I WROTE A BOOK!!!

Everyone, at one time or another in their lives, has an idea for a book. It might be a children's book, like most of mine seem to be, or it could be something else, like a novel or a book of poetry or a comic book. The trick is getting that grand literary idea onto printed pages and into the hands of readers everywhere. A difficult and timely task to say the least.

For me the hardest part was putting pen to page. (Or fingers to keys for all you new age techies out there.) I could talk for hours about the adventures of a young boy and his wild imagination, and all the friends he would encounter on his journey, and robots and rocket ships. Why then did I struggle to put these amazing stories in a format that could be shared through the generations? Why wouldn't I just write them down?

My wife says it's because I'm lazy. She is probably right. The good news is I overcame whatever was holding me back and with a little persistence I finished the manuscript. Cool.

12 copies sent out
6 were never heard from again
5 rejection letters received
1 email requesting more

The editor at Flashlight Press loved my story. We worked on some changes together and I landed in their "Maybe" pile. That was exciting. What I hadn't known at the time was that I would spend the next 4 years as a permanent resident of that pile.

That's right, 4 years. The editor and I would touch base every 6 months or so. Weeks would pass where I didn't even think about the book. Life just kept marching on. Every time I would consider submitting the manuscript to another round of publishers, she would hit me up with some positive reviews from trusted readers and some recommended changes. So I stuck with it. I made a lot of changes as the years passed, each round of edits bringing me closer to that elusive "Yes" pile.

And now, after all that work, and all that time, Flashlight Press will be publishing my first book Dragon and Captain. scheduled to be available April 2015.

And let me say I AM EXCITED! I am so glad that 5 years ago I took that first step that all aspiring writers must take and wrote my story down.

So what are you waiting for?