How things have changed!
A NY publisher once said, "Children's publishing is a bunny eat bunny world." Rude but true...at least it used to be. When I first started the goal was to write, write, write, get an agent, and sell, sell, sell! Now it's up to the author to be writer, copyeditor, content editor, legal, sales manager, etc. Amazon has changed it all.
I miss the days of heading to New York City to visit with editors, see friends, and find out what was going on. But I have to say, finding an artist to work with me on a cover for a new story was a joy. Going to a recording studio and learning how to produce an audible book-- that was so much WORK, but so much FUN! It's seeing the business from a whole new angle.
Here is my newest work! A labor of love, really. Although she has gone over the Rainbow Bridge, this story was inspired by a peculiar black cat (with a bit of white on her chest). A tiny little girl with a huge personality she made me laugh every day. I kept telling everyone, "She's trying to tell me something." With that as the starting point I went back to a time before cell phones and computers and created a story that balanced on friendship.
This is Holly, my inspiration for my story. Holly is what I named her because she came at Christmas. She told me that WAS NOT what she was to be called. She told me her name was Mao Mao. And that is what she said to me every day. "Mao, mao." Not meow, meow. She had her own language.
As a writer what I can do is read--which I'm doing. Lots of reading. And I can use this time to revise my stories. It's hard to be creative when a storm is swirling. For those of us who have bouncy brains we have to find a way to focus. One thing that always helps me is to take a long walk, or visit someplace new.
When I went to Grand Cayman I went on a boat trip to Rum Point. We stopped to visit with the rays. A whole new world!