Our guest blogger today is Lori Degman, a special education teacher from the Chicago area. Lori is the winner of the 2nd Cheerios New Author Contest for aspiring children’s book authors.
It seems sort of fitting to write about my first book for First Book, doesn’t it? I’m thrilled to tell you that MY first book, called “1 Zany Zoo,” is coming out this spring. Actually, 2.2 MILLION copies of my book are coming out this spring!!! In English and Spanish. Inside Cheerios boxes! And then it will be released at retail in hardcover this summer through Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
It’s all happening because I won the 2nd Cheerios New Author Contest, a contest for never-before-published children’s book authors. I actually wrote the original story for this about 20 years ago. Then I got busy: returning to work . . . raising my children . . . life . . . Then, when my two sons went off to college and I became an empty nester, I pulled out this story, and some others I’d written, and decided to give writing another try. The story, originally called, “1 Wacky Zoo,” is a rhyming, counting story about a boy who sneaks into the zoo before it opens, and the crazy animal antics he sees. I’d worked on improving the story with the help of my critique group and family members and I decided to enter it. When I got the call from Cheerios telling me I was the winner, I was blown away. Being a published author has been a dream of mine for so long. It’s just amazing to think it’s really happening.
And BOY, is it ever really happening!! My son sent me this picture of an end display in a store, with boxes and boxes of Cheerios stacked up, all with my book inside! That is really something. I’ve even been doing interviews about my book and how it all happened. It’s really fun to tell the story – and to know that a lot of kids are going to be reading my book. A book that I originally wrote almost 20 years ago.
Here’s the good news: Cheerios is launching the 4th New Author Contest. Entries are accepted in English or Spanish from March 15 – July 15 at www.spoonfulsofstoriescontest.com. So what are you waiting for? You never know, you may have already written your first book!