Twitter, Facebook and Social Media, Oh My!

I'm on Twitter. Yes, I am. I probably shouldn't be, I'm the worst at tweeting. But I do follow some amazing authors, editors and agents, and find I get lots of great tips.

I blog. Well, I attempt to. I could do so much better if I remembered my password more often.

But Facebook, that's an addiction! The amount of time I'm on Facebook more then makes up for the time I'm not on Twitter, blogging, linkedn and all that other stuff I keep getting invites for.

Facebook can be great! I'm part of a few amazing submission group, some great author tip groups, some literacy groups, a few swap groups, some Usborne Books groups. The best part is reading my friend's feeds and finding out what great (and sometimes sad) things are happening in their lives. I have to remind myself, though, that commenting on FB is not the same as picking up the phone.

I used to be addicted to Candy Crush, but finally stopped, cold turkey. That game sucked so many hours from my writing, reading and editing.  That is an example of bad Facebook. Bad, bad, bad.

My favorite part about Facebook is when someone Likes my post, or even better, they comment! Someone noticed me! ;-)

I've gotten a lot of great things from Facebook... I've met new and amazing people, and can even say I'm "friends" with some very important people, have been able to help other start their own Usborne Books business because they don't think it's fair I'm having fun without them, booked author visits, gotten motivation, found out about great events and opportunities like PiBoMo and 12 x 12. 

What is your favorite form of social media and why? Have you made any magical connections that changed your life?

And for anyone who wants to know how to find me on Social Media, here you go:

Twitter, author: @Littledebbiel
Twitter, Usborne: @usbornebooks
Facebook, Author: https://www.facebook.com/littledebbiewrites
Facebook, Usborne: https://www.facebook.com/readusborne

Have a great long weekend!

Debbie

BLOG HOP!!!

Hop!
                    Hop!
                                          Hop!

Stop!

 

           Read.

Thank you for coming to visit me on the Blog Hop Tour. The other day, Christine Irvin, invited me to join her on a hop across the web.

It's now my turn to answer 3 simple (or are they really simple) questions.




1.) What am I working on:

What a great question! Thank you so much for asking. I'm happy to answer. I've had some great and fun picture books babbling out of my mind onto paper in coherent fashion! This doesn't happen often. One is about a boy who would rather be an animal. Very funny, if you don't mind my saying. The other is about a Hug... but not too quiet of a book, with some humor and a nice "ahhh" twist at the end.

I'm also taking a class with Anastasia Suen on writing Chapter Books. So I will start delving into that area again soon. I'm thinking of regurgitating my Eugene into a Chapter Book. He stars in a picture book, but seems to transition well to a little more complex plot.

And of course, I'm always going back and editing my works that need to polish. I tend to bake them, then pull them out after a few months to see if anything new pops out that can be better.


 2) How does your writing process work?
I'm not a good one to schedule. I'll mope that I'm not writing, then remember Jane Yolen's BIC (But in Chair). So I'll sit down and stare at the screen, then try to write. Sometimes something comes out, sometimes not. If I can't get the whole story out in one sitting, it often will sit or be deleted to try again. My best stories flow from start to finish. This doesn't mean they are great, but the arc and storyline are in place, and I can edit from there.

But usually what happens is I have a great idea, and it marinates for a bit, then I have to get it out! I'll sit down and type it on my computer or Ipad. For example, I was at my son's swim lessons and was bit by the bug and started writing (nope, not about swimming). But I was able to get the whole picture book out, and it's getting amazing feedback.

Sometimes I write an outline on my phone if I'm not at a place to write.

Often if I can't focus, I pick up my computer and move to a different location. I like windows. It feels like the story can float to me from the sky.

Once a story is written, I put it away for a few days, then pull it out. If I still like it, I edit it. Then put it away. I work on it about a week, then lock it up in a tower for a few months. If I'm really excited about it, I send it to my critique group. But I do like to put my stories away, then pull them back out.


 3) Who are the authors you most admire?
I have so many that I admire! I admire different authors for different things.

My favorite story of all times to read to my kids is still "I Stink" by Kate McKullan.  It's just got this incredible voice to it. I also have a thing for "Big Hungry Bear"  by Don and Audrey Wood.

Jez Alborough is the king of rhythm and rhyme. And he can illustrate. That is one area I lack in.

And Lucy Maud Montgomery stole my heart with "Anne of Green Gables".

Jill Esbaum and Linda Skeers are also close to my heart, since I got to hang out with them for a picture book retreat last year, and they are always so positive.

Alice McGinty is another amazing author who writes from the heart. I loved listening to her, and still need to blog about how amazing this person is.

I guess when it comes down to it, I admire all authors. In fact, I admire anyone who takes their passion and shares it with others.




Keep Hopping!!!

Hop on over to these amazing authors sites:

Sue Frye:  http://www.inkler.blogspot.com/
Taressa Caldwell: http://tenderlovencare.wordpress.com/
Autumn Purdy: http://asadsongbetter.com/

So happy! Writing has been is flowing. Still need to get rid of all those little passives. :-)

I am participating in a Blog Hop! If you came over from Christine's blog, WELCOME!!!
Here is the link to her site: http://christinemirvin.blogspot.com/  She is a really inspiring person, and very helpful. Thanks Christine! :-)

I am working on finding my authors to tag, and then will post soon. So keep checking back.

In the meantime, I'm busy working fair season. Besides writing, I sell kids books (www.goreadtoday.com). In fact, I'm a total book addict! I love to write, read, touch, smell anything books. :-) So of course my career choices will all reflect this.

If anyone is interested in learning more, let me know. There is a really good deal for July. $300+ in books for $69, plus a business. :-) It's all about passion!

Anyway, I look forward to participating in the blog roll! 

See, now you have to come visit me again so you can find out:

 1) What am I working on?
2) How does your writing process work?
3) Who are the authors you most admire?

Smile and Carry On,

Debbie

What's New?

What's new? I am working on improving my writing skills! How? I'm taking a class with Anastasia Suen. She's awesome, and very knowledgeable.  She has me doing a lot of reading. :-)

My blog has fallen off a bit. But I wanted to stop in and say HI! :-D

Hope everyone is having a great summer.

What to Expect at an Author Visit with Debbie!

If you've never hosted an author, it may seem a little overwhelming. Today's Blog is about what you can expect if you bring me to your school.

For starters, my book contains a ton of Onomatopoeia. So be prepared to watch the students turn from children into 20 -500 ticking clocks. But don't worry, the change is only temporary, though it may last for a few weeks.

When I come visit, I customize my presentation for your school and class. The teachers have the opportunity to give input on what they would like to see. I have included many topics from research to editing to coming up with ideas, to writing with description. I also have a list of suggested workshops I offer.  I work with children as young as 4 and up to high school.

For preschoolers, they get to learn about what an author does and how a book goes from an idea to words on a page into the bound hard copy they see before them. We end with an interactive reading of the book, and if we have time, I let the kids ask questions (which often involves them telling me about the clocks in their home.) It's OK, I understand. :-) These presentations are shorter then my regular presentation and last 20 minutes

For the older kids, we get into more detail! I share with them more information on the process, what it's like to work with (and trust) and illustrator to make your vision come alive, editing and how important it is. I have found that all ages love a reading of the book, and that some of the best clocks are my 5th graders. I always end with questions.

I like to spend 45 minutes with my older students.  For the Kindergartners, I find that 30 minutes is a good time. (Please help them prepare questions before).

If you prefer an all school assembly, I can spend the rest of the day visiting with smaller groups and doing writing workshops.

Visiting with students is one of my favorite parts about being an author! You can learn more at: http://www.passiontosuccess.com/authorvisit.html

Let me know if you have any questions,

Debbie

To Minnesota!

Sorry! I've been so busy with author visits I haven't had time to blog. When I have had time, I've been polishing manuscripts to submit. :-)  Today I head to Minnesota! Busy Busy!!!

Have a fabulous week all!

Debbie

Goal setting lessons with Candy Crush

The truth: Candy Crush is EVIL! It is a time sucker. It draws you in with these cute little candies and easy levels, and quickly progresses into what is a very hard game. Some of these levels are downright impossible, right? And then, when you finally pass it and think you see the end, you find more levels. Over 300 to be exact! And some you will spend days on. Yes, days!

That said, Candy Crush has a great life lesson in it.

When you start a level, you are given a goal. If you are like me, you start the level without reading the goal, and start clicking, wasting your turns. You are experimenting to see what will happen. It's that whole whole cause and effect thing you learn in elementary school science. However, it leads to total failure.

 

FAILED? You failed!  

It even has a broken heart to show you the
pain and agony of not reaching your goal.

 

You may be clicking with a goal to remove all the jelly when instead you should be working on bringing down the ingredients. After a few failures, you actually read the goal and begin to focus. (Some of you may actually read the instructions first and skip that part. But for those of you who would rather jump right in, don't feel too bad, just know you may need to back peddle.)

Once you are aware of your goal, you work harder. Look above, it says "Try Again!" not "You suck, better quit." It cheers you on! 

During the journey, you also have the opportunity to get help. You can buy boosters (which are not unlike going to conferences or getting training). And at some levels, you are forced to ask your friends for help (not unlike real life where you get stuck and need someone to assist or mentor you).

You learn from your mistakes and begin to see what works, and what doesn't. Then right when you are about to give up and say, "It's not worth it,"

Congrats! You did it! Mission accomplished! Maybe it's a finished manuscript. Or your first sub to an editor. Or your request for a full. Whatever it is, instead of turning off the game and being done (hey you hit your goal) --

               --it gives you a new level with a new goal! A new goal? Yes, there is more work to be done!

So in review, how Candy Crush is like real life:

• You have a goal, though you may not really know what your goal is.
• You start to work towards that goal and fail.
• You identify that goal, and learn from your mistakes, causing you to work harder.
• You share that goal, so someone can cheer you on when you fail and remind you "you don't totally suck."
• It is OK to ask for you help.
• You reach that goal.
• Once the goal is reached, it is time to set a new goal and start the whole cycle again.

You will succeed and get your candy star! But don't quit there, remember to keep moving up the levels!

And if you need a break, play at your own risk.

 

Author Visit time!

Next week starts a wave of author visits. I'm really excited! I've spent the last week preparing for them, and updating my website.

In the next two months I get to visit:

North Sioux City, SD!
Colorado
Texas
Minnesota
I will be meeting with schools, preschools and homeschool students!

Plus you'll find me at the Sioux City Homeshow.  So I have a busy schedule.

The good thing about being busy is I am most productive when I have a lot going on. If I have large chunks of unused, and unscheduled time, I tend to grab a book. Reading is fabulous, but I dive in head first and take my whole body with me. You see me about a week after I have finished the book (and I often finish in a day or two). But I'm mentally wrapped around the story, characters and setting... at least if the book is any good.

I spent January revisiting some old favorites including "The Princess and the Goblin" and "The Secret Garden."

I have no exciting message or moral to leave you with today. Just know that what you do today will impact your life. It may not be tomorrow. It may not be next week. But if you make an effort to do something great, you will see the rewards.

Happy New Year! My goals.

So here it is. The kids are at school. The husband is at work. It's just me, my dog and my two cats. Ahhhh, quiet.

Now I have no excuses. It's time to get to work! First stop: Goal Setting

Debbie's Writing Goals for 2013

• Polish 2 MS (PB) by the end of January and begin subbing
• Polish 2 more in Feb. with a goal with 12 polished PB by the end of 2013.
• Find an editorial agent in 2013 who will appreciate who I am as an author, but also be able to guide me. I am a quick learner and love constructive feedback.
• Sell "Mad Kid Scientist"
• Get a stronger local SCBWI chapter build up.
• Finish my MG novel by May
• Focus on writing every day, even if it's just 20 minutes on some days (I prefer long chunks of time, but know that is unreasonable on most days)
• Start freelance writing again
• Read, read, read!
• Blog at least twice a week

There we have it. Since I am now publishing this to the world, I am forced to hold myself accountable.

It's gonna be a good, good year!

The problem with keeping a blog....

is if you forget you are keeping it and get busy with life, then the blog fizzles out and dies a slow, and boring death.

I'm so sorry I haven't kept this up. Once fair season hit for me, I got side tracked and out of habit. Then it became fall, and I was busy selling Usborne Books...  No more excuses.

They say writing needs to be a habit, you should do it every day. It's true. When my blogging fell, my daily writing fell. And that's no good for a future great writer! Or a starting out writer! Or a professional writer.

So my apologies to those of you who do read my blog, I know there are at least two. :-D 

I am making a new year's resolution now to start the new year with better writing habits and in better shape. See, not only has my daily writing sucked, my exercise habits have too!  I plan to start the year with a bang, and make 2013 the luckiest year so far.  Granted, I am not a lucky person. However, I do create my own luck. And my success is not where I'm used to seeing it. Funny, it correlates with my effort.

I am already starting out the year with numerous author visits on my schedule, and totally excited! I love working with the students.

So here is to an amazing hump day! Put on a smile and get to work,

Debbie

How to write a Novel

I started to write this, then put it on hold because I wanted to spend more time sharing Jan's amazing workshop. So sorry it took me so long to get back to it. :-) I'm learning to balance life and writing with the kids home from summer and family visiting.... Is it time for school to start yet? ;-)

So let's go back in time to the awesome Iowa SCBWI Conference......

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One of the best parts about the conference was hearing from Jan Blazanin, a published author and former teacher. She was GOOD!!! AND, even better, I walked away with concrete ideas and tools to work with.

Here are my top tips from Jan, in no particular order:

1. You want BIG problems. The bigger, the better. And the problem needs to get worse as the charcter looks for the solution.
2. Better have a hook! This will tell what your story is about, where it fits in the current market, and what's fresh about it. Your protagonist and conflict need to be stated first. And your story needs to be unique.
3. You need to know what it is that your Protagonist wants more then anything else in the world. This needs to be something that he will take risks for.
4. Know your character, inside and out. Interview him. What does he look like? Go shopping with them. Who are his friends? What does he eat? What is his hygiene? You also need to know your secondary characters, though not as in depth.
5. The first 5 pages are the most important. In this time you need to introduce the protagonist, let the audience get to know her (but in the moment, like you just met someone, not in a 20 pages of history sort of way), show what traits set her apart, identify the time and place of the sotry, set the tone, and introduce the catalyst. Whew.
6. Introduce characters gradually. It is easy to confuse your reader. Be kind.
7. The end should be brisk and answer the reader's questions. It does NOT have to tie it up nicely with a bow. She says "Be brisk, be brief, and be gone."
8. When brainstorming, there is no right or wrong way to come up with a story. Some come up with a character, and build a story. Some come up with a plot or conflict, and then find a character who fits.

Jan was a fabulous teacher. Make sure you know what your book is about, who your characters are, and where you are going.

Happy Writing!

Debbie

Author visits in Montana

Last week was the most amazing experience. I was asked to visit Poplar and Wolf Point, MT. While there, I taught some writing workshops, read to the students and answered questions. I felt right at home working with the students, grades Kind through 5th grade. Shawn (my hostess) had me scheduled back to back with negative 30 seconds between classroom visits. We did 11 different location visits in 3 and 1/2 days! Monday I had 6 visits at two schools, plus the library. And Tuesday I did 5 classroom visits, then a college talk, and a reading.

The kids all thought I was there age, so I think they connected with me in a way they don't with adults. It was fun to see how they all couldn't wait to hear what I had to say, and realized that they to can follow their dreams.

At one school, each teacher wanted me to teach on a different writing program, so I was literally pulling out my notes as I ran. The kids were great though. I didn't feel like I lost any of them.  I could really see the wheels in their head turning, watching them think "I can do that!".

 

They had great questions including:

• Do you make a lot of money (answer, no.)
• How long have you been writing (answer, since I was your age.)
• How did I write the words (answer, I let them come to me, wrote them down, then read them aloud over and over and over.)
• Where do I get my ideas (answer, everywhere.)
• Do my kids help me (answer, I test my books on them to see if they need to be sacrificed to the delete God's or polished for potential future literacy)
• What is my favorite book (answer, Anne of Green Gables)
• How old I am (answer, how old do you think I am? To which I was guessed from 4th grade to age 50)

The visit was special because I got to stay with a dear friend, Shawn. She and her family were great, and her husband was open to all of my thousands of questions about life on the reservation.

I also got to speak at the college about tools to teach future writers, which I shall blog about in the future.

One of the perks was eating lunch with the kids. At Poplar Elementary, I was sitting there eating when Shawn looked at me and said, "You have a blue tray."
I answered, "yes, I do."
She said, "I have a red tray."
I looked at her puzzled until she pointed out all the students had blue trays, while the staff got red trays. They thought I was one of the students!

We had a great time at recess!

At the Headstart visits, I learned how to count to 10 in Dakota and my colors, though I don't remember much. It was intriguing how long the words are.

My last day, we added a school visit since a teacher found out I was going to be in there area. They are working on a book, and thought I'd make a great addition. The kids were all prepped with questions for my whirlwind 20 minute squeeze in. I was so impressed with all they had done to prep for my visit.

And as a bonus, I got to visit the Badlands and do some Sand Ball hunting, which my boys loved.

I will work on writing more about my visits! There was so many wonderful things happening as we connected, and I learned more about their environment. But in the meantime, I have some manuscripts I need to finish up. There is nothing more motivating then kids asking you when they can get your next book!


If you are interested in having me speak with your school, daycare, or group, let me know. I do everything from a simple reading with questions, to writing workshops, to playing with the kids on the playground. :-) You can email me by clicking here for more information.

Author Visits in Montana!

I just wanted to give you a heads up that I am in Montana visiting schools and libraries! Look for fun updates about my journey and the great people I'm meeting next week. :-)

Happy writing!

The Agent

What conference is complete without an agent? We were fortunate enough to have Ty King, from Writer's House. The first thing she did was take off her shoes.

So tip #1:
Public speaking is best done when barefoot.

Then she began with her great tips:
She talked about becoming a working writer. A working writer is what all writer's strive for (someone who is getting paid for writing!) She recommends you be professional, responsive, and communicative (communication is very important).

She also said you need to understand your role (what is expected from you by your agent) and your rights (so you don't get taken advantage of).

She recommended that if you have a Blog, you need to be professional. Actually, this was mentioned a few times: Don't write anything negative about someone else, it will come back to haunt you and never ends well.

Let's talk RIGHTS:

*Print and publication (what countries will you give them?) If they publish in another country, it may be beneficial. But don't sign away rights just to sign.

*Audio rights.

*Electronic, such as ebooks and aps. (You don't have to grant these).

*Dramatic (plays, movies)

QUERY LETTER tips:

Keep your letter brief, and let them know your project. They get a lot of submissions straight off the first draft. That is a no-no.

When looking for an agent, you want someone who will be able to represent everything you write, or who has other agents in house who can represent your other writing.

__________________________________

Biggest Mistakes New Writer's Make:

They do not edit their work enough. They send it in way too early. Most agents or editors do not have the time to take on a project that will take a lot of time and energy. So be submitting too early, even if you have potential, you will be rejected.

They do not research where they are submitting. Editors and agents get a lot of paper to go through. If the project does not fit their house, you are wasting their time no matter how great it is.

Example: They only publish picture books 0 - 5 (Applesauce). You send a picture book geared for 6 - 9 year olds, or even worse, a chapter book. Even if they love it, they can not publish it.

How do you avoid that? Before submitting, research the books they sell. Then go to the library and read them. If their whole line is about animals, don't submit a book about diggers.


Hope you learned something today! Stop back later this week to learn about writing a chapter book, tips from Jan Blazanin.

The W's of Writing, I guest blogged

Come on over to Rena Traxel's blog and enjoy learning all about the "W's" of Writing!

http://www.renajtraxelblog.com/2012/04/w-is-for-ws_26.html

She has a great month of blog posts from guest bloggers, working their way throught the alphabet! Enjoy.

More from the conference!

SCBWI-IA packed us with great editors, authors, and an agent.

Kari Pearson from Abrams was full of color, literally! She had on this amazing yellow top that sang energy. She edits picture books for ages 0 - 5, at the Appleseed division. She also helps with Comic Arts.

So, on to the notes:

When querying, make sure you let the editor know that you know that they know their stuff. Research them. Tell them how much you loved what they edited. Congratulate them on the book that won an award. Let them know you are learning to wind-surf too! It's OK to stalk, just don't over stalk.

Have some sort of online presence. Facebook is good. Twitter is good. Author website once you are published is a must (not necessary before). Blogs are nice, but not necessary. Keep it managable. You don't have to do everything.

Don't be afraid to keep in touch. If she invites you to submit, send an email asking if she's had a chance to look at it. She recommends every few weeks. Be respectful (don't email daily. Every few weeks, is once every 2 or 3 weeks.) Editors get busy and do appreciate a reminder here and there.

Editor's Considerations:

1.) Quality of Work
2.) Marketability
3.) Who are you? (And yes, sometimes being a debut author can be marvelous!)

Quality:
"Quality is always paramount."
She gets excited about good work, and loves to be excited.
Being new can be an asset! They love to discover you.

Marketability
This is close to quality in importance
Books are a business
Editor looks at context, where does your book fit in?

Context:
What books are similar?
How did those books sell?
Does it fit their list?
What category does it go in to?

Who are you?
Introduce yourself with your work!
Follow-up
Don't take it personally. A "no" is not about you.

If they are INTERESTED, what happens?
It goes to an editorial meeting and they ask:
     Does it work?
     Does it fit our line?

Then it goes to a business meeting, where they look at marketability?
     Does it fit?
     Can we sell it?

If the answer is "yes" they will make an offer!

An advance is based off of what they feel the projected sales will be.

A REVIEW OF MY WORK:

I was fortunate enough to have Kari review my work. My picture book I sent is for an older age then she buys, but it was great hearing from her.  I wrote for 6 - 8, she busy 0 - 5. (Another reminder to do all your research before going to conferences. I saw picture book, but didn't think to look deeper.) But I enjoyed having her review it.

What I learned:

*Sometimes a picture book is a chapter book! She loved my character and smiled and laughed, but told me she wanted more from him, and more from each experience. She thought it would translate beautifully to a chapter book.

*She noticed it was still RAW. This had gone through 3 critiques and was written in February. I never send anything out that is this young, but loved the MS and wanted feedback, so I did dedicate time. However, the fact is, it didn't have time to bake, and was still showing. This was a good reminder that you can not RUSH the process.
So if you write something great, don't send it out, yet. Wait a month, revisit it. Then, put it away a few weeks, edit it again. THEN, put it away a few weeks more. Do this until you can not find anything else wrong with it. Do NOT look at it the day after, or a week after. You need to forget about it, so when you look at it, it is like looking at someone else's work.

*Do not write your query letter in third person. Let you shine through.

Here are some of her notes on my MS:
*Not sure about format. Seems like a picture book, but the language is older. Mismatch.Wow! Such an eye opener. Who are you writing too? And yes, my audience is 6 - 8, so it's on the line. I was hoping for an older kid PB, but was a little off on my judgement.

*HOOK:  Lots of funny things! I liked it. Good characterization.
This is huge for me. I challenged myself last year to begin writing character driven stories.

*WRITING: Lots of great details/ingredients! A little undercooked.
Oh-oh, can't rush art! Even when other things are in place.




Remember, publishing is about people! Make sure they know you, and make sure you know them!

Publishing meets Amazon

The second speaker for our conference was Marilyn Brigham, editor from Marshall Cavendish. It was very interesting hearing her speak, especially since they were just bought up by Amazon.com.

Was she scared? At first. But she feels it is a good thing. And YES, they are still going to sell hard copies, as well as ebooks. Only the children's division was sold. She said Amazon is not getting their hands dirty in their day to day business, which is important, so you don't have to worry about the branding changing.

My favorite quote from her is:
"Take risks." She said that a lot. She wants writers to write what they want to write, and she wants to read it.

Important tidbits:

*Consistency. Very important in every genre. Don't start with a red car and end with it being blue, unless your MC paints it. If you have a rhythm, keep it. Don't change format, or voice. Keep it consistant.
*They do not buy board books
*They do not need picture books (but you can send them, just know it's a hard sell)
*Don't need Young Adult
*They want: Stand Alone Middle Grade Fiction!!!!!!!
*For chapter book series, they want a strong voice, strong character and strong hook

Writing is hard work!!!! (yes, yes it is. Actually the first draft is easy, it's the editing that I think is hard work, and making sure you let your MS simmer instead of sending it out right away).

And I will end with her quote:

"Take every chance you can get to get published!"
ie: Take risks!

Writer's Conference

OK, if you are a writer, and you haven't been to a writer's conference or workshop, think about what type of writer you are. Are you a hobby writer (just for fun) or do you want to be a professional writer? As with any profession, you have to move your knowledge forward. The best way to do this is to join a writer's group, and keep informed on when their events are.

If you write children's books, SCBWI.org is the perfect place to start. Each state has something going on, or you can travel for regional conferences. Invest in yourself and go. You will learn so much.

So let's start with the Iowa SCBWI Conference in Bettendorf that I attended last weekend.

I drove almost 6 hours on a beautiful sunny day from South Dakota to go. I stopped at the Family Museum to do some research for a children's museum we are building in Sioux City, and then headed to the Lodge, where the conference takes place. Part of attending conferences is getting to know other authors. I had the privilege of going to dinner with Barbara, Barbara, and Barbara.

The conference started bright and early with Brett Wright, the assistant editor from Bloomsbury.

Here are my takeaways:

*Find a hook for your book!
*Catch the reader's attention right away. (First pages are vital to getting your book published! Start where the story starts, not at the beginning of the character's life or day.)
*First sentence! Though Brett will read the first 20 pages before he says "no."
*Create a sample sell sheet, see below to know what you need. This will help you sell your book and show you have thought it out. The information can be used in your query.
*Middle Grade should be 30,000 to 40,000 words.
*A long synopsis is a no-no.
*Proper formatting is a must!


SELL SHEET:
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Handle: 1 line description about the book
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Selling Points

Books it will compete with, and/or compares to:
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Check back later for more tips from the writer's conference, including questions to ask yourself before you start writing!

Poetry Finals!

When I entered the March Madness Poetry Contest, I never expected to make it to the Final 2. I was hoping to just make it past Round 1. Somehow I kept winning, and now it's the last, and most challenging round yet!

The person who I beat out last round (Greg Pincus, who is an amazing writer) got to pick out my seed word for this round. I had 36 hours to write a poem using this word.

Here is my word:
Impecunious

Don't ask me how to pronounce it.

First thing I did was google it. I learned it means Penniless. So I automatically thought of my poor child, who always wants to spend money. To be without a penny.... were the first words that came to me. You see, I was feeling very sorry for my poor child who always wants things (who happens to have many pennies saved, but would never admit it.) So I wrote.

See how needy he is?

My poem took me in the direction of making this not so overly dramatic child work for the money they need to buy a video game. 

I wanted to keep it child friendly, not overly long, and dramatic. If you read it aloud, be sure to do it with lots of drama in your voice.

So you can go check out this poem, and my competitors Bovine poem, at http://www.thinkkidthink.com/bovine-vs-impecunious/

Voting goes until 9 pm Thursday night.

Then be sure to go through and read the past poems we've written.

I was blessed with the words:

*Forensic
*Pummeled
*Eclectic
*Serendipity

It's been a blast! I'm honored to have made it this far. We will see how I do against a farting balloon.

"April Fool, Phyllis," An Interview with a Book.

From the LaCroix Family Home:

I'm here with Phyllis! Phyllis is the star of "April Fool, Phyllis" written by Susanna Leonard Hill and illustarted by Jeffrey Ebbeler.

When Phyllis first got here, she told me "I need to rest." So she found a pillow and took a nap. She woke up in time for a bedtime story with Billy. Then she cuddled up on her own and went to sleep.


When I asked her for an interview, she told me play first, talk later.

After she played, she made new friends.

Then, she finally agreed to an interview with Sherlock (above).

So Phyllis, tell me, what is it like to be a travelling book?

It's great! I'm going all over the world visiting different families, states and countries! It's wonderful to see how much fun a book have!

Why April Fool's Day when there are so many holidays?
Because it's my favorite. There is nothing better then a laugh. I like to have fun. And it's great that no one knows if you are telling the truth that day.

Tell me about the Scavenger Hunt in the book.
Every year we get to go on one. I love looking at clues and finding the treasure. Don't you think the treasure in this book is worth waiting for?

I do Phyllis!

So Sherlock, tell me what you liked about the book.

Wait, I thought I was the one asking questions.

Yes, yes you were. Now I am. Really, it's been a long trip, and I want to know.

Well, I loved the way everyone worked together to prank each other, and how they all ended up being the fool. And I loved the Scavenger Hunt. I have to admit, some of the clues really had me, they were good! I think all families will want to read this again and again, all months of the year.

Why thank you Sherlock.

Thank you Phyllis for visiting us!

There you have it! Don't you love how polite she is? She is now off to the East Coast for the next part of her tour!