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Nancy J. Cavanaugh

When I Hit the Road

From the author of This Journal Belongs to Ratchet comes a new kind of journal by a girl on a madcap road trip, featuring a karaoke-loving grandma and a wild summer of memories that will last a lifetime.

“Maybe you’re thinking, Wow, I must’ve been a really brilliant twelve-year-old to think of writing letters to my future self. But if you’re thinking that, you must’ve forgotten that Mom’s the real reason I’m writing these letters. But I’m not doing it for Mom. I’m doing it for me. And for you. So, you’re the only one who’s going to get to read them.”

Kirkus call When I Hit the Road - “A wild, lighthearted exploration of a summer trip to remember.”

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When I hit the Road

My dream to become a published author of a children’s book began in 1994, but I didn’t become one until 2013. My motto has always been,

“Slow and steady finishes the race.”

Nancy J. Cavanaugh
Nancy J. Cavanaugh

Writing Bio

So why did I keep plodding along for so many years?

In Charlotte’s Web, Charlotte says, “It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer.” My experience has been the opposite. Through the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators, I’ve met so many talented writers who have become wonderful, life-long friends. My writer friends and I encourage each other, help one another become better writers, and celebrate together whatever successes come our way.




My Writing Adventures

In order to write about things, authors often have to experience them firsthand and that means adventures are part of the job.

Nancy J. Cavanaugh
Nancy J. Cavanaugh
Nancy J. Cavanaugh
Nancy J. Cavanaugh
To research an article about bloodhounds, I interviewed a K-9 police officer and met his bloodhound, Scarlett."
While writing about the Okefenokee Swamp, I canoed to Billy’s Island in Georgia, saw tons or alligators, and met a real live swamper." (Reasearch for Elsie Mae Has Something to Say.)
Before I wrote curriculum for a class about small engines, I learned how to take apart a small engine and put it back together again." (That became the inspiration for This Journal Belongs to Ratchet.)

My Love of Writing

The biggest reason I never gave up on my writing dream is because I love to write. I love each part of the process:

Excitement

The excitement I feel when I get a new idea for a story.

Thrill

The thrill of furiously writing a rough draft, trying hard to get it all down before my good ideas evaporate away.

Nancy J. Cavanaugh
Satisfaction

The satisfaction of seeing my book get better and better as I revise draft after draft after draft.

Anticipation

The anticipation of sending out a manuscript hoping an editor will love my characters and story as much as I do.