Wednesday WIPpet: "Wait, Dad."

     This will probably be my last WIPpet featuring "What, No Sushi?" simply because it's THIS close to no longer being a Work In Progress. We're so close, in fact, that my editor has OKed pre-orders on my blog!

     One of the most exciting things that happened this week (in addition to booking my first ever author signing) was seeing the final cover of "What, No Sushi." What do you think? I've never breathed a single word (or sent a single email, text, or tweet) to Jeremy, my illustrator, but I think he did a fantastic job.

     The other big thrill of the week was having a sudden last-minute inspiration (that my editor fully supported even though the manuscript is already in the final line-editing stages) about giving one my characters more back story. Benson, the middle boy in My Solar-Powered Time Machine series, now has a feeding tube, just like my middle son Silas.

     So, for this Wednesday's WIPpet, I hope you enjoy reading 81 words that were just added to the manuscript. (Why 81? you ask. Because today is 3/27 and 3 x 27 is 81. Obviously!) These two paragraphs are now part of the second chapter, when the boy's zany inventor father is preparing them for their very first trip in the solar-powered time machine.

***

“Wait, Dad. What about my backpack?” As a baby, Benson couldn’t eat or drink, so the doctors put a tube into his stomach. Now Benson can eat regularly, but drinking is still hard for him. Benson wears a special backpack that gives him water through his feeding tube so he doesn’t get thirsty.

“Keep your backpack with you,” Dad answered. “Lake can help you with it. You’ll be fine.” Dad closed the lid before we could ask him any more questions.

*** 

     If you're interested in following the Otis boys on their trip to a Japanese-American interment camp (or know some kids who might be), you can preorder your own copy of "What, No Sushi?" If you want to join the WIPpet Wednesday game, link up here or at My Random Muse. Just make sure what you enter has something to do with today's date, like I sort of tried to do. And then be social. Check out the other blogs and let the authors know what you liked! Speaking of being social, I was wondering if any of my WIPpet pals wanted to sign up as followers. My networked blog picture frame is looking kind of scanty.

     Happy WIPpetting!!