He got up and sat on the edge of the bedstead with his back to the window. “It’s better not to sleep at all,” he decided. There was a cold damp draught from the window, however; without getting up he drew the blanket over him and wrapped himself in it. He was not thinking of anything and did not want to think. But one image rose after another, incoherent scraps of thought without beginning or end passed through his mind. He sank into drowsiness. Perhaps the cold, or the dampness, or the dark, or the wind that howled under the window and tossed the trees roused a sort of persistent craving for the fantastic. He kept dwelling on images of flowers, he fancied a charming flower garden, a bright, warm, almost hot day, a holiday—Trinity day. A fine, sumptuous country cottage in the English taste overgrown with fragrant flowers, with flower beds going round the house; the porch, wreathed in climbers, was surrounded with beds of roses. A light, cool staircase, carpeted with rich rugs, was decorated with rare plants in china pots. He noticed particularly in the windows nosegays of tender, white, heavily fragrant narcissus bending over their bright, green, thick long stalks. He was reluctant to move away from them, but he went up the stairs and came into a large, high drawing-room and again everywhere—at the windows, the doors on to the balcony, and on the balcony itself—were flowers. The floors were strewn with freshly-cut fragrant hay, the windows were open, a fresh, cool, light air came into the room. The birds were chirruping under the window, and in the middle of the room, on a table covered with a white satin shroud, stood a coffin. The coffin was covered with white silk and edged with a thick white frill; wreaths of flowers surrounded it on all sides. Among the flowers lay a girl in a white muslin dress, with her arms crossed and pressed on her bosom, as though carved out of marble. But her loose fair hair was wet; there was a wreath of roses on her head. The stern and already rigid profile of her face looked as though chiselled of marble too, and the smile on her pale lips was full of an immense unchildish misery and sorrowful appeal. Svidrigaïlov knew that girl; there was no holy image, no burning candle beside the coffin; no sound of prayers: the girl had drowned herself. She was only fourteen, but her heart was broken. And she had destroyed herself, crushed by an insult that had appalled and amazed that childish soul, had smirched that angel purity with unmerited disgrace and torn from her a last scream of despair, unheeded and brutally disregarded, on a dark night in the cold and wet while the wind howled

The Blog

  • Choosing Age-Appropriate Words for your Children’s Book image of tag icon

    The most common comment I make as a children’s book editor is: children won’t understand this word. On average, I make this comment about two to three times per manuscript, which doesn’t seem like too much, but when you consider the books are only 500 – 1000 words, it’s quite a lot! I’m constantly thinking […]

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  • How Much Money Can You Make with a Children’s Book? (5 Case Studies) image of tag icon

    As an editor of children’s books, I’ve had the privilege of working with thousands of authors, each with a unique story, vision, and journey. Of course, not all authors are doing this only because of an artistic impulse. They also want to make $$$$. I can’t blame them. Writing a children’s book is a big […]

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  • 4 Steps to Write a Children’s Picture Book Series image of tag icon

    As an editor, I’ve helped a couple hundred authors with children’s book picture series. What I do is give them advice about the series as a whole, and I also edit each book individually. So if you’re looking for an expert on this topic, you’re not going to find anyone better than me (okay, humble […]

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  • Should My Children’s Book Rhyme? image of tag icon

    Ah, the age-old debate for budding children’s book authors: to rhyme or not to rhyme. Most beginning writers think children’s books have to rhyme. This is probably because when they were young, they were brought up reading books like Dr. Seuss and were conditioned to believe. But the surprising thing is that most children’s books […]

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  • 7 Guidelines when Creating Themes in Your Children’s Book image of tag icon

    Ah, the eternal question every children’s book author wrestles with: What theme should my book tackle? Dive deep into the heart of children’s literature and you’ll find there’s a universe of themes waiting to be explored. But, let’s be real – not all themes are made equal. Some are timeless, others, well, not so much. […]

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  • 11 Steps to Revising Your Children’s Book image of tag icon

    So you’ve taken the brave leap into the colorful world of children’s picture books. You’ve poured your heart, soul, and maybe a few late-night snack crumbs onto those pages. But before you present your masterpiece to the tiny critics (a.k.a. kiddos), there’s one major step left: revision. “Wait, what? I thought I was done when […]

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  • 8 Steps to Starting Your Children’s Book image of tag icon

    When embarking on the adventure of writing a children’s book, the initial excitement can be overwhelming. Characters, colors, settings, and songs might flood your imagination. But many writers don’t make it to the finish line. This article will help you get started and write a successful children’s book, while sidestepping the typical pitfalls and mistakes. […]

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  • 12 Tips on Working with a Children’s Book Illustrator image of tag icon

    1. Pick the Right Illustrator Illustrators get paid more than children’s book writers (sorry, but it’s kind of the worst kept secret in the industry). That’s because the illustrations of a children’s book make or break your story. Yes, your words are important, but the illustrations are even more important. That’s why it’s important to […]

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  • Should You Copyright Your Children’s Book? image of tag icon

    So you’ve finally completed your children’s book. Congratulations! But amidst the excitement of potentially seeing your book in stores or in the hands of eager young readers, there’s a looming question: “Should I copyright my children’s book?” While the nuances of copyright law can be complex, I’m here to break down the debate with a […]

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