Let's Make a Deal

       Right now, an illustrator (Mark) is busily working on drawings for my picture book. Probably tirelessly tiredly as well, because he also has a full-time job, chickens to tend and hounds-from-hell to corral.

       This has been a drawn-out process. I initially begged my daugher (who is also an artist, besides an extraordinary mother), but keeping pace with my four-year old granddaughter left her no time or energy for it.  Enter Mark. 

        I have no money to entice him, but that's okay. Mark is just as whorish as I am. He's eager to get his name on the cover of a book. And he's taking the task quite seriously.

        A week ago, I went to the Saturday Writers meeting, and something that Joe Schwartz* said hit me like a freight train.

        He mentioned that he is broke, so when he needs someone to edit, he offers to mow their grass or change their oil. He doesn't have the money, but he does have skills he can barter with. He does the same thing when he needs a bookcover designed. 

photo by amanda (slh)

       Right now there is not much grass to mow, and nobody would want to drive their car after I changed the oil in it, but I do make a mean batch of fudge. It takes four hours  to make this fudge, but it's well worth it.** 

       So, I'm going to hold the proverbial carrot in front of Mark. For every illustration he finishes, I am going to make his some fudge or some Symphony brownies or some other chocolate delicacy. (He is a chocoholic just like me.)

     It seems only fair...


* Joe was so persuasive, he convinced me to get onto facebook, which is indeed miraculous...

** The fudge does take an extraordinary time to finish. Five minutes to cook, and 3 hours and 55 minutes to cool.