I’m delighted to announce the upcoming release of THE FOOL CATCHER, my collection of kids’ poetry coming this fall!
Here’s the official description from the book cover:
Perfect for fans of Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss, this hilarious and heartfelt collection of children’s poetry introduces the mythical Fool Catcher and an eclectic assortment of other colorful characters. Travel underwater with the world’s flashiest mermaid. Zoom away on a cross-country adventure in a toy car that defies the laws of physics. Take off with a lovebug who prefers to fly solo. Figure out why Mr. Brown walks upside-down. Meet a girl with a case of incurable giggles. And much, much more…
This is a passion project of mine, pulling together some of the silly & sweet poems I’ve written for my daughter over the years. All of them sprang from something she did or said or were written with the specific aim of making her laugh. In fact, I had to revise them before publication so her name wasn’t in every single one.
I didn’t write the poems with the intention of publishing, but a few Christmases ago, I printed them out and compiled them into handmade books for family and friends. They got great (albeit completely biased) reviews, and that made me wonder if they might appeal to a larger audience. But neither of my agents have represented poetry, and I didn’t see a market for them in traditional publishing. That’s when a friend suggested self-publishing. And it was exactly what I needed to hear.
It’s not typical to go from traditional to self-publishing, but it made perfect sense for me. At the time, I was in the middle of pre-release promotions for Kingdom of Secrets while finishing up edits for TREX. Another manuscript was with my agent for eventual submission to my editor. In other words, I was firmly caught up in the gears of the machine known as traditional publishing. That’s not a complaint – I’m extremely grateful I have the chance to work with big, experienced publishers – but taking the traditional route means giving up a certain amount of control, which can be jarring when you’ve been writing on your own for so many years. That’s why the opportunity to self-publish, coming when it did, was so refreshing.
I don’t expect THE FOOL CATCHER to become a bestseller. I’m not even sure it will break even. But working on it in the midst of my other projects felt like reclaiming something I’d been missing. Once I cleared it with my agent and editor, I was able to make every single decision related to the book – from the fonts to my amateur doodles (which I settled on when my dream illustrator was beyond my price range – and which turned out to be quite fun to make!).
I’m delighted to share THE FOOL CATCHER with the world. I hope these poems will be enjoyed at bedtime and in classrooms by children who aren’t related to me, and maybe they’ll even cause a giggle or two. At the very least, I’m glad I’m able to put them out there.
THE FOOL CATCHER is available for pre-order now at select retailers and releases on Nov. 2.