For children through age 8, the newly published book combines an introduction to 20 Spanish words with a funny, inspiring story. Climo has yet to meet the talented illustrator of the book, Francisco X. Mora, a native of Mexico City. One of my artists is a Russian who doesn't speak English, for instance, who was discovered at a European book fair. When her youngest child was a junior in high school and Climo turned 50, she decided to resume the writing that had attracted her as a young woman. Soon travel articles led to her first children's book, based on Cornish legends gleaned while vacationing in Cornwall.
Children give such wonderful feedback-they're much more expressive than adults.
To avoid climbing the walls or talking to herself, Climo belongs to two different author's groups which meet regularly to read and criticize works in progress. Climo was represented by an East Bay agent for some years, but now conducts her own negotiations with editors. She completes entire manuscripts before submission, but usually bounces ideas around with her main editor before writing a book. It's amazing, but there are over 700 versions, world-wide, of the Cinderella legend, and many use boys as the Cinderella figure. I think we all need to have hope that something magical and wonderful might happen, and that is what the Cinderella legend celebrates.