I’ve been sitting on this 550-word manuscript for six years. Even though Agent Jill doesn’t sell children’s books, I showed it to her anyway.
Because she’s awesome, she sold it. It was announced on Publisher’s Marketplace this morning:
I love The Change Your Name Store for many reasons:
- it has Seussian rhyme
- Wilma, the main character, is sassy and adventurous
- her parents are self-absorbed in books and technology
- Wilma travels
- the story addresses the question: Who am I?
- it has subtle humor for both kids and adults
But the real reason I love this story right now is because of the illustrator. Sky Pony Press selected the amazing Tina Kügler (it took me 5 minutes to make the two dots on the “u”). Tina is an über-talented artist. This is her first picture book. She gets the bold, quirky vision my editor and I have for this book, and she’s making it heaps better. This is collaboration at its best: working with someone else to make the product beyond what you even envisioned it could be.
You can check out one of Tina’s early sketches of Wilma. Isn’t it awesome?
On Tuesday night, Vivian and I spent an hour looking at Tina’s drawings on her website. They are amazing.
~~~
One Final Announcement
I’m redesigning this blog, giving it a completely new look. I invite you to sign up for my newsletter (which I send out as often as I change my kids’ bedsheets), so you don’t get lost in the blog move.
Subscribe to the Ironic Mom Newsletter by clicking here.
Thanks for being such amazing readers and supporters.
NONE of this would have happened without you.
Wonderful. Exciting. Well-deserved Greatness!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations. I just downloaded Don’t Lick the Minivan and plan to read it on a long flight on Sunday (without kids).
Very cool!
Congratulations! That’s wonderful!
Woot! Woot!! Squee!!! Yippee!!
Congrats, my friend.
Congratulations!! That’s awesome!
Hooray! I’m so excited to get my hands on the new book. Congrats!
Leanne, you are AMAZING! Congrats.
Love your story idea. Can’t wait to get a copy. And the illustrations rock!
That sounds like a great book! Can’t wait to read it with my kids 🙂
Does this make you a bookie?
Seriously?! Seriously?!?! I’m reading your first book and getting this announcement at the same time?
Mind. Blown.
Damn. You en fuego, eh. Congrats!
Awesome! Congrats!!
So cool. Congrats!!
That is awesome, Leanne! I’m so happy for you and I love the idea for your children’s book. Much congratulations on your successes; they are well deserved!
Not just talented, but talented in multiple genres! A good kids book is harder to create than people think. Many, many congrats! XOXO
Seriously awesome! And congratulations!
Great news, Leanne! Love the drawings on Tina’s site.
Wonderful news! Congratulations!
The art is perfect! So happy this is happening!
Whoo hoo! Congratulations on #2. (I haven’t had occasion to say that since my kids were potty training.)
Someone once told me that successfully penning a picture book is The Holy Grail for writers. Congrats Leanne, looking forward to reading your next book!
Congratulations!
You rock socks, my friend. Rock effing socks.
xo
I love #2 man! http://mcmillanodaine.wordpress.com/
Leanne! I’m so excited for you! One door opens and a hundred doors open! Mazel tov. (That means congratulations in Hebrew.) Oh the places you (and WIlma) will go! 🙂
That is truly fab news. Congrats!! I just “won” your book from JM’s site, and it is sitting on my bedside table, just waiting for me to finish my current book. Can’t wait to dive in! Good luck with this next exciting endeavor!!
Leanne,
Your announcement gives me hope. My 14-yr-ol daughter has written a series of children’s books, but after watching her father fail in spectacular fashion, she has begun to lose hope.
Agents won’t respond to her queries.
Publishers are equally inaccessible.
But she’ll feel better about her chances when I show her this post.
Thank you.
(As for me, I think I’m quitting the writing biz all-together, but we’ll see.)