Now that I am back from rehabbing, both on my manuscripts and on my lower back for running, I see they both take the same trajectory. For each, I have a support group of 3 people. Three people in my critique group, and three people for early morning runs along the marsh and bay. Both groups are an endless source…
SCBWI is a wonderful organization of talented volunteers. I am biased. I think our region has among the best. We have some terrific programs starting off the year for writers and illustrators to learn, hone their craft, and get inspired to keep on plugging (as we all know that there is not a lot of money in children's lit unless…
I'm excited about this new assignment - a short article about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. I loved the research. I checked out every book from the children's library section in our county - some were good, some were okay, and some were downright boring. How could this be boring? So here is my short list of top…
It's been pretty crazy since our terrific, super crowded conference in October, 2012. I think it took the conference team a month or more to recover. We ended the year with two more fun events in December, one free for members at the lovely, historic Depot Bookstore & Cafe in Mill Valley, and the other event in Walnut Creek featuring…
This article is close to my heart. While I have visited my family over the many, many years they have lived in Australia, it was this article that immersed me into the true depth of the Aboriginal belief system. My family has toured me along many of the wonderful sites in Melbourne, along with the incredible museums. I've viewed Aboriginal…
COMING SOON in FACES magazine, The Dreamtime of Australia’s Aborigines. I collaborated with my sister, Linda Weil, Australian wildlife artist, on this article. What a great opportunity for me to talk with her about this article and her experiences.
I've had one children's manuscript done for a bit. But to get my elevator pitch down to a succinct, compelling, "I want to know more" one or two lines just bedevils me. (October Halloween talk). I write it, practice it, memorize it, rewrite it, re-memorize, and it goes on and on. I love my characters. I should let them give…
Well that tells you right off the bat that there are problems. There are no perfect queries. Yes there are. The queries that sell the manuscripts. So that's it! The query is your short ad or sales pitch, without sounding like you're a sales person. The query road is short, long, winding, and can trap you or free you. There…
We have a great region and I have had a blast working with Margaret Speaker Yuan as her assistant regional adviser for over 4 years. She is a super hard worker, like I am, and we have got a region of terrific volunteers. When a SCBWI region reaches a certain size (like pretty big in membership) the region may split…
My naturalist class has been pretty amazing. I found out its okay and cool to stop & do journal notes. Usually I am running or hiking with specific objectives. Always goal oriented. Plus the inaturalist.org website engages citizen naturalists and pro's in identifying animals, plants and more. What a great new social media -- engaging in the discovery of nature…