Chocolate the Bear Books: The Author's Den

52 Children's Books Written During Naptime...Let's Adjust That to Twelve :)

2010-03-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

So I had "big dreams" of writing at least one children's book per week during this year of maternity leave. One book a week during Maya's naps...easy, right? Ha...Let me put that in capital letters...HA!

The lack of writing could be because our day is pretty much divided into Maya nursing, changing diapers, playing, eating solid food, cleaning up from solid food, napping, diaper blowout, early bath, and then the cycle repeats itself about five times :).

However, I wouldn't trade it for everything. She's definitely worth a million diaper changes and more. I can't believe she'll be six months this Friday! We'll be lucky to get 12 books finished by September, and it's probably realistic to say we'll be lucky to get one blog post finished per month.

Speaking of diaper blow-outs...the grunting and pink flushed face just stopped, so another diaper needs to be changed. Until the next time!
Becca :)

Rejection- The first hit is the hardest!

2010-02-03T05:58:00.000-08:00

So the query letters and manuscripts were sent off and the rejection e-mails are starting to come in. At least the agents are very nice, "this doesn't seem like a fit for our company" or "this isn't quite what we're looking for at the moment."

If anything, it motivates me write better and take a second look at the manuscripts that are already completed. Again, this is phase one. If we have no interest from agents, then we'll continue to phase two and begin the mammoth task of submitting to publishing companies. Phase 3 will be self publishing, but I need to do some research and figure out if anyone is really successful with self-publishing.

On the positive front, I finished "Napoleon's Night at the Not So Normal North Pole." I think it is interesting how stories are crafted. I intended for the story to be about Napoleon going to the North Pole and realizing that Santa and the elves actually eat healthy (almost to detox their system from the holiday sugar...notice the inspiration for this came from my gummy bear extravaganza blog!). I was at the point where Santa's sleigh was coming down to land out of the sky, and I had to decide where he would land....would he land where he always did? The snowy North Pole? How many times does Santa have to land there and experience the same events?

So...I changed it and had him land something tropical. I wonder how many other authors had to make a critical decision for their plot....do I go here...or here? Did Dickens ever consider having Pip and Estella marry happily ever after? Was he currently ticked off at a local girl and decided, "I'll show you..." by having Pip and Estella's future seem so ambiguous?

I'm working on the Snowman mystery at the moment (inspired by Pepper!!). Hopefully we can crank that out and keep moving the series through the rest of the year...I'm behind! Groundhog Day was yesterday and Valentine's is just around the corner!
Maya's taking her morning nap, so we'll see how much we can type away!

Snow, Agents, Queries, and Split Pea Soup

2010-02-01T09:43:00.000-08:00

Progress! This weekend I was able to get query letters and sample manuscripts out to about ten agents. Most say that there can be anywhere from a two week to three month response time, so let the waiting begin! I decided to send manuscripts to Agents first because it looked like it would a royal mess figuring out contracts (wishful thinking, I know!), and it took me forever and a day just to figure out which agents represent children's literature, let alone navigating through the chaos of publishing companies.

Not only did I get the e-mails out, we also had another winter storm (I told Matt we were going to have a rough winter based on the number of Wooly Worms I saw in the fall, and I was right!). With the fresh blanket of snow (and the weight of Query Letters off my shoulders), I'm motivated to finish my "winter tales" for the Chocolate the Bear series. Hopefully, I can get a few cranked out before the white stuff disappears!

At the moment, I needed a quick writer's break because I can't think of a good comparison for my forest of tree tops...I want to say a bowl of split pea soup, but that sounds disgusting and not quite flattering or serene....Hmm...

Just kidding, Maya G is up from her nap; maybe she'll have an idea for a comparison of the trees...her diaper contents since she started eating solids? No, that's a disgusting comparison too...Hmm...back to brainstorming we go.

Until the next time,
Becca :)

Dragging My Feet :)

2010-01-20T16:07:00.000-08:00

So I finally have three books of the Chocolate the Bear books finished (the goal is 52), the web page is up, Googlebot found me, and I even figured out how to run ads on Google Adwords (however each click cost more than my whopping .35 cents of profit from the ebooks so my advertising budget of $25 is officially empty). I received the much needed children's book publishing guides (thanks mom/Santa!) this Christmas, and now I just need to sit down and write letters to publishers.

Why am I dragging my feet? It could be because the plethora of information makes my head spin...do I find an agent first? How can I find legitimate agents? Do I send a query letter or does this rule mainly apply for nonfiction? Do I just send the entire children's story manuscript? Which manuscript would be the best? Do I send all of them in one package or just one? Should I make a self addressed stamped envelope or just a little post card with a "your stories have potential" or "we'd rather change diapers than read these" box?

In reality, I wish I could just my energy and few moments of free time to write. I have three stories in my head; they seem fresh with the recent holidays and our rare blanketing of snow a few weeks ago. I'd rather knock them out and start on "spring" ideas instead of sending out hundreds of query letters.

In all honesty, I'm probably dragging my feet because I know that it means keeping the rejection at bay for a little bit longer. As much as I can try to brace myself for the "Not interested" replies, my heart is always on my sleeve. Either way, this weekend, I'll begin the letters and buy some paper and envelopes. I've also thought about getting up at 6 a.m. and writing each morning before Maya wakes up. So far this hasn't happened...and with my love of sleep, I'm doubting it will....but who knows. In the meantime we'll worry about the dreaded query letter!

A Bag of Gummy Bears and 30 Do Not Go Together

2009-12-30T23:39:00.000-08:00

It's 2:40 a.m., and I'm actually not up because of precious Maya but instead because of my own idiocy. Why did I think it was a good idea to eat an entire bag of gummy bears while playing Ticket to Ride? Actually, I didn't plan on eating the entire bag, but I looked down and realized that only the green bears were left during our 15th "final" championship, "winner takes all" Ticket to Ride game.

Ticket to Ride is similar to Risk and Monopoly, but it's much faster. My husband and I are slightly competitive to say the least. When we were first married and dirt poor (we actually had a seriously heated argument over whether or not we could afford to spare $15 so that Matt could have a team shirt for the church basketball scrimmage team!), we played board games ALL the time for entertainment. We could never remember who was "winning," so we actually made an excel sheet documenting the wins for every competition...Scrabble, Monopoly, tennis, Risk, etc.

I received Ticket to Ride for Christmas this year, and we've been addicted ever since. We seriously might break out the Excel sheet again. Tonight, we made a "final" game by doubling the trains, doubling the destinations, and doubling the tickets...I'm sure Matt will want a rematch tomorrow since "yours truly" just won :).

Anyways, if I hadn't had Maya just three months ago, I would swear I was having contractions for a baby at the moment. What is it about the holidays that makes so many of us just turn into idiots when it comes to snacking? Matt and I are actually pretty healthy...turkey burger for our meals, Salmon once a week, grilled chicken, and turkey for lunch. No sodas or sweets or really even chips unless they're Sunchips or Baked cheetos...until Thanksgiving comes. And from Thanksgiving until New Year's Eve, we suddenly slink back to acting like we're 7. Why did I feel the need to eat gummy bears? Because they were in my stocking, and it just wouldn't be Christmas or the holidays unless I ate them...not some..but all of them in one sitting and had a tummy ache to top it all off!

However, my payback is coming. Matt and I are starting P90x on January 1st...much blah...but much needed. Maya is stirring; if she needs to nurse at the moment, she'll probably go into a sugar coma from everything in my system. When will I learn?

Night...
Becca :)

Holidays

2009-12-29T11:21:00.000-08:00

Well, we had a great Christmas with my family, and they had safe travels back to Indiana. Today or tomorrow we'll begin the "fun" of taking down the tree and lights. I have a friend that just takes the fully decorated tree and shoves it in the closet each year and then takes it out for Christmas the following year...no messing with the lights and decorations...just "poof" decorated tree, ready to go. If we had space, we might really try this option :).

36 ebooks have sold on Amazon, so that is very exciting. I also feel blessed that so many friends have emailed with encouragement and support. I also received The Writer's Guide to Crafting Stories for Children, The Business of Writing for Children, and the 2010 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market books. I'm excited to read these and begin getting letters and manuscripts in the mail to publishers.

I've also started Twittering; technology can be overwhelming, but I feel like I'm halfway getting the hang of everything. Maya G is up from her nap, and Pepper is attempting to jump the fence, so blog time is over. By the way, she's had her 1st rollover and 1 laughs in the last week...I can't believe how much is happening with the start of month 3.

Thanks for reading!

The Snowman Who Lived for 10 Minutes

2009-12-20T22:20:00.001-08:00

Well, I made it out yesterday to make my snowman. However, my prediction came true seeing that Pepper ate his chocolate cookie eyeball and then proceeded to take the other eyeball and carrot nose. She licked his face a few times for any last crumbles and then she completely knocked him over. However, it gave me an idea for a story so I guess inspiration can be found everywhere. She also discovered the cord for the Christmas lights under the snow and managed to unplug the lights while still chewing on the end connected to the socket. Luckily, Matt and I saw her looking "unusually" good lying in the snow with her back to us; Matt discovered her gnawing away on the electrical cord and unplugged it before she managed to electrocute herself. She is not the brightest puppy to say the least!

I sent my invitations out on Facebook and email for the www.chocolatethebear.com, and I was excited to see the fan base grow, read some encouraging comments from friends, and realize that 20 copies of my books sold....how exciting! We're still just at $7 profit, but at least I can buy two Cold Stone Like It Signature creations :). Matt's on his way home from the Panther's game, Maya just went down about twenty minutes ago (probably because she realized her dad was on his way home), and I'm going to start working on Napoleon at the North Pole...we'll see if that can get finished before Christmas.

Thanks for reading...even if it just my little fish to the side!

Snow in NC

2009-12-19T11:28:00.001-08:00

Matt is snoring quietly behind me on the couch, Maya is snuggled in the swing dozing as well beside him, and Pepper is currently in the crate drying off after playing in the snow for nearly two hours. I'm waiting on jeans to dry (still only a few that fit in these post pregnancy days, so we have to wash them often!) and trying to figure out if I should attempt to make a snowman in the backyard when I'm 90% sure that Pepper will eat him...but those would be some cute pictures!

As far as publishing updates,
I'm officially on Google. You can search www.chocolatethebear.com, and I will actually show up! My meta tags must have worked! I also finished another Christmas story. I'm waiting for it to post and then I'll send out an official e-mail and Facebook message to friends and family. I'm a bit nervous about that. There's something about putting your writing out publicly that makes you feel as vulnerable as if you were running through the neighborhood in your birthday suit. Hopefully, the feedback will be good...and the good news about publishing ebooks is that I can easily make changes if people think they royally stink like dog pooh.

I've decided that my "plan" is to attempt to write 52 children's books under the frame story set-up of Chocolate the Bear. The idea is that parents could read a story once a week for about 10-25 minutes, and the books would continue to loop together (to keep the kiddos interested) while also building on vocabulary each week. With the 1st of the year, I'm going to focus on sending letters to publishers and brace myself for massive rejection. If we don't have any luck within 6 months, then Matt and I will really consider self publishing with M&B Marketing (Matt and Becca :)...).

For now, I'm enjoying the snow. I love it when it snows in NC for a variety of reasons. For one, it happens so rarely, that I truly get excited about it. I purposefully put on the Christmas music, drink hot apple cider or cocoa, get comfy in my Christmas pajamas pants (always ridiculous and you pray that no one rings the doorbell so that you don't greet them at the age of 30 rocking Santa Claus pants), and watch the snow fall against the sparkling Christmas lights. Perfect! You also don't mind getting cold and wet and dirty from the snow mud mixture because you never know when you'll get the opportunity to get messy again. Back home, the "older" I got, I often found myself not going out in the snow with all the hassle, only to realize at the end of a winter season that I never once "played in the snow" that year. I also love NC snow because it normally melts within a few days. We don't have any sand so everything looks nice and white (and, of course, a nightmare to drive on) while it is here and then it melts away. Back home, it seemed like we would have months of gritty brown sand and dirt on the roads or brown, mushy, gray yucky leftover snow slush that always stuck to your pant legs. Speaking (well writing) of the snow, I think I'm going to go out and make my snowman after all. If Pepper eats him, at least I can say I made him.

Oh...and I have one reader (my hubby :)), and then my bowl of fish. On a super sweet note,I made a Facebook group page for Chocolate the Bear books, I haven't sent the link to friends yet because I was trying to finish the www.chocolatethebear.com site. Anyways, I checked to see who my Group members were, and I found 5 of the 8 were my previous (or current) students who found the link all on their own. I have been blessed with the GREATEST students!

First Blog

2009-12-14T22:27:00.000-08:00

It's 1:30 a.m. and this seems to be my normal "time" to write. There are just a few whimpers every now and then coming through the monitor, but I "should" have a bit of time to focus without the distraction of a diaper blowout. With the blessing of our beautiful baby, Maya Grace, and my maternity leave of a year, I finally have a bit of time to return to one of my first loves...writing.

I mistakenly thought I could easily jump into the world of children's literature. I have a passion to create books that increase reading comprehension and vocabulary recognition while also expanding a child's imagination. I decided I would "quickly" place my items on Amazon's Digital Text Platform, and the rest would be history. I would make a web page with a link, and "Wa La"..the children's books would start flying off the ebook shelf. HA!!! Instead, I'm spending many hours in the wee hours of the morning trying to figure out what the heck a Meta Tag is and why it is so darn important to get my site to just show up on Google. I guess it is pretty bad when you Google www.chocolatethebear.com, and your site still doesn't show up.

For the moment, I have a pressing goal to finish the Christmas story that I'm working on. It's the third in the "Chocolate the Bear" series...I also need to create an Ad on Google Adworks for the books, but that sounds like another nightmare for Metatags and sitemapping and web bouncing and whatever other Web Page Jargon is out there. I also have a print copy of Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes almost ready to go, but should I even delve into self publishing?

Hmm...I think I'm getting gray hairs. For the meantime, I'll just return to writing...but maybe this blog will give me one more "needed" item so that I can finally have www.chocolatethebear.com show up on Google.

Oh yes, I've sold one book on Amazon...that would be a whopping 35 cents of profit so far. I can't even buy a coke!!!