I know it’s only May, and that Christmas is still many months away, but my newest book, 24 Sleeps Till Christmas, is now available for pre-order through your book retailer of choice!! You can check out Indie Books to find an independent bookstore in your area – small businesses need our support now more than ever!
This book was a first for me in so many ways. It was my first experience working with a major publishing house, my first experience as a freelance writer for hire, and my first time tackling a project of this size – 24 short stories (and one poem)!
When an editor from HarperCollins Canada reached out to me several years ago asking if I might be interested in collaborating on a project, I was both excited and apprehensive. This project was big – I was essentially being asked to write 24 picture books, and with a fixed deadline, no less! To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t sure I could do it, and I didn’t want to make a commitment I couldn’t keep. With my partner’s help, I sat down and thought long and hard about my abilities, my schedule, and my other responsibilities, and with my family’s unwavering support (thank you, Mum, for all the babysitting!), I decided to take a leap of faith and tackle a new and exhilarating challenge.
Working on this project was an absolute joy. I created my own imaginary small town, in which all the characters are connected, whether as siblings, neighbours, cousins, classmates or friends. I carefully worked out the relationships between the child characters – and the animals, characters, too – and really got to know each and every one of them inside and out! It was so much fun to work on these stories, and the words seemed to flow out onto the page as I delved deeper into my imaginary world.
I am so incredibly proud of this book, and the stories contained within – it represents a major leap forward in my confidence, both as a writer and a person. I can’t wait to share more information about the book in the months leading up to its September release, as well as sneak peeks at the incredible illustrations by fellow Canadian Maggie Zeng.
And lest you think I’d forgotten that this is supposed to be a Poetry Friday post…
A(nother) Year of Reading will be hosting the Poetry Friday gathering this week, so do pop on over and check out all the inspiring posts that will no doubt be shared this week!
“The pink snow of spring.” What a delightful observation. I’ll forever look at those spent cherry blossoms as the pink snow of spring. Your upcoming books sounds exciting.
What a wonderful observation. I will forever look at spent cherry blossoms as the pink snow of spring. Kudos to you on the imminent publication of your new book!
Congratulations, Jane! What a labor of love. I wish you much success with it!
I can see why you were intimidated by the project, but look where you’re at now! Congratulations. I’d love to read it as have placed it on my to read list.
Congrats on your new book, and thanks for sharing the backstory about its creation. Will add it to my holiday shopping list. 🙂 Love the “pink snow of spring.” Perfect!
Gorgeous haiku, Jane. And wow! That does sound like an incredibly complex project–not just the writing but the…project management too. Huge congratulations!
It definitely gave me a new appreciation for anyone who writes a novel – keeping all the details straight was a new challenge, for sure!
Oh, Jane, this sounds so wonderful! I love the creative structure of it and appreciate reading the back story. Yay for your supportive family, and double-yay for your talent and perseverance pulling off this creative feat! Congratulations(!!!) and I’ll look forward to learning more as the year rolls along. :0)
Congratulations! I’m glad you took the leap (after careful consideration) and found your wings with a project that seemed like it would be too much. And YES to the “pink snow of spring!”
I’m definitely not a leaper by nature, so this was out of my comfort zone, for sure! But sometimes that’s exactly what you need!
First, “the pink snow of spring” is gorgeous….but also, CONGRATULATIONS! Wow, the cover is beautiful. I’m off to check out the link. But, well done, Jane. That is a lot of work and you did have it in you. I’m just delighted for you and proud of you too.
The cherry blossom season is so short, I can hardly believe it’s already over! And thank you for the lovely words! <3
This is fantastic news, and what an honor to be invited to tackle this project! You got me excited to try something similar with a town of characters. (Now I have to remind myself that I can’t ACTUALLY try every single good idea I come across!) And I’m pretty sure it’s not too early to start trumpeting it–after all, there won’t be as many dolls for Christmas this year…
I say give it a go! 😀
Did my comment take? -Heidi
Congratulations! That does sound like a big project, but yay it’s done!!!
It definitely felt pretty daunting at the start, but I’m glad I didn’t give up!
So exciting, Jane! I’m happy for you! Coming up with the right cast of characters seems to have been the key to success. I will definitely pick up a copy.
Thank you!! It was so much fun to create my own little word. 🙂