by hatfield13

Meet Ernest McSeamonster (coming from Chronicle Books in 2011!)

Okay…so this isn’t really Ernest. 

This is one of the many local tributes to Lake Champlain’s resident monster, Champ. And the reason I am looking so happy and grateful is because my agent sold my new picture book to Chronicle Books.  ERNEST McSEAMONSTER WANTS TO GO HOME, the story of an unhappy seamonster’s first day in a new school (of fish), is tentatively scheduled for publication in spring/early summer of 2011. 

For those of you who write and like long stories with happy endings, the version of this book that just sold was an 11th draft, and the editor had it in her possession for 11 months before everything finally came together this week.

I’m very lucky that my agent is good with details like contracts and clauses and things, because honestly, all I can think about is what a fun outdoor story-time we are going to have on the lake shore in 2011.  Launch party at the beach, anyone?

64 Replies on “Meet Ernest McSeamonster (coming from Chronicle Books in 2011!)”

  6. Kate, I am so happy for you! 🙂

    btw…I was reading The Brilliant Fall of Ginnia Z today. I got to the doctor appt. part and I cried and I cried and I cried. I was getting a pedicure at the time courtesy of a gift certificate. Anyway, while I was waiting for the polish to dry, the lady next to me reached over and gave me a hug.

    Then I cried some more.

  7. YAY!!!!

    I have a personal soft spot for sea monsters….and patient writers. Congrats! There are few things in life more fun than knowing the book you have worked so hard to create will soon be in a child’s hands.

    kathleen duey

  10. Yay!

    Yay, Ernest! Yay, you! That’s so exciting! I’m having a hard time keeping track of all your success 🙂 so remind me, is this your first PB sale?

    ~Della

  13. Tons of YAY!!!! Kate! That’s awesome! Fabulous! Wonderful! and every other adjective I can’t think of right now – in the best of ways! Woot!

  16. Congratulations!

    Sounds like an awesome picture book. Can’t wait to get my hands on it. Congratulations!

    –Tara Lazar (who couldn’t comment with OpenID for some reason!)

  23. Cool!
    When we were in the Grand Tetons on Jenny Lake I told my son there was a Tailless Teton Monster in the lake. He was very entertained. Gotta love sea monsters!

  25. Congratulations!!! What an AWESOME year you are having! And thank you for sharing the long story toward publication. This book will be a fun one to read to my girls someday. Jeni

  38. Thanks, Liza! We actually went through several names before settling on this one. (He was Edwin at one point, but it turns out there’s a pb with a dinosaur named Edwina!)

  39. Thanks, Susan! I love Chronicle, too – their books are always so creative. (Fingers crossed that the illustrator they chose is available!)

  40. Oh! Thanks for telling me this, though I’m sorry if my chapter interrupted your pedicure – I’m glad that lady was there to hug you. I would have if I’d been there, too.

  44. Re: Yay!

    Thanks, Della! This is my second PB with Chronicle. The first, OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW, is being illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal and comes out in Fall 2010.

  54. Thanks, Angie- My agent actually gets credit for the McSeamonster surname, which came out of one of our brainstorming sessions when I was revising.

  64. Oh, I missed so much while I was away. Congratulations, Kate! I’m glad that Ernest is going to have his Big Day!

    Loree
    xo