Change of Ages

I got another amazing review for my Purple Butterflies from Parkside Books . Get the lowdown below.

When I was very young I had a favorite book that told the story of a young boy who visited all points of the compass, North, East, South, and West, through doors in a fantasy hallway. There he met the wind, the rain, the flora, and the fauna and learned lessons about how to be a good citizen of the world.

I have a new favorite book, now, about a young woman turning thirteen in a modern world that faces all manner of destructive forces.

Ms Golden’s thirteen year-old heroin is a chubby unattractive girl who faces taunting at school and abuses at home, never realizing that she is truly special and her destiny is to battle for the existence of the world.

In this charming fantasy, filled with fairies, demons, gremlins, ogres, dragons, and all sorts of wondrous creatures, Darby reaches the age of metamorphosis that plagues all early teens. She learns to deal with her anger and to forgive those who have failed her. She learns about the earth and all the plants and animals that depend in one way or another on humanity for their very existence, and how fragile the world, as we know it, truly is.

What makes Darby so appealing is that she does her best to get along in a hostile world, treasuring her only friend, Lucy. When she begins to change into the brilliant creature that is her destiny, she doesn’t forget her friends, and makes new ones along the way.

This is an exciting adventure for young people. There are battles with evil, occasions for growing in spirit, and opportunities for Darby to make important choices. The story is a cautionary tale of what could happen to our world if we forget to take care of it. I highly recommend the book for young readers. (And some of us older ones, as well.)

Thanks a lot for all the kind words Beth!!

Danielle

Riddle me this riddlers. How long do you hang on to a book agent?

What I mean is, you have spent years writing and perfecting your book. Then you spend another several years submitting to agencies when lightening strikes and you're finally accepted. Yet three years later your book doesn't appear to have gone anywhere and your contract is up.

When do you call it quits and look for a new one? And if you do find an agent who successfully gets you accepted into a publishing house are you still obligated to the original agent in any way?

Just some thoughts floating around in my head.

Sean over at Chamber Four was kind enough to read and critique my book. He had lots of kind words to say and I appreciate his candor and honesty.

Chamberfour.com

It was my greatest joy to become a published author late last year. It's slow going, but any new writing career takes a while to rev up don't you think? This is only one step of many. Other writers might have had an easier (or harder as the case may be) go of it but I've kept my eyes straight forward looking for that day when I could hold my own book in my hands.

For me writing became a passion in high school. I wrote all through college while I earned a degree in Biology; very contradictory, I know for a young adult author. I always wanted to be a paleontologist ... maybe one day. Anyway, I graduated and had a baby and got married. Staying home with her I spent the next ten years writing and submitting to agents all over the states. I had my successes, finding an agent only to lose them a year later. I was finally excepted into the Children's Literary Agency in New York and referred two years later to Eloquent Publishing. And now I'm published. While I look forward to publishing again I just wanted to spread the word about Purple Butterflies ... It was a young adult novel a long time in the writing and editing and writing again.
How about you? What trip did you take down the path to publishing?