Life is Full of Moments to Treasure

We have a big green shipping container out the back packed full of all sorts of stuff. When we moved out here to our property nearly fourteen years ago we planned to only have our things in storage for six months. Little did we know all these years later it would still be there, untouched like a time capsule.

Yesterday two of our sons and I finally opened that container to start cleaning it out. It brought me to consider the cliché, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Among the piles of boxes I discovered a treasure trove of so many wonderful memories from our boys childhood, (and other boxes full of junk that we easily chose to throw away). Mind you, so far after an afternoon of sorting, we have barely scratched the surface.

As we sorted boxes one by one, we laughed at the treasures and memories that each box uncovered. My middle son was never an enthusiastic reader as a child, but much to his delight we came across his treasured Deltora Quest book series. by Emily Rodda . These were one set of the few books I managed to get him to read back then. He was quick to say they were definitely keepers for when his son is old enough to read them too. They are now safely on my bookshelf to be treasured by the next generation.

Matt’s copies of Deltora Quest by Emily Rodda, now kept safely on my bookshelf.

To my surprise I also came across a couple of packets of old photos from the 90’s when my boys were little. They brought back wonderful treasured memories of son no 3’s christening, the 4th and seventh birthdays of my other two sons and life in general from those years. We talked about people in the photos, including my dad and uncle who are no longer with us, and the boys were amazed at how young their dad and I looked. Not only do I treasure these memories from the past, but I will treasure these moments of discovery together too. An afternoon that was meant to be a chore that we have put off for years was a fun and enjoyable experience.

This lead me to thinking about the other treasured moments from recent weeks. Celebrating my mum’s 80th birthday, the book reading of Fossil Frenzy at the Book Cow in Kingston and my invitation to the Gold Coast Film Festival that arose from the Queensland Writers Centre Adaptable Competition. Meeting the incredibly talented international award winning children’s author Adam Wallace and the co-ordinators of Adaptable, Lori-Jay Ellis and Craig Couchi, will be special moments that I will always treasure.

Hubby and I had the opportunity to see a wonderful aunt one last time before she passed. As sad as that moment was, we will treasure the memory always. We will be forever grateful we had the chance to say goodbye.

While in Brisbane, we drove up to Mount Tamborine in the ranges behind the Gold Coast where we enjoyed several rainforest walks and I found an irresistible fairy tree house that I just had to bring home. The sheer delight on my grandson’s face when I turned on the fairy lights was a moment captured that I will treasure forever. My fairy bookshelf now also includes a wizard and dragon statue that we found among the treasures from the container.

I visited the Queensland Museum and also bought a dinosaur egg that when submerged in water for 24 -48 hours, hatches and continues to grow. Watching my little cherub grab my hand and pull me over to show me the longneckasaurus (as he calls it) that hatched was a moment of excitement that made all the tears and tantrums the day before all worth it. One thing I did learn, you can’t expect a 3 year old child to wait for delayed gratification! I do think he will treasure that dinosaur for some time to come.

While some of these things are material mementos that bring back memories, others are experiences that will we always treasure. This lead me to think about Secrets Hidden Below the Adamson Adventures 1. While the story evolves around a pirate treasure hunt through Bali, the true treasure that the three siblings come to value is each other and their family. As this book is now out of stock, I am proud to be able to announce it is now available as a print on demand book or ebook via Amazon. You can find the book Here

Yesterday was also my middle son’s 30th birthday and Mothers Day. It was full of wonderful moments to treasure, not all to do with that big old shipping container. Moments that are special to a family full of love, laughter and lots of cuddles. It is my sincerest wishes that you too, had a Mother's Day to remember.

What are some treasured moments that you might like to share in the comments below?

How Do You Handle Publishers Rejections?

In the past two weeks many of my children’s author friends have faced the gut-wrenching feeling of yet another rejection from not one but two publishers. I too, received a rejection and am preparing myself for the next inevitable one.

So how do we deal with this painful reality?

1. We can kick and scream, feel absolutely defeated, and give up.

2. Or drink our sorrows with a glass of champagne and celebrate the success of exposing our manuscript to someone else’s opinion.

Celebrate your successes no matter how big or small.

The world is full of examples where a story has been rejected time and time again, only to finally find a publisher willing to take a chance on an unknown.

Allow yourself time to be upset, wallow in a bit of self misery, even get angry, but don’t give up. Keep re-writing, keep submitting. Your story will find a home.

I am the perfect example of all of the above. Twenty years ago, I thought I had done it. Two of my manuscripts reached acquisitions by two different publishers. I was ecstatic. Twelve months later the rejections dropped like a bombshell. I did the unthinkable. I gave up. I look back now and wonder what I might have achieved had I continued to edit and resend to other publishers.

Twelve years later, I began my journey into publication again. A teaching friend self-published her own book. Until then, I had no idea that this was even possible. Full of naivety and bravado, I set forth to do it too. It was a huge step and one I’m glad I made. It was through this endeavour I found like-minded people who were grappling with the same issues. I learnt a lot and shared just as much. I also continued to write and dived deep into writing workshops and social media writers groups.

Me with fellow children’s authors from SCBWI ACT and The Duck Pond at the CBCA Conference 2019.

For the first book I published, I used a self-publishing company. You know the ones, they take your money, promise you the world but give you nothing. These are vanity publishers and you want to run a mile in the opposite direction. They pay for editing, formatting, graphic design, even an illustrator. Their packages are expensive as they promise you marketing, distribution, sales and even royalties. Beware, they never deliver. I persisted with this particular company for four books, I never saw a cent in return for my investment.

So why did I continue to return to them?

1. I had no idea what I was doing.

2. I perceived they were helping by at least making my print book become a reality.

My four self-published books that helped get me started.

However, any money I made was through my own endeavours. My marketing, my social networks, school visits market stalls and word of mouth. In fact, even after 5 years these books are still selling. Emma the Eager Emu is in her second print and I am about to reprint Frazzled Freya as I found another market for her.

I am a bit of a slow learner, but I finally came to the conclusion that I had better options. I started sending out submissions to publishers again. Naturally the rejections started flowing in again, or often ‘crickets,’ nada, nothing but silence. This time was different, I had learnt a lot and didn’t let the rejections get me down. We move on, we grow, rewrite, edit and resubmit.

I joined a critique group and had manuscript assessments. These are both essential in your journey to improving your writing and a chance for that holy grail - finding a publisher.

Finally in 2018, I had a manuscript accepted and the Adamson Adventures was born. Yes, my publisher was new and small, but they sent me an advance payment, (which was so much nicer than paying out for a change.) They also found a distributor and my series was sold all around Australia. Again, much better than I could do on my own. They promoted and marketed my books, even found me school visits I couldn’t book myself. I started to be known in the industry. I was recognised as a published author and even enjoyed receiving royalty payments. My publisher entered my books into competitions, which was another learning curve for me, and Secrets Hidden Below, the Adamson Adventures 1, was shortlisted in the Australian Speech Pathology Book of The Year Awards 2019.

Sadly at the beginning of 2020, my independent publisher was forced to close. I entered the submission slush pile again. - More rejections. No publisher wanted to pick up a third book in a series. Then with book3, Fossil Frenzy, still in manuscript form, I won shortlisting in the Queensland Writers Centre Adaptable - Book to Screen Competition 2020. After pitching to film producers, I was more determined than ever to see this book published.

Secrets Hidden Below, the Adamson Adventures1, Shortlisted Australian Speech Pathology Book of the Year 2019.

Fossil Frenzy, the Adamson Adventures3, Shortlisted Winner, Queensland Writers Centre Book to Screen Competition 2020.

So I did it myself. No self-publishing company to help this little duckie this time. I had the contacts. I had the editor, formatter and graphic designer all sorted myself. I learnt where to purchase my ISBN and contacted the printer. Fossil Frenzy the Adamson Adventures 3 was released under my own imprint in November 2020 and is receiving amazing reviews and recognition from children and my peers. I am marketing myself and it is selling well, in three months since publishing I have already recovered my costs. Now, I just need that distributor to come on board too.

The Adamson Adventures, books 1,2 & 3.

I’m still submitting to publishers, chasing the next contract. Finding an acceptance in my inbox would be wonderful, but I’m no longer getting hung up on disappointment. I celebrate the opportunities, and maintain a positive outlook on rejection. I have decided to become a hybrid. A little bit of both traditional and self-publishing can only be a good thing. I plan to publish another picture book soon under my own imprint. After all, you’ve got to be in it, to win it. Publishing is a long term game, nothing happens overnight, but it will happen.

All my books are available right here on my website. I am always happy to send signed copies. https://sandrabennettauthor.com/books

How do you handle those rejections?

Do you go it alone or seek help from others?

Please let me know in the comments below.

I'm Not Much of a Goal Setter, but Here I Go!

Happy New Year to all my readers. Welcome to a bright new year here at Sandy’s Story Chair. I hope you enjoy the stories I have for you again this year.

First up is a blog hop with a wonderful group of bloggers who I have been lucky to call virtual friends in recent years. We are starting the year with our blog posts of ‘What I hope to accomplish in 2019 even if I don’t win the lottery.’

The start of a new year is like a blank slate, and we don’t know what will be written upon it. Even if we don’t hold that winning lottery ticket, there are loads of things we can engrave upon it.

My writerly pals and I are sharing our hopes - on the writing road and in our family life - for 2019 in our #Gr8Blog hop: “What I Want to Accomplish in 2019 Even if I Don’t Win the Lottery.”

Please have a read, and then visit the other #Gr8Blogs linked at the end of this post for more smiles and inspiration.

I’ll admit I’m not much of a planner. a bit like my writing, I tend to go with the flow and see where the road takes me. It is somewhat difficult to make plans at the moment with Mr B working overseas in PNG. He tends to have meetings all over the place and his plans are changed at a moments notice. I try to fit my plans around him to be available to catch up where we can, whether that’s in Port Moresby, here at home in Canberra or any other city in Australia. Makes things difficult at times, I have to be ready to fly somewhere at short notice, but that’s life for now and have laptop will travel. At least I can write wherever I go.

So what are my goals other than trying to see hubby as much as possible?

1. Finish editing ‘A Lighthouse in Time.’ Book 2 of the Adamson Adventures and send it to my publisher asap. The manuscript assessment came back between Christmas and New Year. It was so helpful, I can’t wait to get stuck into my revisions. With all the wonderful family visitors this time of year, I haven’t had the time to sit down and take it all in.

2. I have begun plotting Book 3. The next Adamson Adventure is going to be a lot of fun. I hope to start writing it soon too. The decision on title has to be made, I’m torn between two, perhaps you can help me choose. Which title do you think a child would find more enticing?

   a) Fossil Frenzy

   b) Panic on the Plateau

3. I am looking forward to seeing two of my short stories published in this years Creative Kids Tales Anthology. I had set myself the goal of writing 3 stories for this, but the 3rd won’t be ready in time. See, I told you I am not good at goal setting. I have to be realistic and face the fact I don’t have time to finish it before the Feb 1 deadline. The first story is titled ‘Save it For a Rainy Day.’ It fits the enchanted theme. A small child finds an enchanted star and hides it away for a rainy day until she needs it to do something special for her family. The second story fits the ‘Things that go Bump in the Night’ theme. Two brothers can’t sleep for all ‘The Thumping’ that is going on under the house. They seek to find the answer to all the noise and discover a wonderful surprise.

4. That 3rd story, I have set myself the goal of making it into a picture book instead. I would like to see it published one day. Maybe not this year, but one year. Daisy Dewdrop is a little rain fairy that can’t manage to bring rain to the drought stricken farm alone. She goes off in search of a few essential friends to help.

5. My PB ‘Penelope the Playful Platypus’ is finished and ready to be revealed to the world. My goal for her is to have her published this year. Whether my publisher takes her on or whether I Indie publish, she will be published. Penelope has a fantastic imagination and longs to play with other creatures in her habitat, but sometimes making friends isn’t easy and she must learn to accept not to be too quick to judge.

6. I intend to travel to Bali this year with the hopes of doing a book tour with ‘Secrets Hidden Below.’ It has been well received by a book store chain there who does author readings and signings in their Seminyak store. I would like to see if I can add to that a few more places as well, including the International school in Sanur.

7. I intend to continue to improve my self confidence in this writerly life by attending more conferences. I have already committed to attending the second Creative Kids Tales Festival in Sydney in early April and will also commit to attending the bigger CBCA (Children’s Book Council of Australia) conference being held here in Canberra in June.

8. Meanwhile I will continue to attend as many SCBWI ACT and CBCA ACT branch functions as possible. Late last year I was approached to be a guest speaker this year for the Romancing the Stars CBCA evening later this year here in Canberra. I might even stretch myself out of my comfort zone and do it.

9. As for marketing, I hope to do more school visits, more market stalls. and find more places to sell my books.

10. As we say in ‘Scribbles,’ the online writing course by the amazing Jen Storer, I aim to keep doing ‘the verk!’ One day I might even finish all the course work. Is that even possible?

So I guess my word to set my goals for this year is ‘Focus.’ I need to stop procrastination and distractions and focus on all this amazing and exciting work ahead of me.

Few! For someone who doesn’t like to set goals, there’s a lot going on here. I can’t believe how easily that all flowed out of me once I thought about it. Looks like a busy year ahead. Think perhaps I better add learning some time management strategies to that list.

What do you want to tick off your bucket list this year? Please share in the comment section.

For more inspiration, visit my #Gr8blogs pals below. (Ooooo, and we’ll let you know if one of us actually wins the lottery :) :)

If you blog and want to join us on this hop, just add the family-friendly link to your blog post in the comment section. We’ll visit and give you some blog love-:D

Thanks for stopping by!

Cat Michaels http://bit.ly/2smasqg_CatMichaels

Jacqui Letran https://rovingvegans.com/spread-a-trail-of-peace-world-tour/

Julie Gorges http://babyboomerbliss.net/baby-boomer-looks-forward-to-2019-with-exciting-book-announcement/

Shana Gorian https://authorshanagorian.com/2019/01/10/what-i-want-to-accomplish-in-2019-even-if-i-dont-win-the-lottery-blog-hop/

Rosie Russell - https://booksbyrose.com/index.php/2019/01/10/https-booksbyrose-com-index-php-kidlit-blog-by-rosie/

Carmela Dutra http://carmeladutra.com/blog-post/1354/

Rebecca Lyndsey https://rebeccalyndsey.blogspot.com/2019/01/happy-2019.html

Jim Milson → https://wp.me/p3RsfU-2kw

Corrina Holyoake bit.ly/2RlzhS2

Highlights and Lessons on the Bumpy Road to Writing in 2018.

What an amazing year 2018 has been. I’ve had some major milestone events during quite a roller coaster ride with some pretty big hills to climb and hurtle down at full speed. Has it been much the same for you or has 2018 brought you smooth sailing?

As the end of the year fast approaches, my writerly pals and I are remembering the happy moments as well as lessons we learned from challenges this past year in our blog hop: The Ups, Downs and In Betweens on the 2018 Writing Road. Check out our personal reveals, then visit the other #Gr8Blogs linked at the end of the post for more shared recollections and lessons learned along the way. We hope you'll be inspired to dive into your own special memories of 2018!

So what important life lesson did I learn this past year? You'll have to wait and see at the end of this blog. In the meantime, I'm fortunate that I had a lot of reasons to celebrate this past year. Here are four of them..

1. The birth of my first grandson.

   Ok, I can hear you now, ‘that has nothing to do with your writing journey.’

   Sorry about that, but it was a major milestone event that I would be remiss to mention. Lachlan Edward Bennett arrived in this world on 5th January 2018, a pretty fabulous start to our New Year. In a way you could say his birth is part of my writing journey because he inspires me every day to keep writing and reading more picture books. I admit I am besotted. Love my little man.

My gorgeous first grandson on his day of birth, 5th January 2018.

End of November 2018, almost 11 months old, I can’t believe it!

2. Writing Workshops and Festivals.

This year was the year I was determined to stop hiding behind my computer screen and become more involved with fellow authors in the real world. I began in January with joining other members of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writing & Illustrating) ACT and beyond in a fabulous day out at a writing workshop presented by none other than my all time favourite picture book author, Jackie French. I had such an incredible fun day of learning and inspiration, I became more determined to continue along this writing road.

I then followed through by attending the first Creative Kids Tales Writer’s Festival in March. Again I met and mingled with more inspirational authors, gained an abundance of knowledge and took away with me a fabulous and worthwhile manuscript assessment. I continued to attend SCBWI ACT development evenings and even attended my first CBCA (Children’s Book Council of Australia) ‘Romancing the Stars’ evening. It’s been a year packed full of learning for writing and marketing.

Taking in all I can from the amazing Jackie French.

A few CKT members at the festival.

3. My First Traditional Publishing Contract.

After many years of editing and revising and then having such a helpful manuscript assessment by the very talented children’s author, Sue Whiting, (who I shall be forever thankful to), I finally found the courage to submit my chapter book to trade publishers. Probably the biggest milestone this year, (after Lachie’s birth) was an offer of publication by Elephant Tree Publishing in June. I could hardly contain my excitement. To think that my writing had reached a level where I would receive such an offer blew me away, and the offer includes a series. An author can’t ask for a bigger dream to come true.

Secrets Hidden Below was launched at the beginning of Children’s Book Week in August at both a public launch in Paperchain Book store in Manuka and at a school launch at Curtin Primary. After these I have done more school visits and writing workshops here in Canberra, (Telopea Park School and Forrest Primary) and overseas in Papua New Guinea at the Ela Murray International School, I even did a book signing at Harry Hartog Woden., thanks James Reddin for your incredible support of local authors. The wonderful feedback I am receiving is that kids are loving my story. That fills my heart with joy, after all. kids reading for enjoyment and increasing their literacy skills is what being a children’s author is all about.

Secrets Hidden Below will take you on an intriguing mystical adventure around Bali. With a guardian snake, rotten-egg gas and a volcano spirit you don’t want to anger, it has plenty of mystery for every adventurer in the family. A perfect holiday read together.

You can purchase a copy of Secrets Hidden Below here via my website or at any bookstore throughout Australia. If they don’t have it in stock, just ask and they will order it for you. It is now even available in Bali!

The book launch of Secrets Hidden Below at Paperchain.

4. Meeting Other Authors.
As part of this writerly life we as authors are destined to be alone, writing away in isolation. That is why it is so important to connect with other authors, whether that is virtual or in person. Like-minded people with knowledge and interests that are similar to your own that you can learn from. After getting to know members of SCBWI ACT I took their advice and joined The Duck Pond, an online writer’s group of amazing friendly children’s authors.. A few months later as my confidence grew paddling in the pond, and I splashed around, I waded in a little further and extended myself by also joining ‘Scribbles'.’ An online children’s writing course run by Jen Storer, Queen Duckie herself. It has been a fabulous experience, my learning continues and the support is immeasurable. Along with making all these lovely new author friends means I am able to help support them in person too. Book launches are a wonderful opportunity to get together and celebrate each others success.

A bunch of amazing authors celebrating the launch of Sue Whiting’s latest PB, all holding their own recent releases.

So what have I learned from all this years highlights?

1. Breaking out of your comfort zone and spreading your wings can lead to amazing opportunities.

2. Developing new friendships builds support and encouragement for yourself and others.

3. No matter how much you think you know, you never truly stop learning, there is always so much more to learn.

4. I am braver than I think, I can do this. Each small step takes me further towards my life goal - More kids reading, writing and learning.

Thanks for stopping by! How was your year? What was your biggest accomplishment/event? Most powerful thing you learned the past 12 months? Please share in the comment section. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas season and wish everyone a happy, safe and wonderful 2019.

For more inspirational recollections and lessons learned, visit more #Gr8blogs below.

And if you blog and want to join us on this hop, just add the family-friendly link to your blog post in the comment section. We’ll visit and give you some blog love-:D

Rosie Russell - https://booksbyrose.com/index.php/kidlit-blog-by-rosie/

Julie Gorges: - http://babyboomerbliss.net/a-baby-boomers-ups-downs-and-in-betweens-in-2018/

Rebecca Lyndsey - https://rebeccalyndsey.blogspot.com/2018/12/rockin-around2018.html

Cat Michaels - http://bit.ly/2G17SQf_IndieAuthor2018 2018 closes on a high note after turmoil from rightsizing and writer’s block

Carmela Dutra - http://carmeladutra.com/blog-post/the-ups-downs-and-in-betweens-of-2018/

Auden Johnson https://www.audenjohnson.com/2018/12/blog-hop-2018-my-ups-downs-and-in.html

Corrina Holyoake https://corrinaholyoake.blogspot.com/2018/12/my-ups-downs-and-in-betweens-on-2018.html