Hurray! After many, many months I can finally reveal the cover to my next picture book, Bonbon & Blanket.
This book holds a special place in my heart as my original ‘book baby’. It technically my first picture book as it had been written and was under contract way before Earth Takes a Break appeared and pipped it to the post.
I submitted the manuscript for Bonbon & Blanket along with a couple of sample illustrations to a boutique local publishing house, Imagnary House, during their annual open call for submissions in 2019. Imagnary House specialise in children’s books and, from browsing on their site, I thought they looked perfect like a perfect match for the story.
I really didn’t have high hopes for my submission knowing that the world of kids’ book publishing can be hugely competitive and multiple rejections are the norm. Then, one day, back in January 2020 (which seems like a lifetime ago now after all that’s happened in the world) I received an email from Imagnary House. With my low expectations firmly in place, I immediately assumed the mail was a polite rejection and from the first sentence it looked like I was correct:
I must apologise for our very late reply to you. At Imagnary House, we had an absolute mountain of submission in our last period (over 350, of which we are only selecting 4), and it took far longer than we thought it would to get through them.”
“I have read Bonbon and Blanket, and myself and my team love it. We would like to offer you a publication deal for this book (congratulations!). “
Needless to say I jumped out of my seat and after the shock had subsided I did a little happy dance.
Fast-forward a year or so and here we are! I am delighted to announce that Bonbon & Blanket is open for pre-orders as of 1 April 2021
About Bonbon & Blanket
Bonbon and Blanket’s friendship is full of fun and adventure, but not every adventure is of their own choosing! In this illustrated children’s story, Blanket nearly comes to grief but with Bonbon’s bravery and Dad’s ingenuity, Blanket lives on.
Bonbon & Blanket is rhyme-based picture book story exploring themes of friendship, loss and new hope.
Here’s a little peak at the first illustration.
I look forward to sharing a bit more from behind the scenes as the weeks progress so be sure to keep your eyes peeled. 🙂