Moving Forward with Focus
Author and certified book coach Diana Renn published her latest book, so we sat down with her to hear about and celebrate her experience.
Which publishing route was taken for this project?
Traditional publishing.
What did you do to celebrate this achievement?
When I sold the book, we were in the height of the pandemic, and I bought hand wipes and sanitizer. I remember being almost equally happy about the book sale and finding these wipes. I'm going to do a little better on April 5 and celebrate with my family! And some champagne is probably a more festive way to mark the moment!
What moment are you most looking forward to in the publication process?
I am looking forward to my launch event at my local independent bookstore, Silver Unicorn Books, on April 6! It's an in person event, which has me a little anxious, but excited to see people in person, many of whom have been instrumental in this book's unique journey. The event is also a fundraiser for Zoo New England, which oversees the turtle conservation program I once worked with.
What are you most proud of in terms of this book’s journey?
This has been a grassroots journey at every step of the process! The idea came from volunteer work I did with a grassroots wildlife conservation group that helped turtles. When writing, I had to get help from science people, as I was writing out of my comfort zone in that regard.
My former editor at a Big 4 publishing house left. My literary agent wasn't repping middle grade, so we decided I should find someone else to represent this particular project and other works for younger readers that I had in mind. While querying anew (a slow process), the pandemic hit, and I felt a new urgency to publishing this book. It seemed people might be interested in things we find in our backyards! I represented myself and sold it to a smaller traditional publisher, Fitzroy Books, the children's book imprint of Regal House. Regal House is a fantastic women-owned press whose values were right in line with this book. (And I must thank fellow book coach Laraine Herring for first putting them on my radar; they did a wonderful job with her memoir, A Constellation of Ghosts!)
Marketing and publicity has been similarly grassroots. I am out there on social media and in my community, connecting with educators and potential readers however I can. I have so enjoyed meeting people whose pathways connect to turtles (and this book) in fascinating ways! This is a success story about feeling empowered to get my book out into the world even when doors appeared to be closing.
What’s next for the book?
I have some virtual and in person events lined up this spring, so it will be great to connect with some readers! And I'm finishing up writing another adventure for the "Backyard Rangers," so I'm also turning my mind from turtles to owls.
What are the next steps in your career?
This is my fifth published novel but my first for middle grade; the others were for YA and adult readers. I really love middle grade, and though I do have a YA idea in the pipeline, I'd like to write more middle grade and more eco-fiction. Writing this book made me a better conservationist in my daily life. I'd like all of my future writing, regardless of genre or age market, to make an impact, to help people pay attention to environmental concerns.
Why would you recommend book coaching to get to this point in the writing journey?
Coaching can keep you accountable in an increasingly distracting world. It can keep you moving forward and energized, especially when a coach gives you a road map of next steps and has your end goal in mind. Coaching can counter the intense isolation of writing, reminding you that you're not alone in your book. I'm a huge fan of collaborative brainstorming and problem-solving, and that coaching dynamic can be so productive.
What is your favorite passage from the book?
The turtle’s body started to buck in my hands.
I dropped it and jumped away, breathing fast. It had gone from motionless to powerful so fast. That snap had come frighteningly close to my hand.
The turtle scuttled a couple of feet away before stopping. Then it parked itself right in the middle of the street, still hissing.
The girl with the long black braid ran over to me. A floppy-brimmed sun hat slid off her head and bounced behind her, held around her neck by a cord. Over her tie-dyed T-shirt and khaki shorts she wore a long olive vest, like something from the military, with a bunch of bulging pockets. Whatever was inside them rattled as she ran.
She stopped right in front of me, her angry glare piercing through blue-framed glasses. She was shorter than me but seemed taller, just from the way she stood and lifted her chin. “Why’d you drop the turtle?” she demanded.
“Because you told me to. And he was about to bite me.”
“I told you to put the turtle down. I didn’t say to drop her.” She gestured putting down versus dropping, as if I might not understand.
“I wasn’t standing up all the way. He seems okay,” I added hopefully. I bent down for a closer look.
“Sorry, guy, but you scared me.”
The turtle blinked and looked at me with its dark eyes. Apology accepted. But you scared me too.
The force of its thought almost knocked me over. Maybe my dog-magnet powers worked on turtles too!
“It’s probably a she, not a he,” said the girl, rummaging through her various vest pockets. Two little gray feathers fluttered to the ground. “Since it’s nesting season. We have to help her get across the road before that car comes. But don’t ever pick up a snapper. She could take off a finger. Or a hand.”
“Shouldn’t we bring her to the pond?” I asked.
The girl kept rummaging in her pockets. Three acorns, some gravel, and a bracelet made of wilted daisies fell out. “Definitely not. If she’s a nesting female, she’s trying to find a place to lay eggs. Turtles come out of the pond to nest on dry land. Usually in people’s yards. They like mulch and gardening soil.” She sighed and took her hands out of her pockets. “I was hoping I had some food to lure it, but I don’t. We’ll have to try something else.” Then she darted over to the sidewalk and got a large stick. She gently prodded the turtle’s shell from behind.
The turtle immediately turned toward the girl, hissing loudly.
You can get a copy of “Trouble at Turtle Pond” book on Bookshop, Barnes and Noble, through her publisher, or wherever you get your books.
Click here to learn more about Diana Renn.
