Celebrating the Sejal Sinha series + excerpt
Celebrating the Sejal Sinha series
Hello and welcome to my first newsletter of 2024! Sejal Sinha Dives for Diamonds on Neptune (Sejal Sinha #3) released in January! It feels surreal to have put out three books in this series, though I hope there will be more!
Fun fact: Dives for Diamonds was actually the first manuscript I wrote in this series, the one we went on submission with. However, my publisher felt there were too many books about space in the chapter book market at the time, so we opted to start the series with another science aspect (e.g. the hurricanes in Sejal Sinha Battles Superstorms).
However, this series was born with two sparks:
My kiddo and their love for cardboard box adventures, inspired a bit by Calvin & Hobbes. They also have a special stuffy cheetah friend!
In kindergarten, my kid asked me, “Mommy, does it really rain diamonds on Neptune?” I hadn’t heard about that, but apparently they had read it in another book. I searched online, and found that yes, it was a true scientific theory!
And thus a series was born. I’m so proud of these three books!
The Liminal Space Between Contracts
The hardest part of being an author, in my opinion, is not writing the books or even marketing them (to the extent that authors do that). It's the uncertainty of getting the next deal, how hard it is to break out and make good sales numbers, and the dysfunction of the publishing model in general, all of which are deeply entwined.
The liminal space between contracts is not an easy one at all. While I love the joy and freedom of new projects, the feeling is tempered for me because of all the unknowns I have to face. I sometimes find it hard to celebrate my achievements, which is one of the reasons why I hadn’t sent this newsletter about completing the Sejal Sinha series earlier. As proud as I am of having 2 series out in the world, I’m almost always looking toward the next thing. Anxious whether this dream job of mine will last.
But the only way forward is to keep writing, and have faith that things will fall into place. Last summer I completed a middle grade graphic novel script, and in the fall I worked on edits with my agent. Now, we’re in talks with an illustrator to join the project. If they agree, they would provide sample illustrations (some sketches and perhaps a couple of full color spreads). Once that’s ready, we’ll go on submission to publishers.
I’ve also had a lot of fun crafting the opening chapters of a YA horror novel. It is quite a pivot from my cozy YA romances, but I love challenging myself with something new and different! Who knows? Maybe spooky is my thing. I’ve sent those early chapters off to critique partners and I’m waiting to hear what they think.
I have a few other ideas I’m playing around with too, and I remain hopeful that I will soon be as busy as I was in 2020-2022! Wish me luck!
Excerpt from Sejal Sinha Dives for Diamonds on Neptune
Here’s a little tidbit of Sejal #3 for you! Per usual, I’ll be redacting the excerpt on the site in a few days.
For context, this begins after Sejal and her cousin Ash have rocketed off into space. They’re enjoying floating around because of the lack of gravity, when they discover some stowaways:
Redacted.