Who wants to sit on the front porch when it’s 100 degrees outside? My two
office assistants, Luke and Nemo do. Unfortunately, since Luke and Nemo have heavy coats that they can’t take off, I had to limit my assistants’ time outdoors to taking care of personal business.
Thankfully, fall seems to be here, though it has had a sputtering start, with wild temperature swings that in turn tease us with glorious cool days and taunt us with hot days much too similar to the summer months of unrelenting heat.
Today is one of those glorious days that beg for us to go outside — and, because my office assistants were also begging to go outdoors, here we are. The Front Porch Office is open, with hopes that there will be many days left before the air starts nipping at my Shelties’ noses. And as I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I can’t type while wearing mittens, so at some point, we’ll have to move back inside.
It’s been awhile since my last post, and a lot has happened in my writing life. This past spring, I had the honor — and the pleasure — of speaking at several schools and special events, including White Rock Elementary in Jane, MO (just above the Arkansas border, and just below Joplin, Missouri), and the Adventure Club, an after-school enrichment program run by the University of Missouri in Columbia. I took part in a couple of career ed events, including a presentation at Ft. Zumwalt North High School in St. Peters, MO, as well as a 
career day at Boone Trail Elementary School in Wentzville, MO.
Last April, I attended the Missouri Association of School Librarians conference at the Lake of the Ozarks, where I met so many wonderful librarians from around the state, as well as other authors and exhibitors who were passionate about the power of the written word.
This past summer, Charlesbridge Publishers offered me a contract for the sequel to my picture book, What Really Happened to Humpty?, tentatively titled The Crown Affair. I am excited to have the opportunity to work with editor Randi Rivers again, and to see what Aussie illustrator Stephen Axelsen comes up with. The Crown Affair is scheduled to come out in Spring 2014, which sounds like forever, except to those familiar with the picture-book publishing process.
Speaking of the publishing process, it seems to be a topic that interests a lot of people. So, with my new book project, I thought it might be fun – or informative – or hopefully, a bit of both! – to share with readers what it takes to make a book a reality, in real time. And when I say “real time,” yes, that means I’ll be blogging until 2014, when The Crown Affair comes out.
Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll start posting as the manuscript moves from rough draft through revisions. I’m expecting my editor to send me the first comments and edits on my manuscript by the end of September – and, from previous experience, I expect to see a lot of red ink!
To make it easier to find the posts pertaining to this topic, just look for this heading: “As the Story Unfolds.” I look forward to sharing my manuscript’s journey with you. And, as always, if you have any questions about writing, publishing, or my school visits, you can email me by clicking on the “Contact” button on my home page.
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