Westlake Novelist Eyeing Publication Prize for Children's Novel

An aspiring Westlake author has found himself on a short list of finalists in a children’s book contest and you can help him get his first novel published.

David Simon, who works as a creative director for Rosenberg Advertising in Lakewood, is a finalist in the CBAY Books competition in the Middle Grade Finalists category for his entry, Trapped in Lunch Lady Land.

The 30,000-word novel actually started as a much shorter item.

“It started out as a picture book and then a chapter book,” Simon, who created the illustrations, said. “I sent the picture book to the contest and they chose me as a finalist and asked me to extend it to a full-fledged novel.”

The result is a story about Josh and Patty Anne, two students who detest each other. They separately find a secret door beneath the school cafeteria and become trapped in Lunch Lady Land, quickly learning how to work together to survive.

The duo encounter several terrifying “kitchen-implements-turned-monsters” including the sky beater, a giant flying egg beater, before the novel is resolved.

His inspiration comes right from the schools.

“I used to be a cafeteria helper, but I was asking the age-old question everybody asks,” Simon said. “Why does cafeteria food taste so bad?’”

While he doesn’t have a definitive answer in the real world, he addresses the question in the book.

“You’ll have to read the book,” he said, “It’s answered there.”

Simon has sold several short stories to Highlights children’s magazine.

If he wins, the reward will be every novelist’s ultimate dream: The book will be published.

Whether the book is published is up to how many online votes the novel receives. The winning entry must receive at least 500 votes. Online voting is open now through May 30. Voters can read 25 percent of the book online.

If he does not win, Simon has several options.

“They can still decide to publish it or I can then submit it to publishers,” he said.

He has tested the book on his wife, Carrie, and three children Eric, a sophomore at Ohio University; Hannah, a senior at Westlake High School and  McKenna a seventh-grader at Westlake Middle School.

“It’s had good feedback,” Simon said. “I’m really happy with it.”

Click here to vote for Lost in Lunch Lady Land.