My humor picture book club is one of the highlights of my week. We’re all writers of picture books who want to learn to write funny – we’ve read books on humor writing, but most of the time we all read and discuss a picture book. Our chats are equal parts insightful and hilarious. View …
Every year, Vivian Kirkfield hosts the 50 Precious Words contest. Contestants write a complete story for kids with beginning, middle, and end. The challenge is that you have just 50 words to write the whole story. Every year I’m blown away by the entries. But this is my first year throwing my hat into the …
Every year I participate in the free 12 days of Christmas for writers series. Every day you get a prompt that helps you assess the previous year and make goals for the new year. Today’s prompt is to list your successes. In public. Gulp. Why listing successes is important 2021 was not an easy year. …
As I limp toward the end of 2021, I’ve been reflecting on the year that tried to outdo 2020. Inspired by my friends Chana Steifel and Tara Trudel, I’m closing out the year with my very own superlative writing awards and my predictions for the 2022 awards. 2021 Year in Superlatives Best Preschool Math Books …
Querying is no writers’ favorite. These free submission spreadsheets won’t make the querying process less emotionally fraught or more successful, but they will help you be more organized. That frees more time for writing and binge-eating ice cream which will make your querying more successful and ease the emotionally fraught-ness. I’ve outlined how to use …
Get Organized for Querying: Two Free Submission Spreadsheets Read More »
The writing life is a roller coaster. Ups, downs, freefalls, derailments, and the occasional technical difficulty that leaves you stranded at the top of a virtual mountain. 2020 was truly some next-level stuff, but so far 2021 is also keeping me on my toes. My current roller coaster life UP: New books published! After 4.5 years …
The first books in The Little Elephants BIG Adventures series finally published! *cue happy dance* I wrote these books whole five years ago. (And one of those years was 2020 – so it feels like a couple of decades.) Even in the slow world of children’s book publishing, that’s a long time to keep book …
12 Things to Know About The Little Elephants’ BIG Adventures Books Read More »
Writers love writing-related gifts. If you’re stumped for ideas, try out these gift ideas – your favorite writer will thank you. Using the Gift Guide I have included links and a highly unscientific price rating for each item ($ to $$$$), but they’re really just suggestions. You can adjust to your writer’s taste and your …
25+ Gift Ideas for Writers Plus the Ultimate (Free) Gift all Writers Want Read More »
Let’s face it: 2020 is a dumpster fire, in a train wreck, at a goat rodeo. If it were a novel synopsis, editors wouldn’t get past the first paragraph before saying it was too unbelievable. The writers room for 2020 is terrible! You don’t put a small earthquake in the middle of a race revolution …
My picture book series, the Little Elephants’ Big Adventures, is coming out soon! (Fingers crossed that 2020 doesn’t change that.) These books were a work for hire collaboration with Purdue University that began way back in 2016. There are six books in the series (so far) and the first three will be coming out soon. …
Get Published and Paid With Work For Hire Writing Read More »
