A Publisher's Path

Daily on the publishing path I searched both the author and publisher within how to stay true to my writer’s heart and purpose; how to honor Daisy; how to stay true to the voice of children; what niche to follow for sales; and was Dear Daisy a book that could be confined to a niche?

The sparrow There reading beside me here I sensed as I read from Dear Daisy.

Dear Daisy….
I can only hope the seeds that I plant will inspire others to plant their own dreams. I intend to keep planting seeds as long as I’m here on this big ol’ Earth. I guess once a farmer always a farmer on some level. That’s what the work I’ve been doing and getting looks like to me, planting seeds. That seems pretty appropriate for Springtime, wouldn’t you say, Daisy?

Mis’ Jane

Easter was early that year. Palm Sunday, 2001 I went to Church. The sermon was the story of betrayal, otherwise known as the Easter story (my interpretation). Told there, the story of the donkey, the beginning hints of betrayal yet to occur, the hope for the end of the story of salvation and triumph, and the “stones that wouldn’t be silenced”.

Dear Daisy…
That touched me. Think about it Daisy, even if the people were silenced, the stones would speak.
The service also spoke out for justice and mission for programs sprouting to help the youths of today face the violence on their streets and within their schools. My mind, my ears, my heart hears and feels the stones talking. Can you hear the stones, Daisy?

Columbine, then school after school added to the nightmare list. Just goes to show what people, even kids will do when there doesn’t seem to be a next town to walk to. That is a hopeless, lonely place in a human heart. I know that feeling but fortunately for me and for others, walking to the next town was always possible on some level. We, as the adults, need to teach kids about all these towns to walk to because they are stuck in the middle and they may overlook that “next towns” exist. I was blessed to have a vivid imagination, plenty of walking space, a sense of humor, a creative mystery-solving mind. I taught myself to have an outgoing nature, seeking out people to talk and walk with. I taught myself how to walk. I never stopped believing in “next towns”.

Children of our culture today are very enclosed in their environments, long hours of structured activities and “work”, and absolutely every moment of their day is routine or a competition with their peers or with some standardized statistic. Every piece of their lives is a measure of their “self” against something.

Today I write; hearing the sparrow sitting There knowing we are always a child, regardless of how old we grow.

Today, first days of Spring I planted seeds on my path and I wonder what seeds will sprout;
I wonder, too from days long ago planted which survived the cold of a Northern winter.

Tomorrow…I’ll share the story of my youngest “reader” and the story of the day the stones talked.