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I blogged last week about jump-starting your writing resolutions with Julie Hedlund’s wonderful 12X12 in 2013 program for picture book authors, but here’s some further news that includes yours truly…

Next week, from January 23-25th, I’ll be offering FREE query critiques for members of the 12X12 in 2013 program. If you’re a children’s book author and you haven’t already signed up for 12X12, now’s the time to do so, since registration closes in just a few weeks. And if you do it this week, you’ll get access to my free query critique session AND a special offer to join the Children’s Book Hub for just $5 for the first month!

Here’s what Julie has to say about it from her blog:

“NYT bestselling, award-winning author Emma Walton Hamilton will conduct a multi-day query critique session, January
23-25, on the 12 x 12 Membership Forum. Little GOLDen Book and Shel SILVERstein members will be able to submit one
query for Emma’s review and comment, with LGB member queries taking priority if there is not enough time to get
through all the queries.

Those of you who have attended Emma’s similar sessions during WriteOnCon know how invaluable her feedback is and
how much you learn, even from her comments on others’ queries. But you have to be a 12 x 12 member, so sign up
today and don’t miss the chance to get your query in shipshape for submissions in 2013!

Emma is also offering a special deal for 12 x 12 members interested in joining the Children’s Book Hub. Details will
be provided next week on the Membership Forum!”

To find out more and register for the 12X12 experience as well as my free critique session, click here: 12 X 12 in 2013

Know anyone working on a middle grade on YA novel, interested in crafting their work, talking about process, getting into the nitty gritty?  I’m offering a class this summer at the Yale Writers’ Conference. Send them my way. There will also be chances to meet with agents and editors, commune with other writers, and gab.  It promises to be a ton of fun!

The Wild Ride:  writing for children and young adults.

“You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” ~Madeleine L’Engle

Books for children and young adults vary wildly, from fantasy romps to gothic thrillers to achingly realistic love stories.  What unifies them is often their intensity—their willingness to gofurther.  They can be expansive, brutal, or hilarious in their approaches, but they are almost never dull.

While such books can be amazing fun to write, they pose certain challenges.  How do we know when we’ve gone too far?  When does our character become unbelievable or inauthentic?  When does our world-building begin to distract our reader?  Are there limits to how dark or mature a book for teens should be?  How much do we really need to think about logic in a magical world?

In this session we’ll work on the craft of fiction, and discuss the basic elements of the novel.  We’ll talk about the particularities of the market, and how to get a book ready for submission. But we’ll pay particular attention to these important questions of intensity, and to that elusive thing we call tone, which is so often part of the answer.

So, it’s that time again, when we hang up new wall calendars, stare at them, and wonder… what happens next?

2012 was a good year.   But I’ve been thinking about what I want to do differently in 2013.  Because things can always be better. I’ve come up with two big goals.

The first is obvious and dumb and basic, and everyone makes this resolution.  But now I’m joining the team. I want this to be the year I start taking better care of myself physically.  I want to go back to dance class, and I want to  visit the dentist when I’m supposed to, and I want to drink more water and take my stupid vitamins.  Somehow, my well-being tends to get set on the back burner, and that has to change.  So I’m putting it out here, on the blog, essentially so that my mom can remind me I committed to it this year.  (Got that, Mom?)  This time next year I expect to be THE PICTURE OF HEALTH.

The second is that I want to make a promise to myself, about my writing.  I want to try very very hard not to think about selling the books I write. I want to scribble poems again, and I want to take bigger leaps with my prose and my picture books.   I have two picture books out this spring, a novel coming in 2014, and another picture book in 2015.  There’s plenty in the pipeline, and no excuse not to take some time to dabble a little.

Recently, I began working on a story for Mose and Lew, JUST for Mose and Lew, ABOUT Mose and Lew.  It’ called THE MAGICAL THAT, and it’s been such fun to tinker with, precisely because in no part of my brain am I thinking I can sell it.  It’s tailor-made for two very particular kids, and that’s enough.   More than enough.  It’s so much fun to write for specific readers, to tweak and twist the vocabulary for them, add in details I know they’ll like (ninjas, mostly). I’ve never done that before, and it feels great.  (if violent). I want to see where this leads…

I think I need to now. I think I need to get back to just playing with words. The work changes when it’s under contract, when a deadline looms. And that’s not a bad thing at all, and I don’t mean to seem ungrateful. In fact, I’ve learned a lot from the process.  But it’s different. Right now, I want to play. I want to dream. I want to wander a little.  Make sense?

So that’s me, in 2013. Nothing major, but enough.

I wonder– in this strange world we’ve got at the moment, with bizarre weather systems and fiscal cliffs and Mayan doomsdays and neverending election cycles and speeding technology and constant contact, what do YOU want from 2013?

Got any resolutions? Any goals? Any dreams?

Home Tweet Home Blank Greeting Card by loniedwards

My new Zazzle greeting card, “Home Tweet Home” was featured today on the blog, Inspiring Gifts. Please visit Inspiring Gifts to view the article. To see my “Home Tweet Home” card as well my other line of greeting cards, please visit my Zazzle shop. I am planning on adding more cards this week so please check back.

I’ve written here before that I prefer setting goals to making resolutions, because they feel more positive and attainable, less like resolving not to do something and more like committing to a new behavior or action.  This year, I’m choosing a new word – ‘intention.’  I like this word even better than goal, because it feels more proactive – a plan, rather than a wish or a dream.  The power of words!

Here on the cusp of 2013, I have a number of intentions for the year with respect to my family, my community, and my health and well-being. The following are my intentions with respect to my work as an author, editor and educator:

1)  To write and deliver at least one new picture book in The Very Fairy Princess series with my Mom.

2)  To create a how-to-write-for-children book based on my Just Write for Kids home study course.

3)  To further develop and launch the Just Write for Kids middle grade writing course, which has been long in the making.

4)  To recommit to regular weekly installments of this blog.

5)  To enhance and enrich the Children’s Book Hub membership site with new opportunities, connections and resources for children’s books authors and illustrators.

6)  To launch the new Children’s Book Fellows certificate program for Stony Brook Southampton’s MFA in Creative Writing and Literature, as well as to further develop and enrich the Southampton Children’s Literature Conference there, for which I serve as Director.

7) To further develop and strengthen my own writing in the continued pursuit of my master’s degree.

8)  To seek out new opportunities for enrichment through joint ventures with esteemed industry colleagues… stay tuned for more news on this in the not too distant future.

What are your writing intentions for 2013?  By sharing them here, you make a powerful statement to yourself and the universe that will greatly increase the chances of realizing those intentions in the days and weeks ahead.

Happy New Year to all!

I have no belief in reliable year-end lists.  I’m always disappointed when I try to read ALL the books anyone recommends.  And when anyone has 32 “favorites” of the year, I tend to take that list less seriously.  Just because there aren’t THAT many truly extraordinary books in my opinion.

I believe deeply that every book is the best book for someone, and that everyone is the best reader for some book.  But that no book can be the right book for everyone.  Except maybe Elephant and Piggie, if you’re four.

All that to say… it’s been an interesting year for me as a reader.

For a large swath of 2012 I avoided middle grade reading, because when I’m really drafting, I tend to avoid my own genre. I don’t want to accidentally “borrow” someone else’s voice.  So while I read some interesting novels this year (Only and One Ivan, Three Times Lucky, Crow, Humming Room, One Year in Coal Harbor, Son)  there’s a ton I missed.  Hence I can’t really play the Newbery prediction game. And in fact, not a single book stands out for me as THE book.

But one YA book (a genre I almost never read) did.  Me and Earl and the Dying Girl BLEW ME AWAY. I mean– it had me rolling on the ground laughing, shouting to my (annoyed) husband, “No, no, one more—listen to this, ‘TWO BOOBS!’”  So if you’re into YA books that shock and surprise, or you just like laughing a ton, and can handle things like cancer and poverty (treated in an altogether irreverent, and yet important/ real way)…  this is my BOOK OF THE YEAR. Officially. I hope it wins a Printz.

Likewise, one picture book rises above the rest for me. And that’s Extra Yarn.  And yes, I know about the damn knitting needles, and no, I don’t care, and it really bothers me to think that we’d let knitpicky (ha ha, get it?) reality tangle up (hee hee?) the realm of imagination.  For me, this book does what a picture book does better than anything else in the world. It creates a universe of its own, with its own rules, and colors and shapes, and voices.  A picture book isn’t like a novel. I don’t import my own images into a picture book. I dwell in it.  I disappeared into Extra Yarn more than any other book this year.  Holding it for the first time, I melted into those pages. I don’t pretend to understand how the Caldecott gets determined, but I think this is the best picture book of the year. I think it will last.  So there’s that.

For adult fiction, I read two books published this year that really stuck. The first is Arcadia, which kind of killed me.  Set in the past, present, and slight future, it follows people I have known (and maybe been, a bit), or people very like them. Reading it made me feel sad, and dirty, and disappointed, and so so swallowed up.  I was overwhelmed by this book. I may have been its perfect reader.  In which case, maybe it isn’t the best book for you, but it was for me.

And then, my most recent discovery of 2012, the book I’m still basking in– Beautiful Ruins. Gosh, I don’t know where to begin. I like books with big scope, and this book has that. I like movie stars, and this one skirts in and around the lives of such people. I like alternate timelines, and Beautiful Ruins does that dance perfectly.  Heck, I like Italy a ton too!  But in the end, this book made me weep, and that’s something I remember forever. When a book really makes me cry, that’s special.  My tear stained books are the books I treasure most, and for longest, I think.  Owen Meaney and Garp, Angle of Repose and Crossing to Safety, Brideshead Revisited and Little Women.  I can count on two hands the books that have choked me up like that through the years.  This book managed it, and I thank Jess Walters.   Does that make it a “best” book?  Eh.  DOes that make me a sap? Pretty sure it does? Do I care? Not in the slightest…

So there you have it, whether you want it or not. I recommend these four books to everyone.  Everyone.  But it’s fine if you loathe them all.

What are your best books of the year? Or rather, forgetting “best,” what are your most memorable reads?

This week for Perfect Picture Book Fridays I chose the book Over in the Arctic: Where the Cold Wind Blows by Marianne Berkes and illustrated by Jill Dubin.

Title:  Over in the Arctic- Where The Cold Wind Blows

Author:  Marianne Berkes

Illustrated:  Jill Dubin

Publisher: Dawn Publications 2008

Ages: 3 and up

Themes:  Nature, Animals, Counting

Publishers summary:  A counting book in rhyme presents various Arctic animals and their offspring, from a mother polar bear and her “little cub one” to an old father wolf and his “little pups ten”. Includes related facts and activities.

Opening/Synopsis:

Over in the Arctic

Where the cold waters run,

Lived a mother polar bear

And her little cub one.

“Roll,” said the mother.

“I roll,” said the one.

So they rolled on the ice

Where the cold waters run.

Awards:

Winner of the 2009 Mom’s Choice Gold Award
2009 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award Finalist
Winner of the 2008 IParenting Media Greatest Product Award

Activities:

There are quite a few ideas and activities in the back of the book! It was really neat to see a publisher take the time and space to add activities from both the author and illustrator. There also is a sheet of music to use along with the book.

The Alaska Sea Life Center offers a .pdf curriculum download of the life cycle of Salmon

This book would be great for an art or music lesson.

What I liked about this book:  I loved the familiar rhyme of this book (“Over in the meadow”). I enjoyed how the author used the terms for each of the young animals. This would be helpful when teaching children about animal family groups and basic counting. The artwork was created in collage format that was fun and interesting. Each page will captivate a child when reading aloud. I love picture books that are both entertaining and educational. They make a great resource for engaging a child in learning.

Here is a video of “Cookie” the little penguin at the Cincinnati Zoo. Isn’t Cookie adorable?

Perfect Picture Book Fridays are a weekly blog event where participants review some of their favorite picture books. The posts are compiled on author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website. They are categorized by theme to help parents, educators and readers find the perfect picture book easily. To learn more, please visit Susanna’s site where you will find the complete PPBF’s library.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Today I have author Laura Hunter on my blog for her book tour. I met Laura on facebook some time ago, she is an amazing and wonderful woman! Please enjoy this interview and be sure to check out her new release! It is available at Amazon ,
Barnes and Noble (paperback only at this point- if you want a nook copy please click on “request from publisher” and
Kobo

1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m 24 years old and I live on the central coast of NSW, Australia with my family. I enjoy writing, reading, acting, singing and directing. With my dramatic arts class I have written, directed, and starred in two original plays.

2. When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?

I first began writing when I was 15. I wrote a lot of song lyrics as a way to get my thoughts down on paper. I then switched to writing fan-fiction at the age of 19. I finished my first book about September this year.

3. How did you choose the genre you write in?

I have always loved reading the paranormal/ urban fantasy/ YA fantasy fiction genres, so its only natural I began writing this genre, it chose me lol

4. Where do you get your ideas?

I get my ideas from anything I experience and my friends and family, but mostly  my ideas come from dreams.

5. Do you ever experience writer’s block?

Yes, I am currently having a little bit of writer’s block at the moment, mostly due to not plotting properly so I need to go and do that for my next few books.

6. Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

As a teenager I remember walking into my school library and searching through the YA books. I picked up Phillip Pullman’s The Subtle Knife and my love affair with YA fantasy fiction began. Cassandra Clare and Kathy Reichs also inspire me every day.

7. Can you tell us the challenges in getting your first book published?

The first real issue for me was money. As I am not particularly rich and a self published author, I found investing my own money into my first book quite taxing, so I hope it will be worth it in the end. Everything else has been a breeze.

8. How do you market your work? What avenues have you found work best for your genre?

As a self published indie author I feel marketing is the biggest challenge for us, but I have found social media is the biggest help in creating a platform and reaching my target audience- Facebook, twitter and blogs (I have read several eBooks on the topic and they said this was the best way) Also I am addicted to goodreads! I recommend that every author get a Goodreads account as you can add the books you want to read to shelves and keep up to date with upcoming releases and have people rate and review your work.

9. Can you tell us about your upcoming book?

The Chronicles of Fire and Ice is a New Adult urban fantasy set in Melbourne, Australia. It deals with the fact the human race is becoming over taken and out- bred by angels. It features Scarlett, a 21-year-old half Nephilim girl who finds out she is also half archangel and she has a frightening new ability to go along with it. She enrolls at an Academy for angels where she meets the handsome, yet mysterious Dyston Blackbell, the youngest son of the owners of the Academy, whom she discovers has been sending her weird dreams for years. Some of the story also deals with the backstory of Dyston’s dashing yet egotistic older brother, Lakyn.

10. Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

Some things in my book are from real life experiences, like some of Scarlett’s dreams, they actually happened to me. Some of my characters are based on my friends, certain qualities. Most of the fantasy parts are all from my imagination.

11. What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?

One of my favorite scenes that I loved writing was when Scarlett first met Dyston. I also loved writing Lakyn’s backstory. He is one of my favorite characters to write as he has two sides.

12. How did you come up with the title?

I came up with the title, The Chronicles of Fire and Ice a few ways. I wanted something catchy and unique (aspiring authors, I recommend googling possible titles to see if there are any similar already out there, or doing a goodreads search) and also I played around with the elements of my story and tried to fit them into the title. Some might say fire relates to Scarlett, and ice to Lakyn, yes they do, but the meanings run deeper than that.

13. What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

Probably the toughest and most offending compliment given to me was criticizing my marketing plan, saying social media isn’t good enough. They are not authors so I didn’t really listen. As for the best compliment… I get more beautiful messages and compliments about my book every day and it almost brings me to tears, it means a lot to me.

14. Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

Yes, believe in yourself and believe in your work. If you think negative thoughts then that will be reflected in your work and it will suffer.

FUN QUESTIONS

1)    If you were a superhero (or villain!) what would your power be? Would you wear a cape?

I love superheroes! I think I would like to the ability to heal. And no cape for me.

2)   Chocolate, Strawberry or Vanilla?

Chocolate all the way. I am a self- confessed chocoholic!

3)   The light side or the dark side?

I love all things dark but I live on the light side

4)   Do you have deep dark secret? How about a shallow grey one?

Hmm had to think about this one… I have a crush on someone I shouldn’t.

5)   What sort of coffee would you order? Simple coffee, complicated soy-non-fat-extra-espresso-half-caff-nightmare?

My poison is a soy latte. And sometimes if I’m feeling like a sugar hit, I order a soy hazelnut latte.

6)   Have you ever given someone who asked for decaf, regular coffee just to see what would happen?

No because you can taste the difference. But I have given someone full cream milk when they have asked for skim.

7)   Is there any food you refuse to eat? (Other than brussel sprouts because NO ONE likes them)

Bananas!

8)   If you could live off of chocolate would you? What kind?

Totally! Chocoholic here! Dairy milk or the dark and nutty kind would suffice.

9)   What do you think the coolest pet to have would be?

I have always wanted a pet Panda.

10)If you could visit any world (real or imagined) where would you go?

Hmm, The House of Night school, or Narnia (before and after the white witch’s rein)

11) What kind of person drives you nuts? (personality trait)

Loud, obnoxious people, and smokers.

12) Have you ever gone out in public with your shirt on backwards, or your slippers on, and when realizing it, just said screw it?

All the time. And I’ve had to leave it until I could find a bathroom to fix it lol

13) Do you prefer fuzzy or tub socks?

Fuzzy but then my shoes don’t fit lol

14) Are you a person who makes their bed in the morning, or do you not see much point?

No point because it’s a known fact that bed bugs love made beds.

15) Be honest, how often do you wash your hair?

Once a week, I have the worst frizz prone hair

16) Do you get road rage? What pisses you off the most about other drivers?

I don’t drive but I hate slow drivers and tail gaters

17) Do you go out of your way to kill bugs? Are there any that make you screech and hide?

Cockroaches, spiders and flies. I have a phobia of bees and wasps.

Stalk me the following ways:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/LL-Hunter/110104129132865

Blog: http://llhunter.blogspot.com.au

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/llhunter_angels

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6559537.L_L_Hunter

Author Bio:

I am an Australian author who began writing when I was fifteen or sixteen, originally song lyrics, but then moved onto fanfiction when I was nineteen. Having published over 20 stories online. One of which was nominated for an award. I have also written, directed and starred in two original plays entitled, “No Frills Airlines: Flight 123,” and the sequel, “No frills Airlines: Come Fly with Us.” The latter of which was a musical.

From Kirkus:

Working as hard as any adult slave, this young girl expresses her bewilderment and fear as leaping frogs and itching, biting fleas disturb the masters. Fatal illness creeps in, affecting beast and man except in the Jewish homes marked with lamb’s blood. Rhyming verse carries the Passover story with a lyrical flair. “Made our way to sifting sands, / Scrambling feet, but clasping hands. / Thirsting, thrilling, full of fright— / None of us were slaves that night.” Ominously dark and murky paintings done in acrylic portray the frightened, fleeing throng finally reaching a wild, thrashing sea that is “ripped in two!”  Confusion and trepidation turn to joyful surprise, as indicated by the rose-colored backdrop behind a smiling daughter and mother, thrilled to have crossed over to the open land and freedom. This poetic, child-oriented interpretation brings a dramatic insight and illumination to the ancient legend.

A vivid and compelling introduction to the 10 plagues portion of the Seder ceremony. (author’s note, glossary) (Picture book/religion. 5-7)

I want to write something more about this book soon here, about what it means to have written it, to have it coming out. It felt so so so so impossible, when I began to write it, years ago.

But for now, i just want to say how honored I am by Catia Chien’s powerful art, the amazing job Schwartz & Wade has done with it. And I’m so so pleased that Kirkus llikes it too!

And so am I!

Handed the book in, starting all manner of new things.

I have lots to say about all of that, but I can’t…

Because I’m ON VACATION!!!! In snowy Iowa.

I’m sleeping and resting and reading and sigh…

See you in 2013!

This week’s Illustration Friday prompt is “Snow”

Please click on image to see it larger

We are now reaching the end of 2012 which also means the end of 12×12 in 2012. The challenge was to finish 12 first drafts in 12 months (one MS a month). I am happy to report that I now have 12 full picture book first drafts.

For me, this was quite an accomplishment. I faced many personal challenges this past year. Yet, I still was able to complete this challenge. I know that some will never see anyone’s eyes but my own, but a few do have potential with rewrites and critiques.

I thank Julie Hedlund for creating 12×12 and sharing it with all of us. Congrats to my fellow participants!!!

Happy Dance!!!

I have added new art in my Imagekind store. I will also be adding new products to my Zazzle store this week.

Christmas Moose Happy Holidays Card by loniedwards
Design your own card at Zazzle

For  my sister’s birthday on the 10th. She loves dolphins   Happy Birthday, Patti!

They might disappear into their room and emerge with something like this.

I wonder what comes next… Lego tooth brush?

Wonderful sketch blog by Vancouver artist Won Kang. Click to embiggen. 

(via Urban Sketcher: Sun Tower in the Twenties)

Hello everyone! The Fall term of college is over, and I now have some time to do some Perfect Picture Book reviews! Yay! To view more of today’s PPBF’s, please visit author (and founder of PPBF) Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog.

Title: When Dinosaurs Came With Everything
Author: Elise Broach
Illustrator: David Small
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster). (2007)
Ages: 3 and Up
Themes: Adventure, Animals, Cause & Effect, Cleaning Up, Conflict Resolution, Consequences, Dinosaurs, Family, Fantasy, Fun, Humor, Imagination, Parenting, Perspective, Problem Solving, Positivity
Opening/Synopsis:
Friday is errand day. My mom goes on boring errands, and I have to go with her. And this Friday seemed like every other Friday…until we got to the bakery. A sign above the donuts read: “Buy a Dozen Get a Dinosaur”.

Inside book jacket:  Get what?! Free what?! Dinosaurs? Just when a little boy thinks he is going to die of boeredom from running errands with his mom, the most remarkable, the most stupendous thing happens. He discovers that on this day, and this day only, stores everywhere are giving away a very special treat with any purchase. No, not the usual lollipop or sticker. Something bigger. Much, MUCH bigger. It’s a dream come true, except…what exactly do you do with these Jurassic treats? And how do you convince Mom to let you keep them?

Reviews:

“Broach and Caldecott Medalist Small’s deadpan delivery of a delectably over-the-top premise makes this tall-format picture book a virtually guaranteed crowd pleaser… Packs an outsize helping of humor.”
– Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“What if one day every merchant in town offered up, and indeed, insisted that shoppers take home a live dinosaur (free) with every purchase? That’s what happens to a boy and his mother in this sweet, absurd story that unfolds very much like a dream.”
– Kirkus, Starred Review

“Enticing, useful, and wish-fulfilling, this has ‘firm favorite’ written all over it, especially if you invite the audience to bring their own, presumably toy, dinosaurs.”
– Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books, Starred Review

Activities:

Printable Coloring Sheets from Simon & Schuster

Dinosaur Quiz

Lesson Plans for Grades K-5 at Discovery.com

Videos from National Geographic Dinosaur 101

Awards this book has won:

• TIME MAGAZINE, #1 CHILDREN’S BOOK OF 2007
• AN ALA NOTABLE BOOK
• E.B. WHITE READ ALOUD AWARD, ASSOCIATION OF BOOKSELLERS FOR CHILDREN
• A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION, 2007

What I liked about this book:  I liked how this book started ordinary, then took a turn for the unusual! I liked how it was told from a kids perspective. The book also had a theme of turning a negative into a positive concerning the Mom’s attitude about pet dinosaurs. The illustrations were lively and fun. This book won the E.B. White Read Aloud Award and I can see why. Each turn of the page offers more craziness as kids everywhere on that day, and that day only get dinosaurs!

Geena Davis read this book at the White House Easter Egg Roll in 2011:

Perfect Picture Book Fridays are a weekly blog event where participants review some of their favorite picture books. The posts are compiled on author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website. They are categorized by theme to help parents, educators and readers find the perfect picture book easily. To learn more, please visit Susanna’s site where you will find the complete PPBF’s library.

Today is the last day of November and I am happy to report that I finished PiBoIdMo with over 30 ideas. I also finished SkADaMo with 30 sketches. While some of the ideas and sketches are very promising, others were just good for the creative exercise. Many of my sketches were based off of my PiBo ideas. This one in particular is from an idea I had early this morning:

Another great thing that happened out of PiBoIdMo was I was able to do my MS for 12×12 from one of my ideas!

I hope I do as well on my finals coming up  as I did in the creativity department for November! Congrats to my fellow participants!

November is a busy month for literacy, with NaNoWriMo and PiBoIdMo both going on. Something else that is happening is Picture Book Month. Here is what their site about page reads:

Picture Book Month is an international literacy initiative that celebrates the print picture book during the month of November.

Founder, Dianne de Las Casas (author & storyteller) storyconnection.net, and Co-Founders, Katie Davis (author/illustrator) katiedavis.com, Elizabeth O. Dulemba (author/illustrator) www.dulemba.com, Tara Lazar (author) taralazar.wordpress.com, and Wendy Martin (author/illustrator) wendymartinillustration.com, put together their worldwide connections to make this happen.

Every day in November, there is a new post from a picture book champion explaining why he/she thinks picture books are important.

Come join me as an ambassador to celebrate the print picture book for the month of November!

Read *Share *Celebrate!

Author Susanna Leonard Hill is having a short story contest on her blog today. The Halloweensie Contest rules are to write a short story of 100 words or less using the three words: witch, trick or treat and bat. Here is my entry:

Boo by Loni Edwards

Boo the cat went into the kitchen. The witch was singing, “It’s Halloween, the time is right – For all witches to give a good fright!” The witch put a bat wing into the stew she was brewing. “Tonight is special, Boo. It is your one hundredth time riding with me.” Boo loved to ride the witch’s broom. Flying through the air, feeling the wind on his fur. The witch tied something onto his head. He looked at his reflection. It was a witch hat! “Now let’s go scare some trick or treaters!” Boo purred.

To read more entries, please head over to Susanna’s blog. As for me, I’m off to a local cemetery  to play a seeking game. Creepy fun

Happy Halloween!

I am adding the book, The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush retold and illustrated by Tomie de Paola to the Perfect Picture Book Fridays List.

Title: The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush

Author/Illustrator: Tomie de Paola

Publisher: Puffin 1996

Ages: 4 and Up

Themes: Be Yourself, Special Talents, Self-Esteem/Self-Worth, Self-Acceptance, Nature, History

Opening/Synopsis:

“Many years ago when the People traveled the Plains and lived in a circle of teepees, there was a boy who was smaller than the rest of the children in the tribe. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep up with the other boys who were always riding, running, shooting their bows, and wrestling to prove their strength. Sometimes his mother and father worried for him.”

This folk tale is a retold legend of how the wildflower, The Indian Paintbrush, came to be on the plains of North America. It is the tale of a Native American boy, Little Gopher, who is small and longs to be a warrior. His path leads different than others however. Little Gopher has a Dream Vision in which he is told to paint on buckskin the deeds of the warriors and the legends of the tribe. He longs to be a great hero to the tribe, and eventually he succeeds, but not in the way of the warrior as he thought.

The colorful illustrations accentuate the authenticity of a tale that encourages children to follow a different drummer. – Children’s Book Review Service.

The humanity expressed in this story illustrates the value of perseverance and of the endurance of effort that will bring its reward – School Library Journal (starred review).

Activities:

The Nebraska DOT has a roadside wildflower guide to download if you plan on traveling through the plains states.

Pinterest has a Wildflowers board of the Midwest

Here is what an Indian Paintbrush plant looks like

The US Forest Service has some coloring pages for wildflowers

Classroom/Home activity:  Discover what native wildflowers are located in the child’s own state. Pick one flower to research. Draw a picture of the flower.

Why I like this book: 

This book touched my heart because it is about a child who is different from everyone else around them. It is how this child overcame adversity to walk their own path in life. Tomie de Paola is one of my favorite author & illustrators who has a way of telling a complex story in a way that children can understand. His illustrations are delightful and fun, making the book even more engaging to children. Tomie writes at the end of the book that he is retelling this legend that was first published in 1965 in an article for Austin American-Statesman by Ruth D. Isley. It is now collected in the book, Texas Wildflowers, Stories and Legends.

Perfect Picture Book Fridays are a weekly blog event where participants review some of their favorite picture books. The posts are compiled on author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website. They are categorized by theme to help parents, educators and readers find the perfect picture book easily. To learn more, please visit Susanna’s site where you will find the complete PPBF’s library.

*November is Picture Book Month!  Read *Share *Celebrate!

I’ve been wanting to get into a routine of sketching more, so when I saw a post on Linda Sylvestri’s blog about her challenge: Sketch A Day Month for the Month of November, I decided to do it. I will be posting my sketches from time to time. I am not sure how much time I will have to post every day, but I will at least post at the end of the week my favorites.

Since I am late to the challenge, I decided I would post this sketch I did today as the 1st week. I have a few others that I did, but this is the only one worthy enough for publication   I also started PiBoIdMo last week. One of the story ideas I came up with involved a raccoon who was on the well…plump side. Here is my sketch of him.

This is Jack. He is my in-laws little dog. We love him so much! What a little character he is. I decided to draw him for my Father-In-Law’s birthday

Happy Birthday, Bob!

Does the idea of reading your work in front of an audience terrify you?

We’ve been discussing the subject of presenting your work on the Children’s Book Hub this month, and if you answered yes to the above question, you’re not alone.  Many writers are drawn to writing because it’s something we can do alone, behind closed doors – in our pajamas, so to speak. It’s a solitary business, and we like it that way. But the truth is, if you’re a published author, you will be expected to read from your work publically from time to time.

Here are just a few of the places you may be asked to present your work:

- Interviews (especially TV, radio and web)
- School visits
- Book signings
- Library “author events”
- Publishing sales group events
- Writers’ workshops
- Conferences and book fairs

Below are five common mistakes writers make when presenting their work in front of an audience. By simply becoming aware of them, you can take the first step toward presenting your work with greater ease and authority…

1. Assuming that because you wrote it, you know it well enough to read cold – You’d be surprised how often writers make this mistake. Rehearsing, out loud and often, is the best way to ensure a smooth and successful read.
2. Reading too fast – Another very common mistake. Slow down! Let your thoughts and ideas ‘land.’ Give your audience time to hear and visualize what you’re saying.
3. Hiding the eyes – Cliché, I know, but the eyes really are the windows to the soul, and thus the key to making a connection with an audience. Don’t keep them glued to the page. Look up and out from time to time – make eye contact with someone in the audience and speak to them.  Also, if your hair has a tendency to fall over your eyes, wear it up or style it in such a ways that you don’t have to constantly brush it away with your hand.
4. Putting on a ‘reading voice’ – I’m not referring to character voices. I’m talking about the sing-song, lilting, lyrical or self important tones writers often ‘put on’ for readings. This actually has the effect of distancing your audience. Another problem is ‘up-talk’ at ends of lines – as if there’s an implicit “right?” or “are you with me?” at the end of your sentence. Give each thought the opportunity to have its full impact by allowing it to end with a vocal ‘period,’ rather than leaning into the next one with an implied comma or question mark.
5. Diffusing energy and focus – Nervous energy has a way of leaking out.  Shifting feet and fidgety hands often result from trying to manage or expel some of this energy, but the end result is distracting and actually serves to scatter your energy.  A better choice is to ground yourself, feet connected to the earth, and hands relaxed, or anchored to the podium or page.  Focus your energy on the intention behind your words, not the tension in your body.