For the past several months, I’ve been working with Robin Martin of Two Songbirds Press on editing my manuscript The Autobiography of a Sea Creature: Coming Home to my Body after Infant Surgery. I’ve been blessed with a partner who helped me every step of the way move this story into a new and exciting format and a more emotionally powerful narrative.

Now I’m in limbo. How to move from a writer head-space into the head-space of one who finds a publisher? Certainly Robin did not leave me without tools. As we sat at the table at the Black Rooster cafe in Folsom, California, she showed me how she hunts down small presses. She makes it a fun game. And it is fascinating to see who the small publishers are out there and what types of books they are publishing. It’s great to see the explosion of creativity and the honoring of important stories–ones that often the traditional agents and publishers ignore. I’ve ordered some of these books –wonderful reads!  I hope to become one of these reads.

I am making progress. I’ve targeted four presses and will be in some stage of communication with them in the next few days. And I enjoy the investigation process. It’s just that I’ve gotten used to working with someone–someone who believes in my project, understands its worth, and is rooting for me and my story.

So now I’m looking to put together Team Wendy–well-wishers who also believe in my project, understand its worth, and are rooting for my publishing success. In many ways I already have this team, for so many people have supported me and continue to believe in me and my work and cheer me on.  I meet regularly with writers with whom I can check in. I suppose that with this blog post, I’m inviting you to join my team and check in with me from time to time. Send me a comment.  In this way, I won’t be so alone in the process; we’ll be in this together. On my website under WORK and then under PROSE, where I used to have an excerpt from Sea Creature, I posted some quotes from the manuscript. Take a look when you have a chance.

In the meantime, I feel full with gratitude for the experience of working with Robin. Her artistic sensibility, editing and communication skills, and publishing world knowledge are invaluable. If you, or anyone you know, needs an editor or are just simply interested, check her out online by clicking on the link above or finding her on LinkedIn. And thanks ahead of time for your interest in The Autobiography of a Sea Creature and my journey toward becoming the author of a published memoir about living in the aftermath of infant surgery.