Workin’.

Tap, tap, tap, click. Squint. Scrub-scrub-scrub, click… sigh… pause… These are the sounds accompanying my precious work hours and every spare minute I have as I slowly, yet urgently work my way towards sending my first picturebook to a Power That Bes (Be’s?). A ‘Power that Be’s’ is one of those publishing people who will spend a good *insert whatever amount of time here*, having a look and deciding its fate. No pressure, Zo. Fingers crossed.

Do you know the feeling? It’s a mix of fear, satisfaction, urgency (time allows Mondays and when the baby sleeps on a Friday), pleasure and physical pain as I uncurl my frame from a now-unfamiliar posture at a computer! I’M LOVING IT! I have been reading blogs, following excellent women authors, watching instructional videos, showing my people when I need flattering, attending a writers’ group, and working working working. Oh, how I cherish my time now. Oh how the days of procrastination seem like a distant memory — days when I would ‘research’ for hours, pitter around my desk and wade through my excellent book collection (thank you excellent bookstore job where I’d spend most of my wage before I even made it home).

Work in general, is harder now. It is slower, but more focused.  I have more drive. And a hunger for success that I haven’t felt in a very long time. I am on another steep learning curve (my favourite curve of all!).  Fingers crossed this little book finds its way into bookstores one day, and into the homes of little kids whose parents love to read to them. And fingers crossed I have more than one in me.

Here’s a list of some of the excellent people I have come into contact with so far. Check out their books, blogs, videos, websites etc.

Excellent women in no particular order:
Jen Storer
Tania McCartney
Nina Rycroft
Megan Daley
Sarah Davis
Renee Treml aaaaaand Chrissie Krebs of course!

Other interesting bits:
Booklinks
Writelinks
CYA conference