Dinosaurs!

For two days in a row my picture book ideas have been about dinosaurs. Bah! There are so many picture books about dinosaurs already. Good ones too! How will my little ideas ever compete?  Oh well, I will think about that later...

It's just, well -- let's face it, children are fascinated by dinosaurs.  In the past week, I don't think a day went that I did not hear a mention of them by one or more of the children I work with.  No wonder I had a PB idea about dinosaurs!! I will keep my ideas tucked away for a rainy day.  In the mean time, check out the following awesome picture books about dinosaurs.

1) Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea
2) Dino-Basketball by Lisa Wheeler
3) How do Dinosaurs say I Love You? by Jane Yolen

PiBoIdMo

It's officially here! Picture Book Idea Month!

What is it? 
The premise is quite simple. In November 2011 you vow to come up with 30 picture ideas in 30 ideas.

October was such a busy month for me, I'm excited to take the plunge and come up with 30 new picture book ideas this month.  I'm ready for the challenge, and yet also nervous about keeping up!

How am I doing so far?  
I had one idea "sneak" up on me Mon Oct. 31, so not sure if I can count it.  Yesterday, I had two ideas.  Yay! Let's hope I can keep it up!

Fellow Picture Book Writers (and any Writers interested in writing picture books.):  
You can find the official sign ups for PiBoIdMo at Tara Lazar's blog by clicking here. You will also find guest author posts, a chance at prizes, and support from other writers. Check it out!

Author Event: Meet Rick Riordan!

A Whale of a Tale Bookshoppe in Irvine, CA is hosting an awesome author event to meet Rick Riordan. He is the author of the Percy Jackson Series and the new spin off series The Lost Hero. I literally devoured each and every book in the series and am eager to get my hands on The Son of Neptune.  The event takes place Saturday, Oct. 8th, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. at Oso Viejo Park in Mission Viejo. Visit the Whale of Tale Bookshoppe website for tickets.  The ticket price includes a copy of his latest release, Son of Neptune

With more and more booksellers going digital, it can be quite easy to go about our daily lives without remembering local independent booksellers still exist.  I know I've been guilty of this myself.  A Whale of a Tale Bookshoppe not only sells books but frequently hosts author and book events for children and adults alike.  In the coming weeks their events will feature many prominent authors and illustrators including Robin Preiss Glasser, Hillary Duff, Molly Shannon, Wendy Mass and more.  I encourage you to check it out and support your local bookseller!

My First contract

I'm over the moon! I received my first contract this week.  It is for for a short story entitled, Max and Digby's Big Day.  It is about a young man, Max, who trained his miniature bull terrier, Digby, in agility and is taking him to his first match.  What happens when Digby seemingly forgets his training? The story will appear in the November 2011 issue of Stories for Children Magazine. (Updated: The November issue is now available for purchase HERE.)

I have more good news to announce soon.  I hope my mailbox continues to buzz with exciting news this month...

Happy September everyone! I hope you are having as bountiful a month as I am thankful to be having!

-Christine

So Long Summer...Hello September!

So long Summer! This will go down in my books as the first summer I spent seriously devoted to writing! If I were an apple farmer I would say I had an abundant harvest this summer.  Here is just a partial list of things I accomplished.

❦ I attended my first SCBWI Summer Conference.

❦ I joined a Peer Critique Group!

❦ I connected with another Children's Writer in my neighborhood!

❦ I read 30+ picture books.

❦ I took 2 online writing courses.

❦ I wrote 4 new short stories and made progress on my Middle Grade WIP.

❦ I learned how to use a "twitter hashtag."

❦ I received my first acceptance...more news to come soon on that front!

It was a beautiful summer.  It felt so right to surround myself with writing, reading, and learning about children's literature.

Hello September! I'm back to work. I'm ready!  Just like a great harvest leads to delicious apple pie, I'm hoping my summer will lead to a fruitful fall!

Did you miss WriteOnCon?

What is WriteOnCon?
WriteOnCon is a free online conference designed to give Writers many of the features of a live, in person conference in an online setting.  WriteOnCon is the brainchild of seven writers who wanted to "pay it forward" and give something back to the writing community. The curriculum is focused on Picture Book, Middle Grade, and Young Adult Writers, however the information is relevant for all writers.

Sounds fabulous! How do I attend?
Well, here's the thing. WriteOnCon 2011 has just finished. This year it was August 16-18. Not to worry though! The schedule is archived and still available for viewing. You will need to sign up to use the forums but you can view a link to the schedule of events here.

The sessions with publishing professionals are full of amazing information.  I attended as much of the live events as I could this year and am still not caught up!  I hope you take a look! You won't regret it.

My favorite sessions: (so far)
Puzzled by Picture Books with Author Sarah Frances Hardy - Ms. Hardy gives a thorough talk about writing character driven stories from conception to storyboard.  Her talk is designed for both Authors and Illustrators.
Your novel isn't ready for submission because... by Author Tom Leveen - Mr. Leveen speaks openly to authors about the many reasons why your novel (or picture book) is not ready for submission and in turn provides ideas that help you become ready to submit in the future.

Super SCBWI Summer Conference 2011

I gotta admit. This is a weird feeling.
Why doesn't the CVS cashier know I'm a Children's Writer?
How come the people in the fresh juice line don't want to talk to me...about writing...and illustrating...and publishing children's books?
Oh yea...I'm not at the SCBWI Summer Conference anymore, that's why!

This year I attended the summer conference for the first time. On my first day I quietly sat in the lobby, trying to muster up courage to talk to people. That's when I saw them...sunflowers! In the lobby of the hotel! As I have mentioned in a previous post, sunflowers tend to show up during significant times in my life. I think this experience certainly qualified as significant.

I don't know yet what will come of my conference experience. What I do know is that at times I felt inspired, moved, excited, anxious, nervous, and encouraged. I met postive, like-minded, quirky people. I witnessed the diversity in writing, speaking, and art.  I was also reminded to believe in myself, my voice, and my vision.  I am so excited to write this week!

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the conference:

"Everything we do moves outward, like ripples in a pond."  - Bruce Coville

"I write what I need to write."   - Donna Jo Napoli.

"Writing not only changed my life, it saved my life."  -Judy Blume