As Always, Debbie

Dear Reader, The next step for me was to find an illustrator. Before all this, I had found clip art online and made a rough illustrated version to share with my grandchildren. I can't draw at all. I made a little stapled booklet to share with them. This was the cover of the first illustrated version. I cut the fish out from one clip art and glued it in the tree.  Obviously, if I was serious about publishing this, I needed to hire an illustrator. I thought about using some local talented high school kids I knew, however, the publicist frightened me away from that when she talked about using the right pixels and other terms unfamiliar to me. I decided to hire a professional. Once again, I searched the internet. It is amazing how this whole procedure could be done via the internet. I had already subscribed to "Writer's Weekly" via email, and they had a section of recommended illustrators. I narrowed down my favorite ones and finally contacted Chad Thompson to see if he w...

Dear Reader, Last I wrote, I told you about my publicist. She was happy with my story just like my husband and other friends, but as we spoke, it seemed like a good idea to hire an editor just to make things the best they could be, after all, this would be my first published book. Let me mention that I have been on writer's retreats, I have attended many writing workshops, I have belonged to several writing groups where we critiqued each other's works and therefore I knew that you may think you are done, but someone else's eyes will point out things you didn't see. Sometimes the critiques are a little painful. You have presented your "masterpiece" that you have toiled over every word and in a few moments, your ego can be bruised. Critiquing is a great necessity, but it can be painful. I had never worked with an editor before and I braced myself for pain. First, I had to find an editor. It is awesome that with the help of the internet you can hire a publicist, ...

 Dear Reader,  For the next chapter in my journey, I decided to do some more research. I already knew that Connecticut Publishers and Authors Association highly recommended self-publishing for reasons that I previously stated. I did know a couple of people who had self-published, and I saw that many of the CAPA members did it repeatedly.  I decided to contact one of my friends who published a children's book. We met for coffee, and she spoke freely about her experience, the time, the money, basically all the blood, sweat and tears. I was encouraged and discouraged at the same time. At the end she said, "I will never, ever do it again." Ouch. Stabbing words that I didn't want to hear. Yet, I decided to keep researching. I noticed a children's book author who was selling locally and decided to contact her and ask her about her journey. She was quite willing to share her experiences. She was trying to promote this book as Covid was first upon us and that really slowe...

 Dear Reader, Now that you know I have always been a writer, I'd like to tell you how "A Fish in a Tree" came to be. I was in the kitchen, preparing a meal for family, when my grandson and his family arrived. He came running to me saying, "Grammy, I saw a fish in a tree!" I said, "A fish in a tree, how can that be?" My husband said, "That sounds like a book." Silas went on to explain the "fish" was a balloon stuck in a tree. It is awesome to enjoy the wonderment of children in such things like this. That evening, I thought about my husband's words and in probably half an hour, I wrote, "A Fish in a Tree".  I was pleased with what I wrote, explaining to children in a fun rhyming way that balloons do not belong in nature. A story was born. My husband thought it was good. I shared it with some others, and they had a few suggestions and I tweaked it a bit. (It was much later that I learned, it was far from where it could b...

Dear Reader, Writing has been a part of my life from the moment I could form sentences. When I was in third grade, I had my first writing success when I won the puppet stage prize the teacher offered for the best essay. I haven't stopped writing since. What do I write? I write short stories, poems, children's stories and a novel has been in the works forever. I have written manuals for various work projects. In high school I started a monthly newspaper for my small hometown. Together with some friends, we produced it monthly for two years.  I have won (well, 2nd place) two short story contests, won a limerick contest and have been published in newspapers and local historical books.  I have always written letters too, from the first thank you notes that my mother insisted I write to a dozen pen pals in different states across America and internationally to Australia, Denmark, Greece and Saudi Arabia. That brings me to the name of this blog. I brainstormed and agonized over what...