deorath
Come Join the Fun at our
`Knock On Wood'
Locally raised author creates
a fairy" tale about moving away.
character in the book, albeit with a
slightly different name spell.
While Lipson has been a teacher as
well, she also worked as an editor and
literary agent and used her experience
and connections to self-publish.
"I had packaged other books, which
often entailed posing my own concept
to an expert, creating a writing team,
helping to structure the book proposal
and later the book itself, selling that
proposal to a publisher and negotiat-
ing the contract," Lipson explains.
"Sometimes, I'd even write material of
my own as a ghost writer for packaged
books."
SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to the Jewish News
usan Lipson offers children a
chance to see through rose-
colored eyeglasses, and it's all
in the name of coping.
Her new book, Knock on Wood (Leba
House; 512.95), is about a young girl
who must face up to moving away
from a home she loves to one that is
less expensive. The illustrations, to be
seen through so-called "magic" lenses
provided with each copy, reveal the
wood fairy that helps the youngster get
through the tough times.
Lipson, who grew
up in Southfield and
Susan Lipson:
West Bloomfield
"Although I have
and now makes her
a lot of old
home in California,
friends still in
will be in Michigan
Michigan, I real-
this month for two
ly believe that
signings at Barnes &
moving has been
Noble stores —
beneficial to me."
Aug. 23 in West
Bloomfield and Aug.
24 in Grosse Pointe.
"I happened to be
A( L•
sitting in my daugh-
ter's room and
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looked up at a piece
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of art we had on the
wall," recalls Lipson,
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40, about the start-
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ing point for her
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fantasy tale. "It was
miinc,-s16121T G 1,A
...S SES•••
constructed by an
•
..
..
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artist out of a wood
knot with a face drawn around it.
Lipson discussed her options for
As I was looking at it, the face sudden-
ly had a name, Althea, and I said to
marketing her work with a good
friend and best-selling author, and he
myself, Althea sounds like a fairy's name.'
Then I just started asking questions. How
advised her to go for it. She estab-
would she get there? Why would she be
lished a distribution agreement with a
there? Who would discover her?"
major distributor, and has her book on
Lipson created the character of a
all of the major online booksellers'
Web sites, "with Barnes & Noble
young girl who doesn't want to move
being my best client," she says.
out of her house because she has this
Knock on Wood, written for readers
fairy on her wall, and the ideas all
snowballed just from the name
between the ages of 9 and 13, was tested
"Althea," she says.
on the author's own children — Elle,
11; Ian, 9; and Lainey, 7 — as well as
A University of Michigan graduate,
the author recalls coming up with sto-
fellow writers and teachers. It developed
ries since second grade, when her
from a storybook into a 133-page short
novel on the advice of family and pros.
teacher, Joyce Blumer at Southfield's
The illustrations were done by one
Adler Elementary School, encouraged
artist on the recommendation of
her writing and predicted her ultimate
career. The author made Blumer a
KNOCK ON WOOD on page 82
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