Donna German, my fabulous editor at Sylvan Dell, recently sent me the finished cover of BLACKBERRY BANQUET. I love the way it turned out! Lisa Downey, the illustrator, did such a great job. The bear is adorable; the cover is colorful and inviting. I can’t wait to see it on bookshelves in bookstores or better yet, in the hands of small children!Another piece of unexpected news that I received this week from Sylvan Dell is that they’re in the process of selecting a plush toy to accompany the book. What would it be? A bear, of course! As soon as I get a picture of what it looks like, I’ll post it too.
Finally, I found out that they plan to release my book in early July, which makes perfect sense as July is Blackberry Month. Mmm...I think the berries will be a little sweeter this summer!
This is an exciting time during the birth of a book. You see, once the acquisition is made and the ink has dried on the contracts, the author often goes into a sort of hibernation period, where he isn't involved much. At this time, the illustrator is extremely busy doing the art and the editorial staff are making final text reviews and marketing decisions. Then, after a few long months, the author begins to hear about his/her book again. The cover is out, marketing decisions have been made, publication dates are skillfully determined. To me, as the author, it's like my book has come out of hibernation! It's very exciting to see.
