Day #219: One Picture Book VS. 15 Editors

So, my fourth picture book is in the hands of fifteen different publishing houses. The last time I had a book so widely solicited it resulted in a small bidding battle between two publishers... And that book was ultimately sold to Candlewick!!! Needless to say, I'm very interested in seeing what will happen with Book #4.

Keep your fingers crossed and soon as I get a response from one of the fifteen, I'll post information on the blog. 

Day #18: The Importance of Tinkering

I am simultaneously revising two projects right now. One is brand new, and I'm not giving away the title just yet. We'll call it the WILD RIDE PROJECT for now. This is the picture book I sent to my agent. She said she "really likes" it, which means it's close but not perfect yet. (Maybe nothing is ever perfect, but it's not close to perfection yet.)

The other book is AROUND THE WORLD IN A BATHTUB. This one was sold to Charlesbridge Books a couple months ago. I will be getting notes from my editor very soon, but in the meantime I have been revising the non-fiction elements of the book. I've been doing a lot of fact checking, and learning a lot about the context of each culture's language.

I found a Cultural Center based in Bethel, Alaska (located in the middle of the tundra) and I've created a list of questions to ask their librarian. I called today, but the office wasn't open. I'll try again tomorrow.

In addition to getting research details, I've been tinkering with each of the books. This is a bit different than simply revising the text. I've been sketching, creating an entire picture book dummy to determine the page-turnability of the manuscript. So far, the WILD RIDE book has some great parts, but there are a few things in middle that could be improved.

Tinkering with the Bathtub book is trickier, because I don't know what revision notes I'm going to get. But I do know that the Bathtub book is similar to "Why Do I Have to Make My Bed" in that every two pages is a different setting... I'm trying to figure out how to create more surprise and delight with each turn of the page. Wish me luck as I keep on tinkering.

Challenge Total: $112.64

"Summer of Fun" Schedule

So, in my last post, I mentioned how amazingly productive I've been.  In this post, allow me to once again say that I am amazingly pathetic when it comes to developing an audience.

I do have a few loyal fans (Hi Mom!).  I am grateful for the many drama teachers that continue to choose my plays.  And there are quite a few nice folks (over 10,000 of them) who bought my picture book, Why Do I Have To Make My Bed? 

But I don't have a following... Mainly because I'm not interesting enough to be followed.  I once had a stalker, but he only stalked me for about minutes and then he was like, "This sucks, I'm outta here."

So, in addition to my writing, I've decided that I am going to do an experiment.  I've got several projects going on this summer.  For the next two months -- and hopefully beyond -- I will be involved with several fun projects that will get me a little bit out of my comfort zone.  I'll be using this blog and my website (and some other socially-networky things) to promote them.  In a few months time, we'll see if any of these things catch on...

And now, without further ado, I present my "Summer of Fun" Schedule:


Monday: Web Comic "Drama Geek" (Monday Edition)
This is a cartoon I've been drawing for a while.  It's like Broadway meets the Far Side.

Tuesday: Professor Picture Book
This is a blog I've been brainstorming about for a while.  A character named "Prof. Picturebook" and his cat will review children's books in the style of Siskel andEbert.

Wednesday: Castle Writemore
Join Sir Snoresalot and the rest of the castle characters as they share writing ideas with young authors.

BONUS: "Drama Geek" (Wednesday Edition)

Thursday: Movie Question Day

Friday: Camp Omigosh YouTube Channel
This week I will be uploading five videos chronicling the misadventures of the kids at Camp Omigosh, creating a YouTube companion piece to the play & novel.

Contest #3 - A History of Messy Rooms

This month I am celebrating the third anniversary of my picture book: "Why Do I Have to Make My Bed, or a History of Messy Rooms."

As the lengthy title suggests, it's a book that not only explores that oft asked question, but also delves into chore lore, examining the household tasks of children throughout the ages.

Here are some wonderful images by illustrator Johanna van der Sterre:

I love her work so much!  I was so thrilled my editor chose her as the book's illustrator. 

Now, let's get to the main event:  The new contest!

CONTEST RULES: 

Create your own artwork that shows a child (or children) from the past, present, or future doing a chore that you would NOT want to do.  

The art may be drawn, colored, sculpted, computer generated, photoshopped, photographed -- or anything else you can think of... 

Submit your entries to: profwade@hotmail.com

(Facebook friends and Twitter followers can post their work online with the hashtag #historyofmessy ) 

Three winners will receive an autographed copy of Why Do I Have to Make My Bed?

CONTEST ENDS: March 20th, 2014

P.S. We will share submission on this blog and other social networks -- so if you don't want to sow off your work, let us know!


Teachers and Parents: There's also a handy curriculum guide available in PDF form.