Local Author Celebrates First Book

Last year, Woodbridge High School senior Rachel Goad took a break from her job at the Build-a-Bear Workshop at Potomac Mills to go find lunch at the food court.

On her way, she saw children’s author Jamey Long holding a book signing.

“I thought it was pretty neat, and I’d never met a real author before, so I stopped in and said hello,” she said.

Long has published several children’s books about a possum named Opie.

“Naturally, I purchased a copy of one of his books and asked him to sign it for me,” Goad said. At the time, Goad was in a creative writing class and had just been assigned a children’s story. When she told Long, he gave her a business card for his publisher.

Goad decided later that night that she would submit her newly-finished manuscript for “Joshua Jenkins and the Cookie Jar Conundrum.”

Goad studied in the Center for Fine and Performing Arts at WSHS, and one of the ways to earn points was to submit a story to a contest. Submitting the story would also fulfill one of her creative writing class requirements.

“I hadn’t even formatted the manuscript correctly,” Goad said with a laugh.

About six weeks later, Tate Publishing responded, saying that they would be glad to publish her story.

“I was genuinely flabbergasted, and I remember I started jumping up and down in my rolling chair in a combination of joy and disbelief,” Goad said.

During the editing process, Goad added another five verses to make the illustration-verse ratio even. Goad loved working with her illustrator, Glori Alexander.

“I guess you could say we were literally on the same page,” she said.

Originally, Borders offered her a book signing in early June.

“But because of their fiscal gloom and the company’s liquidation, they had to cancel it,” Goad said.

Goad was scrambling to find another venue when Christine Myskowski of Salt & Pepper Books stepped in. Goad held her

After publishing her first book, Goad doesn’t feel different.

“I’m just grateful to all my friends and family, and especially my teachers,” she said.