Friday night, I entered the Industry Party at the hotel. Dozens of agents, editors, and publishers ate cheese and drank wine in the SAME room as me. **major fangirl squee** Donna and I observed the Rock Stars of the Children's Book World, interact with each other, and guess what? They are regular people. They eat and drink like us. They have hopes and dreams like us. The only major difference between US and THEM? They possess the power to catapult us to the stars or smash us against a brick wall. So...okay, maybe they're more superhero, than rockstar, but you get the point. Post-Industry party, we met new SCBWI friends from New England and Kimberly Sabatini, at the bar. Kim is the author of Touching the Surface. ** fangirl squee *** And yes, I did squee in front of her--she's just a down to earth person who happens to have a YA novel published. (I know, awesome right?!?!) We met these new friends via Twi...
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Eyes swollen Check Business card holder empty Check Brain swirling with a gazillion ideas Double check Woke up an hour early to start my creative exploration?.............................................. Woke up an hour early?............................................OOPs! At the NYSCBWI Conference, Illustrator, Tommie dePaola suggested we wake...
Tomorrow morning, I pack my bags and head off to the SCBWI Conference in New York with my writing BFFs and Ink Sisters, Donna Boock and Alison G. Myers. As I sit at my laptop, I realize what a long way I've come since my first writing conference. Two years ago, I toyed with the idea of going to a conference to network, maybe form some connections, and learn some new things. A great friend of mine suggested I go to a small conference and ease into the waters. But I don't ease in, I plunge. The next day I signed up to attend the New York SCBWI Conference. I knew the conference would be big--SCBWI (Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators) is an international organization. I just didn't realize how BIG! Writers, Authors, and Illustrators poured out of the elevators and into the meeting rooms. The conference didn't start until Saturday, but that didn't stop me from meeting people Friday night. I got on the official website and found o...
I tend to write in a YA voice. It comes naturally. Not sure why. Maybe I never grew up. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment and want to repeat my same mistakes over and over again. Maybe I remember what it's like to be young and free and full of possibility. I spent a lot of time in high school. No, I didn't repeat a year--4 years and I was out of there, but I taught American Lit to Freshmen, Sophomores, and the occasional Junior and Senior, who...