My Favorite Time of Year

Autumn has always been my very favorite time of year. The colorful foliage and cooler temperatures energize me and stimulate my creative impulses. Over the last four years, I’ve particularly enjoyed participating in some fall writing contests for children’s picture book authors. One is the Fall Writing Frenzy Contest hosted by author Lydia Lukidis andContinue reading “My Favorite Time of Year”

From the Mouths of Babes

This month, I had the great pleasure of attending my first SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) conference. It was a regional meeting for the Midwest held in Davenport, Iowa – a 3-day affair featuring presentations by outstanding published children’s authors, literary agents, and publishers. Attending all the informative sessions made me feelContinue reading “From the Mouths of Babes”

Spring in Full Swing

Here in Illinois, tulips and daffodils are poking their way through the soil. Once again, our weeks are filled with the typical gamut of weather experiences – frost in the mornings, rainy days, high winds, and temperatures that fluctuate between 23 and 80 degrees. One of my favorite parts of this transitional time between seasonsContinue reading “Spring in Full Swing”

It’s That Time Again

It’s hard to believe we are smack in the middle of December already. Where does the time go? One event that many kidlit authors look forward to this month is author Susanna Leonard Hill’s annual Holiday Writing Contest. What makes Hill’s contest so much fun, and challenging is that each year we are given aContinue reading “It’s That Time Again”