Printed

The book has been printed! OMG! It's getting closer! Well it hasn't been printed by a publisher or an agent but I've gone and ordered 50 copies of my own so that I can finally see the fruits of my labour. I've written my covering letter and selected my shortlist of agents. All I need now is the book to arrive and to get a jumbo set of stamps and envelopes. Eeeeek. I'm trying not to set my hopes too high, and prepare myself for rejection, but I love my little book baby and I just can't see why everyone else would't.

Here's a preview of the cover. What do you think?

Does this look like something a child would read? That a parent would pick up and buy? That a publisher would be interested in?

Lets hope so!

Let kids be kids

Today I'm designing the book cover. It's so exciting, it's like putting on new clothes, or getting a haircut, doing makeup or wearing wonderful shoes for the first time. It's a special kind of newness feeling, where you're showing the world how lovely something can be. And this book cover is like all the above, it's the chance to catch someone's eye, to make them look twice, stop and be intrigued.
That's why the pressure is so immense to get it right. This is what will hopefully make a agent stop and pick it up from their mountain of post instead of flinging it to the side... Or so I hope at least... No I'm sure it will. If other people can do it, if Waterstones is packed with books from floor to ceiling with authors that go beyond the extremely talented and lucky JK Rowlings and Roald Dahl then I know that I can get there too. And why not? Why shouldn't it be me? I am just as determined and mindful, I hope I'm talented and I'm certainly driven so it's going to happen. My cover will make it onto shelves, hugging the simple but kind story of Halo and Flake.

Which gets me thinking, Has anyone else noticed how children's stories nowadays are no longer actually aimed at children? With ulterior motives behind their plots, humor aimed for audiences far above the age range the stories were designed for? When did the good old days of innocent adventures of wolves and pigs turn into the multitude of sexual innuendos and characters called Lord Farquaad (fuc*ward)? It's like writers and producers only really do care about lining their pockets and no more about preserving children's 'purity' for a better word.
I don't have kids but I know I wouldn't want my children's heads filled with most of the garbage that's out there now.

Let's go back to the days of when I was little and teach them using dolls and games. Let them have fun cooking, playing with cars, trains and bikes. Let children have memories of making arts and crafts, drawing pictures, playing in the puddles and reading Halo and Flake :)

Emotions

Don't you think it's funny that animals all have their own personalities? I mean real, distinguishable characters- some are naughty, some cheeky, shy, forward, aggressive. But even more subtle then that, they have their own quirks and subtleties. For example Flake and Halo had a guest today. A six month old baby. This little boy can't yet walk and talk but was the bravest little man I've met in a while. He stared in the face of Flake, not flinching, and let me tell you, Flake is considerably bigger than him. He grabbed his ears and confidently looked straight into the doggies eyes, silently saying, I can take you on!

Flake on the other hand desperately tried to woo him, kissing him, nudging him and ultimately trying to have his naughty way with him. All whilst Halo just looked on from afar, chilled and indifferent. Why? Why did one not let a moment pass without showing his affections, whilst the other couldn't care less? How come animals are far more complex then we give them credit for? They have such a wide range of emotions and often are not scared to show them- and all with 100% genuineness. When they're happy they bound and leap, when they're sad they have unblinking watery eyes. Suspicious, curious, angry, guilty, content... Every human emotion we know can be mirrored in animals. All be it some more than others, but I couldn't be more certain that in one way or another they all feel the same as us.

So why don't humans feel so freely like Halo and Flake? How come we don't show our emotions as openly as they do? What is it that people are afraid of revealing. Perhaps a vulnerability or shame..? But why, we all have these feelings and emotions, its obviously just a part of being alive.
So my advice to you today, is don't hide a thing. Laugh as loud as you want, cry as deeply as you need and take a leaf out of Flake's book- show unrestrained and copious amounts of love.