A finished product which has taken eleven months of collaboration is finally coming true. Well by the time the books arrive it will be one year, start to finish.
I never had any idea how this would go. To me it seemed simple. I wrote it, had an illustrator, and a guy who knew all about adobe programs and more. Sounds simple too now the way I wrote it. But there wasn't anything simple about it, except possibly my part. Writing comes easy to me, and the rest, now that's a story in itself.
The idea started with a friend and I who were e-mailing back and forth all kinds of silly stuff, and from that I thought about a Jelly Bean Forest. As I wrote it, in my mind it came to life. I could actually picture it. But once written, who would do the illustrations? Contacting the local high school started out good, but financial expectations were beyond me. So I was e mailing a cousin in Norway who said to me, come to family first and it's cheaper.
Siisel let me know her son Tom was an excellent artist, I sent two stories to him and Tom sent art work to me, and all I could think was, this kid is only fifteen? Family, cousins and boy was I thankful. The artwork is brilliant and he sent me the originals to scan and then my printer broke down.
My daughter gave me her printer, but it was so different and didn't scan the way mine did, but again, I was thankful. Family, a daughter. She sent the originals back to Norway, helping out with that expense.
Now it was time to go from word to a pdf file, but here I was worried as this was all new to me. One day a guy Ron Myrnes was over for a home repair and in talking he let me know he could put it together for me in no time at all as he had much more computer program experience than I did. I am thankful.
It took almost a couple of weeks. E mails went back and forth. phone calls back and forth and then files to the printer. Yes! Finally it was about to come true. Then, the printer said something about the colors and compression and it wasn't good. He asked for different files and Ron hoped, I hoped, cousins in Norway hoped. Ron called, said well if that doesn't work I'll come over and get the originals. I could feel my hope go flat with saying, they were returned. I wanted this book, The Jelly Bean Forest to be ready by March tenth.
Today, Wednesday I decided to go ahead anyway, as I made tee shirts, jelly bean bags and coloring books with Toms sketches. Then I ran an errand and came home, opened my e mails and there it was.
The printer said the new files Ron sent worked and I will have a proof copy tomorrow. I was ecstactic and called Ron who was on his way to meet his wife.
He was happy to hear the news and I was happy to let him know. I am thankful.
The Jelly Bean Forest story is a collaboration of family, family across the sea's, of a man who came one day to roto till a new garden, a printer who, yes will be paid, but many months ago taught me things here and there and I am thankful for everyone, yet I have to end with Tom and Ron who without their skills, talents and kindnesses, The Jelly Bean Forest would surely be overgrown.
