It’s official! I’m an author! I was offered my first book contract for a picture book manuscript. Before I open the champagne, there are two things standing in the way of my celebration.

Firstly, I want to call my mother. I always do, but especially now. She would have been even more excited than me. She was always there to tell me how incredible my writing was. (Fortunately, my SCBWI critique group is there to tell me that it also needs work and to keep working at it.)

The second issue is that since I just recently started writing picture books, I also just started querying and do not have an agent – yet.

The publisher is keen to begin work on this immediately given the timely nature of the book (a pandemic story) though it thematically it will hopefully hold as it also focuses on universal themes: loneliness, community, and empathy.

Either way, agent or no agent, I have a book that will soon be out in the world!