I’m Teaching a Picture Book Biography Class

Word got out about the success of my 2018 online picture book biography class, so I’m bringing it back. If you’d like to join my class, facilitated through a Zoom virtual classroom, click here for more information. I’m not just a fan of picture book biographies, I dedicated my MFA critical thesis to the craft… Read more »

The Truth About Author Incomes

The more I visit with literacy gatekeepers, readers, and new children’s book writers, the more I hear the assumption that authors are wealthy.  In reality, after spending years honing their craft, often accumulating student loans for advanced degrees along the way, authors rarely make a living from the sale of their books—creations that can require… Read more »

April Fools Hijinx, TLA, Free Stuff, Oh My!

In what section of the library can you get bitten by a snake? —Hisssstory! What does a prank-loving author like me do when she’s booked for fourth-grade expository writing workshops on April Fool’s Day? Why, prank the librarian (sorry, David!) and infuse the workshops with a few shenanigans, of course. It was great fun to… Read more »

Spring 2019 Newsletter, a School Visit Offer, & a Cover Reveal

 Welcome to my March/Spring E-newsletter, reproduced here for your convenience. If you’d like to subscribe to my newsletter so that it arrives in your inbox, click here.  Special School Visit Offer Happy almost spring! Thank you for taking a few moments to read my e-news. While 2019 snuck in and raced through the first months,… Read more »

Think School Visits Only Help the Students? Think Again!

Hello, friends! As I sit in my dining room on this cold and rainy Saturday, I am reflecting on the thirty-four schools that I have visited since mid-September. Yes, thirty four! Tomorrow, I leave for a full week of school visits in Houston, and more schools are on my calendar after that, so the number… Read more »

Kindness Comes Back to Me–How an Iowa Class Made Me Smile

Like most authors, my goal is to write stories that resonate with young readers and adult readers alike. In the case of Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness, I hoped that kids would be inspired when they learned about how one person (and one horse) can make a profound… Read more »

TLA, A book launch, school visits, Classes I’m Teaching, Oh My!

Abraham Lincoln’s Dueling Words Much has happened within the last month. The book launch trailer for Abraham Lincoln’s Dueling Words released, which makes me all kinds of giddy. Then, on April 1, the book itself hit bookstore shelves. I hope you will get your own copy from your favorite independent bookstore and share it with the young… Read more »

Abraham Lincoln’s Dueling Words is on Shelves today. Cue the thank yous

I’ve spent the last several weeks sharing extended content about writing and researching Abraham Lincoln’s Dueling Words. Now that the April 1, 2018 official launch date has arrived, I am reflecting on the people who have supported the book’s journey and my publishing endeavors.   Texas-sized thanks to: My family—Abraham Lincoln’s Dueling Words began in 2012 for… Read more »