest to goodness, I didn’t have a clue. I guess I didn’t read her Twitter profile closely and our conversations were around real life stuff such as how to dig yourself out of a hole when you’ve said the wrong this on Twitter (that was me) and the woes of finding a new hairdresser when moving to a new place. (That was also me, and amazingly enough, Anj was responsible for finding me a great hairdresser here in Ballarat! She said she wished I could go to her hairdresser and included him in the tweet and he sent me a tweet with the name of a local hairdresser here he’s good friends with. Social networking at it’s best. And I love my hairdresser. Thanks, Anj!) Anyhow, the upshot is that Anj and I would often find ourselves on Twitter at the same time and we’d chat and laugh and join in conversations together here and there. We talked about books and writing in general, but I still didn’t know she was an agent.

In June this year I decided I wanted something to focus my writing around and so I enrolled in the Year of the Novel (YoN) course run by the Queensland Writers Centre and the Australian Writers Marketplace. Last year I had completed the Year of the Edit workshops (in person) in Queensland, but since that was no longer and option then online was the next best thing. And lo and behold, I found myself alongside Anj and another beautiful Twitter lady, Jayne Watkins. As we three were already connected on Twitter, it was natural for us to form a little trio of support as we worked our way through the course. This sometimes meant we shared our writing with one another and had a chance to give each other feedback.

And it was then that I discovered that Anj was an agent.

And I nearly fell off my chair.

You see, one of the things I fear most about Twitter is that someone will think I’m friends with them for purely selfish reasons. Sure, I follow a lot of agents intentionally, but I’m not about to butter them up, coerce them into being my friend and them bombard them with my manuscripts. I follow them because I want to learn about the industry and the current trends and get a better grasp of the way this fickle business works. And I’m also a stickybeak. I love hearing about other people’s sales because it makes me think that one day that just might be me. But I really dislike it when people use others for their own gain so I actively cultivate genuine friendships and trust that if God means for me to be an author then it will all work out in the end (with a lot of hard work on my behalf). But back to the story.

After reading some of the early parts of the YA novel I’m working on in YoN, Anj said she’d like to read the manuscript when I was done – in her capacity as an agent – because she really liked what I’d written thus far. I was thrilled and surprised all at once. Anj was an agent? How had that vital piece of information escaped me up until that point?? I quickly replied that I would LOVE her to read it when it was done but I also mentioned my concern about taking advantage of a connection for the wrong reasons. She assured me that she wouldn’t have offered if she felt I wasn’t being genuine. So I relaxed and we shared some more of our writing and connected on Twitter every now and then while the dream of Anj taking me on as a client occasionally flickered in my subconscious and gave me butterflies.

Not long after that, Anj had to make the decision to pull out of the course. She simply didn’t have enough hours in her day to do everything and since giving up sleep wasn’t an option, something had to give. I was sad to see her go but understood the whole juggling thing all too well, so Jayne and I have continued on (albeit slowly!) together. I still haven’t finished the first draft of the YA novel, but I will get there. I will. One day.

The story continues…

Fast forward a few months to the last day of November. It was a Wednesday night and having finished NaNoWriMo the day before, I was feeling the jetlag from having written an insane amount of words in a really short time. I popped onto Twitter to see who was out and about and promptly got bombarded by those awful spambots with eggs as avatars. I lamented my spambot attack and Anj replied, saying she’d been hammered that night too. We chatted back and forth about the senselessness of spamming and wondered together what it achieved (we never did come up with an answer). After telling Anj I missed her around YoN (which I do), I went to bed.

AND MISSED A DM THAT ANJ SENT ME THAT WAS VERY IMPORTANT!

I woke the following morning and checked Facebook and Twitter on my phone pretty much straight away. (Yes, I’m a bit of a tragic like that. You just never know what good/important/funny/cute/sad stuff has happened overnight.) I just happened to flick across to DMs and saw the message from Anj, which *may* have made me squeal like a teenage groupie for a few seconds. You see, Anj was meeting with a publisher in the coming days and she wondered if I had any picture book manuscripts that I might like to send her way. After picking myself up off the floor, I sent her a DM in reply, which may have started with the word, “Squee!”, and assured her that yes, I just might have a PB or four-thousand ready to go. And then I emailed her three of my best and pinched myself to make sure this was really happening.

And so began the process of Anj taking me on as a client. And you know what? It was actually really, really easy for me to sign on the dotted line because I know Anj. Sure, I asked a lot of questions that I would’ve been foolish not to ask, but her answers just confirmed what I already knew. You see, I’ve known Anj for over a year and I like her and trust her – not as an agent – but as a person. And I am over-the-moon-shout-from-the-rooftops excited to have this funny, passionate, smart, kind, book-lover, writer and mum-like-me as my agent. And together I think we’re going to make a pretty awesome team. And the best part? With Anj by my side, I’m not only going to be writing PBs but I’m intending to branch out into MG and YA as well. How exciting is that? :)

And so ends the lengthy epistle, Part 1 of The Day that was Made of Awesome (don’t say I didn’t warn you it would be long). There is a Part 2, I promise, but you’re going to have wait a little while for that one. In the meantime, if you’re looking for an agent here’s a couple of things I’ve learned along the way:

1. Be genuine.

Don’t set out to get something from the people you meet. Anj and I have been connecting online for more than twelve months and if I wasn’t being genuine, she would’ve spotted it by now. Be the best you that you can be but please, please, please don’t use people. It’s not pretty. Ever.

2. Be professional.

You never know if the person reading your tweets or blog posts or Facebook status updates might be the one who helps you get to the next step in your journey. I know we all need to whinge and complain and grumble about things from time to time, but personally I think it’s best to keep those things more private than the world wide web. My amazing author friends Kat Apel, Dee White and Katrina Germein have all been recipients of a whinge email or three from me and have provided the perfect amount of sympathy, humour and chocolate in return. Gather a group around you who can support you through those moments, but remember that you are what you tweet. Or something like that… :P

3. Relax.

Sometimes it’s impossible to create opportunities but in very rare, sacred moments, opportunities arrive, gift-wrapped with a note from God saying, “Just for you.” When I went to bed that Wednesday night I had no idea that a very important DM was sitting there waiting for me to unwrap on Thursday morning. I didn’t know Anj was meeting with a publisher the next week, I didn’t know she was looking for picture books, I didn’t know that she was building her client list. Maybe she had me in mind all along, or maybe our mutual whinging session over spambots reminded her of my work. Regardless, I couldn’t have conjured up this wonderful situation. It was a whole lot of things lining up all at once, and I consider myself blessed. So try not to stress too much. Do your best, work hard, learn the craft and relax. You never know what might just be around the corner…

Happy writing!

xx

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Sometimes the world seems to be whizzing by at lightning speed, leaving me floundering in its wake.  There’s so much information, so much to know, so much to do that I find myself taking a step backwards to preserve myself and my sanity. Right now is one of those times. I’m calling Timeout.

The past year has been one of the most difficult times of my life. There has been so much to deal with on every level and to put it bluntly, I’m exhausted. And as much as I have truly appreciated the kindness and care shown by my friends on Facebook and Twitter and online writing groups, I’m feeling the need to go and hibernate for a little while. I’m finding myself strangely detached from my writer-self and the writing world in general, and I suspect it’s simply because I need some time to rest. I’m still participating (although I use that term loosely considering I’m two weeks behind…) in the Year of the Novel course and I also want some time and space to get back into my story.

It’s a real conundrum for me: writing energises me in a profound way, but the pressure of making time to write while looking after my young family is sometimes difficult to manage. This is one of those times. Instead of trying to cram more into my day, I’m going to do the opposite and pull back. I want to rediscover the joy of the novel I’m writing. I want to free myself from anything but the essentials in my life until the sense of panic I’ve been experiencing is replaced by calm. I want to feel like I’m coping with the cooking and cleaning and washing that my little tribe create. And I want to sleep. Oh, how I want to sleep!

I will return, but I’m not sure when. It might be a week, a month or longer – I’m trusting I’ll know when the time is right – and I look forward to catching up with you all when I do.

Image: prozac1 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Hi, my name’s Karen and I’m addicted to writing.

It’s true. There’s something about the stringing together of words into phrases, phrases into sentences, sentences into paragraphs and paragraphs into pages and chapter and entire books that makes my heart and mind and soul rejoice like no other activity. I wrote last week about how a new, sparkly picture book landed on my lap and just how exciting and invigorating it was. The buzz lasted for days. The words echoed around in my head, the manuscript was on my mind 24/7 and I got all giddy inside whenever I thought about it. It’s such a strange and powerful phenomenon and while meeting with a very clever, very knowledgeable friend last Wednesday, I think I know why it happens…

Chloe Killen (@ChloeKillen)  is a PhD student studying the creative process of picture books from the germ of the idea right through to publication. I’ve become great friends with Chloe via Twitter and we’ve had many, many discussions about picture books. Chloe interviewed me last week as part of her research into creativity and apart from having a wonderful time meeting her in real life for the very first time, she also gave me lots to think about. One concept Chloe and I discussed was that of ‘flow’.

Now Chloe is the go-to-girl for the specifics about flow (including which clever sausage is responsible for the term and definition), but from my understanding, flow is where my capacity is a perfect match for the challenge I’m facing. When I’m stretched to just the right point of intellectual stimulation and am able to experience success, then I get all those warm and fuzzy feelings associated with flow. I’d never thought about it in those terms but it’s spot on. Last week I lost all track of time, I felt like I was operating in an entirely different plane and every cell of my being was focussed on one goal: writing a fantastic new PB. When I achieved that goal I experienced the most incredible feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment and success.

Writing challenges me in so many ways and the more I learn, the more I want to incorporate my new knowledge into my work. I’m pushing myself mentally and emotionally when I write and the process as well as the end result are highly enjoyable for me. And when things work REALLY well, like they did last week, then I get a rush that is almost indescribable.  The experience of ‘flow’ while it’s happening is awesome, but I also get so much joy afterwards that lasts for quite a few days, sometimes weeks. And I’m guessing that feeling is what draws me back time and again. I crave the next time I get to be in ‘the zone’ and experience a state of creative timelessness where I’m operating at my peak.

My name is Karen and I’m addicted to writing. :) How about you?

Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I had the absolute pleasure of participating in a Writer’s Digest Picture Book Craft Intensive webinar last week with the amazing agent, Mary Kole. Getting up at 2:45am to attend the said webinar was slightly less pleasurable, however it was absolutely, totally, entirely worth every bit of sleep I didn’t get*. Hooked up live via my computer, I got to hear Mary share some of her insights into picture books and the publishing industry for an hour and a half, while watching an accompanying PowerPoint. It really was just like attending a lecture except that I couldn’t actually see the lecturer; there was no video – just audio and a visual presentation. There was a little box for me to type any questions I had and send to Mary, which I put to good use throughout. Writer’s Digest guarantee that no question goes unanswered in a webinar, however that doesn’t mean they get answered immediately. In our case, Mary had so much amazing-incredible-insightful stuff to share she was struggling to fit it into the 90 minute time frame as it was, so the questions will be answered and sent to us with a link of the lecture which we can access for some time afterwards. And if I had ever questioned the value of investing in my craft, this webinar put any of those doubts safely to rest.

When I decided to take writing seriously about four years ago, I knew I had a lot to learn (read: I knew nothing except I loved to write and seemed to have a way with words). I enrolled in a variety of workshops and short courses, read and read and read online and had the attitude that I was doing my apprenticeship and it would require just as much hard work and dedication as any other apprenticeship. I was right :) I’ve always loved learning and thoroughly enjoy being challenged academically and intellectually, so investing in the craft has come naturally to me. However, it’s quite difficult to find top-quality learning opportunities that revolve solely around picture books, especially ones that fit into my life (as crazy as it is). And can I just say, Mary knows picture books. As in she KNOWS picture books. I obviously am not at liberty to share the details of Mary’s webinar, but what I can say is that it has had a profound impact on my writing. As Mary was talking, light bulbs were going off in my head. I know why some of my PBs aren’t working. I know why they haven’t been picked up yet. I can see with clarity why certain manuscripts are still in the unpublished pile on my computer.

That sort of knowledge and insight is gold for a writer, but I have to say it’s also a little intimidating. Part of the webinar deal is a critique on a PB from Mary. As I was listening to what makes an awesome picture book, I knew that nothing that I had already written was good enough. And although I certainly could use some pointers on how to improve my existing PBs, I didn’t want to waste an opportunity. On top of that, Mary suggested that we go and apply what we learned to a manuscript. I decided to do just that and write a totally new picture book. That’s where the intimidation part kicked in.

Now that I have a greater appreciation and more technical knowledge of just how complex, crafted and entirely amazing good picture books are, I found myself paralysed with a not-healthy dose of self-doubt. Could I actually write something that incorporated the techniques Mary highlighted? I wasn’t sure. I’ve been mulling the concepts over for four days now and with the deadline for sending in the manuscript for critiquing fast approaching, I was starting to get a little worried. That’s when my good friends, Kat Apel and Dee White stepped in and gave me some great advice: write the picture book that was already in my heart. It was just what I needed to hear.

Thanks to the support from these lovely ladies, and the knowledge and insight I gained from Mary, I was able to find the story that I needed to write. The kids may have had soup out of a tin for dinner, but I got the thing written. And here’s the best bit: I can see how I’ve taken what Mary told us and used it. And I can see how the application of those concepts has made my manuscript strong in ways that I would never have anticipated. And now I’m in love. With a new picture book. And it’s beautiful!

So if you get the opportunity to invest in the craft, do it! It’s an investment of time and money that may well pay off ten-fold. But whatever you do, don’t forget to write from the heart. That’s where all the best stories come from.

*And I may or may not have had a total fan-girl moment when Mary mentioned my name at the start of the workshop. Apparently my constant tweeting about the ridiculous hour I was going to have to get up caught her attention LOL Thanks, Mary!

1. Agents are really lovely people who really love books.

I know this sounds like I’m crawling, but honestly, I’m not. I’ve had cause to deal with a dozen or more agents over the past few years and without fail, they have been absolutely lovely. They may not have liked my work enough to take me on as a client, but they were encouraging and kind in their rejection. And while the rejections are of course disappointing for me, I think that agents find them a bit disappointing too. After all, they are taking the time to read my work in the hope it will scream, “Pick me! I’m a best-seller!” It must be hard to have to wade through lots of manuscripts day after day, just waiting to find the one that sings for you. My experience with agents has given me confidence to keep submitting and putting my work out there while simultaneously learning more about the craft of picture book writing and improving my skills across the board.

2. The submission process makes me a better writer

I know some people almost resent the fact they have to pitch their work to agents, but for me it’s been a very beneficial experience. I’ve learned how to capture the essence and heart of my picture book and write a query that is also indicative of the style of my writing. I feel like my queries have developed to a point where they are true reflections of me as a writer and that’s a good thing. Sure, it’s disappointing to get a rejection but I knew that was part of the deal before I started. There are some people who got the big YES! first time around, but the vast majority of writers I know have submitted many manuscripts before they found an agent. As my sister-in-law is fond of saying, “Suck it up, Buttercup.” I know the deal, I’m choosing to be part of the industry therefore I’m not going to whinge about the process. Writing is hard, but I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge and I’m not going to start now.

3. Picture book agents are hard to find.

There are a number of reasons for this, but the base reason – as always – is money. As a non-artistically gifted writer, I usually get 5% royalties as opposed to an author/illustrator who would get 10%. An agent usually takes 15% of the income earned on books sales/advances so therefore it makes perfect economic sense for agents to prefer author/illustrators or authors who write middle-grade or YA novels to picture book authors. The amount of work involved in representing a picture book author would no doubt be the same as every other client and yet the return is effectively halved for the agent. I can understand why many agents choose not to rep PBs at all. And add to that situation the fact that picture books are the most expensive books in the market and the market is very, very flat (worldwide, it seems) and you have publishers not taking on many new PBs which results in agents not taking anything but the very, very best. I believe picture books will always be around as they are something magical, divine and oh so beautiful, but I know if I want to play with the Big Kids on the agented side of town, I’m going to have write amazing picture books. Believe me, I’m working on it…

4. Progress is progress.

When I first started submitting a few years ago I used to get a standard response along the lines of, “We have read your work with interest but have decided not to offer representation at this time.” In recent times I’ve noticed a significant shift in the sort of rejections I’m getting. They’re still rejections, but they contain the first glimpses of hope. I’m now receiving rejections that include phrases like, “Your work shows great promise,” or “It is clear that you can write.” I’m not sure if these are just the new ’standard’ rejections, but they do give me hope. Hope that my work is progressing. Hope that I’m getting better at what I do. Hope that one day, someone will feel that extra spark when they read my work that makes them desperately want me as a client.

And in the meantime, I will write :) Ooh! What’s that I hear? A new picture book idea is calling my name…

WHEN I LOOK AT YOU – MY BOOK ABOUT FEELINGS will be available from Adventist Book Centres worldwide soon.

* Autumn House is a Christian publisher and this book is aimed at the Christian market with the inclusion of a Bible verse on every page relating directly to the emotion being discussed. However, the book also stands alone so parents and teachers would be free to include or exclude the Bible verse as they see fit.