Laurie Wallmark writes exclusively for children. The picture book biography, Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine (Creston Books, October 2015), is Laurie’s first book.
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Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Laurie Wallmark, Cultural Wisdom, Best Kids Stories, April Chu, My Writing and Reading Life, Ada Byron Lovelace, Computer Programming Books, Ages 4-8, Picture Book, Picture Books, Technology, Non-Fiction, Author Interviews, Biographies, featured, Books for Girls, Women's History, Add a tag
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Princeton Adult School, Writing Boooks for Children, Author, Self-publishing, Process, Publishing Industry, opportunity, How to, children writing, need to know, Laurie Wallmark, Add a tag
Do you have an idea for a children’s book? Would you like to share your story with children around the world? Well, Laurie Wallmark is teaching
WRITING BOOKS FOR CHILDREN at Princeton Adult School.
Thurs 7:00-9:00pm
October 2 – November 6
In this course you’ll explore: the many joys of writing for children; types of children’s books; elements of a great story; tips to make your writing sparkle; traditional vs. self-publishing; printed books and e-books; avoiding scams, and much more.
Share it with your friends who may be starting out on their path to publishing.
Most of you already know Laurie, she was a wonderful Assistant Regional Advisor while I was Regional Advisor for the New Jersey SCBWI.
Here is a little bit about Laurie you might not know:
Laurie is pursuing an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She has written numerous articles and stories in children’s magazines (Highlights, Spider, Cricket, and others). Her debut picture book, Ada, will be published by Creston Books in 2016.
Visit Laurie’s blog entitled “All News, No Schmooze: News and Notes for Busy Children’s Book Writers” at http://www.lauriewallmark.blogspot.com.
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
Filed under: Author, children writing, How to, need to know, opportunity, Process, Publishing Industry, Self-publishing Tagged: Laurie Wallmark, Princeton Adult School, Writing Boooks for Children
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: picture books, Young Adult Novel, Middle Grade Novels, Publishing Industry, Kudos, Marina Cohen, Laurie Wallmark, Eliza Wheeler, John Cusick, Nancy Armo, Nancy Cote, Tori Corn, Add a tag
HOT OF THE PRESSES:
Laurie Wallmark’s book ADA, about a smart little girl who likes science and math was sold to Marissa Moss at Creston Books, by Liza Fleissig at Liza Royce Agency.
Laurie had a critique with Ginger Harris of the Liza Royce Agency at the last NJ SCBWI annual conference. She and Liza Fleissig expressed interest in Ada.
After six revisions based on their and Marissa Moss’s feedback, Creston books made an offer.
Emily Feinberg at Roaring Brook has bought world rights to INN BETWEEN by Marina Cohen, in a two-book deal.
The story follows 12-year-old Quinn, who is driving across country with her best friend’s family when a stopover at a creepy Victorian hotel in middle of the Nevada desert turns terrifying.
Publication is set for winter 2016;
John M. Cusick of Greenhouse Literary was the agent.
Nanci Stockton Turner-Steveson has signed a contract for Swing Sideways, AND another as-yet-unwritten book with Rosemary Brosnan, Executive Director at HarperCollins.
When I asked Nanci to describe the book this is what she wrote: My editor (wow, did you read that?) referred to Swing Sideways as a “timeless and heartfelt” middle grade novel.
It is the story of two girls from opposite sides of the country who meet one summer and form an unlikely friendship while struggling with their own challenges, and the discovery of a secret that links them together in a surprising and heart wrenching way.
Illustrator Nancy Cote ( featured on Illustrator Saturday) illustrated Tori Corn’s new picture book Dixie Wants and Allergy published by Sky Pony Press. Both Nancy and Tori are represented by the Lisa Royce Agency.
Dixie Wants an Allergy provides a comical and engaging approach for children who are beginning to learn about and who are coping with allergies—and who also have trouble finding what makes them unique. Corn’s playful text and Cote’s inviting illustrations encourage children to accept those with differences while learning that wanting what others have is not always a good idea. For ages 3 to 6, and a good addition to any preschool or Kindergarten classroom for read-aloud time. This book not only introduces children to the realities of allergies, which many of their peers will have, but also teaches the important lesson of being careful what you wish for.
*****
Nancy Armo, who was featured on Illustrator Saturday has signed a contract with Peachtree Press for her first written and illustrated picture book titled, A FRIEND FOR MOLE.
Here is the Publisher Market announcement: Nancy Armo’s A FRIEND FOR MOLE, about an accidental encounter between Mole and Wolf, one afraid of the light, the other afraid of the dark, who together learn that friends are all they need to conquer their fears, to Kathy Landwehr at Peachtree, in a nice deal, for publication in Fall 2015, by Anna Olswanger at Liza Dawson Associates (World).
*****
I just learned that Eliza Wheeler, who was featured on Illustrator Saturday did the artwork for Holly Black’s DOLL BONES. I have had that book on my wish list since it came out. Had I realized the illustrations inside and out were by Eliza, I would already have it on my bookshelf.
*****
What I don’t get is, out of the seven people in this post, only the first two let me know about their success. Are people just shy about doing something worth shouting from the rooftops? I tell every illustrator that I feature to please let me know when something good happens and I really do mean it. I am very happy to hear about good things when they happen. Please don’t rely on me to find them.
Congratulations to everyone!
Remember this weekend there are two great book signings in the North Jersey area:
S is for SEA Glass
Doris Ettlinger
Fair Haven NJ – May 16, 3:30-4:30 pm
River Road Books
Clinton NJ - May 17, 1-3 pm
Clinton Book Shop
Pandemic Book Launch Party
Yvonne Ventresca
Sunday, May 18th, 2 pm
WORDS Bookstore
179 Maplewood Avenue, Maplewood, NJ 07040
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
Filed under: Kudos, Middle Grade Novels, picture books, Publishing Industry, Young Adult Novel Tagged: Eliza Wheeler, John Cusick, Laurie Wallmark, Marina Cohen, Nancy Armo, Nancy Cote, Tori Corn
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Conferences and Workshops, Laurie Wallmark, 2013 NJSCBWI Conference, Deborah Cuneo, Vin Vogel, Speaking, authors and illustrators, Publishing Industry, Leeza Hernandez, Kudos, Add a tag
The theme for this years artist exhibit and contest at the NJSCBWI Conference was “Down the Rabbit Hole” There were four different awards. Below is Deborah Cuneo’s winning illustration. She was the winner of the Members Choice Award. Anyone who didn’t attend missed a wonderful display of talented illustration pieces.
The 259 people who attended the NJSCBWI conference this past weekend included 30 auth/illus speakers, and 32 industry professionals. They came from 18 states, various Canadian provinces and one from South Africa.
I just have to sing the praises of RA Leeza Hernandez, ARA Sheri Oshins, former ARA Laurie Wallmark, ICC Karen Romanga and their wonderful committee and volunteers. I had forgotten how much fun attending a conference could be. Having the opportunity to see things from the attendee side gave me the time to talk to the many friends who would not be in my life had I not volunteered to run the chapter for ten years. What a treat it was to be able to enjoy their company!
It was a privilege to read and critique a few writer’s manuscripts and share my thoughts about improving their stories. I conducted a workshop on marketing and gave everyone who attended a plan on what to do at every stage in their career, which I hope motivated them to start thinking about what they could do right now and start laying out a plan to be prepared for the successes that will come on the road to publication. Plus, I laid out what to do once they have signed a contract with a time frame on how to prepare for that book launch and after.
To be able to go to a workshop without having to run out to put out fires was fabulous. This gave me time to learn from the great editors, agents, and authors who shared their expertise. I even got to do my first pitch ever with agent Louise Fury from L Perkins Literary Agency – love Louise’s voice and her energy.
Louise was just one of the “New To NJSCBWI Conference” faculty. The conference was a good mix of conference veteran editors and agents and first time faculty members like:
Elizabeth (Betsy) Bird, Librarian, NYPL/SLJ
Melissa Faulner, Editorial Assistant, Abrams
Louise Fury, Agent, L. Perkins Agency
Julie Ham, Editor, Charlesbridge
Erin Harris, Agent, Folio
Janine Hauber, Agent, Sheldon Fogelman
Lexa Hillyer, Editor/Co-Founder, Paper Lantern Literary
Janet Kusmierski, Art Director, Scholastic
Tricia Lawrence, Agent, Erin Murphy Literary
Rotem Moscovich, Editor, Disney/Hyperion
Jessica Regel, Agent, Jean V. Naggar Agency
Martha Sikkema, Senior Designer, Charlesbridge
Jenne Abramowitz, Senior Editor, Scholastic
Vin Vogel was the winner in the Published Illustrator category for the above illustration. He was featured on Illustrator Saturday in December. Here’s the link: http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2012/11/10/illustrator-saturday-vin-vogel/
Ame Dyckman picked up her Crystal Kite Award for BOY+ BOT before funny and nice-guy Author/Illustrator, Peter Brown kicked off the conference. Shared his artwork as a child and his colorful illustration of his “Mommy.” Peter has promised to be featured later this year on Illustrator Saturday. I was disappointed that I didn’t grab his Creepy Carrots book on Saturday, because they were gone on Sunday. I’ll just have to buy it at Amazon.
Tara Lazar (The Monstore) followed by sharing her publishing journey and the pitfalls of battling Multiple Sclerosis. Tara is proof that you can overcome anything if you have to in order to get published – very inspiring.
I signed up for Stephen Barbara and Lauren Oliver (Delirium, Pandemonium, Requiem, Before I Fall, Spindlers ) workshop, but Lauren was sick with the flu, so she stayed in bed and pumped up the antibiotics, so she would be able to show up for the ending keynote on Sunday. Luckily Lexa Hillyer (Ex- Razorbill editor and Lauren’s partner at Paper Lantern was at the conference and could step-in without a hitch. Lexa was the hidden jewel at the conference.
Stopped in to learn from ultra successful author (25 books) and New Jersey member Wendy Mass talk about how she builds a book chapter by chapter.
Wanted to attend Laurie (Boys of Wartime) Calkhoven’s workshop on writing scenes and her mediation workshop, who everyone raves about, but I was doing my workshop during the mediation workshop and I only caught the end of the scene writing workshop. I am sure that Laurie will repeat both of these next year or another time during the year. Laurie always give a good workshop on every topic she does.
I attend Julie Hedlund’s workshop on App’s, but that is a big subject to tackle in a 45 minute window. I know I would be interested in an intensive on this subject. Julie took some of her unpublished picture books and developed apps of them which can be bought on Amazon.
Charlotte Bennardo (co-author Sirenz) did a fantastic workshop about what type of swag you could use to promote your book and individualized it for everyone who attended. I am sure she will repeat it again next year, so if you attend in 2014 – DON’T MISS IT!
It was nice to hear Charlotte remind everyone (what I always emphasize) that we are all in this together and should try to support each other by buying each others books and attending each others book signings when possible. What goes around comes around, so do unto other as you would have them do unto you. When your house starts getting run over by books, give them away to schools or friends.
Idea: Laurie Wallmark has a book swapping party at her house once a year where she gives away books and takes what isn’t picked up to the schools in the area.
More Tomorrow. I will share the long list of people who came up to me at the conference to let me know about their successes. If something good has happened with you, please email me. You do not have to have been at the conference. I love to hear them and I think we can all draw inspiration from sharing in their successes.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MAURICE SENDAK!
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
Filed under: authors and illustrators, Conferences and Workshops, Kudos, Publishing Industry, Speaking Tagged: 2013 NJSCBWI Conference, Deborah Cuneo, Laurie Wallmark, Leeza Hernandez, Vin Vogel
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: News, magazine, authors and illustrators, Leeza Hernandez, children writing, Anita Nolan, need to know, Sprouts Magazine, New Jersey SCBWI, Laurie Wallmark, Add a tag
All good things come to an end. When I started as Regional Advisor, I started putting up a Newsletter online for members to read. After a few years with the help of Leeza Henandez, Anita Nolan and Laurie Wallmark, we turned out a very high-end magazine that was focused on bringing children’s writing, illustrating information to the subscribers. Plus, with the goal of showing off SCBWI writers and illustrators to editors, art directors and agents in the industry. During the last four or five years, it SPROUTS built quite a reputation in the industry, not only with the writer’s and illustrators, but with many industry professionals.
I am sorry to say that National SCBWI will not allow us to continue the magazine, unless we can offer it for free to everyone. Since that is not possible, this is the last issue subscribers will receive. Please do not send in a check for next year. If you are an illustrator or an author who was working on writing an article for the next issue, you can send them to me and I will post them on this blog. I know it will not provide you with a nice glossy magazine to sit on your coffee table, but agents, editors, art directors, and artist reps do visit my blog and it does get a lot of traffic. With 20,000 visitors a month and growing, you will get more notice submitting something here.
Here is a copy of the cover for the last issue:
If you would like to submit an article, please send it to kathy (dot) temean (at) gmail.com and put “Blog Article” in the subject box.
Thank you to Leeza, Anita, Laurie, and all the writers and illustrators who helped make this a wonderful magazine.
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
Filed under: authors and illustrators, children writing, magazine, need to know, News Tagged: Anita Nolan, Laurie Wallmark, Leeza Hernandez, New Jersey SCBWI, Sprouts Magazine 12 Comments on The End of SPROUTS MAGAZINE, last added: 11/10/2011
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: News, jobs, need to know, New Jersey SCBWI, Laurie Wallmark, Assistant Regional Advisor, Stepping down, Add a tag
I would like to let everyone know that Laurie Wallmark, who is the New Jersey SCBWI Assistant Regional Advisor, is stepping down. In the last four years Laurie has become, not only my right arm in running the New Jersey Chapter, but she has become a cherished friend. She is also the perfect ARA, since she is dependable, hardworking, nice and her strengths were my weaknesses and vice versa. She would always give me her honesty opinion, but let make the final decision and never got mad. Everything we did was considered and discussed, so we could come up with the best scenario for the members. I never regretted for one minute having Laurie by my side and thanked the heavens every day for sending her my way.
I am taking this very hard, but I love Laurie and when you love someone you want the best for them. I know stepping down is the right move for her. It is wonderful to know we helped so many people get published, but it is also hard to accept that all the good work being done does not allow a minute for us to write, illustrate or submit anything. So I am giving you a heads up that the New Jersey Chapter will be going through a transitional phase as I try to sort things out.
The year that Laurie started, I had planned a one and a half day conference. I didn’t think adding a half a day would add a lot of work, but it did. Even with Laurie’s help with the things she could do, I did so much work that I ended up in bed for two months afterwards with pneumonia. It almost killed me, so I wanted to go back to a one day conference. Laurie said she thought she had learned enough during that conference that she would be able to increase her work load. I said, “Okay, but if it almost kills you, we are going back to a one day conference.”
Those were the years when we held our conferences at the Princeton Theological Seminary; the years where we were a sweaty mess by the end of the event. I remember barely being able to lift a fork when went to dinner afterwards. Since then we moved the Summer Conference to a hotel with air-conditioning. Last year, we moved to a bigger hotel and expanded the conference to two and a half days.
I have signed the contract to do the conference at the same hotel this year, so we are locked into doing a two and a half day conference. Laurie is willing to stay until the conference and will help train volunteers who may be willing to help do the things she did. This transitional phase will determine how the chapter goes forward.
I am cancelling all first page sessions in 2012 and I am cancelling the Mentoring Workshop we normally hold in March, in order to focus on the 2012 June Conference. After the conference, I will evaluate how many members stepped up to the plate and how well they handled their assigned jobs. Pre-Laurie, I had members volunteer to help and then throw up their hands half way through the job or at the last-minute and say, “This is too hard,” then throw the job back on my lap. I had to drop all the things I had on my assigned tasks and work non-stop over Memorial Day Weekend and the other days leading up to the event. By the time the conference started, I was exhausted.
This year we are planning to have online registration that will let attendees pick their editors, workshops, pitch sessions and lunch tables. This one thing should eliminate weeks of work and will provide you with the same level of interaction with the editors and agents that our conference attendees have grown to love. I already have a large amount of the faculty invited, so our conference should still be able to end up better than the previous year. No one should think it will be lacking in any way. The only thing that will be lacking is the other events I had planned to do and will show up in the SCBWI
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Author, Book, magazine, Contests, success, Competition, Kudos, children writing, Ellen Jensen Abbott, Writer's Prompt, Laurie Wallmark, Yvonne Ventresca, Add a tag
Don’t forget you can use children’s magazines as a way to make some money, get you name out there, and have your writing noticed.
Laurie Wallmark, who is the ARA for the New Jersey SCBWI has done just that with her many magazine articles in children’s magazines. Her lastest an article, Lost in a Corn Maze, in this month’s issue of Spider Magazine for children.
Don’t forget to send photos. Laurie says she got more for the photos than she did for the article.
Congratulations, Laurie!
You may remember Ellen Jensen Abbott from the conference in June. She taught a class on Characterization. At the bookfair, I purchased Ellen Jensen Abbott’s fantasy novel titled, WATERSMEET.
When I e-mailed Ellen to tell her how much I enjoyed the book and how I thought it was very well-written, she got back to me to tell me that the second book titled, THE CENTAUR’S DAUGHTER, (the second book to the trilogy) just hit the bookshelves.
I know everyone wishes Ellen much success with her new book.
Then today, I received an e-mail from Kitty Griffin Lagorio. She came to the June conference and it really paid off, because she ended up getting Natalie Fischer from the Bradford Agency to represent her.
Congratulations, Kitty.
Please make sure you let us know when you sign your first contract.Yvonne Ventresca won the Writers’ Retreat Prompt Contest at this weekends Writer’s Retreat. Her prize, a free year’s membership to the SCBWI. Everyone else who participated received a signed book.
Here is Yvonne’s first page winning entry:
I had never thought about good-bye sounding like a river, the rush, rush of the water as it flowed away. And I’d never realized my sister could keep a secret even from me, the one she trusted most.
But I see these things now, as clearly as the clues she left behind. Would it have changed anything if I’d paid closer attention? Like the day of storm, while we were hurrying to finish our chores in the chicken coop.
“I won’t marry that man. They can’t make me.” Sis picked up another egg and nearly threw it in her basket. “Are you listening? James?”
I nodded as I swept, but my mind was on our cow. Abigail had been pacing around the pasture. I worried about her out there, having a calf alone in bad weather. Maybe I could lead her to the barn before the thunder started.
“Pa doesn’t remember love,” Sis said. “All he thinks about is corn. What should I do?”
Her pause meant she expected an answer. “Um, Tom doesn’t seem that bad.”
She stomped her boot, and the chickens fluttered to the corners of the hen house. “Tom Kelly’s too old and ornery. I could never love him.”
I laid the broom down gently and tried to soothe the frightened birds.
“I don’t feel anything for him. Not like—”
“Daniel,” I said. We often finished each other’s sentences. Ma used to call it a twin thing.
“Yes, like Daniel.” She wiped at her eyes, smearing dirt on her nose. “To spend the rest of my days keeping Tom’s
house and raising his babies! Ugh.”
Sis’s face got re
Blog: Writing and Illustrating (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Asssistant Regional Advisor New jersey, Laurie Wallmark, awards, News, SCBWI, Advice, submissions, opportunity, Win, Grant money, Work-in-progress Grant, Add a tag
I was very happy to find out yesterday that my Assistant, Laurie Wallmark was chosen as the runner-up for the SCBWI Work-In Progress Grant for a non-fiction book. The award is $500. This is the second year in a row that laurie was runner-up. Congratulations! Laurie.
At least a couple of times a week, I get an e-mail from a member where in the course of the e-mail they mention something very casually about some success they have had. Please let me know your successes, so I can help tout them for you. No one is going to think you are showing off and even small successes should be celebrated.
We put success stories in Sprouts and as you can see, I like to brag about you. Remember you are the one that has to make things happen and keeping things to yourself is the wrong strategy. Please share your successes.
Here is the information for the WIP Grant. Deadline for the next year is February 15th.
The SCBWI Work-In-Progress Grants are designed to assist children’s book writers in the completion of a specific project, and are made possible by a generous grant from Amazon.com.
Grants for first place ($2000) and runner up ($500) are awarded in each one of seven different categories:
- General Work-In-Progress grant
- Grant for a contemporary novel for young people
- Nonfiction research grant
- Grant for work by an unpublished author
- Grant for work from a multi-cultural/minority perspective
- Barbara Karlin Grant for unpublished picture book writers.
- Don Freeman Grant for unpublished picture book illustrators.
In any given year, an applicant may apply for: the General Work-In-Progress Grant OR the Work-In-Progress Grant for a Contemporary Novel for Young People OR the Work-In-Progress Nonfiction Research Grant. The Grant for a Work Whose Author has Never Had a Book Published may not be applied for — it will be chosen from all the entries in the other Work-In-Progress categories.
Eligibility: The Grants are available to both full and associate members of the SCBWI. They are not available for projects on which there are already contracts. Please note: members can apply for only one SCBWI grant per calendar year.
Grant Amounts: Seven Grants of $2,000 will be awarded annually, one in each category. Seven Runner-Up Grants of $500 will also be awarded, one in each category. Authors of other projects cited by the judges as noteworthy will receive a Letter of Merit. In any given year, the SCBWI Grant Committee reserves the right to withhold the grant for that year.
Deadline: Completed application and accompanying materials must be postmarked no earlier than February 15th and must be RECEIVED BY March 15th. Receipt of your application will be acknowledged only if a stamped self-addressed post card is enclosed. The recipients of the grants will be announced in September.
Instructions for completing and submitting application materials:
Well, THIS is certainly exciting! No doubt, ANYone who takes this course with Laurie is sure to come away with invaluable writing knowledge! :D
What a wonderful course, Laurie!
Sounds like a great class. Best of luck Laurie!
Oh! I met Laurie at a Highlights workshop and when we had a trivia night, she TORE it up! Very smart lady, very smart writer–know she’ll be great in this course!