… and writing a great many things …
… is here. It’s here.
What is she talking about? you mutter.
Upon which I refer you to my earlier post, The Year of Doing Way Too Much and Nowhere Near Enough.
And then I say this:
In 1999, in an airport departure lounge, I scribbled the beginnings of what would eventually become my first poem.
In 2001, I said out loud to someone for the very first time that I was interested in maybe writing something one day. I remember this very clearly for reasons I will save for a future blog post.
In later 2001, I had an idea for a picture book, and thought it was excellent and bound to be published.
From 2001-2006, I collected approximately 762 rejection letters for that picture book, other picture books, chapter books, Young Adult novels, and novels of indeterminate genre and readership. I also published a few poems.
In 2007, my first novel, Annabel, Again, was published.
In later 2007, my poetry collection, Cleanskin, was published.
From 2008-2015, I published a further 11 books for children and a far-too-small handful of poems.