by hatfield13

I can finally share the news!

Last month, I posted some photos after a family trip to Washington, DC.  But there was one I couldn’t share at the time.  

Okay, I guess I could have shared it with a caption that said “Here I am outside the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian.” 

But that would have led to comments like “Who’s on the phone?” and “Why do you look so awestruck and goofy?” 

And I would have had to give one of those cagey, secretive, I’m-not-allowed-to-tell-you-yet answers that frustrate blog readers so much.  So I kept quiet, mostly.  But agent-goddess literaticat says I can spill the beans now.  It was her on the phone, telling me about the news that hit Publishers Marketplace today.

 
June 21, 2008
   
  Children’s:
Middle grade  		 
Kate Messner’s MARTY MCGUIRE, FROG PRINCESS, an illustrated chapter book about a second-grade tomboy who would much rather be a scientist than a floofy pink ballerina; she is cast as the reluctant lead princess in the class play, with wildly unexpected and comic results, to Kara LaReau at Scholastic, in a two-book deal, for publication in Summer 2010, by Jennifer Laughran at Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

By the way, a bunch of my LiveJournal friends share the credit for this sale – I revised MARTY this past winter, under the encouragement of jbknowles‘ January Revision Club.  Thanks, Jo and friends, for the community cheers along the way.

As for my photo…if there were a caption, it would simply say “EEEEEEEE!!!!!!” 

After Jenn shared the news, I closed my phone.  Then I skipped the entire length of the National Mall.  I don’t think my feet have touched the ground since.


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159 Replies on “I can finally share the news!”

  2. WOOHOO! Congratulations!!!! Very exciting! (And thank you for not being one of those who posts “i’ve got great news but I can’t tell you yet”.) 🙂

  3. Congrats, Kate!!! What a great photo. 🙂 MARTY sounds like a winner.

    I was part of that Revision club. SO, yeah, for you and Jenn! ABLA rocks!!

  15. Well, yeah. I’ve been eating lots of chocolate. (Wait…I do that when I don’t have a secret, too…) Anyway, it was hard not to share – I’m glad I can now!

  23. I love that picture – what a great way to share your good news!

    You get to work with KARA LAREAU and SCHOLASTIC! How cool is that?

    I’m so happy for you – the book sounds awesome!

  26. Wow! This is awesome news! I love the photo, too, it says it all 🙂 We’re Summer 2010 Scholastic buddies, too! 🙂 Your book sounds like such fun. Can’t wait to read it!

  38. Congratulations!!

    I can’t wait to read the book- it sounds amazing… just like you!

  39. Kara is amazing, and I can already tell from the few conversations we’ve had that she’s going to be a dream to work with. Thanks!

  52. Congrats, congrats, congrats! Not only on the deal, but because Kara is a wonderful editor! (Met her at the Vermont Novel-Writing Retreat several years ago.)

    Hurray for skipping the length of the National Mall!

  67. Thanks, Kelly! And hey – you’re one of the only other people I know writing chapter books right now, so if you ever want to swap critiques, let me know. I have another MARTY book to write soon!

  71. Thanks, Laurie! I did some revisions on this manuscript under the spell of your Kindling Words workshops, so thanks for that, too!

  81. I’m sooooooo happy for you, Kate!
    Words can’t express how happy this news makes me!
    I can’t wait to read it!
    ~Julie

  90. WAHOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    This is so amazing! Wonderful! Exciting! YAYAYAYAY!

    And Kara is so cool and fun and SMART!

    I am SOOOOOO happy for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  95. Thanks, Mary Beth! I’m excited to read your book, too. One of my kiddos had her eye on it at the Harper FirstLook program but alas, will have to wait. Anyway, congrats! The first reviews I’ve read have been great!

  106. Thank you, Cindy! When I was talking with Kara on the phone and she started talking about clubs and fairs, I almost teared up and immediately remembered your post about RULES being in the book club flyer. I can’t believe I’m with Scholastic!

  112. You’re welcome! I love the idea of a science girl. 🙂 Are you doing the illustrations, too?

    Thanks so much for the nice words about TDD. And have you actually seen a review??????? Oh my goodness and WoW. That’s such a scary thought!

  113. I only do words – not illustrations. Happily, Scholastic will take care of finding someone for the pictures!

    I read Jenny Moss’s review on LJ – short but sweet (I’m sure you’ve seen it!) and I’m thinking someone on my Google reader mentioned getting an ARC and loving it but no matter how hard I search now, I can’t seem to track that one down. I’ll keep looking…

  114. Really?! And now look at you.
    Tres popular!
    🙂

    I’m proud to have been your first LJ friend, especially since you’ve become such a prolific LJer, with all your support of others and your classic blog posts (like the most excellent picture in this one and the ones where you talk about your students’ reading habits, etc)

    Thanks for making me feel special…again.
    ~Julie

  140. AAAHHH! I missed this post! Congrats on the contract! (Although someone hinted about it to me beforehand and I promptly forgot) Congratulations on such excellent news! Don’t forget us little people!

  154. My chapter book is kinda/sorta/maybe an early MG novel? I’m not 100% certain what it is, is what I’m saying. It’s probably going to come in at about 10,000 words when all’s said and done. So it may be more than you want to look at? That said, I love the idea of a second set of eyes somewhere along the line.

  155. Marty McGuire walks that line, too – and comes in just over 10,000 words. (That’s down from 16,000 before Jenn told me to get cutting!) Anyway- I’d be happy to read whenever you’re ready for another pair of eyes.

  156. Yay!

    Congrats, Kate! Soon you’re going t be too busy to know what to do with yourself. 🙂

    Melissa
    Chronicle