Six on Submission and an exciting Store

The Chrysalis...

I havent been blogging much on this site. 
In fact my last post was in January.

Yet, that's not to say I haven't been writing. In fact, I'm about to finish the first draft of my 22nd book, (and that's not counting two discarded novels that made it to beta readers). I've been on submission with my awesome agent Steve Fraser for nearly two years. It isn't easy. It's a long, hard part of the publishing process that few discuss. The best analogy is a chrysalis. That's where I am now. At any moment, I will emerge with book deals and big news. While in this state, my entire career's transforming and changing into something amazing. But from the outside, it's honestly pretty boring.

Still, as of last week, we have SIX projects on active submission! 
Six! That's awesome. And 11 more finished projects with Steve ready to send to publishers now, once those deals roll in. 

So, what are those six? Let's peek behind the curtain. Some of these have been shared before but some are newly sent. By age the six are:

1. SAM AND THE OGRE - a picture book - A dragon chef cooks weather, but cant make an ogre happy until he offers friendship instead

2. THE SUN EXPRESS - a picture book - Two leaves find new life on a train from the sun. 

3. DETAILS IN THE DARK - a picture book based on a real conversation with my son - A boy asks his father to help him not feel afraid in the dark

4. STARKEEPER - the middle grade novel first sent out and that landed Steve - An aspiring 13-yr-old poet must re-light the world’s stars after confronting the Man in the Moon. 

5. THE AUTUMN TURNERS - a middle grade novel set in Starkeeper's world - Two estranged siblings discover each other and confront their parent’s killer before turning the season to Autumn.

6. THE SHADOW OF EVERDAWN - a ya/adult crossover and the starting book in a series - What good is limitless Power if you're too afraid to use it? A 17-year-old prisoner has the power to free himself and stop a
conquering empire, but will lose all memories of someone he cares about. 

what else have I been up to?

One month ago, my wife launched a brand-new store: theveganlifeshop.com/ The Vegan Life shop is an awesome new store dedicated to ethical, sustainable, vegan goods including cosmetics, cleaners, housewares, and more. Sustainability is so important to the world right now, and buying sustainable, cruelty-free products can create meaningful change in the world, while also offering amazing goods. Check out the store for yourself! 

and just to fill this chrysalis phase one more level, I've also been freelance writing more and more. Check out my newest piece on Insider, for instance.