Agented.

This photo was taken at sunrise after a hike up to the top of Spyglass Mountain in the British Virgin Islands with my husband Sam. At the end of the programs, we write our goal cards. One of my goals was to write a book. 

My writing journey started over a decade ago with the desire to write a book. The goal morphed into writing children's books when I became a mom, almost 7 years ago. When covid hit, those who had heard me say "I want to write children's books" over and over again had heard enough of me saying "what if" and not actually doing anything about it, especially my husband. So, Sam gave me the not so subtle nudge to finally do it. I had the time. I had the ideas. I found the class. I started writing, and I loved it. I wrote more, loved it more. My free time was dedicated to writing. I ended up writing six manuscripts, but I have tons of ideas in my head. 

Fast forward to late April, early May, I thought, maybe someone will want to publish my stories? So, I started walking that path. Submitting or querying publishing houses and agents is a very detailed, time consuming, and complex process on its own. But, I went for it. Publishers started responding. A few contracts came my way. I didn't know what to look for and found out pretty quickly that I needed help reviewing contracts before I sign them. Rights, Distribution, type of printing, illustration discussions, the list goes on and on and on. I am not a literary lawyer and I know absolutely nothing about publishing. I found some great people in the industry to help guide me, I hired a literary attorney to help review, the whole time knowing that I really ultimately needed to be working with an agent because my personal situation was getting pretty complicated. 

After querying more agents than I'd like to discuss, I found one who loves my stories, believes in me and wants to work with me. Jeanie with Loiacono Literary Agency decided to sign me on and all six of my manuscripts! Whoo Hoo! I am getting a lot of questions. The most common is, what does it mean to have an agent? This means LLA will help edit the manuscripts and put together submission packages to query publishing houses that I wasn't able to submit to myself. She will negotiate the contracts on my behalf and help guide me to making the best decision for me as an author. I was taking care of the submission process before on my own, but now Jeanie and her agency will take care of that entire process. So to clarify, the announcement about LLA signing me is about them believing they can sell my stories to a publishing house. I still have that very big step to go. LLA is an agency, not a publishing house. It's a HUGE RELIEF for me, a big reason to celebrate, and one step closer to getting my books into the hands of children worldwide. 

Thank you for the continued support and excitement. It's a wonderful outlet for me and a big weight off my shoulders to have experts working on my side. Time seems to be a bit scarce for me lately as I'm starting back with Global Expeditions Group next week. I'm also currently in season as the head JV field hockey coach at Collegiate. (Go Cougars!) A lot of friends think I'm crazy, but I have found things I love. I'm busy doing things that fulfill me in different ways... and it's great. Fueling the passion! 

More to come...
Blair