Today I'm taking a moment to invite all of you to check out my (relatively) new blog/website:

Wordsworth and the Dragon

Banner Design by Christina Wald

Like many writers, I have a number of manuscripts that I have submitted to all the publishers and agents I can find, without receiving an acceptance. The reasons for rejection are seldom spelled out or even expressed in any terms at all.

During the submission process for my chapter book Wordsworth and the Dragon, a few editors did request a "full" based on the first three chapters. One editor hung onto the whole manuscript for almost two years (as I continued to submit it elsewhere). She loved Wordsworth, but her publishing company was in the process of "changing direction" and she was eventually laid off. One agent I contacted also loved Wordsworth -- until she found out I had already sent it around to a bunch of publishers. She immediately lost interest.

I did some research on self-publishing and decided I wanted to take that route with Wordsworth and the Dragon.  My enthusiasm for the project increased tenfold a few months ago when illustrator Christina Wald offered to do some illustrations for the book. There will be a cover illustration and probably one illustration per chapter.

My web site Wordsworth and the Dragon offers an opportunity for children and adults to witness a chapter book in the making. Christina is providing preliminary sketches, and I am posting chapters from the book, one at a time, with discussion questions. Several educators have expressed interest in having their students follow along, and I hope to start hearing from them soon.

I hope you'll join us on this publishing adventure!  (And yes, I have already started on a sequel!)