Welcome to my new blog, which now includes content from many of the blogs I’ve created over the years. You can now also access content via category from this one page instead of having to search for my individual blogs, which were scattered over various platforms and websites.
Since I started getting picture book contracts (yay!) I’ve put my novel writing on the back burner. Then last summer at SCBWI-LA, I was talking with my editor at Simon & Schuster (Justin Chanda) about my middle grade novels and time management. Justin said that if my novel writing was important to . . .
To aspiring book authors and illustrators out there: Intelligent perseverance will get you far. Take a break if needed but then try again! If you like my found object doodles, you can browse more on Instagram at @inkygirl.
#BookADay: CIRCUS MIRANDUS written by Cassie Beasley and illustrated by Diana Sudyka ( Dial Books for Young Readers, June 2015). Finished this middle grade book on the weekend. It was one of those experiences where I was enjoying the book soooo much that I began reading slower when I got to the last few chapters because . . .
#BookADay: HOW TO OUTRUN A CROCODILE WHEN YOUR SHOES ARE UNTIED by Jess Keating ( Sourcebooks Jabberwocky). If you or your tween is looking for a fun summer read, I strongly recommend this book. Love the funny, fresh voice and quirky humour. Love the poignant moments. Love the fact that Ana’s parents . . .
Writers and illustrators: Resist constantly comparing yourself to others. Instead, focus on appreciating and enjoying your OWN journey. (I’ve been gradually working my way through the panels in my own career, so figured it was about time I repost this comic :-))
(Updated version of a post I made earlier this year before the SCBWI-NYC conference) I’m leaving this week for the SCBWI Summer Conference! If you haven’t yet registered, you’re out of luck….the conference is sold out. However, you can follow along virtually via the #LA15SCBWI hashtag on Twitter as well as the SCBWI conference blog. Here’s . . .
Today’s #BookADay is TWO GIRLS WANT A PUPPY, a new picture book written by Evie & Ryan Cordell, and illustrated by my friend, Maple Lam, published by HarperCollins last month. Maple Lam loves creating characters and constructing worlds around them. When she is not illustrating or writing children’s book, she is either reading . . .
Just finished THE DEATH AND LIFE OF ZEBULON FINCH (Volume One: At The Edge Of Empire) by Daniel Kraus, which launches October 27, 2015 from Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers. Whenever I start a big book (and at 642 pages, Zebulon Finch definitely qualifies), I cross my fingers and hopehopehope that the first few . . .
Theresa MacPhail has some great tips for A Realistic Summer Writing Schedule with which you can be productive AND relax.
#BookADay: CONNECTING DOTS by Sharon Jennings (Second Story Press, 2015). Just finished this last night. Fell in love with Cassie, the main character, and how she and her relationships developed through the story. If you enjoyed Katherine Paterson’s THE GREAT GILLY HOPKINS (one of my faves), you should definitely check out CONNECTING DOTS. But . . .