philosophical ramblings

2021 Superlative Writing Awards: A Humorous Review of My Year

2021 Superlative Writing Awards

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 …

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How to start a bullet journal for writers

How to Start a Writing Bullet Journal

It’s no secret I’m a big fan of bullet journaling. My writing bullet journal is my number one tool for achieving my writing goals. Also, I love the smell of a fresh notebook and an excuse to play with markers. View this post on Instagram Mmm. New bullet journal smell. . #bulletjournaladdict #bulletjournaling #writinglife #authorlife …

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Camper at sunrise overlooking Puget Sound

Road trip! Or: How I Wrote Nothing for a Month and It Improved My Writing

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 …

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How A Children's Book is Made: Part 2: How Books are Illustrated

How a Children’s Book is Made: Part 2. The Illustrator’s Speak

Welcome to my blog series on how children’s books are actually made. Last time, I explained illustration from the author’s perspective. This time, we’ll look at how the illustrator does their job. I’m not an illustrator, so I’m going to let them speak for themselves. I’ve gathered together videos and blog posts of different illustrators explaining …

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How Children's books are Made: Part 1. The Truth About Illustrations

How a Children’s Book is Made: Part 1. The Truth About Illustrations

Being an author is a funny thing: everyone has heard of your job. (Unlike my husband – a systems architect.) But people don’t know what it is I actually do. (My husband and I have that one in common.) Whether you’re a writer hoping to publish a book or a kidlit lover who is curious …

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12 Books for Babies and Toddlers and Why They Work

12 Books for Babies and Toddlers and Why They Work

Earlier this month, I Pray Today, my second book for babies and toddler was published. Today is the last day of the blog tour to celebrate. I’ve been working on book reviews all year, though. Each month I gather up a few books I love and share them with my readers. I call it Kidlit …

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