Storybook Land & My PB Story...

I have this picture book that I've been working on about a peacock named Parsnip. 
I got the idea while at the zoo with my kids a few months ago.  I was watching the lemurs in their pen antagonizing a peacock who was free to walk around the zoo.  He had been kind of following us around... 

I kept thinking, 'This would be a good story', but I wasn't sure about where to go with it. 

About a week later, as we were driving down this wooded road in Southern New Jersey,  I was still pondering where to go with it when suddenly, a peacock--yes a PEACOCK, crossed the road right in front of us!!  I have witnessess!

 (It turns out that there's a guy with a ton of wooded property on that road who raises exotic birds--this one must have busted out.   But still, a peacock?  Come on...He was running across the road with his feathers back, and his neck bobbing front to back, front to back as he arrived safely on the other side.  It was just a sight to see~)

My husband and I looked at each other in shock for a second, and then he said real calmly, "Now there's something you don't see every day..."  We started cracking up! 

It was totally surreal-- and it gave me the answer I was looking for.  Write the damn peacock book-- NOW!

That's when Parsnip Peacock was born.  Except, my peacock is different.  He's white.  (Like a parsnip is when it's peeled). 

Anyway, I took my manuscript to the NJ SCBWI with me, (I thought I should bring something...) even though I knew it was too long for a picture book...  Well, on my return trip  from the conference, I had ideas swirling around my head about how to fix it with the information I had just gained in Princeton.

I had no sooner arrived home from the conference when we found out about my sister's illness, and I dropped everything.  Including my pal, the peacock.

I keep missing Parsnip, though, and yesterday while on my four-year-old's class trip to a place called Storybook Land (of all names), in Egg Harbor Township N.J., the universe nudged me again. 

Within five minutes of arriving at Storybook Land, I met the dude in the pictures you see here.  I walked up to him, he YAWWWED (loud!) right at me,  fanned open his beautiful, white feathers, and did a spin....I took a couple of pictures and smiled. 

It was the first truly hopeful feeling I've had since we found out Kathy was sick.

Needless to say, I'm not giving up on Parsnip, either...