SEPTEMBER 2021

WORKING FOR THE DREAM

Now that I've got my contract in place and deadlines looming for the next 5 years, I've decided to take the advice of a famous Royal Blue Tang known as Dory. I'm going to just keep swimming. My destination? "The Dream."

My dream is to parlay my publishing deal into a full time job. I don't expect to become J.K.-Rowling-rich or Stephen-King-famous. Many authors must work other jobs to pay the bills even as they publish book after book. That very well could be my destiny. 

#KIDLIT BOOK WATCH

As a children's books author, I like to keep up-to-date on children's literature. Not only do I stay abreast of trends and new titles, I also like to read kidlit. There's usually at least one middle grade novel sitting on my night stand among my pile of #amreading books. The Guardian's roundup is a good resource. This month, I'm especially intrigued by both Aarti & the Blue Gods by Jasbinder Bilan and The Climbers by Keith Gray.

AVOIDING PITFALLS

The first pitfall is waiting for inspiration. As you'll see in my personal gossip below, I'm not one to wait for inspiration. I go out and seek it on a regular basis. This pitfall will be easily avoided with Hubby's help.

The second pitfall is looking back. This one is tougher. My pile of rejections, if I dwell on them, pushes me toward imposter syndrome. A good friend and critique partner recently told me to dwell instead on the fact that my publisher liked my writing enough to offer a multi-book contract. With my friend's encouragement, my eyes are set forward.

The third is to ignore the craft. My second grade teacher Mrs. Ott molded me into a lifelong learner. In addition, I feed off of networking and sharing with fellow authors. It's why I'm an active member of SCBWI. This is an easy pitfall for me to avoid as long as I keep my membership current and continue to participate in events and conferences.

Number four is keep a chip on your shoulder. As an eternal optimist who wants to celebrate everyone's successes, I feel good about avoiding number four. If you see anything on my shoulder, let me know so I can brush it off. 

Number five is writing only for the market. I need to be diligent about staying true to my story and not letting trends influence my creativity. This one will take a conscious effort, but I'm going to work hard to avoid it.

Number six is take as many shortcuts as possible. I'm a planner. The schedule I developed for the next five years of writing and editing was created specifically to ensure I have plenty of time to create and don't have to take shortcuts. Easy peasy for my Type-A personality.

Lastly, the article lists the urge to quit. I'm not a quitter. This is "The Dream." It has always been my dream. I've worked too hard and come to far to quit. And I'm grateful that along the way, when the rejections did have me feeling like it was time to give up, my family wouldn't let me. 

ZAHRA'S EARTH-FRIENDLY TIP

Zahra loves hanging out under the rosemary bush when she's upset. She says the fragrance calms and soothes her frayed nerves, naturally reducing her anxiety. Zahra would know—she's an emotional creature. Next time your anxiety creeps up, she suggests you grab a bouquet of rosemary, put your nose in it, and take a deep cleansing breath.

That calming effect is likely why I crave adding rosemary to homemade dishes when I stress cook. You've heard of stress cooking, right? It's when you head to the kitchen, pour a glass of wine, crank the music, and create a one-of-a-kind dinner after a particularly stressful day. Or is that just me?

MY PERSONAL GOSSIP

One of my strategies for keeping the creative juices flowing is to make an "experiences" list with Hubby. We share a Keep file and create a checklist of things we want to do over a season or year. We try to include things we've never done, have done and found we love to do together, or places we want to visit. 

On our current list was "Visit Greensboro Science Center." Neither of us had ever been there. We checked it off in August. The aquarium was our favorite, but that was because it was August and the aquarium is air conditioned. 

I was able to snap a few photos of an Eastern Box Turtle. The photos didn't come out all that well. However, a turtle much like the one we saw at Greensboro Science Center will be in book 2 in my series. Seeing the turtle filled my writing and editing motivation coffers. 

While the turtle photos didn't come out all that well, I do have photos to share. And in my defense, I did not climb the dinosaur.