I come from a long line of story tellers, so telling is my stock and trade. Writing it all down, on the other hand, came much later in my life. I didn't start writing until I was 41 years old. I started jotting down the various stories that were rolling around in my head, then I was encouraged to join the Society of Children's Book writers and Illustrators. It was a major step because it was there that I learned how to put together a dummy and get a story into the form of a children's picture book. Then my mother supported a trip to New York, where she and I visited 16 publishers in one week. I submitted everything I had to more than one house. By the time I got home the following week I had sold just about everything.
I would recommend that all new writers keep their stories concise and close to their hearts. Join the S.C.B.W.I. in your region and you are on your way!
Books I wrote for my family
A Christmas Delivery for Traci and Steve is a hand drawn unpublished book based on the twelve days of Christmas . It was a gift for my children one Christmas. Unfortunately this book was destroyed in the fire and it was the only edition. Amazingly enough my son had uploaded these images before the fire...this is the only record we have of that book.
A Special Christmas was a book I made for my son Steven to illustrate a child dealing with diabetes during the holiday season. My son was diagnosed when he was a child and needed the special support to get through a time when all the other children were getting sweets and candy. Unfortunately this book was also destroyed in the fire.
