Hi All, I hope Spring has sprung in your neck of the woods. It is lovely here in Sacramento, CA. I’ve been out gardening and enjoying the lovely weather on hikes around the area. I’ve also been making some changes to The Jade Serpent. My protagonist is now a young writer. He is documenting his adventures with his co-conspirator through his retelling of their escapades in writing. I really like the idea of a young writer. Maybe I’ll have him sketch along the way too!
Last Saturday I went to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Spring conference (#SCBWISPSP17). It was my first writer conference and it was packed full of great advice. I had the chance to speak with Kate Sullivan of Delacorte Press (an imprint of Random House) and learn more about what an editor does. I also went to two talks by Beth Phelan with the Bent Agency and Peter Knapp with Park Literary – both agents. Everyone offered such great advice and were so nice. I left not only excited to write, but also determined to submit The Jade Serpent to an agent this spring – yikes!
So of course I came straight home and started reworking the opening, and changed up parts of my protagonist. So now Koen is a young writer (and illustrator perhaps). His adventures with Titanus McDuff, the Keeper of the Treasure Chest are still forefront. But I like the added dimension of his character. Not only is he afraid of heights, he loves to write. Here is a doodle I did thinking of Koen awhile back.
Happy Spring to you all!
~Gretchen
Gretchen M Fogelstrom 