Quote

"Keep working on a plan. Make no little plans. Make the biggest you can think of, and spend the rest of your life carrying it out." Harry S. Truman

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

The mystery of the illustrator's name, and ranting about the difficulty of waiting, waiting, waiting...

I don't like it. To wait. I'm not a patient person. At all. Which is probably why life, destiny, the Universe, call It however you like, seems to be testing me at the moment - BIG TIME. So I can grow, you know... Boy, sometimes, I wonder how much growing one has to do before they can consider themselves all grown-up. In my case, the process is taking its sweet time, for sure. Anyway, I was saying that life is testing me. Not only has IT decided that I was to be, for an undetermined amount of time, a full-time-at-home-mother-with-two-kids-on-summer-break-during-the-Indian-Monsoon (as if that weren't already taxing my energy - not to mention how it has reduced my writing time to almost nothing), but it also decided to play tricks on my computer and I now have LOST the little that I had been able to produce in the past few weeks! Am I entitled to throw a tantrum or what ? But that is not all. I must also wait some more before I can tell the name of the illustrator of my book. I'd like to shout out the news to the whole world - the one that's interested, anyway, and, well everyone else, too, actually. But I can't.

For weeks and weeks, I've been a good girl and kept my mouth shut. Well, I must continue to keep it shut, and wait some more. Did I mention I don't like to wait? Well, bear with me, because I'm going to repeat it: I don't like to wait. I understand, of course. Still, it's difficult.

I also would love to get in touch with said illustrator. Not to give pointers, or control the work, no, I swear. Come on, I'm not like that. Or am I? No, I'm not, or at least, I can control my controlling tendencies. Sure, I can! In the end, what matters is the book, right? I'm not unreasonable, you know.

It's just that I love meeting interesting people involved in interesting activities. Also, this particular person presently spends a lot of quality time with my baby, and that naughty baby hasn't called, hasn't written, hasn't even sent an email to his mommy to let her know how things are going. Maybe he received the same marching order : Keep mum! Or maybe he's turning into a precocious teenager, sprouting wings and very happy to be away from old writerly me. Living with an illustrator is bound to be much more colorful - I just couldn't resist that one :) There will be different smells, too. Paint. Turpentine. I only hope he's not watching too much TV. Two daughters doing just that under this roof is quite enough.

Anyway, that's that. It's a good preparation for the day my kids leave for college. I know, I'm complaining that I can't write because they are around, and I'm already worrying about the day they'll go to college. What can I say? I'm full of contradictions. Aren't we all?

Where was I? Ah, yes, what makes it all worse is that I actually understand my editor's reason for not wanting me to get in touch with said illustrator right now (provided that said illustrator whose name I cannot yet disclose shows an interest in responding, of course. ) It had not occurred to me, and yet, it makes total sense. She wants to give the illustrator the space and time to immerse herself in the story, to wrap herself in it so she can make it hers. Because, Katia, don't you forget that you've written a picture book, and in picture book, there is the word "picture," and you have no talent whatsoever to draw pictures, remember? TWO names will appear on the cover. Not that I mind sharing the cover with another person. If I did, I wouldn't have written a picture book, come on ! And sharing the cover with someone with such an interesting background and interests is really exciting. I totally look forward to it. That is precisely the reason I'm dying to share all this information.

But I can't. Not yet. Did I mention how... DIFFICULT that is?

Anyway, in order to ease some of my frustration and avoid a messy implosion, I just disclosed 3 tiny pieces of information about the illustrator. Who's been paying attention here ? Yes, The illustrator is a SHE. She has an interesting background, even more so considering where the book takes place. Ha ha, hint, hint... And finally, she's involved in interesting things. You want to know more ? Well, you have to be patient. Yes, I know, it's DIFFICULT. But you can do it. If I can, anyone can. Soon... Soon... Soon...

6 comments:

rilla jaggia said...

Wait a minute...Yeah...Here I was feeling all sorry for you because I thought you were waiting to find out who the illustrator would be...but now I see, it's not you doing the waiting...it's ME! Right now I'm too busy feeling sorry for myself to commiserate with you ;)

Katia said...

But Rilla, that's the whole point. If you commiserate with someone about THEIR problems, you actually forget about your own for a bit, and you feel good because you are being so empathetic... Get it ? :) No matter. That little rant did me a world of good. I've expressed my feelings and can now go back to waiting... and packing. Two more days to go and I'm off. Yeepee !!

Anonymous said...

Oh, Katia, I am so enjoying this. I just came back from vacation and got caught up on all my e mails, and I know I am late to the party . . .who knows when you will even get this? You are off roaming delightful, and tasty France.
You make my own life seem so dull.
You do have me oh, so intrigued about this illustrator . . .the anticipation is clearly killing you!! :)
Can't wait to get you back to your Scribblers, we are keeping your spot warm.

Katia said...

Laurel, thank you. I hope you had a great vacation. Also hope your writing is going well and you've had time to work on your novel. I can't wait to get back to the group, really. Hopefully in September. In the meantime, have a great summer.

Stephanie Roth Sisson said...

Hi Katia-

Well as an illustrator I can tell you from personal experience that having the author involved (no matter how wonderful they may be) is an illustrators nightmare. As an illustrator you have to "own" the story as your putting images to it- I had one author who was very involved and the project became a bit muddled...there were good intentions, but it became diffecult for me to do my job. It will be fun when the finished book or the F&G's get to you and can experience the book fresh for the first time...After the fact I think it's great having interaction with the authors- I do with many of the authors I've worked on books with-

Anyhow- how exciting- YOUR book is being published! Hurrah!

Katia said...

Hey, Stephanie, thanks for the kind words, and thanks for dropping by. I really appreciate your illustrator's input, but you know, I don't mean to get involved in the illustration process. Even though it is hard to let go of the baby, I totally understand the need to let the illustrator do her work, her way, etc, etc. I'm just dying to get in touch with her, to get to know her. But you are right, this can happen later.