What's the Generic Name for Gummi Bear?

Yesterday was spent taking the writing test for a freelance position at a publishing company. I was asked to write a sample lesson, about 6 pages of text. One of the parts of the lesson involved coming up with a snack that related to the day's theme. I suggested a snack called "Deep Blue Sea Cups" that involved blue gelatin cups topped with animal-shaped gummi/gummie/gummy candies. I went with "gummie" because "gummi" appears to be the German brand name for the Haribo bears that we all know and love, while "gummy" implies (at least to me) stickiness. This was decided on after consulting at least two other editors at my place of employment. Whew.

In other breaking news related to the writing test, I discovered that the Chicago Manual of Style has changed its position on the possessive of the word Jesus. The previous manuals have said Jesus' is the correct possessive; now they're back to Jesus's. As an author of Christian materials, this actually will affect my life.

Test Anxiety

The company that I contacted about the possibility of freelancing has offered me the chance to take a writing/editing test online. I'm going to work on it tomorrow and hope to complete it in a day. (I haven't even opened the attachments they sent yet, so that goal may be absurdly optimistic.) They have given me nearly a month to complete the three-part test, but I imagine that the deadline itself is part of the test: how long will this person take? Will she work right up to the deadline, or will she get on the task right away? I'll be writing sample Bible lessons, some other piece of writing, and completing a questionnaire. Should be interesting. My only real concern is volume of work should I be offered a position.

Library Expo Flop

Although the Local Authors Expo at the downtown library was something of a bust, I did learn some valuable lessons. Number 1 being that if you want marketing, you must do it yourself. With little or no (let's just say no) empirical evidence, I'm going to state that there was virtually zero advertising that went on for this event--no newspaper ad, no radio spot, no signage whatsoever. There was barely anything showing actual library patrons where to go. The guy at the coffee shop just outside the conference room where we were secreted didn't even know about the event. Note to self: send an email blast.

That said, my table did look pretty enticing thanks mostly to a ginormous lion that I borrowed from a friend of a friend. That brought folks to my table if only to view the lion. I did sell several Mumsi Meets a Lion books and met a number of nice people, so the day wasn't entirely without merit. One man who bought my book was a pediatrician who intends to put it in his office lobby; another was a school teacher who bought it for her classroom. Not sure I'd do it again . . . but glad I've done it once.

Toad and Spider

My idea has morphed into a toad and a spider. The story (which is now in a complete first draft) is so unlike anything I've ever written. It's very free-wheeling, cartoony, offbeat. No thoughtful metaphors, no lush language--just fun and fast-moving dialogue. There is a lesson/theme/story, mind you. And it's not stream-of-consciousness. Can't wait to see where this takes me. I just wish I could draw because these two (the characters) are so clear in my mind.

The other story (the one about Grandpa) is coming along, too. Entirely different from Toad and Spider and very dissimilar to anything else I've done. Guess I'm finding my voice . . . whatever that means.

New Beginnings and Old Hash

Wow. I have a couple of new ideas buzzing around in my head. One is about my grandfather and is based on a two recent encounters: one with a sermon I heard on contentment, the other with a short story I've been writing teacher notes for at my day job. (The story is "Neighbour Rosicky" by Willa Cather.) My Grandfather Hamilton really was such a kind, low-key, gentle man. I'm sure I never heard a cross word from him. He lived to be two weeks shy of 96. I've heard my mom tell the story of how he once handled a neighborhood dispute with dignity and grace yet determination. My second idea is about frogs--maybe two frogs who are in business together. I really can't say more about that here, but I'm chuckling to myself just thinking about it.

The old hash is the gut feeling that I don't want to give up on October Bell quite yet. I'm going to revisit it with an eye toward fixing several issues brought up by my editor and then resubmitting it somewhere new.

Now if I could just decide what to do first!

But It Was Such a Nice Rejection Letter

I got a rejection letter today on my October Bell story. I had sent it about two months ago to JourneyForth and was expecting to hear something soon. I must say that I'm not surprised. I did think the story too mature for the type of book that it would be targeting (picture book). It was just a story that needed to be told. The letter said that the acquisitions editor saw the book "as a picture book for an older audience" with "vocabulary" and "concepts" that are "much older and wiser than many would find feasible for a child." She also says that "it is a nice story with the flavor of Sarah, Plain and Tall" but regrets that "as it stands, it is not a good fit" for their publishing house. She does mention that she would give it another read were I to attempt some revision. So the choice before me is to rework for that same house or send it along to someone else. I'm sort of torn between the safety of a publisher I've had past success with and someone new. I will definitely use some of the editor's suggestions before I do anything. Then I will take a look at my chart and see what's next in line!

In a Presidential Library--Sorta

I sent a copy of Mumsi Meets a Lion to Laura Bush (yes, the President's wife) in December. Of course, she had a lot on her mind at that time: moving, job change, and so on. . . . But I finally heard from her last week. Never mind that it's not gushing or that it's probably signed by a secretary trained to imitate her signature--I'm thrilled to have this memento of my first children's book to be published! I've included images of both the frontispiece signed by me and her congratulatory letter. (See above.)

To Blank Verse or Not to Blank Verse

After meeting with an author about his blank verse story, we've come down on the side of pragmatism, I think. Although the idea of a classically told, blank verse story is extremely appealing (at least to me), we think that shelving considerations (where a bookstore/library would shelve a book) may force him back into the prose market. Poetry is just not all that sought-after. And it's even worse in the children's market. Just check out the children's poetry section in a large chain bookstore to see what I mean. His book would be relegated to the far reaches of the store on a single shelf of pristine (read "never been cracked") books of poetry. He's waiting to see what his publisher says about the matter. Perhaps if the publisher shows interest, he'll go for it.