Coming Soon (Sort of)

This is the gorgeous cover of a new book!  It won't be available until February 2019, but I just didn't want to keep all of the loveliness to myself until then.

Sometimes, we write books from inspiration of one sort or another, never realizing until later how much our own true heart really needed this book. It's as if Past-Shelley wrote it as a pep talk for Future-Shelley. And who knew, when I first wrote this poem years ago, how much children might also need to read these words and let the gentle lessons of our home planet take root, flourish, and blossom.

Anyway, the words would be so much less without the amazing illustrations. 

 Christopher Silas Neal's work fills me with joy.

I am so proud of this book.

Can't wait to share it with you!

hrh

Best Laid Plans

I keep meaning to post something, but somehow I just haven't.

I've been cutting myself a little slack because I have needed to. Sometimes life is like that. Sometimes you just need to be kind to everyone on your journey, including yourself. And the truth is that I am not certain how much more slack I will need in the next bit. But I have been writing still, filling journals and word docs, and that is a good thing.

I have a couple of picture books coming out in the future, probably 2019 and 2020, which sound SO FAR AWAY and yet I have seen some art work for both already--AMAZING--and I have been visiting some schools (So. Much. Fun.) Basically, just still plodding along in this teacher/author/storyteller existence in which I find myself.

So, in case you are wondering about what I am working on, here we go:

1. Editing a middle grade novel. This book is perhaps the best thing I have written. But it is not yet as good as it could be. Hopefully I can get it to where it needs to go this spring.

2. Writing a new middle grade. I would love to crank out a finished draft in the next few months so it can sit and await some revision this summer. I have been working on this on and off for a year, but the off time has gotten too long. I really need to reconnect.

3. Revising a picture book that seems a little preachy.

4. Writing 3 new picture book drafts. I have some really great titles (most of my picture book ideas start with a title, then I figure out what is it really about) but I haven't had the courage to put pencil to paper. There's something so lovely about having a great title for a book--so full of promise!  My fear is that I will write the wrong stuff, the wrong words, and ruin my idea. I am sure I am not the only writer to have this fear.  But I need to get over it. Soon.

So, that's what fills my writing days.

More soon, I hope!

xox--

hrh