My Secret Project Isn’t So Secret Anymore!

I have fantastic news to share today!

I’ve blogged before about how I have a secret writing project, a project I pull out when I need to give my brain a rest from my official WIP. But several months ago, after I finished writing Plastic Polly, I hit a wall. Every idea I brainstormed for a new project just seemed…tired, and boring. And I was pretty sure that if I felt that way about my own ideas, then they weren’t worth putting pen to paper. (I hand write all new material before moving it to the computer.)

So one day when I was in the midst of a complaining session to my Rockstar Agent, Kerry Sparks at Levine Greenberg, she asked me if I’d given any thought to working more seriously on the secret project. I said I hadn’t, but in that moment it was like lightning had struck, the light bulb turned on, whatever you want to call it. I suddenly knew that it was time for My Secret Project to become My Official Project. Ideas for scenes, and snatches of dialogue started coming and I decided to just go for it. I wrote whenever I could, in between marketing SEEING CINDERELLA, combing through first pass pages for PLASTIC POLLY, and running around after my children in the summer, until finally in October I felt I had a draft decent enough to show my agent. I titled it: THE PRINCESS IN THE OPAL MASK, and emailed it off before I chickened out.

I can’t say I didn’t feel nervous about turning it in; I’d been thinking about this story, off and on, for four years. I was exceedingly happy that I’d finally just written it, but I wondered if Kerry, or anyone else, would be interested in the complete story.

With all that in mind, I’m happy to announce that: THE PRINCESS IN THE OPAL MASK, a YA fantasy, has sold to Running Press in a two-book deal, with book one set to be released in the fall of 2013!

Talk about an incredible Christmas present! I am beyond excited and so grateful to everyone who read early chapters of this book and gave suggestions. I couldn’t have done it without you guys!

I haven’t stopped smiling in the last couple of days, and I plan to celebrate this weekend and not think about all the work I have to do in 2013!

But first, I’m going to have to go looking around to find My New Secret Project…:0)

If you liked this post, subscribe by email (or RSS). Thanks for being here.