All My “Children”

I am the proud parent of two girls and a precious little boy. They might not be human kids or furry ones, but that doesn’t mean they’re not full of life and love. They can’t help it that they’re made of paper.

My oldest “daughter,” Standing Ovation, came into the world through New York publisher, Ace Tempo. She wasn’t unplanned (I’d been writing all my life), but she was unexpected. As a “parent” I felt unprepared to send her properly into the world.

Born a paperback (back when they were cheap), she traveled farther than I would have expected, considering she received little help from me. A neighbor saw her at a college bookstore. A New York producer bought the movie rights, though nothing came of it. Regrettably, she is no longer with us. She went out of print ages ago.

Years later, my second “daughter,” I Almost Love You, Eddie Clegg (“Eddie” for short), was born as a hardback in Georgia at Peachtree Publishers. I was thrilled until I realized Eddie came with a steep, hardback-cover-price. I put more effort into her debut than I did with Standing Ovation, traveling with her to conferences, book festivals and expos in southeastern and western Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Melbourne, Florida, Orlando, Amelia’s Island, and Chicago. She earned some royalties, but never took off the way I’d hoped. She’s still here, but in the back of Peachtree’s catalog.

After another long span of time, my first son, Broken Soul to Broken Soul (“Soul” for short) arrived.

Unlike his full-length sisters, Soul is stunted. He began life as a novel, but I cut over 20,000 words from his life. Because I had found three publishers interested in shorter novels, I thought he might have a better chance as a novella. Two of those possibilities would have published him on his own. The first rejected him because he didn’t fit their style. The second was still thinking it over (with no guaranteed “yes”). Then Running Wild Press, a company that publishes anthologies, accepted him.

He’s inside a big book with other author’s “children.” Will he get lost in the crowd? Will anybody know he’s in there?

To his credit, he received two wonderful blurbs:

Supplee is kind but unflinching, honest but empathetic in this beautifully told story of two damaged souls surrounded by well-meaning family members who just want them to regain normal. For this unlikely pair, a man and a child, normal is personal and requires a detour to a place that exists only in their imaginations. Supplee’s voice is original, unmistakable, and deeply human.
—Adrian Fogelin, author of nine titles for middle grade readers including, Crossing Jordan.

A well-crafted, wonderfully written tale of mismatched misfits finding an oasis of friendship in a world of suspicion. It depicts an enviable innocence that is regrettably unlikely apart from fiction. Yet it also carries overtones of God’s care of the outcast now and the hope of unseen realities.
—Stanley D. Gale, author of A Vine-Ripened Life

For funzies, I asked my laptop to read an excerpt of the novella. 🙂

I truly love what Soul represents and want him to do well in the world. Still, sometimes late at night, I worry that I let him down.

If you know of anyone interested in helping one little guy stand out among many, please give him a look.

Until a few formatting issues are corrected in the hard copy, I’d recommend the ebook version. Thanks!