We’ve never done a cover reveal on 12 x 12 before, but this cover is especially special.
Why?
Because waaaaay back in 2012, the very first year 12 x 12 was in existence, a woman with the biggest, baddest, best hair I’d ever seen, joined as one of the inaugural members. She’s been here ever since, and this book was written in the FIRST month of the FIRST year of 12 x 12 by one of it’s FIRST members.
I will let her pick up the story from here. Please welcome Marcie Colleen!
In late 2011, I had the idea to write a story about a penguin who becomes fixated on the moon and longs to travel there. The resulting story, after many orbits around and around again, is PENGUINAUT! which blasts onto bookshelves this October.
I am honored and excited to reveal the cover of PENGUINAUT! here on the 12×12 blog today.
So, secure your helmets and get yourself to the launch pad. We’re about to countdown to the cover reveal with:
TEN FACTS ABOUT PENGUINAUT’S JOURNEY
10. PENGUINAUT! is a 12×12 baby! That’s right, although at the time it had a totally less splashy name (THE GLIMMERING ICEBERG IN THE SKY), it was first drafted in January 2012, the first month of 12×12 ever!
9. PENGUINAUT! underwent significant critique and revision. All in all, I think we were at 37 totally different versions before selling the manuscript.
- PENGUINAUT!, under the title LYLE AND THE PENGUINAUTS, was the manuscript I queried agents with, starting in 2013. This resulted in signing with Susan Hawk.
- LYLE AND THE PENGUINAUTS was my first manuscript submission to publishers in the winter of 2013-14. On first try it received quite a lot of passes, so we took it back off submission and I did yet another big revision.
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- The newly improved THE ADVENTURE OF THE PENGUINAUT went out on submission for the second time in the summer of 2014. (notice the title change…again!)
- In early September 2014, I was offered a book contract by Scholastic to publish THE ADVENTURE OF THE PENGUINAUT.
- Under the wings of my Scholastic editors Emellia Zamani and Liza Baker, PENGUINAUT! was revised approximately 2-3 more times before becoming the text in the finished book.
- Emma Yarlett (ORION IN THE DARK and SIDNEY, STELLA, AND THE MOON) was always my dream choice for illustrator and I was just thrilled when she agreed to bring our little penguin dream to life.
- Although PENGUINAUT! was my first picture book sale, it is releasing a little over a year after LOVE, TRIANGLE, which was sold two months after PENGUINAUT! That, my friends, is just the nature of the business.
- Get ready to blast off with Orville the Penguin in PENGUINAUT! On bookshelves everywhere October 30, 2018!
Orville lives at the zoo, surrounded by animal pals who go on exciting adventures. A hang gliding rhino! A deep-sea diving giraffe! Orville struggles to keep up, until one day he concocts an adventure all his own: build a spaceship and fly to the moon all by himself. Can one tiny penguin get there alone?
PENGUINAUT! is perfect for every child who’s said, “I can do it myself!” and comes to find that the rewards are much richer when shared with friends. Marcie Colleen’s playful text and Emma Yarlett’s charming, whimsical illustrations are sure to delight both children and their parents.
In previous chapters Marcie Colleen has been a teacher, an actress, and a nanny, but now she spends her days writing children’s books! She is the author of The Super Happy Party Bears chapter book series with Macmillan/Imprint, as well as LOVE, TRIANGLE, a picture book illustrated by Bob Shea and published by Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins. PENGUINAUT!, another picture book, to be published by Scholastic and illustrated by Emma Yarlett, will be out in late 2018.
Marcie is an inaugural member of 2012 and the resident Dance Captain for Friday celebrations. Visit Marcie at www.thisismarciecolleen.com.
Not a member of 12 x 12? Want to join? Click here?
77 Responses
Congratulations, Marcie, and best of luck with your book. Wonderful cover! It was inspiring to read about your journey.
Thanks, Karin! It certainly has been a journey. But it was so worth it.
SO adorable! He’s winning one for every penguin out there who ever wanted to fly! I love it.
Totally! Orville, first penguin in space!
Congratulations! It took so long, but I’m so glad it’s finally time. Looking forward to reading it. 🙂
Space travel takes time. But with persistence, anything is possible!
LOVE this, Marcie! I can’t wait to hold it in my hands!
Aw! Thank you, Kirsti!
So inspiring! Thank you for sharing this, it gives me hope! Congratulations, Marcie! I can hardly wait to read it!
Hope is the thing with feathers…that waddles and can’t fly! I think that is what Emily Dickinson meant!
“The rewards are much richer when shared with (12 x 12) friends!” Looks adorable!
Absolutely! Well said!
Hooray! Congrats Marcie Colleen! Thank you for sharing you publication story.
Thank you! You are most welcome!
Wow!!! I’ve always admired your beautiful hair but I did not know your story here, in 12×12, or your journey as a writer!! Thank you for sharing!
Been here since day one and not going anywhere!
What a cutie patootie! Congrats and thanks for sharing the journey with us. What a GREAT 12×12 success story!
Thanks! He is SUCH a cutie! Emma Yarlett did a fab job!
Holy galaxies, Marcie! That’s a lot of orbits around the revision table. Thrilled we’ll get to read it soon! Congrats!
SOON!!!! Thanks, Carol!
This looks adorabel, Marcie! Congratulations!! I can’t wait to read it.
Thanks, Elizabeth!
Congratulations! That little penguin has some stellar dreams. Looking forward to seeing it in October.
Don’t we all! 🙂 Thanks, Patty!
LOVE IT! Congratulations, Marcie!!
Thank you, Carrie!
This looks adorable! Love the clever idea. Can’t wait to read it! Congratulations!!
Thank you, Laura!
Oooh, can’t wait to read it, Marcie!!
Gotta wait until October!
Congratulations Marcie! What a cute idea!
Thank you Jacqueline!
Love this! Thanks for sharing the journey of Penguinaut. Wow, it is hard not to become overwhelmed. Congratulations!
One small step each day…it adds up. You’ll get there, too!
Love the cover and the video, Marcie! Can’t wait to read it! Thanks for sharing your journey with us!
Thank you, Martin!
Hooray, Marcie! Wishing an out-of-this-world takeoff for Penguinaut!
Yay! Thank you, Lisa!
Congratulations Marcie! It looks adorable.
Thank you, Diane!
Love the story behind the story! Both the trailer and cover are perfect! Congrats on making it down that long and winding road!
Its the people you meet along the way that make the journey what it is!
Darling cover! and I love the trailer!! Thanks for sharing the journey!
Thanks, Beth! I can’t wait to share it with everyone!
Good gracious, this is fantastic! I love his moxie! Can’t wait to check this our with my space-loving, penguin-enthusiast girls!!!
He absolutely has moxie…as do all of we! After all, we have to in order to be writers! 🙂
Marcie – I love your cover! This sounds like a wonderful book – excited to read it.
What a journey you had with that little penguin: 37 versions! To the moon and beyond!!! Can’t wait to read it. Congratulations Marcie! I agree about your hair 😀 Fabulous
Marcie, this is adorable! And what a trailer! So simple…SOOO effective <3
Congratulations!!! This looks like an adorable, fun book. Thank u for sharing the process so people like me will remember genius doesn’t just pop out in the first draft. Way to go! I wish the very best for you and your bookS!!!
Congrats, Marcie! I’ve been waiting for this book!!! The cover is all kinds of awesome!!!
Absolutely love the cover…what an exciting year this is going to be…so many awesome picture books and yours, Marcie, is one I can’t wait to read!
Love the cover (s!) Love You. <3 Both winners.
What a wonderful, encouraging story! Things have certainly popped for you since that first sale. Congrats!
This looks adorable! Congratulations!
I want to hug this cover! Adorable!
Wow, Marcie, your smile and hair have always seemed to me the epitome of A CPB author. Thrilled with both your books (okay, in anticipation of #2!). Always my weekly inspiration launcher!
So happy for you, Marcie. Sounds like a fun read. And so helpful to hear of it’s journey to publication.
It’s fabulous, Marcie! Congrats and thanks for sharing it here with the 12 x 12 fam!
I’ll be adding this to my shelf and getting it for my grandson’s birthday next December who told me just yesterday, “I love Penguins!” Congrats!!!!
WooHoo, Marcie! Thanks for sharing about how iterative the whole start-to-finish PB publishing process is. So happy for you finally getting through it to success.
Congratulations, Marcie, can’t wait to read Penguinaut! Congratulations on your stellar success, so great to be in your orbit on 12×12 ;-p
Looking forward to tracking your trajectory for years to come. Well deserved!
Congratulations, Marcie. I can’t wait to read Penguinaut! Thank you for all the details in your post. You have set an inspiring example of persistence throughout the conception, gestation, labor, and delivery of your book to the reading world.
Marcie, love your cover reveal! Congratulations! Can’t wait to read it.
Wow! Can’t wait to read it. Congrats!
Wow, that penguin had quite a trip! Congratulations!
So happy we got to see just how far that cute, little Pinguinaut has come. Thanks for sharing the journey with us! Congratulations!
Marcie! I am so inspired by your persistence and dedication to your story! Thank you for sharing your successful journey!
Congrats! It must be so hard to wait to see it in bookstores!
I really appreciate hearing about all the different versions and revisions!
Congrats! Penguinaut looks fantastic. Thank your for sharing your 12×12 experience and the journey with us. I love that your book is springboarding from 12×12’s first year.
Talk about perseverance paying off! Well done, Colleen, and big-time congratulations!!!
Happy book birthday! And you for sharing the publishing journey that Penguinaut went on!
Congratulations, Marcie! Penguinaut looks adorable. Can’t wait to read it!
Wow so exciting! and I love the video trailer, it’s so creative. Congrats you
Such an exciting journey. Congratulations. Thanks for sharing and praise the prose!
Marcie,
You are my hero! What an inspiration! LOVE all your books!!