Full Circle - "Traveling Blind" with Laura Fogg

The first book I published was called Traveling Blind: Life Lessons from Unlikely Teachers, written by my daughter's Orientation and Mobility Teacher, Laura Fogg. A memoir about her 30 years as a teacher of visually impaired children, Laura shares stories about many of her students and what each child taught her about life, joy, grief and hope. My own daughter's story is one of the chapters. I had watched her for 10 years working with my daughter, but publishing her book gave me a clear picture of what being a teacher of visually impaired people was like. Shortly after the book was released in November, 2007, I applied to the O and M program at San Francisco State.

Last week I started my internship with Laura, riding with her all over Mendocino County, teaching toddlers and high school students, both multiply disabled and able bodied, English and Spanish speaking. She also works with other teachers to help them understand a child's vision issues and parents to help them communicate their child's needs. She eats lunch in her car and rarely takes a break. Occasionally she works 10 hour days. But through it all, she seems joyful and tireless. Even when she's starting to feel the stress because everything happens at once, she has a smile on her face. 

I want to be just like her when I grow up.

Life has come full circle. Queen Teen was born visually impaired. Laura has been her teacher for 12 years. Laura wrote a memoir. I published it. Her book inspired me to go to school. Laura is now my Master Teacher.

Hey, someone tell Oprah. I think our story would make an excellent feature for her magazine.

The other perk to this internship is I now get to work with my own daughter. It kind of feels like cheating taking Queen Teen on shopping trips and nature walks after school. Queen Teen is in heaven. She likes going on outings with Laura, but with Mom in tow, it's that much better.

And this is Laura's office

Anderson Valley in October

And this...

And here's one more shot of Laura Fogg's office, which is mine for the next five weeks...

The Village of Mendocino

No wonder she loves her job.

Hear Laura Fogg, author of Traveling Blind, on KZYX/Z

(Laura and I launching her book November, 2007)

An interview with Medusa's Muse author Laura Fogg, writer of Traveling Blind: Life Lessons from Unlikely Teachers, will air tomorrow, Wednesday December 3, at 4:30 pm on the public radio station KZYX/Z. Barry Vogel talks with Laura on his Radio Curious program about her book and her work with visually impaired children.

If you live outside Mendocino County and can't hear KZYX/Z on your radio, tune in live via the internet at KZYX.org. I will post a copy of the interview on the Medusa's Muse website later this week for those who miss it.

Laura's Book Inspired Me to Become an Orientation and Mobility Specialist

I'm posting this cartoon in honor of me starting the Orientation and Mobility Program at San Francisco State University last night. I checked all the boxes as true except for the one about having my imagination crushed. Nope, not gonna happen. But being a professor's slave sounds cool.

What is Orientation and Mobility? Read the book I published, "Traveling Blind: Life Lessons from Unlikely Teachers," by Laura Fogg, for an in depth view of her training and the work itself. Helping to create her book and attending the CAOMS conference inspired me to go back to school and learn to do what Laura does. Of course I'll still keep Medusa's Muse alive while working, and this way, I'll have a job that pays well, is beneficial and helpful to others, and will balance out the hundreds of solitary hours I spend staring at computer screens and manuscripts.

Gotta go. I have a ton of homework to do!

Don't be alarmed by the sudden drop in Book Sales

This quarter saw a BIG drop in overall sales, which isn't surprising,actually. Laura's book launched on Nov. 1, 7 months ago, and it's had a long run of steady sales, mostly to other Orientation and Mobility and Special Education instructors. Most books sell their copies in the first 3-4 months and then those sales drop precipitously. "Traveling Blind" continues to sell well, but the average sales per month have slowly declined through May and June.

Since I don't have the total number of books sold in the second quarter from Lightning Source yet, I can't say exactly by how much book sales have declined. Lightning Source reports and pays 90 days after the end of that month, so I received my last Quarter One report for the month of March in June. I won't know the exact sales numbers for this Second Quarter until September. My author also doesn't get paid her royalties until 90 days after the close of the quarter, so she receives her royalty check for Quarter One now.

I know our sales have dropped overall though because our direct sales have declined. We sell the most books through events and to our local bookstore. We tapped out our local market by April and Laura hasn't had the time to do many more events. The initial marketing efforts to University Instructors and other Professionals in Laura's field was very helpful, but again, that market has been saturated.

Now it's time to think about who else might benefit from her book and how we let them know it exists.

The biggest problem right now is cash flow, which is seriously hampering my ability to do that second wave of marketing. Between Book Expo expenses, low book sales, and Sales Tax time (I'll write about that in my next post) I don't have any cash to pay for marketing materials. Plus, I have a new book to launch this fall. That means Laura will either need to do more marketing on her own, or I'm going to have to get extremely creative.

Don't be alarmed if your book sales decline. Book sales rise and fall, depending on the market, season, and efforts of the author. Everyone who would want the book has probably bought a copy already, so it's natural to see a decline. The goal is to get those sales back up by finding potential readers who will enjoy the book, but that fact hadn't occurred to them. Yet.

An interview with me on KMEC about raising a child with a disability.

Last week, Laura was schedule to be interviewed by Jin Gwong, a Buddhist Nun at City of Ten Thousand Buddhas on her KMEC radio program called "Compassion." That morning, Laura called me to ask if I could fill in. Her daughter had just gone into labor with Laura's first grand-child and Laura wanted to be there. Of course, I said, and sent Laura on her way. But then I realized that I had to do a one hour interview in two hours with no idea of what we would talk about!

Well, here's the interview (click on 5/3 show).I'm happy to report I actually sound articulate! A big thank you to Jin Gwong for handling the last minute change so professionally and making me feel comfortable. She's an excellent interviewer.

And a hearty congratulations to Grandma Laura and to her family, who welcomed a daughter into the world!

Laura Fogg Reading in Willits, Cal.

This Saturday, April 26th, Laura will read from her book, "Traveling Blind; Life Lessons from Unlikely Teachers." A discussion about her work with visually impaired children and a demonstration of white cane technique will follow, with plenty of time for your questions. The event begins at 1 p.m. at St. Francis of the Redwoods Episcopal Church, 1 North Main Street, Willits. Here is a link to the announcement in the Willits News.

Books will be available to buy and one dollar of every book sold at the event will go to the Church's building fund. I myself will not be there (I'll be at the Northern California Publisher's and Writer's Conference in Sacramento this weekend, of which I'll write about on Monday), but Jane Mackay, Medusa's Editor, will be and can answer any questions you may have about the press.

Laura Fogg Interview About Her Quilts

There is an interview with Laura Fogg, author of Traveling Blind: Life Lessons from Unlikely Teachers, posted on the website Center For The Quilt. The site is sponsered by the Alliance for American Quilts, a non-profit organizations supporting the textile arts.

Here is a portion of that interview:

Karen Musgrave (KM): This is Karen Musgrave. I'm doing a Quilters' S.O.S. - Save Our Stories interview with Laura Fogg. It is March 8, 2007. It is 7:11 in the evening, and I'm in Philo, California. Thank you so much for agreeing to do an interview with me. Tell me about the quilt that you brought for the interview.

Laura Fogg (LF): This is a fairly typical quilt for me (photo of quilt can be seen on website). It is called "Brodiaea on Greenwood Ridge," and I love doing the landscapes. That is mostly what I do after having lived in this county for over thirty-five years. Every place I go there is just another scene that I want to capture. So I started doing this collage style raw edge landscape. The whole thing is under a layer, well in this case, I didn't use toile, I used, I'm not sure what this stuff is called, it is voile or organza.

KM: [looking at the quilt and the fabric specifically.] Organza.

LF: It is really transparent, but under that I've layered different fabrics to get the sky and the distant hillside. I have several layers of the white organza over both the sky and those distant hills to try and gray them down, make them look like they go into the distance. Fewer layers over the closer hills.

To read the rest of the interview, follow the above link.

Laura Fogg at the La Conner Quilt Museum

Not only is Laura Fogg a brilliant teacher and exeptional writer, she is also a gifted textile artist. An exhibit of her work opens March 23rd at the Quilt and Textile Museum in La Connor, Washington. Laura wrote in her book about the curious relationship between her two worlds, that of teacher of visually impaired students, and as a visual artist. If you are in Northern Washington State, you have the opportunity to see how these two worlds combine. Teaching students who are blind involves a great deal of hands on, tactile, exploration. The child needs to feel the object to understand what it is. Laura uses fabric and other textures to create vibrant landscapes. The act of creating a quilt is a tactile process, as well as visual.

At last, the three Medusa's Muses were all together.

Jane, punctuation wonder girl and Medusa's Muse lead editor, is on leave from graduate school for a few months. To escape the ice encrusted Boston winter that refuses to end, she loaded up her little car and drove across the US via route 66, arriving just in time for Spring, and to join Laura Fogg and I at the Association of University Women's brunch. The event was at the North State Cafe in Ukiah, and the food was delicious, complete with chocolate covered strawberries.

Our presentation focused on the creation of Medusa's Muse and development of Laura's book, "Traveling Blind; Life Lessons from Unlikely Teachers." Laura also read from the prelude and the chapter about my daughter. Afterwards, Laura answered questions before she had to leave early to begin her journey to Washington State for the gallery opening of an exhibit of her quilts. I finished our presentation by answering questions about the press and Medusa's two, new books, coming in Fall 08 and Spring 09. Overall it was a mellow, fun, stress-free event with good food and a great, interactive audience. We also sold quite a few books.

Jane stayed at my house that evening and we shared a bottle of champagne, given to me by my dear friend Jody Gehrman back in November to celebrate the launch of Laura's book. I've been holding on to it for a special occasion and having Jane and Rick, the two people who helped me start my press, together for the first time since the book launched, was perfect. We popped the champagne and raised our glasses to each other while I said a toast.

"To us. And thank you. I couldn't have pulled this off without you."

That champagne was the best I've ever had. Perrier Jouet Grand Brute from France; crisp, light, with a hint of spicy vanilla, and perfectly formed, tiny bubbles which vanished as soon as touched my tongue. None of that soda pop feel from the cheap champagne I usually grab. Dang, Jody, you know your champagne! The three of us laughed and chatted and dreamed about Medusa while sharing chocolate and cookies with our champagne.

An Inspiring, Busy Weekend With Laura and my daughter

My daughter and I went to Laura's quilt showing at the One Earth Gallery on Saturday. Great turnout. The gallery did an excellent job with this event and the space is perfect for viewing large pieces, like Laura's "Samba" quilt which is 12 feet by 10 feet. Also, you can see the quilt "Laura takes a leap" that is featured in the Until the Violence Stops Documentary. The imagery on the quilt, from the stream made of shining blue fabric to the grinning, nude woman leaping across it, is more vibrant when seen in person. Even my 12 year old daughter loved looking at the quilts and we spent an hour examining each one, discovering the hidden treasures Laura includes with the fabric, like large feathers, shells, beads, antique earrings and heavy necklaces, lace and bone. She peered closely at the quilt with the four faces representing the seasons and said, "That one looks like it's made of leaves, like fall." I loved spending this time with my child; a reminder of how much she's grown. Gone are the days when I'd have to chase her around the gallery begging her not to touch the art with her sticky fingers. Now we can talk about the creation of the art, laugh over the images, and enjoy the beauty created from bits of fabric, thread, and buttons. Plus, I'm sure she enjoyed it because it was made by Laura her teacher, and a very important person in her life. She did like the other artist's works too, especially the mosaic tiles. We plan to attempt a mosaic together this summer.

Sunday was definitely not a good Mother/Daughter day, but she did have an ice-cream date with her dad. I sold some of Laura's books at the Women's Political Caucus/Women's Art Awards event at the Fairgrounds (see prior post). Laura received an award for her quilts, along with four other women artists. Unfortunately, we didn't sell many books. Pretty much everyone Laura knows in our little town has already bought one. Happily though, I got to hear directly from people how much they love her book and how impressed they are with the quality of the book itself. One person said she's heard nothing but praise. It was also an excellent opportunity to let people know more about Medusa's Muse. Several didn't realize we're a local press. Whether sales were good or not, going out and talking to people about the press and the project was well worth my time. I gave away a few books, chatted with several people, met someone interested in submitting her own work, and got to spend time with my favorite author, Laura.

While Ronnie Gilbert was receiving her award, I looked out across the audience and suddenly felt a profound sense of home. Mendocino County. I listened to Ronnie sing one of her songs and watched the crowd soak up every word, felt the room humm with praise and hope, and realized I am exactly where I need to be. This community, especially the Mendocino Book Company, has been incredibly supportive of this little endeavor of mine and Laura's. Of course it helps when you publish the work of someone who knows EVERYONE and is respected by EVERYONE; makes selling the book a lot easier. But the community has also been supportive of me and the press, irregardless of Laura. People here support the arts, especially women artists, and they respect the work I've done creating the physical book from Laura's manuscript. I realized just how welcome I am here.

Just listening to Ronnie was inspiration enough. Here is a tiny elderly woman who has spent her entire life fighting for Social Justice with only her passion and music. And no matter what happened, even through being blacklisted in the McCarthy era of the 1950's, she has remained true to that cause. I hope I can someday be just as strong and outspoken as she.

Next weekend Laura and I are giving a talk at the American Association of University Women's brunch. Saturday, March 15th, 11:30 to 1:30, at the North State Cafe. We'll be discussing the process of developing her book, from the moment I asked to publish it to today, and talk about working together on the book, as well as working to help my daughter grow and gain independence. And with luck, Jane, the editor of Medusa's Muse, will be there too. Books will be available.

Laura Fogg Events This Weekend

This is a busy weekend for my author, Laura Fogg, and is the beginning of an even busier month.

On Saturday, March 8, One Earth Studio will open an exhibit of contemporary artwork called Pieces, so entitled because all three artists use "pieces" of things to create their work. Elizabeth Raybee creates mosaic, Susan Hadley works with collage, and Laura creates decorative quilts. If you are in the Ukiah, Northern Californa area, drop by. The gallery is located at 310 Mason St., and the opening reception begins at 4:00. This is a great opportunity to see Laura's textile art.

Then on Sunday, March 9, Laura will receive an award for her work in the arts at the annual Women's History Gala, hosted by the National Women's Political Caucus of Mendocino County. This event, now in its 25th year, honors women in Mendocino County and features Ronie Gilbert as well as many others. This is what the Willits newspaper has to say about Laura:

Laura Fogg's collage art quilts have been shown regularly since 2000 and received awards across the United States. Among her unique art quilts, Fogg's "An Unexpected Manifestation of Menopause/Laura Takes a Leap" was included in the documentary "Until the Violence Stops" aired on Lifetime TV and shown in theaters around the country in conjunction with performances of Eve Ensler's "Vagina Monologues." Of her success Laura says, "I couldn't have done it without my community-being nurtured and inspired as an artist and growing in all ways." Working in the field of Special Education for the past 35 years, Fogg recently authored a memoir of her experiences with blind children and their families, "Traveling Blind: Life Lessons From Unlikely Teachers."

Because this event has grown so large, with over 300 people in attendance, it has moved to the Fine Arts Building, Redwood Empire Fairgrounds, 1055 N. State St., Ukiah. The doors open at noon with time to view the silent auction, and the program will begin at 1 p.m. Ticketa are $10 and must be purchased in advance. Get yours at Mendocino Book Company, in Ukiah; Leaves of Grass, in Willits; Tangents, in Fort Bragg; or Out of This World, in Mendocino.

I'll be there as well, selling Laura's book, plus CD's from Ronnie Gilbert and books from Holly Brackmann. Stop by the table and say hello.

Until The Violence Stops

V-Day is here again, a time to focus our energy on stopping violence against women. Across the country, The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler is being performed, including this weekend in Willits (Willits High School Auditorium, Sat. at 7:00, Sun. at 2:00), just north of Ukiah on hwy 101.

There is also a documentary about the worldwide performance of the Vagina Monologues, called "Until the Violence Stops." And I just learned that my author, Laura Fogg, is in it. Ukiah is a featured city in the documentary because of the Vagina quilts (see the movie to understand) and Laura is one of the quilt makers. I hear her interview is beautiful!

Here's a link for more info about the movie:

Happy Birthday

Today is my 41st birthday. When I look at the start of my 40's, I have to say, I'm exactly where I want to be doing exactly what I want to do. More money would be nice (isn't it always?) but really, when I take away the bills and budgets and other concerns, I realize that I am doing my life's work, which is what we all long to do, especially when we hit that big 4-0. Last year, I was daydreaming about "possibly" starting a small press. What would it be like to be a publisher? Then Laura arrived serindipitously, manuscript in hand, and before I could talk myself out of it, I asked her if I could publish it. Thank goodness she said yes. A year later, Medusa's Muse Press has succesfully launched a book with two more in production.

Of course, the money part does need to be attended to, which is why I'm applying to grad school to find fulfilling work that actually pays the bills. And who knows, maybe some day, Medusa's Muse will pay my rent?

What am I planning to study? In another serindipitous turn, I am following in the footsteps of Laura Fogg and applying to my alma mater; San Francisco State's Orientation and Mobility Specialist's Program. Laura will be my master teacher.

Whose my real Muse? My daughter, of course, who is both Laura's student and my child, the person who brought Laura and I together.

Ukiah Book Reading

 

 

Last night was Laura's reading at the Mendocino Book Company, and it was a huge success. We packed the house and sold quite a few books. Laura's good friends from her quilting club brought munchies and the bookstore provided wine and lemon aid. The staff was incredible. I arrived early at 5:30 and chairs were already set out for the audience and a table was set up for Laura to sign books. By 6:00, it was hard to navigate the room with all the people packed around the reading area, filling the chairs and blocking the aisles. At 6:20 the bookstore owner, Ann, introduced me. I told everyone how Laura's book began; one lovely day in February after I read her manuscript, I asked if I could publish it. She said yes, and here we are. People cheered and Laura began to read, at first sitting nervously in her chair, face practically buried in the book. But when someone asked her to speak up, Laura stood, found her confidence, and finished reading in a loud, clear voice. I was very proud of her.

My muse circled the room, her skin radiant with the warmth and good feelings from the people there. I think she's feeling better about being "forgotten." Rick was there as well and people praised him for his design, especially the image of the road extending completely from back to front on the cover.

Ann, the bookstore owner, is a wonderful woman and really helped me with pricing and working with bookstores. This was my first event at a store, so I wasn't sure how the percentages should be. But Ann answered my questions and explained it all, even giving Medusa a larger percentage of the sales than I had offered, saying, "How can you stay in business at that price?" Thank you Ann!

A beautiful night. Hopefully soon we'll have more readings on the coast (Mendocino?), in Willits, and south in Santa Rosa. It takes time to get them set up, and a great deal of coordination between the store's and Laura's schedule. But I think she and I are both feeling more confident about this.

I know my Muse is happier.

Being a Fairy Godmother

 

 

 

The book launch at the California Association of Orientation and Mobility Specialists in Montery was incredible! The above photos are of Laura and Pete, Laura reading,and Me and Laura at the Medusa table with her book. Laura did an excellent job reading and everyone there appeared excited about the book. We sold quite a few, but the highlight of the entire trip was when Laura presented a book to Pete Werzburger, the "godfather" of Orientation and Mobility. During and after WWII, there were thousands of soldiers returning from battle who were rendered blind from their injuries. These were healthy young men who faced a world of dependence and disability. Pete Werzburger decided to do something about it and he pioneered the use of the white cane and other mobility techniques to help these men. From there, the field evolved from being strictly about rehab and veterans to schools and children. Every person in the US who uses a white can owes a debt of gratitude to Pete, and he was Laura's teacher when she was learning O and M.

Pete is now in his 80's and was able to come to the conference with his family. On Friday night, Laura read from her book to about a hundred mobility instructors, including Pete. The room was completely silent and everyone appeared transfixed and moved by the reading. When she then presented Pete with a book, people stood and clapped loudly. Pete said a few words, but even he appeared to be touched by Laura's words of praise and gratitude. I looked around the room and took in the joy of that moment; the room filled with cheering people, Pete's family beaming, Pete grinning, Laura with happy tears in her eyes, and I understood exactly how it feels to be a fairy godmother. Through my hard work, talent, dedication, and credit card, I helped make this moment possible. I helped Laura's dream become real and in so doing touched the heart of an old man and many others. Even if this book doesn't make a dime, that moment made everything worth it.

Happily, we did make a dime. A few dimes. People bought lots of books and are really excited about it. Laura was so happy she giggled almost the entire day. And I again enjoyed watching her chat with "fans" and sign books.

This work is the most fulfilling work I have ever known, and maybe someday, I'll be able to earn a living from it.

The Manuscript is Done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday, I was jumping up and down and squealing like a 15 year old with front row tickets to a Green Day concert. My partner was doing the exact same thing on the other side of the country and we were texting each other madly, saying OMG over and over (I love technology. How else can you run a company with a partner who lives 2000 miles away?). My muse was giggling and I swear even the snakes were smiling. Why all the excitement? Because the final version of the manuscript is DONE! OMG. SQUEAL. JUMP UP AND DOWN. RUN AROUND THE ROOM. THIS IS SO AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Laura finished her last edits and name changes then sent it to Jane who did her super-power-editing-voodoo on it. Over a two week period the two of them sent notes back and forth to clarify a person or idea, find a new word, figure out a complicated scene, all while cc'ing me. I kept myself out of the process and just watched them put the final polish on an already excellent manuscript. But now, it is even better than I could have imagined. Jane also put it in the proper format and created a cover page for a galley version. May I just state for everyone that I love my partner?

Here it is. The final, official, no-more-changes book.

UNCORRECTED PROOF FOR LIMITED DISTRIBUTION
________________________________________



TRAVELING BLIND
Lessons on Life from Unlikely Teachers
By Laura Fogg



Category: Memoir, Non-Fiction
ISBN: 978-0-9797152-0-4
Pub Date: November 1, 2007
Price: $16
Pages: 280 (approx.)
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Binding: Softcover
Backmatter: List of Resources (pending)
Editors: Terena Scott, Jane Mackay
Distributor: Ingram (and affiliates)
Publisher: Medusa’s Muse
medusasmuse@gmail.com
www.medusasmuse.com


I'm gonna jump up and down and squeal some more!

The Photo Shoot

On the day we went to Laura's house to take pictures for the cover, my muse decided to stay home, stating she had the utmost trust in Rick's ability with a camera. I think she was more worried about her hair than the book at that moment. It was a brilliant shade of sparkling white, so bright it made me squint, and the snakes were furiously tying themselves into knots. She threw a scarf over her head, told me to have a good time, and vanished. I was a little worried about the stylist.

Laura had a vision in the middle of a sleepless night of what the cover should look like. From the excitement in her voice, I knew she was on the right path. It had to be a direct message from her own muse; a muse I haven't met but who must be kinder than mine. A few days later, we were at her house with one of her students, a four year old girl I will call "B" and my own daughter, "R." Immediately the two girls began to play with the water in the small fountain that hung on a wall in Laura's back yard. Rick pulled out the camera and started shooting, desperately trying to keep up with the giggles and grins of the two girls. Laura joined in and before long, B's yellow dress was drenched. Laura's original vision was of her holding B while looking up at sunflowers. We all traipsed next door where the neighbor's sunflowers were 12 feet tall. Rick caught more images of Laura and B looking at the flowers, touching them, pointing at them with the white cane, then showing them to R who watched while sitting in her wheelchair. The garden path was narrow and the shadows thick, so Rick struggled with the terrain, the other plants and how quickly the children moved. Children aren't very happy sitting still to "pose." And besides, we wanted it to be spontaneous. A mobility lesson is often that way; you start out with one plan and then the child or the world provides a different direction. Go with it, or lose the moment, and lesson, entirely.

We returned to Laura's garden for more pictures: B walking the garden path with her white-cane, Laura holding her hand, both girls picking black-berries, more splashing in the fountain. After an hour, B was showing signs she was bored with picture taking by whining, so we called it a day. Rick felt we had enough to work with, but also felt he didn't capture the one, perfect shot. Oh well, perfection is elusive and kids are even harder.

But when he downloaded the pictures, we discovered he had managed to take three very good images. Three out of 50 is excellent! And after some debate amongst the four of us, we chose one. An image of Laura squatting beside a laughing B who is holding a sunflower out to R. The image is perfect, because it shows what the book is about: Laura the teacher, who is supporting a child who is showing another child the object. Who is really the teacher? Laura, or the child? In my mind, all of them are.

Rick is now doing the layout of the cover with the picture. It's looking great! If my muse ever comes back from the salon, I'm sure she'll be happy too.

The First Writer

A while back, my daughter's Orientation and Mobility teacher (more on what that is later) gave me a chapter from the memoir she's been writing about her 30 plus years teaching children with vision impairments. As I read it I became excited. Not only was the chapter about my own wonderful daughter, but this teacher could WRITE. The prose was beautiful, the rhythm and word choice excellent. A few days later, I told her how much I loved it and blurted out, "I'd love to publish it." I told her I was starting a small press with a friend and we were looking for a manuscript to launch and hers would be perfect and would she like to work with us because it would be great and I couldn't offer her an advance because, like I said, we were a start-up but I would do all the marketing and PR for her book which was what she'd be spending her advance on anyway, so wouldn't she like to publish with us and have more creative control and what do you think? She looked at me for a moment with her head tilted to the side as though trying to figure out if I were serious, or crazy. Then she said, "That sounds perfect." The idea of working with the mother of one of her students appealed to her, so she ran home, got the rest of her manuscript, and returned with 220 pages for me to read.

It was slow going. Yes, she could write, but she still needed to learn how to put a novel together. Some of the chapters were bogged down with beautiful, rambling prose, which brought the pacing to a halt. But the story itself was compelling, and the way she wrote about her students brought each individual child to vibrant life. These weren't stories about poor little crippled children. These children were unique, funny, cantankerous, exuberant, challenging, kind and REAL humans who just happened to be blind. After reading the entire book, I was more certain I needed to publish it.

The author is rewriting it after I gave her feedback and agrees with my comments. She is as hungry to see her book in print as I am to help make that happen. And once it's closer to her vision and a strong manuscript, we will work out the contract. For now, the revision process feels like coaching and editing. I cheer her on, offer suggestions, try to decipher her metaphors, and constantly ask if this is the book she wants to write. Is this the best work she can do? I love watching her book evolve, as much as writing my own. We talk about structure, scenes, dialogue, what the title should be and what kinds of ideas we have for the cover design.

I love this work! My partner is as excited as I. As soon as the author has the structure of the novel worked out, she'll send it to my partner, the Queen of Polish. This woman is a grammar and spelling guru. After that, we create the book itself. The cover, interior, font, and price. Which means I'd better figure out how to do that.