What it Took

Yes, this is the original first draft!

Decades ago, I came up with a concept for a book that kept me up at night in a good way. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I'd tried my hand at a number of picture books; thought that PBs might fit perfectly with my background in advertising. But this would be a full-length novel. I hadn't written a novel before. I'd never taken a creative writing course. I was determined though. 

I wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote. I revised. And revised. And revised. Then I got brave and sent it to a publisher. Another. Another. Another. Then agent after agent after agent after agent. What happened with that book? What happened after rejection after rejection after, well, dozens of rejections?

That book, this book has been in print for 18 years, won some major awards, and has sold nearly 150,000 copies.
Perseverance. 

It took nearly 19 years from the time Jody Feldman decided to try her hand at a middle grade novel until it appeared on bookstore shelves. She still absolutely loves going into schools and showing how perseverance can pay off. She's now scheduling for the 2026-27 school year.