From Unpublished to Book signing and News Interviews
If you think athletes are the only ones that need a good coach, you're dead wrong. One unlikely group who remain in continual and desperate need of a good, strong voice-of-direction are writers. Be they fiction or fact, fantasy or textbook authors, all wordsmiths need rock solid advice and terminal encouragement from the first sentence of their masterpiece to the last. I was and remain just such a writer!
Like a kid building a dream sandcastle at the beach, I was absolutely convinced publishers would see my children's picture book for the absolutely unique, brilliant creation that it is and like the incoming tide, overwhelm me with contracts. That's not exactly what happened. What did happen was scores and scores of rewrites, editing and more editing, an almost complete overhaul before the book emerged in its final version. Even the title was wrong and had to be changed.
Gullah, The Nawleans Cat Meets Katrina was written for the kids and the first responders to Hurricane Katrina. A Florida native and hurricane survivor myself, after witnessing the storm's horror on television, I wanted to help my fellow Southerners. Inspired with a story of a little French Quarter cat-victim and fully motivated, nevertheless, I needed encouragement and practical advice. In short I needed a coach if I was ever to get this dream book to stand on its own four legs.
Voila! Reba Hoffman arrived on the scene and things began to look much sunnier. Her knowledge, structural skills, and practical application combined with a sensitive approach to a writer often struggling with insecurity and doubts made a huge difference. Not only can Reba coach effectively but she is a trusted friend with an uncanny way of knowing just what a person needs when they need it.
Gullah, The Nawleans Cat Meets Katrina is out in the market now and a portion of the proceeds go to Katrina relief organizations. Kids everywhere who have read the book, or have listened to me reading at their schools are delighted. The day I presented Reba with an autographed copy was a stellar event for me. After all, she was the coach who reminded me of that time-honored truth: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."
Writers, generally solitary people, don't have to go it alone. Get yourself a good coach. Get Reba Hoffman and I guarantee you'll be going places for a long time to come!
Nancy H. Murray
SCBWI member
FL Writers Association member
