In case you have not heard, I am having my very first book published! It is called Harry the Caterpillar, a children's book. It is illustrated by a great friend, Ana Lia Schiariti Croci. What an amazing job she did on the illustrations, too!
Shortly after our third child, Faith Ann, was born, I realized that something was wrong with me. If you know me personally, you might have assumed that something was "wrong" with me for a long time! All joking aside, one evening, while preparing dinner, it became obvious that something was wrong as my left side was no longer under my control.
Having thought I suffered a stroke, I was admitted to the hospital. Keeping this story short, (a longer version may be in the works for publication), it took several weeks of testing to reveal a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis.
In the coming months, my symptoms alleviated and, eventually, I was back to my usual self. I am not on any MS meds. Instead, I owe my current good health to vitamin therapy, diet modifications, increased activity and exercise and lots and lots and lots of prayer.
It has been over a year since my last MS episode. My spring, 2009 MRI of the brain showed, "no significant signs of MS".
Giving thanks to God for this second chance meant making some more changes in my life. I had to start living by my own proclamations, for starters. For example, I have always told my children that they could be anything they want in life, that they have no limits. This is something I "talked" but never "walked". I have never felt very confident in myself. I have never felt that good fortune should or could be mine. I can't tell you why. It's not that I don't want to share my reasons, it's just that I don't know. One thing I did know was that I could not set such a poor example for my children.
I have dreamed of being a writer since I was in the third grade. I have always written for hobby, whether it was a family newsletter, notes just to say "hello", short stories that just stayed on my computer, etc. While I was pregnant with Faith Ann, I wrote a children;s story that I was quite pleased with. I decided in September, 2009, that I would just go ahead, send it out to publishers and see if it takes me anywhere. I had also decided that, if no publisher picked it up, in this day and age, I could publish it myself. I sent it out to five publishers. By the end of the week, I heard back from one that they were interested. I could not believe it! I didn't really care what the offer was, I was just thrilled to have been picked up! I accepted, thankfully. A few weeks later, another of the five got back to me and told me they were interested! That was shocking! To be accepted by one is huge, by two out of five is unbelievable!
In the previous weeks, not knowing how the publishing process worked, I felt I had to get the illustrations done for my own book. I have a dear friend who happens to be a phenomenal artist; her house decorated with her own amazing work. I asked her if she would be interested in illustrating the story. She read the story and accepted the offer. Ana Lia surpassed my wildest dreams with what she produced!
Again, I felt God in my life. He works in ways in which we can sometimes never understand. Ana Lia was born and raised in Argentina. After her and her husband were married, they came here to NY. Their daughter and our oldest son were in Kindergarten together. She was pregnant with her second child when I met her, and was pregnant with our third. We connected right away, as we our children had so much in common. Our children now go to different schools, but we still attend the same Church and kept in touch without much effort. A true friendship was born. Here, two worlds came together so easily. I also believe that when God presents us with blessings, we are obligated to share our blessings. Although, the publisher who picked me up is more inclined to deal with their own staff of illustrators, I would not accept the deal unless they took Ana Lia, too. And they did. We were meant to share this, (and many more, hopefully!).
Just before Thanksgiving, Ana Lia returned for an extended visit with her family in Argentina. We were pushing for the book to be released in time for the Holiday sales. We were both disappointed that Ana Lia would be out of the country when the book was released. It became obvious, in the coming weeks, that the book would not be hitting the retailers' shelves in time for Christmas. I thought we were missing a huge opportunity. I spoke with another well-established published author and she assured me that book sales always do best in the spring. She said that a spring release should not discourage me at all. Later, in a conversation with my ever-so-smart God Mother, she reminded me of Ana Lia's return in late January. If the book were to be released in February, as it is now expected to be, then Ana lia would be back in the states. God wants us to celebrate the release together, of course! again, He has been hard at work!
I have a tremendous amount of family, friends and contacts who have been overwhelmingly supportive of this effort! As we start the 2010 year, the ball will really be rolling. Expect to see Harry the Caterpillar released in February, 2010! If you do not see it at your local retailer, (Barnes & Noble, Borders, or your neighborhood retailer), then ASK FOR IT! It will be available globally, attainable by anyone! You can even order it on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, etc. I will also be doing book signings and readings in the area. Four are in the works so far. Dates and locations will be available to see once the book is released. If you would like me to come to your area for a reading or signing, whether to a school, book club, retailer or event, please ask the person in charge of the establishment or group to contact me or the publisher. Even if yo are out of the NY area, it can still be possible!
Thank you, truly, for your support and readership! I welcome your comments and feedback! Even though I am now "a published author", I am still, and always will be, simply, "Michelle"!
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