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 …
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 …
Coronavirus has upended everything. Many people are suddenly working from home. (If they’re lucky enough to be working at all.) Kids are either off school entirely or doing some sort of online/homeschool hybrid. Headlines read like the plot synopsis for the latest YA dystopian novel. Literally everyone is stressed and questioning if there’s enough chocolate …
5 Tips for Working From Home With Kids In A Crisis Read More »
I was slow to jump on the word-of-the-year bandwagon. A lot of my friends love the idea but setting concrete goals and plans has always worked well for me – I didn’t see the point. Last year I gave it a whirl just to see what the fuss is about. That’s when I realized …
Yay! It’s time for me to gush about some books and convince you to buy them for every child you know. This has become a yearly tradition for me. (For five years now!) I admit – I get excited going through my Goodreads list and rediscovering the books I’ve read that year. I get less …
2019 Book Gift List for Kids at Every Age and Stage Read More »
The old blog has been a bit quieter than usual. That’s because I was gone almost the whole month of September on a road trip. 6000 miles. With a dog, two kids, two adults, and one not-so-large camper. We passed through numerous national parks, stopped in mega metroplises to visit friends and eat pastries, and …
Road trip! Or: How I Wrote Nothing for a Month and It Improved My Writing Read More »
Last night I got back from a jam-packed weekend in Las Vegas. I was there for the Nevada SCBWI Pitch Perfect Conference and to kick off my mentorship program with Jim Averbeck. View this post on Instagram I got in to the Nevada SCBWI mentorship program! I'm honestly shocked. I entered this really not …
It’s nearly the end of 2018, folks. It’s been a great year for me writing-wise. Looking Back at 2018 2018 in Writing I published my second board book, I Pray Today, and I had my first-ever blog tour. I revised my novel and got two new work for hire picture book contracts – …
Right now I’m participating in the 12 Days of Christmas Challenge for Writers. Each day there’s a small reflection. Yesterday I shared the Day 2 reflection on Instagram. View this post on Instagram Day 2 of the 12 Days of Christmas Challenge for writer's by @juliefhedlund is about what surprised you in the past year. …
2018 Successes – And Why Writers Sometimes Need to Brag Read More »
