Writing books is a quasi-surreal endeavor to begin with. Writing a five-book series is more than strange. Middle School Confidential started with an inspiration, followed by some concepts, chased by a bunch of ideas. Then I spent several intense months figuring out how to get what’s going on in my mind to connect with the life experience of my readers (5th-8th graders). (All that before I even began Book 1!)
Finally I finished the first draft of the first book and sent it to my editor. He sent it back with some notes in places that needed revisions. I completed the additional work and sent it off again, which earned me a big editorial thumbs up.
Then after a couple of weeks of mental vacation, I started Book 2. So the process repeated itself.
Now it’s the first of August. I spent most of today working on Book 3. (Zip zip) On a mid-afternoon fresh air break I tripped over a box left on my front step by the guy in the brown truck. Opening it, I found a blast from my creative past… AKA Book 1 had arrived! There it was… in my hands, an actual real world book with my name on the cover and my photo in the back (in case I needed proof). Like I said, surreal, and smile-inducing. If you want a copy. Just let me know. Only $9.95. A bargain at half the price. ;O)
Congratulations! A five book series sounds like a lot of fun. I’m working on a series about a little girl in Kindergarten right now. I can’t imagine holding the actual book in my hands, looking at the cover, and seeing my name slightly raised through the gloss.
Really cool. Good on you.
Comment by Writer Dad — August 8, 2008 @ 2:21 pm
Thanks for taking the time to post that sweet comment. From one writer to another, good luck and lots of success with the process and the reception you get when it’s out there in the world!
Comment by Annie — August 8, 2008 @ 2:41 pm