Be Careful What You Wish For... It Just Might Land In Your Lap!

Panic! Excitement! Terror! Joy!

Today has been absolutely INSANE!!! I got a call from the local author that I am working with that Nimbus Publishing in Nova Scotia answered his query letter. Not only are they willing to review the manuscript that my sister and I helped him polish, but they will look at my artwork as well!! I made sure that he put this line in his query letter:

“I am working with a published illustrator here in Monition who has been able to offer me some advice. She has advised me that most publishers prefer to assign their own illustrators to projects, but has agreed to prepare some drawings for this story as samples for her own portfolio. If you wish to see the full manuscript, with or without some sample illustrations, please contact me at your convenience.”

They answered that this was indeed correct, but that they were interested in seeing what said illustrator had done with the characters. So tonight, Paul came by to show me the final printout of the manuscript and approve/ offer feedback on the main pencil sketch as well as the two character sketches. By Monday, all three will be final illustrations.

On top of that, I got a phone call from a client that is going to require totally reworking a layout that sat on their desks for a few days while they were busy with something else, but now they need the new proofs (with WAY too much information crammed into a page to look nice) redone for Monday!!

I know that it is better to be busy than bored... but this is a bit too crazy.

I can’t believe that they will look at both his story and my pictures!!!!! EEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Full Circle Joys...

I’d meant to write something entirely different tonight as my post, but I am sitting here with a huge lump in my throat and tears of joy just stinging my eyes a bit. After Internet hassles for much of the Province this afternoon and being completely off-line, I snuck down to check my messages. There was an invitation to take part in School District 2’s Storyfest 2007 as an illustrator!!

Last May, Erin’s school called me the night before and asked if I would be a parent chaperone because the guidance counselor had to go to an emergency meeting and they knew my schedule could be flexible. I wrote a long entry in my journal about how I was dreading it... sitting through presentations by people who had actually made their dreams of writing and illustrating come true! I was already feeling like I was at a crossroads and not sure if I’d made the best choices by putting so much energy into something that could be so easily stolen.

I went and followed the kids and sketched and ultimately met Nanny Kay. Within 2 weeks, I was doing pencil sketches for the book and the summer’s adventure of illustrating her 2nd book became a reality.

Tonight, the invitation sits in my e-mail program and all I can do is smile. What a difference a year can make! I guess it really never is too late to chase a dream and bring it to life!!