When I read about the retreat SCWBI was holding in NSW last October in the SCWBI ANZ newsletter, I was beyond excited. This would be an incredible weekend dedicated to writing, learning from publishing professionals and surrounded by aspiring and established writers and illustrators who would be there to perfect their craft. Unfortunately, as all good stories go - there was a plot twist. Another wave of Covid19 swept through NSW and the retreat was postponed and my little heart broke into millions of pieces. However, all was not lost when the SCWBI team informed me that the critiques would go ahead over Zoom rather than in person and I had opportunity to meet two incredibly respected women in the industry.
I booked a manuscript assessment with Davina Bell (Allen&Unwin) and Eve Tonelli (HarperCollins) and shared with them both the same story I had written on maternity leave entitled The Lucky Shack - a Children's picture book about gratitude, loss, love, and hope written from the unique perspective of the shack. It's a layered story that interweaves the seasons, the circle of life and the beauty and power of nature.
I had manuscript assessments before so had a feel for what these types of sessions entailed, but nothing prepared me for the feedback I received from both Davina and Eve, who found it challenging to critique the manuscript, as they both loved the story. Meeting Davina was a dream - as I am a fan girl of her beautiful stories, so the fact that she loved the story, made me feel beyond giddy. However, the very next day, I met Eve and her feedback was beyond what I could imagine. For a publisher so esteemed at one of the largest publishing houses in the world - I had to continually pinch myself that this was real. I took the minor suggestions both Davina and Eve provided, and started tweaking the manuscript to send back to them directly for official submission, but before I had a chance I received an email from Eve.
She said that she loved the story so much she shared it with the rest of the children's publishing team at HarperCollins who also loved it - the team wanted to take the story to acquisitions! I cried tears of elation and couldn't sleep for days - it was a moment of pure joy during the heaviness of the lockdowns. From the email to acquisitions - it took about a month or so, and the wait to hear back was definitely excruciating as all the self-doubts came creeping in. Then, a couple weeks prior to Christmas, Eve Tonelli emailed me with the most wonderful news - HarperCollins wanted to publish The Lucky Shack! It was the best Christmas gift I have ever received. My husband and I have celebrated every step of the process. I feel so lucky to work with Eve - she is so supportive, generous with her insight and wisdom and is so passionate about the genre.
I owe my sincere gratitude to SCWBI and the entire team for hosting those wonderful sessions. Just like the shack in my story, I am a lucky girl. The Lucky Shack will be released by HarperCollins in July 2023.
