Happy New Year

Wishing you all a healthy, happy, safe and peaceful 2018.  May your writing successes be abundant. Make it your best year yet!

Happy Holidays

I am signing off for the holidays to spend time with family.  Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and much health, wellness and publication success in 2018!

Happy holidays to you and yours!

Author Event

I am excited to join Tom Roberts and Jean Patrick for an author signing tomorrow, Saturday, December 2. We will be at Reader's Den in Mitchell from 10 am-12 pm and would love to see you there.

This is also a terrific time to start or continue your holiday shopping as there is much to choose from at Reader's Den--in addition to all the great books!

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you and yours all the blessings of Thanksgiving!  Enjoy your time spent with family and friends kicking off the holiday season.

I am truly thankful for each and every one of you.  God Bless!

God Bless Our Veterans

As we mark another Veteran's Day in a year filled with strife and pain, let us remember always those who fight or have fought for our country, for us and for all in which they believed. Let us not ever lose sight of what is important and let our words and actions reflect that always.

Thank you, Veterans (past, present and future), for your selfless dedication and service.  There are no words to reflect the appreciation for the great responsibility you bear.  Thank you!

Veteran’s Day Prayer

Dear Lord,
Today we honor our veterans,
worthy men and women
who gave their best
when they were called upon
to serve and protect their country.
We pray that you will bless them, Lord,
for their unselfish service
in the continual struggle
to preserve our freedoms, our safety,
and our country’s heritage, for all of us.
Bless them abundantly
for the hardships they faced,
for the sacrifices they made
for their many different contributions
to America’s victories
over tyranny and oppression.
We respect them, we thank them,
we honor them, we are proud of them,
and we pray that you will watch over
these special people
and bless them with peace and happiness.
In Jesus’ name we pray; Amen.

By Joanna Fuchs

Follow Your Path

I was driving down a long gravel road on my way home the other day. The vibrant autumn colors of the trees framed the road and created this beautiful path. I was rejuvenated! Fall breathes new life and energy in me. The cooler temperatures and vibrant colors seem to foster a creativity in me that isn't typically quite as predominant other times.

This has been a particularly busy Fall, both personally and work wise, and my writing has often taken a back seat to everything else. Life and recent obligations seem to be settling down now with much of the chaos over, so when I was driving and saw this beautiful path ahead, it was like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. And new energy, new ideas and renewed motivation bubbled to the surface. I'm excited to follow my path and see where it leads with my current WIPs as well as the new ideas gaining life.

How about you...are you balancing all and following your path or finding it difficult to make the time to write in the face of the day-to-day stresses and life happenings? I would love to hear how things are going for you.

Inspiration

Thank you to my mom and dad for these awesome birthday treats! New writing journals and pens always foster inspiration for me. I'm looking forward to an upcoming SCBWI writing conference this weekend and am hopeful new ideas will be plentiful. One of the quotes in this Life's Little Instruction Book really hit home for me as I often seem to let life get in the way and wait for the "perfect" time and place to write which, very often, is hard to find. I will leave you with these wise words as you embark on a new writing week...

"What are you waiting for? Perfect conditions? Conditions will never be perfect. Today's the day to dust off your dreams. So get out there. Get going. Get moving. Shoot down a star. Lasso the moon. Stare down a rhino. Life's not going to ask you to dance. You've got to run towards it with arms open and eyes flashing. Tackle it, wrestle it to the ground and kiss it on the lips. It always kisses back."
                                                                                                   H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Happy writing!

Picture Book Summit 2017

Meet Dash...he is everywhere these days getting others excited about the upcoming Picture Book Summit 2017.  October 7, 2017, is rapidly approaching.  What a day it will be! Even if one is unable to attend live, replays are available for a period of time after to listen, or re-listen, to all information and presentations. It is an incredible experience and well worth every cent.

It is not too late to sign up. For more information on speakers and workshops or to register, go to http://picturebooksummit.com.

Tommy dePaola, Carole Boston Weatherford, Adam Rex, Julie Hedlund, Steve Swinburne, Laura Backes Bard, Brenda Bowen...need I say more?

Now, Dash away, Dash away, Dash away all and sign up!

A Day to Read

I just read today is National Book Lovers Day. What an awesome day! A day for all who love to read. What more could we want? Except maybe a little extra time today to enjoy a good read:)

So, whether you are reading for school, reading for fun or reading to your kids, carve out some time and enjoy!

Opportunity for Writers in the Area

We have a wonderful SCBWI Dakotas writing opportunity in September.  Consider joining us if able. It sounds amazing! Thank you to Kendra Levin for providing this terrific conference and to Betty Raum, our fearless leader, for organizing it.

Click here for more information...https://dakotas.scbwi.org/events/dakotas-2017-writing-workshop/

Hope to see you there!

Building Sand Castles

I've been thinking recently about all my manuscripts that are started, in various stages of completion, as well as those in need of final edits before sending out into the world. I seem to have an easier time starting new things this summer than I do tackling the edits needed on several PB manuscripts.

As a matter of convenience, I can start something new no matter where I am...in my car, on vacation, running errands, etc.  All I have to do is grab a scrap of paper or dictate a voice memo into my phone and viola...something new is born.  However, it feels a much bigger project and is definitely a more time consuming one to sit down, butt in chair, and tackle the edits and re-workings of shaping a current WIP into submission shape.  Perhaps it is having the kids all home during the summer months or constantly being on the go for a variety of reasons. I have four PBs needing final edits and want them all complete before a very exciting September conference thus the time has come to buckle down and get to work. It is exciting to envision the finished products and yet daunting to tackle as a whole.

Today, I saw this quote, and it gave me new inspiration.  Who doesn't love to build a great sand castle? It is an inspiring idea and one I will hold onto as I shape my sandbox into various sand castles.

Where do you find your greater inspiration...in the creation of the original draft or in the shaping into a final and finished product? I would love to hear your process and insights.

Book Review: Tamara Turtle's Life So Far

TITLE: TAMARA TURTLE’S LIFE SO FAR

AUTHOR: Regan W.H. Macaulay

ILLUSTRATOR: Javier Duarte

PUBLISHER: Mirror Publishing

PUBLISHED: June 15, 2017

PAPERBACK ISBN: 978-1-61225-368-8

Tamara is a Red-eared Slider turtle, and this endearing story tells the tale of her life thus far. Tamara is excited to be chosen from all the other Red-eared Sliders only to eventually be forgotten and ignored by her owner and set free in a nearby creek by his mother. Tamara is found by a man who finds her and taken to a special new place where she eventually is rescued and taken home where she belongs.

                       

Ms. Macaulay weaves facts about turtles and taking care of them as pets into a fun story to which kids can relate and learn from without feeling a lesson is being taught—though a good lesson on the importance of providing the best environment and pet care is being taught.

Javier Duarte’s illustrations are beautifully colorful and vivid and bring Tamara and Ms. Macaulay’s story to life.

TAMARA TURTLE’S LIFE SO FAR is a terrific book which teaches responsibility and encourages a very important conversation between parents and children about rescue and care of pets.

Author information can be found at http://reganwhmacaulay.weebly.com.

**Disclosure: I received a copy of this book free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review. This review consists only of my truthful opinions, not influenced in any way by the author or publisher.

Celebrate Independence

Happy Independence Day!  Thank you to all who have served and those who continue to serve. We owe you all such a debt of gratitude!

Enjoy your 4th of July holiday and be safe. God Bless the USA!

To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme?

That is, indeed, an important question.  It is one I've been wrestling with on my recent PB edits.  I have a story begging to be written in rhyme, so I've been immersing myself in the "what to do/not to do" rules in the world of rhyme recently to refresh myself as I tackle the edits.  

I LOVE rhyme!  Always have.  I love to read a good rhyming picture book, and I enjoy the challenge of writing a good rhyming picture book.  But a challenge it is! There is so much to think about...more than just rhyming the end words of lines. It has to sing!

I listened to a wonderful webinar replay on rhyming last night by Renee LaTulippe from my 12 x 12 webinar series. It was incredible and re-energized my edits.  Renee is wonderful and so very knowledgeable about writing in rhyme. I highly recommend reading or listening to anything she presents if you are prone to writing in rhyme.  I will be checking out her Lyrical Language Lab myself soon.

For more information on 12 x 12, go to http://12x12challenge.com/membership/.  I cannot say enough about the benefits of belonging to the 12 x 12 community.  It is, without a doubt, the best thing I've done for my writing life.  

For more information on Renee LaTulippe, go to http://www.reneelatulippe.com/writing-courses/.

Back to the point of my post...for you rhymers out there, what is your process?  Do you start with a story written in prose and decide it needs to rhyme? Do you hear the music and rhyme of your story and build from there? I would love to hear your thoughts if you are willing to share.

Happy writing and rhyming!

Find Your Creativity

Well, lately, the thud of the tennis ball has landed squarely in the wrong quadrant writing wise.  Wrapping up the school year for the kids and work year for me, sports and activity obligations and now preparations to depart on a much needed family vacation tomorrow have all served to waylay my time for writing--and energy for the same.

I have my good pen and notebook packed and plan to recharge my batteries while lounging in the surf and sand.  You know what they say about the best laid plans, but I am hoping for a creativity burst.  There is nothing like fresh ocean air and sound to spur on creativity.  I will check in upon my return and report my progress.

Until then...keep writing!