Three Finished Poems

I finished three poems in my "series" and am sending them off tomorrow. There's not a huge poetry market these days, but I found a small publication that might be interested. I sent "Football," "Radio," and "Horseradish"--my three favorites. My father-in-law would be so amazed to read about his early exploits in poetic form.

Rodney Robbins and the Rainy-day Pond

So that's my official title now. I just got word on that this afternoon. (I told my editor that it would be referred to as Hamilton's Pond in my memoirs.) I now enter what my editor loves to call the "black hole" of publishing. That means that I hear virtually nothing about what's happening with my book while they negotiate with an illustrator, set up pages, design the cover, and so on. Perhaps, if I'm very, very good, I will get a sneak peek at something now and then.

I'm really crossing my fingers about the illustrator. I have a friend who is an excellent illustrator, and her name has been thrown into the ring as a possibility for my book. That would be so great on so many levels. I better not hope too much for that lest I be horrifically disappointed if she doesn't get the job. There's a Shakespeare line that goes something like "Do not? Dare not? Do you know and dare not?" That line comes to my mind every time I have contact with my editor now.

It's a Go!

Hooray! My second book will be published by JourneyForth Press. Hamilton's Pond will actually see the light of day. More details to come!

Taking the Pond Plunge

I did it! I resubmitted my Hamilton's Pond story just two minutes ago! I feel relieved and happy. I just wasn't sure it would happen. I sure hope I don't have to wait forever to hear back. The new edits make the story stronger, I think. There was one I declined to make: I didn't want to delineate everything about the scooter. I felt that a good illustrator could tell a funny story with the scooter better than I could write it out. We'll see what the editor thinks about my ignoring that particular comment. I really want to see this story work out.

Relax and Write

Ahhhhh! I had a wonderfully relaxing morning writing at ABC today. I was able to look objectively at my story and do some tweaking. I don't think the point of view change ruined the story at all. I did have one point of disagreement with the editorial committee: I don't think I should have to explain where Rodney's scooter is at all times. I think that is something that is better left to a clever illustrator. We'll see how my editor reacts to that notion.

I also received two new freelance assignments--we're on to the next month of the magazine.

An Answer

I finally heard back from my publisher about Hamilton's Pond. And the answer is rather mixed. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Before giving me a contract, the review committee wants me to change the POV to Rodney. (Remember him?) The POV now is limited omniscient. I just don't see the change. . . at least not right now. The review committee seems to think that kids won't go for a story that features an adult. I think lots of kids' stories feature adults. Anyway, I need some time to absorb and decide whether I want to make that change.