The best place to start this blog would have to be the beginning.
At a party, July 4, 2001, Chris Gilman and I discussed writing and illustrating a book about a little boy climbing Pikes Peak. So the rest of that summer I wrote a rhyming children’s book and he drew some possible sketches. That fall we went to a writer’s conference and realized that we had done many things incorrectly. Most publishing companies don’t want the text and the illustrations unless the author is the illustrator. So we left the conference feeling a little unhappy but much more informed. Four years later (after 16 rejections from major publishing companies) I met a local publisher who was interested in my book, but wanted me to find my own illustrator. Now Chris is back in the picture (no pun intended). I had a brief period of time where another local publisher was interested, some major changes were made to the story, and then she was no longer interested in the book. I had to meet with Chris to change some of the illustrations to match the changes in the book. Chris and I met off and on for the next few months and we realized how much stress you can put on a friendship when you become business partners! (Don’t worry, we are still friends and are almost done with book three). After tweaking the illustrations, adding an educational page (thus one more illustration), and having my daughter take a picture for the back of the book, Ricky Climbs Pikes Peak was finally done.
I thought that the hard part was over. Now that I had the book, I had to market it. Lucky for me, Ricky Climbs Pikes Peak came out the summer of 2006. This happened to be the year that Colorado was talking about the 200th anniversary of Zebulon Pike’s attempt to climb the mountain. I was interviewed by the Colorado Springs Gazette and by KKTV news. Fortunately I had created a website so people could learn more about my book and could purchase it as well. I got to do a story time at Borders and at East Library. I was asked to present at the first AuthorFest in Manitou Springs. It was at this point I finally started to feel like an author, not just a teacher who had written a book. I had to take my writing more seriously. It was no longer just a hobby.
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