Remember back when I told you how I used to tell stories to my baby brother? How he couldn't pronounce "Once upon a time," and he said "Ponsa ponsa time" instead, and how it got to be kind of a catch phrase in my family for the stories I tell? Well, I have a new story for you.
Ponsa ponsa time...
...there was a little girl who loved to make shi--er, stuff, up. She would frequently bend the ear of anyone who would listen to her. When she got old enough, she started writing down some of the, um, stuff. Her first novel, Trixie Belden and the Kentucky Derby Mystery, was a piece of inept fan fiction, lovingly scrawled out longhand. It was a shameless ripoff, but we can forgive her because her intentions were pure, and besides, she was only ten.
As she grew, certain distractions (*cough* boys and theater *cough*) came between her and her writing career. Eventually, she married one of the theater boys, and between them they produced a few more distractions.
But she never forgot about her writing. While focusing mainly on raising her brilliant (and astoundingly good-looking, though that's really not important) children, she pulled from her soul a long and intricately woven novel, just to prove to herself she could do it.
Then she put that novel in the place most first novels (she doesn't count the Trixie Belden ripoff) belong: a desk drawer. She figured she would give it a little distance before tackling the rewrite it so desperately needed.
In the meantime, to keep herself occupied, she started writing a fluffy bit of pure escapism, just for fun. Also, because she'd seen the name "Ciel" on a license plate, and the character who popped into her head wouldn't shut up.
WELL.
Heck if she didn't like Ciel and her new story better! When she finished writing it, she showed it to a few special friends, and heck if they didn't like it, too! So she decided to try to find an agent and sell that book instead of the drawer novel.
After collecting her share of "I like it, but it's not really for me" rejections from agents, she came across a listing for Wolfson Literary Agency, a small, one-agent operation.
Huh, she said do herself. This looks good. She probably won't like my book, but I'll try.
But the super-amazing Michelle Wolfson did like her book, and wanted to be the one to help bring it out into the world, so readers everywhere could get to know Ciel and Billy and Mark, and the whole motley crew of characters.
And she did it!
Yes, in this story, the big, bad wolf (sorry, Michelle, I couldn't resist) is the hero who granted the wish of that little girl who wanted to be a writer by getting her a two-book deal (!!!) with Tor, the Sci-Fi/Fantasy imprint of Macmillan Publishing.
So now begins the not-so-little-and-not-really-a-"girl"-anymore's happily ever after with her new editor, Melissa Frain*.
Let the new adventure begin!
*Follow her on Twitter. She's cool. :)
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