Welcome! So glad you’re here. Snoop around and stay a while. This is the Frog on a Dime Summer Open House. I’ve swept the porch, put the plumpest pillows on the swing and poured a chilled glass of refreshing lip-puckering strawberry lemonade–just for you!
Win 2 copies!
This year’s Summer Open House giveaway is extra special. The winner will receive not one, but two copies of THE BIG BOOK OF BARF. One autographed copy will be yours to keep (or give to your favorite young reader). The second copy is for you to donate to your local public library or elementary school media center.
Here’s how to enter:
Share a childhood library memory in the comment section for this post. Easy peasy!
Enter by noon on Saturday, July 12.
My little firecrackers, it seems only fair that I share an early library memory of my own. I recall being in Mrs. Server’s kindergarten classroom. On our designated “Library Day,” we’d line up to walk the long window-lined hallway, past the principal’s office, through the school lobby and over to the right where we, a row of little kinderducks, would file into our Blackman Elementary School library.
I remember low book stacks, only two or three shelves high, running perpendicular to the wall of windows that looked out on the school yard. It was a quiet place, a warm room, filled with the potpourri only a collection of aging books can create. We were each given a dark brown “paddle” made of pressed wood. This we would use as a place marker once we’d pulled the book of our choice–our choice!–from the shelves.
From Day One, I was enchanted by Hans Christian Anderson’s Thumbelina. I’d pull it from the shelf, replace it with my paddle, and take the book to one of the library’s tables to devour the beauty of the book’s illustrations (with my eyes only!) At the close of our all-too-short library time, I’d have to return Thumbelina to her shelf . . . until next week when Mrs. Server would announce “Library Day!”. And I couldn’t wait see her again (Thumbelina, that is).
What do you remember?
Share your early library memory for a chance to win TWO copies of THE BIG BOOK OF BARF. Enter by July 12.
CONGRATULATIONS to Danielle Hammelef! You’re the winner of the Summer Open House giveaway! You’ll receive two copies of THE BIG BOOK OF BARF. I’m happy to personalize one for you AND one for your favorite local library or school media center! Thank you so much for sharing your library memory with all of us. Happy summering to you!
The library is like a candy store where everything is free. ~ Jamie Ford
In 2007, Pulitzer Prize winning author Annie Dillard told NPR listeners, “I’m here to tell you that I’m retiring. I woke up one morning, went to my desk, and realized I’ve done everything I set out to do as a writer, and the writer label does not define me, and I have more life to live, but I am done because I did my work on my terms.”
Does Dillard’s declaration stir something in you? Inspiration? Exhilaration like a zing of electricity? A soul-satisfying exhale?
Maybe it’s time to quit.
And by “quit,” I mean . . .
Before we move on, my little lemon drops, let me define “quit.” I’m talking about letting go of your pursuit of publication. No more queries. No more proposals. No more stalking agents. No more pouring over every issue of PW. (And no, I’m not talking about never writing again. Yikes. Writers, by definition, have to write. It’s a given you won’t give that up.)
Queries about quitting. (You can be totally honest. You’ll be grading your own paper.)
Has my passion to be published–needing validation from the publishing industry, reviewers, readers–changed/diminished since I first began my pursuit?
Do I neeeed to be published to be happy?
Am I persisting in my pursuit solely because it pleases someone else or out of fear of displeasing them?
Does the thought of setting my pursuit aside make me feel lighter, maybe even a little excited? (If it makes you feel full-on giddy, go ahead and quit already!)
Can I be satisfied with writing for my own pleasure and/or with helping others improve their writing?
Is my pursuit of publication keeping me from a new passion?
Do I want to invest my creative energies doing something wholly apart from writing? What might that be?
Would I see my decision as a liberation rather than a resignation?
How about a 6-month or 12-month “hiatus” from my publishing pursuits versus a full stop retirement?
Am I comfortable with not knowing what might have been?
What will my new dream be? How and when will I begin?
How will I see myself on the other side of my decision to quit?
Next steps
Take your time and ponder. Seep into a head-to-toe mull.
Journal over your responses to the 12 questions.
Reach out to a friend who can listen while you deliberate. And remember, I’m always here too.
The purpose of my post is not to discourage you from pursuing publishing. Honest. No one’s pushing you. (Go ahead. Look behind you. See?) I’m offering you the freedom to let go, if that’s what you really want to do. And, you should know I (and many others, I’m sure) will never quit admiring you and valuing you. Heck, some will even envy you.
Success does not lie in sticking to things. It lies in picking the right thing to stick to and quitting the rest. ~ Annie Duke, Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away
In January 2025, my very first children’s book will be hurled into the world: THE BIG BOOK OF BARF – A Spewnami of Sick Science, Hurled History and Body Oddities in Ralphabetical Order. My publisher is Bright Matter, a non-fiction imprint of Random House Books for Children. Woo hoo!!
Day after day, my noggin is rumbling with random thoughts like these:
Seriously? I’m going to be a 62 year old debut author! How? WHAT?!!
Got to start a list of all of the people I want to thank for encouraging me all these years (and years and years). That’s going to be a long list.
This is real. Like for reals real. It’s actually happening. Maybe it’s finally safe to celebrate.
Publishing is one random, subjective business.
It’s true. Preparation pays off.
Got to find a way to express my gratitude to my family in a tangible way.
Wish I could reconnect with my teachers from across the years who recognized, challenged and championed my abilities.
I’m finally going to have my very own ISBN!!!
So glad I went to that SCBWI-MI workshop in March 2020 to learn how to create a non-fiction book proposal. I followed the “recipe” and it worked!
Presenting at the elementary school where I was a student and my kids went to school will be surreal.
Never ever thought I’d write a whole book about barf, but the whole process was a joy.
I need to come up with a snappy comeback for when kids inevitably ask, “How old are you?”
Better get noodling on my next non-fiction project and perfecting a new proposal.
Wondering if I’ll get to do a dedication page. What’ll I say?
Can’t believe this book was sparked by a serendipitous, random comment during an ordinary conversation. Magic!
Is it too self-centered to worry that commotion over the presidential election will interfere with my debut. (Uh. Probably!)
What if my publisher goes belly up before my book comes out?
Please oh please do not ask me to write a second book (an “eek”quel to THE BIG BOOK OF BARF) about #2. (I poo poo that idea!} Love non-fiction, but not that!
Chuckling over the thought of my obituary. “Children’s author Vicky Lorencen will be remembered for THE BIG BOOK OF BARF.” I love the thought of making people laugh even after I’m gone.
I am going to hear a ‘hurl” lot of barf stories.
My name is about to change to Children’s Author Vicky Lorencen. I sure like the sound of that.
Wonder how I’ll react when I hold my book for the first time.
Can’t wait to do school visits. (First, I need to get tips from all my friends who are pros.) It also reminds me of #16.
I need to get in better shape so I’ll have energy to enjoy what’s ahead.
Hoping kids will really, really, really like my book. Yes, really.
Wouldn’t it be cool if my success encourages another writer who is still in the “waiting room.”
It’s so weird how this feels inevitable. Why or how, I don’t know, but it does.
Sure this sounds crazy, but I fantasize about speaking at the SCBWI winter conference in NY and wonder what song to I want playing as I approach the podium. (No point waiting till the last minute–or for an invitation to speak.)
BONUS! Everyone who entered Frog on a Dime’s 11th Birthday Giveaway can look forward to receiving a very special surprise in February. Thank you so much for your patience and encouragement!
So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life’s A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you’ll move mountains. ~ Dr. Seuss
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