Finished!

I just now turned in the final edits for my 2017 MG novel SEE YOU ON A STARRY NIGHT. This book took a long time in the beginning to get the premise just right. I tried one thing and my editor said, "That's not going to work and here's why." Tried another thing and this time it still wasn't quite right. I rewrote the first fifty pages or so three or four times over the course of like six months. (I was hoping to sell on the synopsis plus some pages).

Were there times I wanted to give up? Yes. Were there times I wondered if I didn't have it in me to figure it out? Yes. But now, on the other side of all of that, I'm so glad I didn't give up. So glad I didn't believe the negative voices that told me I couldn't do it instead of believing in what I've learned during all of these years doing this - that sometimes things simply take time. It's okay to be frustrated. To walk around for days with a notebook jotting every little possible idea down and to trust that the right one will eventually come. In today's world where everything feels instantaneous, creativity doesn't work that way. It needs room to breathe. To expand. I am reminded today of how important it is to do that. Because with time and space, the right thing did eventually find its way into the story. And I couldn't be prouder of how it turned out. Yay - a new book in 2018!!!! I'll have more to share with you in the coming months about this book. 

In the meantime, if you haven't checked out KEY TO THE CITY, please do. It could use all of the help it can get.

As for the new book, hopefully I'll have a cover to share soon!

2018 Book Announced

Hey look at this -- a new book! This is what I've been working on for the past year. This book took a loooong time to figure out. I tried like three different times to get a premise my publisher loved while still holding on to the story of divorce that I wanted to tell. This announcement speaks to the hook of the novel, but like all of my other MG novels, it's very much a story of family and friendship, and the ups and downs that come along when you're that age.

I've just sent revisions off to my editor, I'm guessing copyedits will come in a month or so, and that we'll see a cover fairly soon. Can't wait! My agent told me this novel feels a bit like coming home to It's Raining Cupcakes and is her favorite middle-grade novel I've written so far. That was exciting to hear!!

So now, I work on something fun that no one knows about while also thinking about the second book coming out in 2019. Maybe I can finish something else the next few months before I get to work on that one. Here's hoping!