“Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed… Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonder,” Henry David Thoreau.
Heirloom pink poppy seeds sprouted this week indoors. I am prepared to expect blossoms this July. Much depends on what happens between now and then. And so it is with the seeds of ideas.
As a book development editor, my greatest joy is derived from seeing the seed of an idea germinate and grow into published manuscript. Cultivating the soil, weeding, and tending the plants are tasks for gardening good ideas. Having the proper tools on hand, integrated pest management systems, and sufficient discipline and dedication are important factors in the bounty of one’s garden qua bookshelf. Climate, soil, and weather variables can’t be controlled; nor can the contemporary marketplace of ideas and books.
Springing forth on Tuesday, April 9th from Palgrave-Macmillan is Cathryn Prince’s Death in the Baltic: The World War II Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff. Outstanding reviews and pre-order sales put her new title at #35 for Books/History/Europe/Poland on Amazon this morning. We wish her the best on her new book launch.
Since it’s spring and National Poetry Month, please enjoy Mary Oliver’s “Why I Wake Early,” in her own voice. “In happiness, in kindness.”
Finally, this Saturday morning we send out congratulations to Deborah Allison of Integrative Holistic Wellness of Ithaca whose name was drawn from new registrations for our e-newsletter in the lobby of Alternatives Federal Credit Union. She wins a free one-hour consultation with Swenson Book Development llc.
Are you planting the seeds of a book idea?
Writing and Listening — an Interview with Brooke Randel
As a young girl Brooke Randel knew little about the Holocaust—just that it was a catastrophe in which millions were murdered, and that her grandma Golda Indig barely escaped that fate. But her Bubbie never spoke about what happened, and the two spent most of their time together making pleasant memories: baking crescent roll cookies, playing gin rummy, and watching Baywatch. Until an unexpected phone call when Golda said, out of the blue: “You should write about my life. What happened in the war.” What results is a fascinating memoir—about one woman’s harrowing survival, and another’s struggle to excavate theRead more…