A funny thing happened on the way to my publishing career. I spent years wishing, hoping, praying that I would one day see a book on the shelf with my name on the spine. I spent a small fortune on classes, workshops, conferences, and craft books. I read a bazillion books and talked to a… Read more »
originally posted on the Emu’s Debuts blog. I’m reflecting on the surprising angst that followed my book contract. The angst of letting go. See, I love the inventive stage of writing. Don’t get me wrong, writing is damn hard. But, I love that evolving sense of possibility when worlds and characters spin out of thin… Read more »
I am so happy to announce that artist Daniel Minter will be illustrating my book, STEP RIGHT UP: THE STORY OF BEAUTIFUL JIM KEY. It’s been a long many months of waiting for this news. Now, I’m just plain giddy. Daniel Minter is the 2013 recipient of a Coretta Scott King Honor for book illustration,… Read more »
So many wonderful opportunities have come my way in 2013. I sold my first trade book (yay!) I wrote two books for Capstone, had a revision request from an editor on another trade book, and there’s exciting news coming on yet another project. Whew! Busy, busy, busy. The icing on my professional cake came when… Read more »
I’m honored to have a post on the Emu’s Debuts blog today, about how my debut book sale came to be. And how signing the contract became an unexpectedly memorable and emotional event. http://emusdebuts.wordpress.com/2013/08/27/signing-the-contract-not-your-typical-espn-moment/ Here is that post, in its entirety. Signing the Contract. Not Your Typical ESPN Moment. We’ve all seen news snippets, featuring a… Read more »
Well, it was inevitable. Summer arrived and structure departed. The days of somewhat regular work hours while kids are in school are temporarily replaced with other pressing needs. So, I’ll be making only sporadic appearances in the blogosphere for a while. There’s a home remodeling project to monitor, thanks to water damage from a broken… Read more »
Me with my big-hearted, uber-talented agent, Erin Murphy. Finally! I am over-the-moon about the Publisher’s Marketplace announcement on June 21, 2013-the same day I flew to Montana for my agent’s annual retreat. The deal is finally final and now I can scream it from the blog roof. I SOLD A BOOK! Here’s the happy blurb,… Read more »
Whew! Time flies. The hustle and bustle of spring seemed to arrive early here and with it came the SCBWI grant deadlines of March 31st. Last year, in 2012, I was awarded an Honorable Mention for my nonfiction submission. It was indeed an honor, especially after learning that only six of the 500 entries received… Read more »
Recently, I had a fabulous conference critique on a new picture book biography. It left me smiling for days, mostly because of two words: “great voice.” It’s taken a long time nail the concept of voice. If you’ve been writing as long as I have, you know how ambiguous the subject of voice is. I… Read more »
It’s been quite a week of awards celebration, hasn’t it? During Monday’s ALA awards presentation, I joined a group of author friends, huddled around multiple computer screens at the home of YALSA finalist, Cynthia Levinson. For an hour before the presentation, we enjoyed a festive atmosphere, complete with food, mimosas, party favors, and fidgety anticipation…. Read more »
All materials copyright © 2024 Donna Janell Bowman. All rights reserved. Website by Websy Daisy.