A few months ago, I came to a seemingly clumsy crossroads. I love blogging, and picture books are still one of my favorite subjects… but I’ve covered a lot of ground in the past couple of years and I don’t really have anything new to report. (Still writing, revising, submitting and waiting.) I feel like I’ve run out of topics that would be helpful and informative and I loathe the idea of writing without substance. So, I stalled. I’m incredibly grateful for Paper People, those interviews have kept me connected but once a month isn’t enough. I love writing to adult audiences as much as I love working through picture book revisions and I’ve really been missing it. I thought long and hard about revising my content here, to make room for other musings, but it never really felt ‘right.’ I want to broaden my topics and write from my personal & parenting experience but couldn’t figure out a way that blends the two naturally.
Well, fast forward to the end of August, after a particularly powerful lunch with a friend, I had a message waiting in my inbox. If you believe in coincidences, I can see where this might fit into that category, I prefer to think of it as incredibly serendipitous. Long story, short, at the nudging of a (different) friend, I applied and was accepted as a contributor for Lafayette Mom’s Blog! I’ve been a follower and a fan of theirs for months, and I’m thrilled to have another writing outlet and find myself surrounded by like-minded mommas. (Not to mention I have something to add to my cover letter’s now!)
One of the things I’m most excited about it to have a platform to share my love of literacy, supporting local authors and shining the light on the up and comers of the kid lit industry. I do imagine there will be a lot of crossover content, and I can’t wait! I hope you’ll click over and check out their website, even if you aren’t local (or a mom!) I’m already overwhelmed with ideas and hope I can bring some of them to fruition. I also feel energy and inspiration pulsing again, in the way that creativity begets creativity, writing helps me to write more! Now I have deadlines and decisions in front of me, and a whole world of topics waiting to be covered. I hope you’ll stick around; Magnolias & Manuscripts will always be my first love.
Would you believe it? Just sitting down to write this post lit a small but very necessary fire under me! Stay tuned for the October edition of Paper People, it’s going to be epic!
Thanks for reading, come back anytime!
-JP