For the past several months, I’ve been kicking myself for not doing a better job of maintaining my blog content. Then, I realized how much has happened in that time. There have been revisions for an editor, a newly celebrated agent alliance, multiple rewritings of an old as-yet-unsold project, and the research for and writing… Read more »
A visit to the Highlights editorial offices in Honesdale, PA I’ve just returned from my second Highlights Founder’s Workshop with a renewed vigor. Not that I was in a slump before hand but when I learned who was on faculty for this event, how could I pass up the opportunity? Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Elizabeth Partridge,… Read more »
I recently had a conversation with a friend about what questions to ask an agent when you finally get face-to-face or phone-to-phone time with one. Having recently been through the agent jungle, I know full well how intimidating the process is. Preparation starts long before “the call.” How to research literary agents? * Before you… Read more »
Erin Murphy I am over-the-top excited to announce that I have signed with the incomparable Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary Agency. This has been a bumpy, twisty, pot-hole-ridden journey but the destination offers a humbling panorama through my rear-view mirror. It doesn’t seem fitting to simply say that I’ve got an agent. Sometimes the… Read more »
I know we’re on the tail end of Spring conference season, but I thought it worthwhile to repost this. I originally posted this article Feb. 17, 2011, but it’s a good annual reminder. The Do’s, Don’ts, and “Stuff” of Writer’s Conferences Writers conferences can be fantastic for writers of all experience levels. A little pre-conference… Read more »
I’m woefully behind on my blog posts. There’s good stuff on the way, I promise. For now, I’m pleased to share that, at the recent 2012 Houston SCBWI conference, I was humbled and flattered that multi-award winning author/illustrator, and TV show creator/producer Dan Yaccarino nominated my picture book biography manuscript for the Joan Lowery Nixon… Read more »
I had the great pleasure of chatting with Kent L. Brown, the executive director of the Highlights Foundation, Inc, this week. I was surprised to hear that, due to a few promotional glitches, the upcoming Whole Narrative Nonfiction workshop, set for May 20-26, 2012, still has space available. Ah, a glitch in the system is… Read more »
I’m currently polishing a p.b. biography and a fiction picture book that I’ve been whittling away at for a couple of years. Before I attempt to submit the manuscripts, I want to work them each into a picture book dummy to test the pacing, illustratable scenes, and page turns. Obviously, a publisher’s art director would… Read more »
Recently, my friend author Samantha Clark shared a link to a USA Today article I would recommend to all of you. It is titled Study: New Children’s books lack reference to nature, animals. In it, the journalist presents startling results from a multi-university study of Caldecott winners and honorees between 1938-2008. The impetus of the… Read more »
A few days ago, I sent off the second round of revisions requested by a particular editor. It’s rather exciting to have interest in my work. BUT, though we’ve gotten off to a glorious start, we’re still in the early dating stage. I try not to get too giddy when the editor talks about taking… Read more »
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