Let’s Talk, Vivian and PIPPA!

Maybe you know her from her Perfect Picture Book Friday reviews or her delicious ‘Will Write for Cookies’ author interviews. Maybe you’ve noticed what an active member she is in the Facebook groups that we all call home, or you’ve tried your hand at the deceivingly difficulty #50PreciousWords contest. Even better, maybe after you helped your 7-year-old submit a #50PreciousWordsForKids entry, the two of you bonded over the fact that your daughters are named Caroline. 😊 Regardless of how you’ve come to know her, I have no doubt you’re glad that you do. I’m thrilled to be here today, asking questions to the ever generous and energetic Vivian Kirkfield. She has not one, not two but three upcoming picture books to talk about! So, grab something warm, pull up a chair and snuggle in while we talk about the first of her debut triplets, PIPPA’S PASSOVER PLATE, scheduled for release on February 5!!

Vivian, I’m so excited that you’re finally here, before we get started, can I get you something to drink? For sure, Jennifer! I’ll have to decide whether to be good and have tea or be bad and have hot chocolate. I do love tea, but if you’ve got any hot chocolate, I guess I’ll have to be bad and ask for that. 😊 I always laugh whenever I’m out and order hot chocolate and the server asks me if I would like whipped cream. Whipped cream? Is there hot chocolate without it? I don’t think so. 😉 Thank you so much for the hot chocolate…and a million thanks for inviting me to visit.

I’m of the opinion that anything warm and served in a mug can NEVER be bad, hot chocolate included! Though I’m a coffee girl myself… you know, I think I’ll have a mocha… part coffee, part chocolate, all goodness! There are so many places we could start, but, I think we should go back to the beginning. What started the story of PIPPA in motion for you? In 2013, I participated in Tara Lazar’s PiBoIdMo story idea challenge (it’s now called Storystorm). One of the guest posters, Kar Ben editor Joni Sussman, put out a call for Jewish holiday books. Even though I was fairly new to the kidlit world and writing picture books, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to submit a story to an editor. A picture of a little mouse came into my mind and I sat down and wrote Pippa’s story of how she couldn’t find her special Seder dish and had to pluck up her courage and ask Cat, Snake, and Owl if they had seen it.

Storystorm is almost finished! (See the latest posts here.)  How delightful to think of all the future picture books that are just ideas on someone’s list right now. So, you are releasing three books in the next few months and they’re three very different stories.  Was your approach different with each manuscript? Do you have a writing routine that you stick to (when you aren’t traveling the world, of course) or do you use a more laid-back approach? They are very different stories, you are right, Jennifer. But I guess the rules of picture book writing apply. Lyrical language, alliteration, simile/metaphor, and the element of three; all the techniques that are in the picture book writing toolbox. And, whether I’m writing a fiction rhyme about a mouse looking for her Passover dish or an African American woman who is an inventor or a bunch of animals at a pristine mountain stream, I’m researching first and writing after.

When I start writing, I look for the way into the story…what is the theme, the heartbeat that will be the thread that is woven into every spread. I often write my pitch first and then I try to get my opening lines. For me, the opening lines are the key that unlocks the story. I know that a lot of people recommend we write the entire rough draft and not worry about the opening lines. But, the wonderful thing about writing, is that everyone has their own process…the steps that work for them. Since opening lines set the tone for the entire story, I like to refine them first. Which doesn’t mean that I never change them. I do, but many of my stories are being published with the opening lines pretty much the way I originally penned them.

And speaking about pen…I almost always use pen and paper for the first part of the story, sometimes the entire story. But sometimes, I just start in longhand and then go to the computer. I do a lot of note-taking in longhand when I am researching…which is not a good idea because then I can’t read what I’ve written and this is especially troublesome when I am working on nonfiction. Maybe I will find a better process in the future. 😊 If anyone out there has something that works for them, I am always open to suggestion and I’ve been told I’m a pretty good listener. 😉

I’ve never considered starting with the pitch! I think it’s fascinating to figure out how other people do things. Can you tell us about PIPPA’S journey to publication… you know, from 2013-2019 in a nutshell? PIPPA was a joy from start to finish! With the wonderful collaboration between illustrator Jill Weber (one of my local critique buddies), it was a fabulous publishing experience. The palate sings with joy! I love every page and the message of coming together in friendship, no matter what our differences may be.

The most different (writing) thing was, it is a rhyming story. I had to be careful that I wasn’t using frivolous rhyme…you know, ‘I wore a hat and that is that’…just making verses that rhyme without making sense. But my critique buddies were such a help and Rhymezone.com was my constant companion.

Another question, as a “new” picture book author, you’ve been working with three different publishing houses (thankfully with the help and guidance of your agent, I’m sure.) What has that experience been like? At this point, I’ve actually been working with five because the two books that are launching in 2020 are with two other publishers. Making Their Voices Heard: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe (Little Bee Books, Spring, 2020), illustrated by Alleanna Harris and From Here to There: Inventions that Changed the Way the World Moves (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Fall 2020), illustrated by the award-winning Gilbert Ford. So far, these have been amazingly wonderful experiences. Even though I don’t know those illustrators personally, the editors have been wonderful about making sure that I was happy with the illustrator they chose and sending me early sketches for my comments.

The experience overall has been amazingly wonderful, although definitely a challenge, especially because the book with HMH called for nine full-length picture book manuscripts. But fortunately, I am pretty good at multitasking and I’m able to stay up late and keep on going. My husband used to call me the Energizer Bunny. 😉 Maybe it’s because I’m doing exactly what I feel I was meant to do. I know that the support and encouragement I get from my agent, my critique partners, and the kid lit community makes all the difference.

Five books in two years? How tremendous! Two more questions to wrap things up and I’ll keep them short and sweet… I heard your podcast with Katie Davis where you talked about taking leaps of faith (quite literally… out of airplanes) and starting your writing career late in life. What’s the next thing you want to check off your bucket list? I’ll try to keep my answers short and sweet. The next thing to check off on my bucket list is this round the world trip. It’s always been my dream to see these places I’ve only read about and the best part is that I will get to hug kid-lit friends I’ve never met.

Finally, I’ll bring it back to the book we’re talking about today… and your other two upcoming releases if you could describe each of these books in one word, what would it be?
– PIPPA’S PASSOVER PLATE- Joyful
– FOUR OTTERS TOBOGGAN: AN ANIMAL COUNTING BOOK – Playful
– SWEET DREAMS SARAH – Powerful
Oh, my goodness, I know I took more time with you than I should have but I just couldn’t help myself!

No apologies! Thanks for being here and sharing that enthusiasm with us today. What else do you have coming down the pipe? Where can my readers find/follow you on social media?  As I mentioned earlier, I have two other books coming out in 2020. And several manuscripts in the hands of editors, so fingers crossed for them to fall in love with those stories. Your readers can find me almost anyplace on social media where picture books are found. 😊 Here are my links: My website, Facebook, Twitter,  Instagram, also Pinterest and Linkedin.  And if anyone is going to be at the SCBWI conference in Sydney, Australia, the Bologna Book Fair in Italy, the NESCBWI conference in Springfield MA or the annual ALA in Washington DC, please reach out and maybe we can connect in person!

Au revior my dear friend! Enjoy your travels and your book birthdays!
Join Vivian and I here again on March 28 (FOUR OTTERS TOBOGGAN) & April 28 (SWEET DREAMS SARAH) to learn more about the other ‘triplets’ along with a guest post about #50PreciousWords on March 1!
SO MUCH VIVIAN GOODNESS… and this is just the beginning!

As always…
Thanks for being here, come back anytime!
-JP

Advertisement

Willa wants a bite!

When Willa walked inside,

Her nose picked up a scent.

Today is Halloween!

She knew what that smell meant.

 

The cauldron, piping hot.

It was her favorite meal!

Just thinking of the stew

Made Willa want squeal.

 

She pleaded for a taste.

Her stomach gave a growl.

Mom said she’d have to wait.

She howled a hungry howl.

 

Then pulled on her costume

And shivered down the road.

She hoped when she returned

She’d have a candy load!

 

And after the last house

Shared all their tricks and treats

She raced home, just in time,

A frightfully good feast!

 

 

In my family, Halloween has become the de facto favorite holiday.  We all gather at my parent’s house and cousins in costumes trick or treat around the neighborhood while Nana & Papa pass out candy. After every house on the block has been hit up for candy, we all rush back and feast on her famous Taco Soup. Its (barely) controlled chaos and we all love it.  My contribution this year will be three Looney Toons characters; Daffy, Bugs and the Roadrunner to be exact. 

I hope that whatever your plans are tomorrow, the weather is wonderful, moods are cheerful and there is plenty of the good candy to go around.  The story above is my entry into Susanna Leonard Hill’s Halloweensie contest.  The rules are simple, 100 words or less, must take place on Halloween and incorporate three words decided on by Her Majesty, Queen of Contests (Susanna, of course) at the start; this year’s words are cauldron, howl, and shiver. (I checked all the boxes and had one word to spare!  Plus, I’ve never entered a rhyme before!) If you have any extra time, head over to her website and check out all of the fantastic entries!

Thanks for reading, come back anytime!

-JP

 

Surviving Storystorm

Who am I kidding? That was a tremendous amount of fun.  As a first time Storystorm participant, I didn’t really know what to expect.  I do know myself though, and with any undertaking I have a tendency to start off strong, lag in the middle and then scramble to tie up the ends and (hopefully) finish strong.  Let me tell you, there was no lagging in the middle this month, ideas continued to flow.  I know this was in part because I was in the habit of looking for them, but probably more so because of the incredibly encouraging and inspiring guest posts, served up every day with a healthy dose of realism.

I’ve noticed a trend in my manuscripts recently where many have an academic thread that weaves the emotional arc of the story together. For instance, a few of my current manuscripts have a science element, one has a math theme and one dabbles in ELA.  Well, I just read through my list of 30 ideas, and the trend continues. Unlike many writers in this genre, I’m not a teacher, not by a long shot.  But I do come from strong teacher stock.  As a mom, determined to raise children who love to learn like I do, I weave lessons and interesting facts into all of our conversations, and apparently this happens when I write as well.  I guess the one reason I was excited to find some spots of consistency within my 30 seemingly random ideas is that those are the stories that feel most authentic to me and are the most fun to write.  (My convictions about living and writing authentically will have to wait until another day.)

Like I said, the guest posts of the past months have been fantastic.  (Here’s hoping one of my comments pays off and I win a prize too!) These are some of my new favorite one-liners.  If you haven’t read the posts in their entirety, do yourself a favor and click over to read them now.

–  Jarrett Lerner (Day 18)– “No, an idea is more like a dog who’s just realized he’s about to be taken to the vet. Ideas have to be chased down, wrestled into submission, tricked or bribed with treats.” -ALSO- “…when it comes to writing, there’s a time for quality and a time for quantity”

–  Jess Keating (Day 6)– “Inspiration is a muscle, not a muse.”

–  Tara Lubbe (Day 21)– “In your eyes, your book is your baby, your masterpiece, your blood, sweat and tears, your soul. And yes, it IS all of those. But to the retail world, your book is a product, a SKU—inventory to be turned. Is your idea strong enough to be crafted into a sellable product?”

– Josh Nash (Day 27)– “Living a creative life is a full-time job and being open to ideas means you are always on the clock.”

–  Jeanette Bradly (Day 26)– “Don’t scare off your ideas by holding out unrealistic standards. Let your ideas grow at their own pace.” – ALSO- “No one cares if you don’t have an idea right now, and you shouldn’t either. Take a nap or go for a walk. Your ideas will grow while you aren’t paying attention.”

And for the record, this is not a comprehensive list of my favorites, there were so many more I could add!

Also, I’m excited to report my first submission of the year! This didn’t happen until October of last year, so 2018 is off to a much better start.  As I try to find a balance between prose and poetry while keeping my BIC, I stumbled across a submission opportunity for poetry geared towards grades K-4.  As a mom to a Kindergartener, 2^nd grader and a 4-year-old who thinks he’s 10, I knew that I could speak the right language.  Also, I love (LOVE) deadlines.  This was the perfect way to get words on paper, exercise my rhyming muscles and hold me accountable. Let me tell you, getting started was not fun.  I was out of shape, out of sync and way off track, at least for a while.  (I had a hard time coming up with a rhyming word for ‘you’. Shameful, right?) I had a talk with myself as I struggled to find the right words, just to make sure my intentions were clear to my idea and anyone who may have been listening.  Here’s what I said – I know that every submission is a long shot, and I appreciate just having the opportunity.  My goal in this case, is only to complete and submit something that I am proud of. I just want to stay in the habit of putting myself out there; of stepping out in to the arena.  I think my conversation was well received because I continued to chip away at it and when it was all said and done, I had a poem that consisted of 50 words and 8 lines. So that was yesterday, and I’m calling it a win, even without knowing the results.  (Also, you can add my thoughts on ‘writing with intention’ to the list of things I need to elaborate on one day.) Next up, you can find me (not so) patiently waiting for the WWTS winners to be announced. (TOMORROW!  EEK!)

 

Thanks for reading, come back anytime!

-JP

The Power of Panda Cake

I’m still new to the blogging space, but I feel pretty comfortable making the following assumption… If you’re reading this, then reading is something you enjoy.  I’m going to take this a step further and say that if you do, in fact, love reading, then there are people in your past that introduced you to the magic and power of books.  In the spirit of Mother’s Day, and the role that my own mom (and dad) played in my love of reading, today’s post is dedicated to the adults around the world who are helping children love to read.  These children, the future writers, bloggers, and changers-of-the-world are lucky to have you.

My three kids and I spent the night at my parents’ house last week while the Mister was away on business.  The kids enjoyed the change of pace and toys, and I relished in having an extra couple sets of hands to help out.  Needless to say, it was a great night.  When it came time for their bedtime story, I declared it “Mommas Choice” and started looking through the closet of my childhood bedroom for just the right book. There was no shortage of sweet choices but pushed to the back, a faded yellow spine caught my eye and tugged at my heart.  Panda Cake (R. Seidler 1978) I can’t say that I remember why it was one of my favorites, but I knew the sweet rhythm of the story and the black and white illustrations would have the same effect on me as an adult as it did when I was a child.

I celebrated my discovery in the way that you would greet an old friend you meet unexpectedly and hurried to show my mom.  She celebrated too, declaring it one of her all-time favorites. There was a bit of a friendly dispute as to who would get to read it to my kids, but she conceded and asked if she could join us. My children had no way of knowing how much this story meant to me, and I had no way of knowing how powerful the next couple of minutes would be.  The five of us snuggled together on the floor, and I started reading, immediately losing myself into its familiar embrace.  The story came back to me instantly and I read with a smile, but when I heard my mom quietly reciting all the words to the story, my eyes began to water. She was sitting across from me, she couldn’t see the pages and there’s a good chance it had been 20+ years since she read it to one of her own daughters, but she didn’t miss a beat.

The book that meant a lot to me as a child now means the world to me as an adult.  In the moments, it took us to read the book, the joy of reading transcended generations.  My own children were experiencing one my most treasured memories from my childhood, first hand.  Panda Cake’s magic extended to my children, and I caught my daughter re-reading it and reciting lines for the next two days.  The significance of the Panda Cake moment will remain tucked into my heart for years to come.  It is why I write.  It is the very reason I am so passionate about writing stories that children will love.  I want children everywhere to experience the power of moments like that.

To Mothers everywhere; I hope your day is joyful, playful and restful.  I hope all of you reading have a chance to celebrate the women who are important to you; mothers, grandmothers, godmothers and the like.  If today is tinged with sadness for you, I hope your heart is filled with the love of the woman you may be missing and the peace that comes with knowing her love.  Thanks for sharing a piece of your day with me.  Stay tuned for my Wednesday post when I get back to the grind of writing and talk more about my Dummy.

 

Thanks for reading, come back anytime!

-JP

Demolition

Two things happened recently, that have greatly altered the course of this little writing journey I’m on.  First, I watched a fantastic webinar on ‘How to Be a Better Critique Partner’ given by Heather Alexander.  I learned a great deal, and I’m still unpacking much of what she said, but one part resonated with me (and it actually had nothing to do with critiquing).  During her presentation, she made a comparison between that the revision process and a home renovation.  She made it clear, not the kind of remodel that involves slapping on a coat of paint and changing the light fixtures; what she was referring to was ‘knocking down walls kind of stuff’.   I’m a very visual person, and I appreciated the analogy, I even went so far as to write her words in large print on the bottom of my notes page.  But kids got home, life moved on, I slept and somehow lost track of it.

Fast forward a couple of days, and I received feedback from someone who graciously agreed to beta read for me.  I could’ve pinched myself when she agreed to do so. She’s previously published (with more picture books on the way) and comes from a similar background (healthcare turned writer) with much more experience.  I heard back from her sooner than I expected, and her feedback was all too familiar.  For the third time now, someone with industry experience told me, “Drop the Rhyme.” All three times it was said with much more tact, but I like to cut through the fluff when possible.  Three different times, each one separated by months and miles, but the advice didn’t change and this time I heard it.  If I can be honest, I felt like I had the wind knocked out of me.

I am terrified at the thought of not writing in rhyme.  It’s all I know.  In my family, rhyming is my ‘thing’.  Just ask my parents to see old Anniversary cards or Christmas picture books, and you’ll see that my history of rhyming goes back a long way.  Heck, I won a poetry contest in the eighth grade… I RHYME…IT’S WHAT I DO.  I know I’ve talked about writing versions of my story that don’t rhyme, and I promise I did.  I just I never did so with the intention of putting all my eggs in that basket.  I don’t know if I’m even any good.  But I believe, with every ounce of my ‘wanna-be’ writer self, that fear should never be the reason to hit the brakes.  At least not in situations like this.  Sure, it feels foreign, a little scary and like I’m starting from scratch, but the boy at the center of my story deserves for me to try.  (As an aside, I recently read “… if you write, then you are a writer” so I’m trying to settle in with the title.)

I think I’m starting to understand what Heather was talking about now.  Not that I hadn’t done major revisions before, because some those had been painful, but this is taking “kill your darlings’ to a whole new level.  (For my non-writer friends, don’t panic… the ‘darlings’ in this case are words, favorite words even, that need to be cut from a story.  William Faulkner said it, so you know its good advice.)  One of the first things I did was go back to my main character and ask for his help.  He did not disappoint.  What he did do, however, is throw the entire sequence of my stories about him in a tailspin.  I have three stories written about this boy and they landed in different pieces and different places than I had ever previously considered.  I think he may be on to something, but to get there will take a few more swings with a sledgehammer.  Words are starting to flow, but I’m not taking off my hard hat yet.

Sure I loved my ‘house’ before the renovation, it was filled with first words and early lessons, but I can already see I’m going to like the changes. It’ll make a mess in the process, but I feel energized and I’m eager to see where this takes me.  So here I go, in the middle of a self-induced rhyming fast (library books included) and venturing into foreign lands.  I’m also halfway through the Picture Book Page Turns webinar (kidlitcollege.org), I think I’ll be making a dummy with my WIP this week.  I’ll share what I learn soon. Wish me luck!

 

Thanks for reading, come back anytime!

-JP

Handing in my homework

I’m happy to report that I actually did tackle the homework assignments I gave myself last week.  I re-wrote my story without rhyming at all, and I loved it, which was a pleasant surprise. In the spirit of full disclosure, the last time I tried this, I did so without a lot of effort.  This time, I wrote with intention and polished it up real nice… in fact, I’m not finished editing it, because I may need it after all.  I realized in the process that I need some outside help figuring out this eternal RHYME vs PROSE dilemma, and if I’m going to ask for opinions, both versions must be equally well written.  I am excited to say that writing the story in prose did, in fact, help me untangle the words in my brain, and I could ‘finish’ this draft, cute little rhyme and all.

So, where do I stand now?  I have my rhyming story, the 6^th revision of it, and I have the same story written without rhyme, draft number 1.  I also have the second in this series that I’m slowly chipping away at.  (Have I mentioned that my first book is part of a series?  Again, this goes against most of the advice I’ve received but I can’t stifle this sweet boy and the stories I’ve been asked to tell about him… more on this another day).  This weekend I have the first of a two-part webinar, presented by Ann Whitford Paul titled Picture Book Page Turns and First Pages.  I’ve mentioned her book Writing Picture Books, before.  I’m thrilled because I learned so much from it, I can’t wait to hear her live.  This is an area I’m needing a lot of help in now that my story is “finished”.  A ‘page turn’ is where the text of a picture book is divided, from one 2 page spread to the next.  There’s so much emphasis placed on this concept because I want the reader eager to turn the page and see what happens next.  The page turns help the story to build speed and momentum, setting the pace for the story.  (Pacing is another concept I’m excited to learn more about too.)

One thing I hope she goes through and explains in the course is the benefits of ‘making a dummy.’  There’s a whole chapter devoted to this in Writing Picture Books, so I think it’s safe to assume she will.  A ‘dummy’ is exactly what it sounds like, blank pages, stapled together to resemble the 32 pages of a picture book.  Then, after I’m schooled on ‘page turns’, I can put words on these blank pages and see how well my story reads, as a book. (For those of you who didn’t know this, there’s a standard layout for picture books, which uses 32 pages. Typically, only 24 pages of the 32 are used to tell the story… put this on my “list of things to elaborate on, one day”)

I did something else this week that I’ve been excited about.  I finally mustered up the courage to approach one of the ‘cool kids’ on the playground, and ask if I could play with them.  It didn’t surprise me that she was super nice and approachable, it DID surprise me that she said yes! Slowly but surely, I’m building my writing community.  You know the saying “you are who you associate with.”  Well, I’m trying.

So, what’s on tap for the next few days? Part one of the webinar, ironing out wrinkles in my prose version of my manuscript and figuring out how to blend in with the cool kids. (I have a bad habit of either trying too hard or coming across as reserved and shy… crossing my fingers I can find a happy medium here).  That’s all for now!

 

Thanks for reading, come back anytime!

-JP

The reality of rhyme…

You know the feeling right before you have a confession to make… the heaviness of the air around you, the quickening of your heartbeat, butterflies going crazy inside?  That’s me, right at this very moment.  It’s not that what I have to share is that big of a secret, in fact, most people who know me, already know this to be true.  But I’ve never said it here, in this context.  No need to put it off any longer…deep breath, here goes… I love to write in rhyme.  Whew!  That felt so good I think I’ll say it again.  I love writing in rhyme and I really love reading stories that rhyme to my children.  I know this isn’t the industry standard at the moment, but at my home it’s an undeniable fact.  My children LOVE rhyming stories.  They enjoy listening to the sing-song cadence and are filled with excitement when they are able to recall the rhyming words on their own.  I know this is taboo because so much of what I read hammers down the point that publishing houses are not looking for rhymes.  In fact, there are agents that won’t even accept a query from an author if the story is written in rhyme.  In case you were wondering, my first story… the one that all my hopes and dreams rest on right now ABSOLUTELY rhymes.  This is a testament to how much I did NOT know at the beginning of this process, and also (hopefully) what I have learned in the process.

In my last post, I wrote about the importance of each word in a story that’s composed of only a few hundred.  Each and every word in a children’s book must do its job well.  This is a fact that’s only made infinitely more complicated when those words must rhyme.  Let’s talk for a minute about rhyming words… cat and sat, wall and ball, me and see? Easy, right? WRONG, and wrong for a few very good reasons.  One of the topics I find myself drawn to reading about is ‘common mistakes that aspiring authors make’.  Whether from the perspective of an agent, an editor, and a publishing house, many of the mistakes mentioned are the same.  One of the first things is always that writers have a tendency to not give children enough credit.  The audience for my (hopeful) books may be young, but they are wise.  They deserve great stories written with excellent words.  It can be offensive to a young reader, for an author to assume he/she can ‘wall and ball’ their way through a story, without an awareness of how much children are capable of understanding.  I know this much, if you’re going to rhyme, it must be done well.

Another struggle is I come across is to avoid writing for the sake of the rhyme.  I recently read a blog on this very topic, which helped me to start asking myself, “Am I rhyming WITH the perfect word or am I rhyming BECAUSE I have my heart set on a word and I’m trying to fit it in?”  ‘With’ usually makes for a seamless story experience, whereas ‘Because’ always feels forced, no matter how cute it might be.  The rhyming words must fit flawlessly into the context of the story.  As a general rule, a book must be able to be read naturally, with normal word order and sentence structure even with the presence of rhyme.  I can’t end a sentence of my story with the words ‘journeyed afar’, when the line before ends with the words ‘cookie jar’, because I need something to rhyme. (That may be a bad example, but you get the gist… I hope).  For the record, I’m not completely committed to writing in rhyme.  In fact, this blog is an active exercise at stretching other writing muscles.  And, I have written my current WIP in prose. It’s still a delightful little story, I still love my character and the journey he takes, but something about it feels lacking. So I’m sticking with the rhyme on this one.  If you need me, I’ll be swimming up the publishing stream, using my manuscript as a life raft. I did make a promise to myself that I will re-write the rest of my projects into prose also,  Who knows what I may find in the process.  I hope that before I make it too far down my list, however, I’ll get a publishing credit or two under my belt.

(As a footnote, I recently read Big Words for Little People by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell and I LOVED IT. It’s filled with great words and great rhymes.  It fit so well with the theme of the last two posts that I just I had to share)

 

Thanks for reading, come back anytime,

-JP