Time for Change by Lynn Huggins-Cooper

Spring is in the air, and change is everywhere. I'm noticing on my walks in the woodland that the trees are all in bud; the flowers are blooming, and the animals are busy. The burgeoning life seems to have given me new energy.

I have a new adult book series about to go to an acquisitions meeting. A tense, but exciting time and not just from a creative point of view. In uncertain times, when there seem to be fewer commissions, this series could bring welcome financial security - so the pressure is on...

I decided at the beginning of the year that I would take more chances, and shake myself out of my comfort zone. Sending off a speculative series proposal was part of that. Although I have written for adults before, in recent years most of my published work has been for children. But I have gone further. Last week I stepped so far out of my comfort zone I went into free-fall! I went along to an information event about applying for an art commission. I have taught textiles and felting classes for many years, but seeing myself as an 'artist' in my own right is a big step - yet one I need to take for my own development. I was very nervous, but the meeting was exciting - and I put in an application. It helped that the meeting was in our big central library (home ground for a writer!), and that the stimulus for the commission is the fifth size book collection. There were glorious books, rarely seen by the public, that made me drool: a gorgeous Poe collection; a beautiful Milton; a selection of bound maps.

So, I am excited but nervous. Everything feels up in the air; it's a time of waiting. But whether I am successful or not, I have enjoyed the adventure - and I'll carry on taking new challenges.