Requested

I've been sending out queries of my middle-grade manuscript The Strange World of Neve Rimbel for the entire year, nobody ever reads anything but that one page summary. Well when I checked my e-mail yesterday in my inbox was a message saying Re: query. Usually those are always letdowns. "Sorry not for us." "Not right for our list." But someone actually requested the first chapter of my book. I am delighted. I know a rejection can follow. But it's nice to know that someone read a few pages before turning you down. So here's to hopefully having more people interested in reading the first chapter.

I won't wave the white flag on my dreams.

Writing in Color

The other night sleep prove evasive, so I had the TV on and I serendipitously came across a discussion panel on diversity in children's & young adult books. It was part of the 12th annual Harlem book fair. Listening to the discussion it seems there isn't much diversity in children literature. Around 5,000 books for children are published a year. Out of that number only 83 are written by African-Americans. That's quite a small number. At least two of the authors on the panel (Jerry Craft and Zetta Elliot) had to self-publish their books to break into publishing. Most of the authors talked about the publishing industry having this misconception that books with African-American kids are only for those kids. And there's the presumption that white writers write for everyone.
I believe books just like music have an universal appeal. The Harry Potter series was read by people of all races and ages. It really shouldn't matter rather the protagonist is white or black because books contain themes like sibling rivalry, friendship, growing up that all kids can relate to. Once upon a time every child believed in the
tooth fairy. If there was a story where a black girl wanted to prove the existence of the tooth fairy, couldn't that appeal to every child? As I listen to the discussion it made me think about my 20x rejected manuscript. Often they would say sorry we can't market your story at this time. I wonder if
it is because the protagonist isn't ivory skinned. I would like to hope that isn't the case in 2010. I write in the fantasy genre. I have read several fantasy books and most that contain charactors of color they're usually in secondary roles. I think it's time for a change.

Three

Well I now have three completed manuscripts. Two are middle-grade fiction and the other is young-adult. All three are fantasy adventures. They're a little under twenty thousand words each. I'm quite proud of what I've been able to muster. As far as sending them out to agents, I dunno. The Strange World of Neve Rimbel hasn't been doing too well.

Of course the first manuscript you write might not led to publication. It might be the third, fourth, tenth. I don't want to give up on this, it's my passion. I know the bar is set pretty high. And the Potter books are the precipice of children's literature. And since so many MG/YA fiction are thick volumes it might be quite hard to sell something that's a little scant.

Tenacity

I just finished reading an interview with this seasoned author named Mitali Perkins (I actually follow her on Twitter) I found her writing journey inspiring. She let the rejections she received shape her vision as an author and improve her craft. Despite numberous rejections she refused to give up on her novel, letting it sit at the bottom of a desk drawer. She was unwilling to abandon her vocation. That's how I feel about writing, despite rejections I keep writing. Keep honing my craft. I believe in my stories and that there's a better place for them beside my notebook.

In the interview Perkins also stress discipline being vital to a writer if they want to be successful. And that writers should treat their craft as a serious profession not a hobby. Besides that I took to heart when she said, "good books take time to write, edit, get published, and reach the hands and hearts of readers."

The Mirror World

In the year 2004 I made my first attempts at breaking into publishing with my children's novel entitled The Mirror World. Well, actually at 53 pages it was more of a long short story. Anyways, I felt it was publishable. So off it went. And back it came. The story was a fantaasy about a lonely 12 year-old girl, named Taryn Hayes, who gets sucked into another world via an antique mirror. (What is it about mirrors being portals). From there she ends up in the land of Arnasor. (My name spelled backwards. Clever. Clever). Where a rabbit sporting a tweed jacket sees her fall from the sky. Mr. Timbleweed (the rabbit) belives she was sent to help the oppressed creatures defeat an evil giantess, Desmara.

Most agencies gratfully declined but one although they said it wasn't strong enough to market, they suggested a critique service. This lead me to DeeDee Hughes. She critiqued The Mirror World (along with all my subsequent manuscripts). She thought I had the makings of a very fun and exciting adventure story. After revising and following her suggestions, I sent it back to that agency, exactly a year later. This time they said they didn't feel they could market at this time.

The Mirror World probably won't ever be on any shelves but it was a good learning curve. There are loads I like about the story and descriptions. Mr. Timbleweed broke into a loping gait, with Taryn in tow. She struggled to break free, but the homicidal rabbit had a stronghold on her. Another butterfly fluttered by.

Ambrosia looked at Taryn. A clod of dirt landed on the fairy, knocking her to the ground. Hoof beats could be heard from above. The wooden door started to splinter and bulge. Shamus let out a squeal. “We’re being infiltrated.” Taryn saw his foot narrowly miss the fairy that still lay on the ground. “Watch it you idiot,” she snapped. She ran and gingerly picked up the lavender fairy. She held Ambrosia in her hands; she was no bigger than a dragonfly. The fairy’s wings brush against her palms, her tiny crystal eyes looked into Taryn’s. This can’t be real she thought.

In 2006 The Mirror World did get published online with Sweetgum Notes. My former creative writing professor had accepted my submission. She said her staff thought it was delightful. (Why weren't they agents). Well there are some characters I'll use in other stories. I really like Cyan and Rue, my goth-like rainbow sprite. The Mirror World started it all.