That Shakespeare Was Quite a Guy

What, I wonder, is the market for blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter)? I currently working on a project with a friend that involves my taking a story and turning it into blank verse. The story was written with very poetic rhythms and syntax, so the genre seemed a natural fit. Now the big question is, "Is this marketable?" I think yes. I mean, the story being told is of an elevated, classic nature. To me the poetry piece makes the story more authentic. We'll see. At any rate, I'm currently (once again) in awe of Shakespeare, who wrote hundreds of sonnets and reams of lines of blank verse. Sonnet 29 is one of my favorites, "When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes, I alone beweep my outcast state . . ." Amazing. And he was rhyming, using meter, and getting it into a fourteen-line scheme. What a guy!

Upcoming Author Expo

Today I got word that I've been accepted into the local author expo to be held at our downtown library. I'll be able to market my chidren's picture book,
Mumsi Meets a Lion, to sign and sell copies, and so on. There were a limited number of spots, so I'm excited to be chosen. If you're reading this and live in the Greenville, SC, area, please stop by on March 21 between 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM.

What Rhymes with "Angel"?

Wow, I think every remotely Christmasy word has already been rhymed (and rhymed and rhymed) with every other Christmasy word. For example, if you use the word "child" in a Christmas context, one immediately thinks of "mild." Same with "holy" and "lowly," and so on. It's all been done before. Well, there's comfort in the fact that that concept in and of itself is a biblical one: "There's nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). The poem is taking some shape, but I don't claim to be a poet--at least not a good one. It has been a challenge though, and far different from what I'm used to.

Christmas Poem

I've had an idea for a children's picture book (or board book). It's a Christmas poem that I'm working on. I've been humming a musical version of it in my head for some time and am finally trying to get it down "on paper" (really on my laptop). I'm also seeing dewy-eyed little Eloise-Wilkinesque children in the illustrations. (And I'm not a big fan of the Precious Moments genre of art.) If only my other life as a textbook author didn't suck the joie de writing out of me before I can get to the fun stuff.

Back to Writing

So what am I doing while I'm not blogging? Writing! Or at least trying to write. I'm currently working on two stories. One has a working title of "Daniel's Day." I'm having some trouble focusing on how detailed this story about a unique little boy will be. That's really all I'm at liberty to say about him right now. The other story is still in my head, but it's about the biblical character Jonah. I'm sorta in the research phase on that one--and no working title yet. Soooo, little time for this kind of writing (blogging) theoretically means more time for the other kind of writing. We'll see about that!

Bloggers, Bloggers Everywhere

Being brand new to the world of blogging, I'm still trying to figure out how this phenomenon works. I've selected some of my favorite blogs to follow (anonymously) and am amazed at how many sites are out there devoted to the world of children's literature. I try to read enough about the person blogging to make a judgment on the quality/validity of the blogger's opinion. But in the end, it's just a gut feeling about who's legit and who's a wingnut. Of course, if the person is at all like me, he or she is wary of this whole medium and is giving out as little information as possible. That's no help. However, I have finally selected one blogger to request a review of my book from. This lady seems intelligent, kind, and eager for review material. An email sent by me got a favorable response ("I would love to review it"), so I'll be sending Mumsi along and will be checking for a review on the TBA site.

Guest Reader

Today a group from my church went to a local elementary school that we have partnered with and were guest readers for literacy week. I read Mumsi Meets a Lion and was greeted with lots of wide eyes and gasps as Mumsi made his way through the dark forest. It was gratifying to experience his story through their fresh first-grade eyes and ears. In the second class I read to, the teacher asked me afterward whether I had been peeking at his lesson plans for the last two weeks since the story seemed so perfectly timed for them. I left the two classes with bookmarks and the school library with a signed copy of my book. The librarian took my picture to post somewhere. How nice!

Out of the Nest

It's outta my hands now. I've just (as of 4 minutes ago) submitted my story Autumn Bell (or October Bell, I can't decide--not that they'll keep my title anyway)! This story has been, quite literally, years in the writing. I've had the idea ever since a friend of mine married a widower with two children. It's a mostly fictional, terribly sweet story about one boy's struggle to accept a new mother. It's a love story really. I need to fill out my manuscript submission chart so that if (when?) I get a rejection, I can move on quickly to submit it elsewhere. I have a sorta sick feeling in the pit of my stomach now that I've pushed the thing out of the nest. Oh, I must keep myself from getting so attached to my writing!

Literacy Week

I have been asked to read Mumsi Meets a Lion at a local elementary school in celebration of Literacy Week. I'm looking forward to interacting further with students and the book.

Recent funny reactions to my book:

"My kids fight over our copy. I need to buy two more."
"I told my son that that was you out running, and he wanted me to slow the car down so that he could see you."
"My son carries his book around and roars."