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The Glow Of Winter | Shook Chapter 13 Part 2
'Spirit And The Aliens' has been rejected by every single agent Dyan emailed. Dyan's heartbroken, and ran to her room to cry her eyes out. Someone came up to join her...
“You’re sad too?” Dyan said finally, slipping off the top bunk to pet the huge dog.
Bear of course, didn’t answer. But he lightened up at the pats and rubs, his slobbery jowls curving up again.
This made Dyan’s lips curve into a smile, and even more so when as she went downstairs, he followed behind her.
Dyan went into the living room, where most of the Blue children were. Maya was at a chair by one of the windows drawing while Azure was playing with his ranger action-figures on the carpet.
She sat on the couch and fought the urge not to curl up into a ball.
Azure looked up at her. “What if there was nothing wrong?”
Dyan looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“Maybe there was nothing wrong with your book. It was good, but since you’re a kid, the agents didn’t even try to read it.”
“Azure. Don’t talk about Dyan’s book, you know she’s sad about it,” said Maya.
“He’s right, though. If they didn’t tell me what’s wrong with my book, there must be nothing wrong. And if there’s nothing wrong, I’ll just have to make the world see that.” Dyan said, already trying to form a vision of the idea she had in her head.
“How are you going to do that!?” asked Royal.
“By self-publishing my book!” Dyan yelled.
“You can do that?” asked Maya.
“Yes. You just have to do all the work the publishing company does yourself. Format your book, edit it, market it, the works. But it’s not like I’ll be all on my own. There are websites that can print and advertise my book for me!” Dyan’s mood rose, but like confetti it floated down again. “I’ll still need beta readers-those are readers who can read for mistakes and give me advice on what works and what doesn’t- and then a graphic designer to make the art that will be on the front cover of my book! And that’s not even all of it!” Dyan said. “Would this even actually work?”
“Oh! Oh! Me! I’ll do it! Make me the graphic designer!” Maya raised her hand.
Dyan imagined Maya’s amazing art on the front cover of her book. Dyan would be flattered. “Of course!”
“And I can be the beta reader if you want. I wanted to read your book anyway, I’m so curious what happens in it.” said Royal.
“Okay, yeah! Royal you can be the beta-reader. You can tell me what you like and don’t like about the book!”
“And I can be your editor!” said Navy. “It would make sense because I know what you’ll need to get the book published, like copyrights and an ISBN.”
“What’s an ISBN?” said Royal and Maya.
“Something I read on one of those book agent’s pages. Anyway, I could be your agent too!” Navy offered.
“Okay.” Dyan and Navy shook on it.
Dyan and the older Blue children ran to Mr. and Mrs. Blue to tell them about their new plan of action. The parents looked at each other, and then Mr. Blue smiled.
“Go ahead if this is what y’all wanna do.” said Mr. Blue.
And so Navy worked on the teams tiny budget, in which they pleaded with Mr. and Mrs. Blue to put a little money behind the book for an ISBN and other book stuff.
Royal read Spirit and the Aliens in a little less than a week, even though it was over 100 pages long!
“This book was so hard to put down. I always wanted to see what happened next!” Royal explained. “Though all of what happened in the book reminds me of stuff we actually did, mainly as if it were told by you.”
Dyan chuckled and looked at the floor, a tad embarrassed. “Hm, interesting opinion.”
Maya spent a lot of time at the table in front of the family tablet, stylus in hand, drawing away.
Dyan would come sit across from Maya and talk to her as she drew. Sometimes Maya would say, “I need to focus, I’ll catch you later.”
Dyan was happy that Maya was putting so much focus and effort into drawing the cover but she also never saw this side of Maya before. Maya loved talking with people, but when she was drawing, she could spend hours alone.
Maya was in her element. All she needed was her thoughts and a canvas.
A few days later, when Dyan was actually beating Wild Yonder in a fighting game, Maya came into the living room with the tablet facing them.
“I’m finished with my drawing! Have a good look! I feel really proud of it!” Maya smiled, holding the tablet in front of her like a portrait.
“Okay! I’ll finish beating you in a second, Wild Yonder.” Dyan paused the game and took the sides of the tablet from Maya’s hands.
Dyan’s eyes widened and she gasped. Spirit was looking out at a night sky, speckled with white stars and a glowing alien spaceship in front of her. Her blue hair had gleam lines and was blowing in the night sky. The spaceship had a neon bubble-shaped cockpit, which contrasted the dark purple sky nicely.
The lighting. The colors. Everything. The drawing was perfect. It looked like an adult had drawn this. No, it looked like a professional artist had drawn this.
Dyan’s eyes slid up to Maya's, who was still grinning behind the drawing.
“Wow! This is good!” Dyan yelled.
“Yeah, I like the U.F.O.” said Wild Yonder.
Dyan fingered around the drawing, studying every detail. “Your art is so good, You could sell this stuff! Why don’t you talk about your art to people at school!?”
“Well, I thought, y’know, it was uncool to get into art. At school the only thing everyone talks about being is the most popular or the class clown.” answered Maya.
“Kids can be idiots sometimes, and just because they’re idiodic doesn’t mean you have to be. Your art is amazing, and I think it’s cool to get into art!” Dyan said truthfully. “If I could draw like that, I would make comic books!”
Maya smiled at Dyan. “You're not like other kids.”
“We’re both not like other kids, and even other kids aren’t like other kids, but they try to hide their inner selves to be popular. I was never popular, and who wants to be when you could be making a book and living your dream as a kid!” said Dyan.
“I’ll be honest with you Dyan, I’m kinda nervous about you using my art as your front cover. I don’t think it does your book enough justice!” said Maya.
Now Dyan was truly surprised. Here Maya was, saying that her 5-star art wasn’t good enough for a book that got rejected over and over again.
“Please, your art makes my book look way more awesome! I’m a little scared too, but not as much as I thought I would be. The best part is we’re gonna release our stuff at the same time! Your first official illustration on the front cover of my first book! I wonder how it will turn out!” Dyan shook her fists in excitement.
“Me too!” said Maya excitedly.
Find out what happens next in the next part!
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Hey there! I’m Shila! I’ve loved books since I could read, and decided I would write books I wanted to see written for others! Check my children’s book Imagination on Amazon!
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