My (very supportive) husband’s always reminding me that whenever I get down about writing something always happens to keep me from quitting.
I’m not going to lie–he’s had to remind me a lot lately. Rejection is hard. And even though it’s been ten years since the publication of my first book, Trouble in the Trees, my skin isn’t getting any thicker. Add the stress of 2020 to the mix and well… quitting has definitely been on my mind.
I know 2021 hasn’t fixed all the world’s problems but it has brought the “something” I needed to continue on my author journey. In fact, it brought two in less than a month. Those somethings are (drum roll please…)
BOOK CONTRACTS!!
At the beginning of the month, I signed a contract with Annick Press for my second non-fiction book tentatively titled NOT-SO-NATURAL SELECTION: How (and Why) Humans Change Everything. Aimed at middle grade readers, this book will explore the increasing impact of various human activities on the evolution of everything from plants to people. It’s only partially written and will need to be illustrated (by someone other than me) so the optimistic timeline for publication is 2023.
Just this week, I signed contract with Orca Book Publishers for my fourth middle grade novel. NO GOAL (also a tentative title) is about a hockey player who turns to a bobblehead for help when he steps up to be goalie of his team. I pitched it as The Mighty Ducks meets Aladdin, except the reader must decide whether the bobblehead’s actually granting wishes or whether believing creates magic of its own. If all goes well, NO GOAL will hit the shelves at the same time as players hit the ice for the start of the 2022 hockey season.
I’m not sure how to express just how hard I’ve had to work for this. Both these books have been in process for over two years (not counting the time they spent in my head before making it onto paper). There were many times I almost gave up on them (and me). I couldn’t have persevered without the support of my family, friends and fellow writers. It means the world to me that Annick and Orca still believe in my writing and I can’t wait to bring these books out into the world.
