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Showing posts from February, 2014

Writer Friends and Artist Types: Post Conference Recovery

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 Twitter. (Remember my advice from the other day--it really

Brain Dump: Post Conference Rewrap

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 up early each day and begin our creative endeavors while the rest of the world sleeps. His Theory: The brain is tired when you first wake up, but it's also free of outside stimulation. Therefore, if you start working the brain first thing in the morning, amazing new ideas will flow. For me, not so much. I was tired, overloaded, and under exercised.            I needed a BRAIN DUMP. I dropped the kids off at school and went for a run. During tha

Go to Conferences!

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 out about

Why YA?

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 did fail once or twice. I watched them rise and fall and rise again.       High School is all about firsts. First boyfriend, first kiss, first job, first car... It is amazing and terrifying, beautiful and tragic. Everyone remembers high school--for better or for worse.                        No one wants a... But there are moments we want to relive for the rest of our lives. That's why I write YA.