A Novel Idea – Update

For this week’s blog post, I would like to talk about plotting your novel. There are several different ways…..

Wait… what? Oh, that’s right. I rescheduled the plotting post because I am THRILLED to announce that I have signed a contract for my middle grade novel THE GIRL IN THE WINDOW to be published by Monarch Educational Services, LLC!

My nine-year-old self is absolutely speechless. Around this time next year, I will be able to hold a novel I wrote! It will live on bookshelves and in libraries. It could be the subject of a book report. And maybe, just maybe, it will become someone’s favorite book. How AMAZING is that?

I can’t thank Jen at Monarch enough for loving my book as much as I do. She has already invested so much time in reading my manuscript and helping me with edits. This book has become so much better with her guidance.

And I can’t forget about my favorite writing friends: Jessica Hinrichs, Molly Ippolito, and Gennie Gorback for encouraging me, talking me through writer’s block (and off of a few cliffs), and for being the first to read (a much less polished version) of this story.

I have already met some of the amazing Monarch authors, and was able to talk to the editor herself via Zoom yesterday. I’m even more excited now than I was before. I cannot WAIT to get started on the next step. I am especially excited about sharing Izzy, Anna, Max, Steven, and Lily with the rest of you!

Stay tuned for updates about my book as I navigate the publishing process, and more blog entries about writing, revising, querying, and publishing in general.

Can’t wait to know what my book is about? Here’s a short synopsis for THE GIRL IN THE WINDOW.

Twelve-year-old Isabel Gordon’s summer plans come to a crashing halt when her home-run hit smashes through a window in the creepy house next door. If it had been any other neighbor, she wouldn’t mind working off the cost to replace it, but unfortunately the old Victorian is home to the mysterious and frightening Mr. Johnson.

After hearing rumors about the strange man most of her life, Izzy is hesitant to own up to her mistake. When her mom arranges for her to do yard work at the spooky house, Izzy is determined to keep her head down and get home as quickly as possible. But just when she’s about to leave, the ghost of a young girl appears in an upstairs window with a cryptic message: HELP ME.

Izzy is drawn to the lonely girl and attempts to help her recover her lost memories and before long, Izzy realizes how closely their stories intertwine. A kinship between the two girls blossoms until Izzy uncovers the truth – the girl remembers everything, and even worse, she has no intentions of letting Izzy leave. Izzy must show her forgiveness, and the true meaning of friendship, if she hopes to free them both.