Wednesday, June 15, 2022, will be a day that I never forget! It was a normal "work-from-home" day for me. Clad in my yoga pants and sweatshirt I was working away drawing house plans. Around ten o'clock that morning I got a call from our vet's office. They let me know that they had actually … Continue reading The Call…
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Time for a Spooky Season Story!
I love this time of year! The cool weather, turning leaves, sweaters, and all the Halloween decor! And, also, Susanna Hill's 11th Annual Halloweensie Writing Contest! The rules are simple: write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included) using the words glow-in-the-dark, goosebumps, and goodies. 100 word story SOUNDS easy but it is a … Continue reading Time for a Spooky Season Story!
HE’S BACK!
And no... I'm not talking about Arnold Schwarzenegger! I'm talking about Brian Gehrlein - the host of #PBCRITIQUEFEST! What is #PBCRITIQUEFEST you ask? It's a HUGE one-time picture book critique giveaway! It is also a wonderful opportunity for kidlit creators to support one another by promoting each other's work! So, are you an author or … Continue reading HE’S BACK!
WHOOPS!
Yep, I messed up. There is nothing like updating your website and then accidently pressing the wrong button.... AND LOSING EVERYING!!! Yesterday it happened to me. After a good cry session (and several bars of chocolate) I picked myself back up and began to salvage as much as I could. So, here I am ready … Continue reading WHOOPS!
Halloweensie 2020
It’s that time again for falling leaves, apple cider, and Susanna Hill’s Halloweenie Contest! Congrats Susanna Hill for hosting this contest for 10 years! The challenge is to write a 100-word Halloween story appropriate for children using the following words: Skeleton, Mask, and Creep. It may sound simple but writing a story (with an arc) … Continue reading Halloweensie 2020
Get Ready… it’s #PBCritiqueFest!
It’s that time again for #PBCritiqueFest and WOW... the lineup of participants giving away critiques is.... CRAZY, OUT-OF-THIS- WORLD, SPECTACULAR! I can only hope and pray that I am one of the lucky 36 to randomly get my name drawn. My ultimate dream would be to get a critique from the fabulous AME DYCKMAN! She … Continue reading Get Ready… it’s #PBCritiqueFest!
A Holiday Treat
The time has come for a holiday treat! But I’m not talking about holiday cookies. (Thought I highly recommend Almond Cremes! They are my absolute favorite!) I’m talking about Susanna Hill’s 9th Annual Holiday Contest! This year we were instructed to write a children’s holiday story about a Holiday Treat. And it must be 250 … Continue reading A Holiday Treat
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Today is the day! Grab the flowers, chocolates, and pens! Pens? Yeah, that’s right! Time to write a story (214 words or less) for Susanna Hill’s Annual Valentiny Contest! This years theme is Guilt. Did you forget to give someone a valentine? Did you eat all of your mom’s chocolate? Love is not the only … Continue reading Happy Valentine’s Day!
Digging for Diamonds
The journey to publishing is not for the faint of heart. Authors spend years studying and honing their writing techniques and countless. hours keeping up with the latest publishing trends. Besides the hard work that many put in, I also believe there is a bit of luck involved. Getting rejection letter – after rejection letter … Continue reading Digging for Diamonds
Growing Up
Can you recall your favorite childhood book that was so fun to read that you had it memorized? (Mine was Stellaluna by Janell Cannon.) In the writing world, we are told to that in order to have a successful children’s book, there needs to be a strong narrative arc or a character that grows/changes through … Continue reading Growing Up
Deborah Foster Books 