new horizons

I finished my story on Sunday and worried I might be in a funk all this week. But the cure for post-project depression is often to start a new project, and that’s what I did. Partly because my 10,000-word novelette isn’t what my client is looking for, so I need to develop a new pitch (done) and submit a proper 3,000-word short story (working on it). And partly because I felt Mother of the Sea was too good to discard, so I found an amazing illustrator and checked to see how it would look as a book. And e-book probably makes more sense but I’m not a digital reader and prefer something I can hold and share with others (60-page 6×9″ book = $7). E-books matter because I want to connect with readers outside the US and with international postage rates steadily rising, digital books ensure affordable, instant access. For The Ghosts in the Castle I’ve been sending out a link to the digital proof because mailing books to the UK is ridiculously expensive. When I submitted my interview responses to The Voice, they asked when I’d be in the UK. I said I hoped to cross the pond this spring and now that seems more likely because apparently I misread my contract; it’s for 2 books but I thought the advances would be paid consecutively, not concurrently. I was wrong! So I could do the right thing and pay last year’s taxes, pay down my credit cards, and tuck some away in my savings account, or…I could look into a week-long trip to London. I’m not sure how to find schools willing to pay for an author visit, but I’m going to make a plan. Would UK kid lit scholars want to hear me talk about racism in US publishing? KT Horning of the CCBC posted this depressing graphic on Twitter this week:

Black History Month isn’t until October in the UK but maybe I could partner with some Black British authors and coordinate a panel to compare struggles in the US and UK. It’s time to get creative! I’m so grateful to the Black women editors at The Voice who gave me a chance to talk about my new book:

Q: What would you like children to take away from reading this book?

A: My goal is always to empower rather than to embitter youth. At the same time, I want them to think about ethics, and I find that kids have a keen sense of justice. The past can’t be undone, but the characters in Ghosts find a way to “liberate” an African child by reminding him of his cultural heritage. I hope children think about what it means to belong; I hope they ask the elders in their families and communities to share their origin stories. I hope children—especially kids of colour—understand that magic can happen to anyone, anywhere! It’s time to look beyond wands and wizards…

You can read the complete interview here.

Tomorrow I present at a school for the third time in a year; the 4th and 5th graders have seen my two slideshows so it’s time to develop a new book talk about Ghosts. And once I’ve got that new slideshow, I’ll be ready to hit the road…