Fail to Succeed

[This is the first of a monthly newsletter that follows the process as two manuscripts becomes books in 2026. Join me for a behind-the-scenes look at how traditional publishing works, step, by step. To sign up, click the Newsletter tab in the menu.]

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This is one of my favorite quotes and one I often share when I’m visiting schools. Failure is a part of success—you can’t be afraid of it.

But still.

I am.

Every time I launch something new, I worry about failing.

And, to be honest, it never feels like I’m launching something. It feels like I’m launching me.

This newsletter is another new launch of a thing that’s me, or at least mine. And yes, it’s a little scary. What if it’s not as good as I want it to be? What if it turns out to be a cure for insomnia and puts everyone to sleep?
What if? What if? What if?
But I’m taking my own advice and giving myself a chance to fail, but also to succeed.

Why now?

After four years of failures, I have two new books coming in 2026!! This is so new that I haven’t even announced it yet.  I’m sworn to secrecy on most of the details, but here is what I can tell you:

MONSTER DOWN DEEP is a middle grade novel with a bit of magic, adventure and a very fishy character…coming summer 2026.

A HOUSE WITH NO DOOR is a picture book that introduces a house unlike any other coming fall 2026.

There’s been years of work to get to this point and that’s a story in itself. Along with that, the journey to publish is about to begin. I’ve been blessed to have gone through the traditional publishing process nine times already so I know there’s a lot coming. Ups and downs, detours and unexpected road blocks….

And journeys are way more fun when you can share them with others.

My plan is to take you through the process as I go through it, with one newsletter a month. Along with updates, I’ll share a variety of things that I hope will be of interest to readers and/or writers. I really want this to be a journey where you ask, “Where are we going next?” rather than, “Are we there yet?”

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