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MYSTIC Cover Sketch
Illustration by Timothy Banks When I first saw the message that the cover of MYSTIC was available for me to review I was very nervous. I had no idea who the illustrator was. All I had done was fill out a questionnaire about MYSTIC and speak to a project team member about my vision for the cover. I told her what I thought I wanted but also that I was open to ideas. A week later I received an email. The first sketch was ready to be viewed. The characters of MYSTIC had been in my head for six years and now I was going to see them in…
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Map of MYSTIC
One of the many wonderful things about being an Indie Author is that I get to work directly with illustrators. Currently, I’m collaborating with three illustrators. Mina Sanwald has designed my map of MYSTIC. CreateSpace has one of their illustrators designing MYSTIC’s cover. And Muza and I are working together on a picture book. My life has been a bit crazy this past month. I’ve spent my weekdays helping to teach second and third graders. Their energy and enthusiasm for learning brings me joy. They also spit out phrases like one spunky second grader… “I don’t want to be a nerdgrader!” To which I replied “Thank you for the title of my next picture book.” Every day…
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An Author’s Journey Part III
To recap MYSTIC’s journey so far: From Aug.2006 – Aug. 27, 2008 – I wrote the first draft. It was over 350 pages. May 2009 I attended a Highlights Foundation novel workshop. Went home and wrote a second draft from May to October 2009. October 2009 returned for the second half of the novel workshop and realized I still had a long way to go. The manuscript was around 330 pages. November 2009 began the third draft of MYSTIC Aug. 2008: Changes For Our Family: Sometimes it takes an event or an accident to occur to open our eyes, look at life and know that change is needed. Perhaps I had…
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An Author’s Journey Part II
In 2006 I learned of the Rehabiltation Institute of Michigan. Eric and I decided we needed to give Arielle the opportunity to have intense physical therapy to see if any changes would occur; maybe she could walk again. I was still figuring out the best way to parent Arielle. We wanted to do everything we could for her but we also wanted her to be happy with the way she was. We finally decided to give therapy a try. We left for Michigan in March of Arielle’s sixth grade year. Our family split. I stayed here with Kai until the end of May and then Eric and I switched. I…
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An Author’s Journey Part I
I’ve listened to many authors speak of their writing journey. Not one of them said they published their first novel in two or three years. They all told a story of how their first novel took them five to ten years from the birth of an idea to publication. I listened and then decided I’d be different. No way was it going to take me so long to get my first novel published. I was wrong. Those of you who have been following me on Facebook and this blog know that I’ve been working on a middle grade fantasy called MYSTIC. My mantra for the past three years has been, “Yep, I’m still…
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Add rest to your to-do list
I have this terrible habit of creating long “to do” lists in my mind. They’re never realistic. I seem to have no sense of time just an endless list that goes something like this. Today I’m going to write a blog post, do three loads of laundry, grocery shop, workout, fold all the laundry, pay the bills and vacuum the downstairs. Oh and drive to drum lesson by six. Cook dinner, do the dishes and if I’m teaching the next day, organize all my materials. I never calculate the amount of time each job will take. I simply tell myself what I’m going to accomplish. I set myself up to…
