Monday, August 5, 2013

In The Works :)

I have had a very creative morning! That is always a good thing!!

I currently am working on several projects that are all in different stages but I have seen progress in a couple of them just this week, so I am MOTIVATED :)

First of all I am working on an awesome self published picture book with my buddy Shanda! She is an AMAZING Illustrator and she has agreed to work on a story I've written called "Rubber Ducky Detective Agency." Our plan is to list it on Amazon with a digital option for iPad, Kindle, or Nook and a print option where people can order a hard copy. There is not a ton of money to be made, but it will get our work out there and in the hands of our friends, family, and hopefully fans :)


My second project is a book of poems that I have been wanting to do for awhile. I grew up with dogs in my life and I love them so much. I have had it in my head for a while to do a book of dog poems about different breeds. Today I have officially started! I now have a poem for the Irish Setter, the Great Pyrnees, and the Chow Chow. I plan to have between 15-20 poems so I still have a ways to go, but I am off to a good start. I know I want to sneak in a Labrador, Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier, and Dashhound too since they are all dogs that have been in my life and hold a place in my heart. Some of my other favorite breeds are the Bulldog, Boxer, and Basset Hound; so I am sure they will find their way into this collection as well. This will be another project I might slip to Shanda when its complete.


Thirdly I am getting excited about the Southern Breeze conference for SCBWI this October. I missed the deadline for critiques (boo) but I still have time to register to go! The classes look amazing and I remember how inspired I was when I left last time. It has been 5 years since I have been to an SCBWI conference and I am so stoked to be going again!


Well that is my update this week! Hopefully next Monday will be just as fruitful!

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

My Journey

Poetry has always been my first love! When I was little my mom used to sing songs to my brother and I off the radio, but she would change the words to suit us. She would stay in rhyme and rhythm with the song and just be silly. It wasn't long before my brother and I were doing the same right back at her. I think this is a HUGE reason that poetry comes to me so easily. I can hear the meter in a poem, I can feel the "pulse" of it.

That makes it no surprise that my first published works were poems. In 2008 I had just started considering the possibility that I could really be a writer and have published work. I joined SCBWI (The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and researched my heart out. I found a small online children's publication called Stories For Children Magazine (SFC) and took a deep breath and hit submit on my first critiqued and polished poem "Oodles of Poodles." I was over the moon when I found out it would be published in the December 2008 Issue, and even more taken back when it won Poem of the Year for the 2008 "Granny Awards" that SFC does every year. I got a featured spot on the website and a trophy.
My confidence soared! I attended the Southern Breeze chapter of SCBWI conference in 2008 as well and had this huge moment there. Standing in the hall outside the auditorium was a book fair. Every author and/or illustrator was from our region! These were people who had made it. These were people who had found that perfect match of manuscript with publisher... I was sold! I wanted that to me MY book on that table! I wanted that to be MY autograph people were asking for!

I submitted my manuscript for a book called "Hot Dog Dog" to several publishers after the conference. I got decent feedback, but no takers. I started collecting my rejection letters so I could look back at them later when I've made it and say, "It's Worth it! All the rejection was worth it." With the rejections from my manuscript I knew I needed a "win" so I went back to SFC hoping for a second "atta-boy" and I was not denied it. I stuck to my love of poetry and my poem "Mail" was published in the February 2009 issue.
 Then life took over. My ex-husband and I started classes to become foster parents in March 2009 and in August 2009 I was BLESSED with a beautiful, 5 year old little girl in my life named Rachel.
That's when I discovered that there were just not enough hours in the day. Having gone from mommy of 0 to mommy of a 5 year old in seconds flat, writing took a back seat. Rachel had my full attention, and I wouldn't trade her for the world. Between being a mom, a full time teacher, and a wife - there was no time left for much else, but I think sometimes having one dream put on hold for another is necessary and so worth the wait. My dream of being a mommy came true and that's a blessing all on its own. On April 6th, 2011 Rachel was officially adopted and I felt settled in my life as a mommy.
Feeling like I was in a good place to continue my writing, I rejoined SCBWI and did a search for local writers and Illustrators. I must have sent dozens of emails asking if anyone was interested in starting an in-person critique group. At this time I was BLESSED with replies from 4 AMAZING writers and illustrators; Shanda McCloskey, Tosha Sumner, Aaron Yacher, and Christi J. Whitney.

This amazing group helped me so much as I went through a huge change in my life. Sometimes the dreams of one, are not the dreams of another. In a marriage this can be detrimental. Unfortunatly, my dream of being a mommy and his dream of being a daddy were not on the same page and in the summer of 2011 Rachel and I moved out. Needless to say, writing took a backseat once again.

But with the help of great friends and supportive family I was able to sneak in some "me" time and I was able to return to my "tried and true" publication, SFC, in 2012 to have my poem "Dance Machine" published in their April/May 2012 issue.
SFC once again restored my confidence! I also had been restored in love with the fast but exciting engagement to my now husband, Matt.

Matt and I were married on October 20, 2012 and once again I was at a place of calm in my life to where I could pull that dream out of my back pocket and write again.

Unfortunately, my best publishing friend, SFC is no longer producing new issues, so I am on to new horizons. On a happy note, our critique group had grown by 2 new amazing authors; Kim MacPherson and Colleen Bennett.

2013 has brought my family back home (from the Atlanta, Georgia metro area to Warner Robins, Georgia) which makes me sad to be away from my amazing group, however, technology is amazing and I will be attending a meeting tonight via FACETIME. But this move has done something magical in my life. Matt has landed an amazing job which allows me to stay home, take care of my family, and WRITE. Which is still surreal to me! I am so excited for what the future holds, and with a view like this from my back window,
how could I not be super inspired 24/7. I tell my daughter all the time Good Things Happen To Good People. I am living proof of that. Good things are happening to me and my family. Now its time to catch that dream!!

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

New Beginnings

For years I have dreamed of the day when I would be able to be a full time author.

For years I have said, "If I just had more time I could submit to more publishers... research more agents... write more... read more"

For years I have put my love of writing on the back burner.

NO LONGER!

As of August 1st, 2013 I... am... an... author!! Not a teacher who writes in her spare time, but a real true full time author.

Rachel, my daughter, will be in third grade this year, which starts this Thursday. Starting then, after our morning ritual of breakfast, lunch packing, and bus boarding I will come home to my empty house and live my dream!

WRITE, CRITIQUE, REWRITE, CRITIQUE, TWEAK, RESEARCH, SUBMIT, REPEAT

until I can hold in my hand a book I have written that is published!

I will walk into Barnes and Nobles or Books-A-Million and buy a copy of my book. IT WILL HAPPEN.

Thursday marks the first step.

Ready... set... GO!