Serendipity, fate, or coincidence? What do you believe
when a series of events happens so easily it could only be a "meant to
happen" moment? This is what I asked myself when the offer for publication
came. But the years leading up to that day were not so quick and certainly not easy.
I'd been writing off and on for seven years when
the idea for Tokens and Omens came. I opened a new journal and began the young
adult fantasy in November of 2011. In
2012, I moved to Colorado with my husband. For the first time in years, I
didn't work. I gave myself a year to revise, polish, and get an agent. I thought
dedicating myself to writing for one year would be enough time. (cue the
laughter) I took an online class with Sarah Aronson, joined two online critique
groups, and started to query a middle grade novel. A year went by without an
offer, so I finagled another year of not working. I revised three manuscripts,
entered contests, pitched on Twitter, and had a fair amount of requests, but no
agent.
I started to query Tokens and Omens in May of
2013 and soon decided it wasn't ready. Back to revisions. It was another year
before I queried Tokens and Omens again. I had a few requests, but no offers.
I sought professional help with my queries. I
attended the 2013 SCBWI Conference in LA, where I met two of my online critique
partners, Tina Brockett and Robin Korb and ran into a writer I'd met at an
Illinois SCBWI weekend retreat, Anny Rusk. The four of us hung out and had a
great time attending the sessions and fan-girling.
I made writing friends on twitter and entered
more contests. Two and a half years flew by with twenty revisions on Tokens and
Omens and thirty-one queries resulting in two partial requests, two fulls, and
one that asked to see future work. Altogether, I had 123 rejections from four
manuscripts.
In February 2015 I was at my lowest point as an
author. I wanted to quit. Anny threatened to steal my idea if I gave up on
Tokens and Omens (she was kidding!). Tina encouraged me daily. Robin commiserated,
while also receiving rejections. As much as it seemed hopeless of ever seeing
my book in print, something wouldn't let me quit.
On February 20, 2015, I saw that Jolly Fish
Press was having their own twitter pitch. I thought it couldn't hurt. Here's what
I pitched:
Fate whispers in one ear,
Puck's ghost in the other. Zander must choose to follow his dream as a King's
Bow or save his village #JFPitch
I had requests from two of the Jolly Fish editors,
and on March 13, Reece Hanzon requested the full.
THE CALL: On April 2nd, I was visiting my sons
in Wyoming. My phone ringer was turned off. When I noticed the missed call, I listened
to the 22 second message. Reece wanted to talk to me about my manuscript. Yes,
I still have it on my phone! I did a little freak-out, wrote out a few
questions, and closed myself up in the bedroom to call. It went to voice-mail,
but within minutes, Reece called me back. We chatted about the book, and he
offered a contract for two books. I'd recently sent out some queries, so I
contacted the agents and withdrew the book. I'd already done my research on
Jolly Fish Press, but I did email with one of their authors before deciding. I
signed the contract on April 13.
In Tokens and Omens, Fate interferes in the
lives of the Puck's Gulch villagers. Zander believes she has his best interests
at heart, while Alexa trusts only herself and schemes to control her own
destiny.
They discover that neither belief is the truth.
I found that Jolly Fish Press came into
existence on November 2011, the same month and year I started writing Tokens
and Omens. I like to think of Fate working behind the scenes to bring us
together. In February I wanted to quit, in April I had a two-book contract. When
it was meant to happen, it was smooth, it was easy, it was right.
My advice? Listen to your heart, trust your gut,
and don't let your head talk you out of your dream. As Dennis said in Martian
Child - Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever give up. Never, ever, ever, ever.
TOKENS AND OMENS releases on July 19. That same
day, my husband and I are leaving on a six day motorcycle trip. I'm calling it
the 5 State, 2 Wheel, 100 Tokens and Omens book tour. I've painted stones with
charms depicting the tokens and omens in the book, and while I'm leaving them
throughout the states of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Utah, my street
team is placing them in thirty other states. More info is on my website: jeribaird.com You can follow my trip on twitter
@jeribaird11 or on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/jeribaird11/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
TOKENS AND OMENS releasing July 19 from Jolly
Fish Press
In Puck's
Gulch, sixteen-year-olds undergo a dangerous trial known as the Quest. During a
time of magic, Fate hands out tokens and omens based on their behavior. The
teens survive the quest only by earning the tokens that will counteract the
potentially lethal omens.
After
Zander and Alexa each earn a black panther omen that makes surviving the quest nearly
impossible, they must break the rules and challenge Fate together. If they
don't, one will die. Fate has made it clear – she won't be cheated.
Amazon
Goodreads
Amazon
Goodreads
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Before
becoming an author, Jeri Baird worked as a handmade paper artist, an
entrepreneurship teacher for at-risk high school students, a reflexologist, a
rock painter, and a zombie (in a film, not a real one).
She lives on
the Western Slope of Colorado with her husband and cat, who both make her
laugh. When she’s not writing, she enjoys kayaking, the scenery from the back
of her husband’s motorcycle, and visiting her sons in Wyoming and Illinois.
https://jeribaird.com/
https://jeribaird.com/
Love this so much! Ive had a few moments of serendipity in my life. You know them when they come!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Karen - serendipity makes me feel like I'm on the right path.
DeleteThanks for the story. I am near that low you mentioned. Needed to hear this. Trust my gut.
ReplyDeleteIt's a hard place to be, but hang in there and keep writing. Sometimes my head wants to overrule my gut, and every time I let it, I regret it. Hoping your serendipity comes sooner rather than later!
DeleteThanks for the story. I am near that low you mentioned. Needed to hear this. Trust my gut.
ReplyDeleteCongrats, that's so exciting!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Katie! Our 5 State motorcycle trip begins tomorrow. I have my painted tokens and omens ready to go!
DeleteI love the cover. Congrats!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rena! The design team at Jolly Fish Press is amazing. They designed a great flyer for the book tour.
DeleteCongrats, Jeri! Thanks for sharing your inspiring story. Your book sounds amazing, and I can't wait to read it. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mindy! Hoping your serendipity comes in #PBParty!
Delete