Will You Marry My Manuscript?

21. May 2012 · 10 comments

One of the things I enjoyed best about the Highlights Foundation workshop was that the focus was on creating, taught by creators.  Sometimes focusing too much on submissions and publication can get in the way of allowing creativity to flow.

However, on the evening of our last dinner, Boyds Mills Press Executive Editor Liz Van Doren talked with us informally about the submission process.

She likened receiving a submission as an invitation to go on a date.  Nobody goes on a first date hoping they’ll never want to see the person again.  There’s always the hope that the first date will be enjoyable enough to go on a second date.  In other words, she doesn’t look at submissions with a goal of rejection, but always with a hope of a spark – one that might lead to a match.

She’s looking for an answer to the question, “Do I want to take this manuscript out on a second date?”  If so, she would then contact the author and they would begin a discussion.

Liz said she then has to decide if she loves that manuscript enough to marry it, because that is akin to the kind of commitment she needs to make to bring that book into the world. From seeing the manuscript for the first time to the book hitting the shelves, publishing a book takes three to five years.  In that span of time, an editor will probably read the manuscript more than 100 times.  S/he will defend that manuscript in editorial and sales meetings, and do everything in his/her power to ensure it is successful.  If the love isn’t there, the book will suffer.

We as writers need to remember that just as two perfectly great people might meet and not end up marrying, so too can great manuscripts get rejected by an agent or editor who just doesn’t have “that lovin’ feeling.”

Here’s an even more important question to ask.  Do YOU want to marry your manuscript?  If not, it’s probably best to just “be friends” with it and move on to a manuscript that is marriage material.  Because as much as an editor ultimately has to love it, the writer has to love it even more.  The writer has to be so smitten and determined that s/he will go to the ends of the earth (and then some) to find that manuscript’s soul mate.

The writer’s relationship to the manuscript begins with the first draft.  Add to that the number of years it takes to find its home, THEN add the 3-5 years to publication, and THEN add at least a couple of years of marketing and promotion, countless numbers of readings in various venues and the fact that you will forever be connected to that book.

So, are you ready to say, “I DO?”

Categories: Books, Children's Books, Picture Books, Poetry, Publishing, Queries, Writing · Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Gratitude Sunday 82

20. May 2012 · 22 comments

Photo entitled, "Jerry Spinelli held my boot while Eileen laughed."

This week’s post is mostly about the Highlights Foundation Poetry for All workshop I attended this week.

I’m sure all book lovers can appreciate the thrill of meeting writers whom you’ve long loved and admired.  This week was no exception.  It started by riding from the airport to the property with David Harrison.  I confessed to him how nervous I was, and and he gave me every reassurance that I was in the right (and in my rightful) place.  Next came Rebecca Kai Dotlich- her smile was the first thing I saw when I walked into the barn, and her voice raised in welcome was the first thing I heard.  When I managed to stammer

Rebecca's smiling face :-)

out the fact that I am a huge fan, she humbly accepted the compliment and

then immediately began to inquire after my own writing.  Finally there was Eileen Spinelli, soft-spoken and humble (and who brought Jerry Spinelli along!).  I choked up when I told Eileen what her book WHEN MAMA COMES HOME TONIGHT meant to me as a full-time working mother after my daughter was born – before writing books for children was even a twinkle in my eye. She in turn said words about my own writing that made me cry again (later, and in a good way).

So this post is dedicated to these three people, who are as gracious and kind as they are talented. AND to the 20 fellow writers I was privileged enough to work with over the four days.  I am honored now to count you among my friends.

Quotes on Gratitude

“We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of the world.” — Jack Gilbert

“Accept — then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it… This will miraculously change your whole life.” — Eckhart Tolle

“Grace and gratitude go together like heaven and earth.” – Karl Barth

Gratitude list for the week ending May 19

  1. Eileen Spinelli told me that a manuscript I had stopped working on two years ago, one which is close to my heart, should NOT be put in a drawer.  I am now happily revising it again with renewed hope for its future.
  2. Rekindling my love of poetry and letting go of my fear of writing it
  3. The profound and complete silence in the cabins at nighttime. Except for the steady rain.
  4. The fact that Jerry Spinelli came with Eileen Spinelli – an amazing author two-fer!
  5. The food gourmet chef Marcia made for us. What a treat!
  6. Getting a tour of the Highlights office. I’ve loved the magazine since I was a girl, so that was a special thrill.

    Our fearless leaders, plus Rebecca Davis and Melanie Hall

  7. The fellow poets who attended the retreat. It’s fair to say we were like family by the time we said our goodbyes on Thursday.
  8. Coming home with seven FREE books of children’s poetry
  9. Working with three of the best poets in children’s literature for four whole days!
  10. My daughter, inspired by Eileen’s TEA PARTY TODAY: POEMS TO SIP AND SAVOR, set up a little mother-daughter tea party on Saturday morning before I was even awake.

Backdrop decoration for Mother-Daughter tea party

What are you grateful for this week?

Categories: Authors, Children's Books, Creativity, Friendship, Gratitude Sunday, Picture Books, Poetry, Publishing, Travel, Works in Progress, Writing · Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Random Acts of Kindness for Writers

19. May 2012 · 52 comments

Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi over at The Bookshelf Muse have decided to celebrate the release of their book, THE EMOTION THESAURUS, not by asking lots of people to buy the book but by giving back to other writers.  They declared this week, Celebrate Writers through Random Acts of Kindness.

This writing community of ours never ceases to amaze me with its generosity, so although I am a bit late to the game, I had to participate.

Leave a comment on this post between now and 11:59 EST on Wednesday, May 23rd and you will be entered to win a BRAND NEW copy of ANY ebook or paperback (as in physical) book on the craft of writing – winner’s choice.  That means whichever writing book you most wish to own, whichever one is calling you the most, can be yours.

Follower or not, this giveaway is open to anyone.  Consider this my way of thanking all the writers who have supported me along my way, the many of you who take the time to read my ramblings on this blog, those who took on the 12 x 12 challenge with me, and any newcomers who decided to stop by my blog this week and give it a chance.  I appreciate you all!

Categories: 12 x 12 in 2012, Authors, Books, ebooks, Friendship, Giveaway, Writing · Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

The Sound of Silence

18. May 2012 · 31 comments

Our cabins near the woods in the morning mist

When was the last time you sat in pure silence for any length of time?

I didn’t realize how long it had been for me until I attended a Highlights Foundation Workshop this week in Honesdale, PA.  We had no cell phone service and the Internet was down for the first day.

I had my own little cabin set against the woods.  I would have expected to hear ambient noise coming from the Barn or chatter from people staying in the adjacent cabins.  But no. Nothing but the sound of steady rain on the roof.

A thick silence.  A silence that takes up residence and fills all the space within and around you. A silence with weight and texture.  This silence made me remember that there is a universe of difference between “quiet” and “silent.”

Just think of how much noise we assimilate – barely even hear anymore.  Dogs barking, phones ringing, cars driving by, neighbors mowing their lawns, washing machines churning, dishwashers swooshing.  The list goes on and on, and these don’t even include noise from the people that inhabit our lives.

In Honesdale, ALL of this noise was absent.  It was the first time in weeks I could “hear” myself think, but ironically I had no desire to. I had no desire to DO anything except feel the silence.  I wanted to live in it and merge with it.  Ultimately I did.  I slept so deeply that each morning when I woke up, it took me a few moments not just to remember where I was, but also who I was.  I wouldn’t want to live that way all the time, but it sure did make me realize how special and importance silence is to the spirit and the creative process.

Here is a poem I wrote the first night.  It came to me fully-formed.  I shared it on Facebook, but since then I’ve made a few revisions, and now I like it even more.

In Silence

My room
My rain
My desk
My door
My bed
My book
My fan
My floor.
I lay here
Alone
Alone
Alone
No call of a voice,
No ring of a phone
The weight of my flesh
Attached to my bone.
The beat of my heart
A circle to start –
My.
Self.

Categories: Creativity, Poetry, Spirituality, Travel, Writing · Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Perfect Picture Book Friday: Bun Bun Button

18. May 2012 · 14 comments

Bun Bun Button

Written and Illustrated by Patricia Polacco

Putnam Juvenile, October, 2011

Suitable for: Ages 3+

Themes/Topics: Special Toys/Objects, Loss, Grandparents, Multigenerational

Opening/Synopsis: From Publishers Weekly: After Gramma makes Paige a calico bunny that the girl christens Bun Bun Button, Paige ties it to a helium balloon and it flies away. Her grandmother consoles her with the idea that the wind might blow it back (“We Darlings are lucky, after all”). Although Bun Bun’s homecoming strains credulity, Polacco isn’t overly concerned with reality—this is, after all, a world in which Gramma’s pets stand up on hind legs and dance in unison to celebrate the stuffed animal’s return. Rather, Polacco offers a cozy ode to the inherent magic in a visit with a grandparent.

Activities:  Here is another spot-on and lovely review of Bun Bun Button. One great activity for this book would be to do sewing crafts with the kiddos to make a stuffed bunny.  Or, if like me, you absolutely do not sew, here is a super easy way to make a stuffed bunny from plastic grocery bags!

Why I Like This Book: Every once in a while you serendipitously come across a book that speaks to your heart in a special way. That’s Bun Bun Button for me.  My nickname for my son is Bun Bun (or sometimes just ‘Bun’).  He got the nickname because from the age of 5 months old he has been in love with a very special – you guessed it – toy bunny.  The first time we read this story about a little girl losing her precious bunny, I looked at my son and noticed he was holding his breath. It was “love at first read” for both of us.  An added bonus is the beautiful portrayal of the love between a child and a grandparent.

For more fantastic picture books and resources please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog and find the tab for Perfect Picture Books.

Categories: Authors, Perfect Picture Book Friday, Picture Books · Tags: , , ,

Tuesday 12 x 12: Heather Newman

15. May 2012 · 46 comments

As a person who can barely draw a stick figure, I am in awe of illustrators with Heather’s talent, and I’ve learned so much about the art of illustrating picture books from her blog.  I especially enjoy her Work in Progress Wednesdays, where she shows us the progression of her art from sketches to final pieces.  I know much about the writer’s process but none about an illustrators, so it’s been quite illuminating.  Please welcome Heather!

My life today doesn’t look the way I imagined it years ago. Whose does? When David and I started our family, we agreed I would stay home to take care of our boys with the understanding that I would actively pursue my career when the kids went to school and were older, more independent people. Fifteen years later, we choose to homeschool and have children who will need our support for the rest of their lives. A good life, but not exactly what I had planned. Last fall I determined it was finally time to see if I could  find a balance between my kid’s needs and my own desire to write and illustrate. I had absolutely no idea where to start.

Enter the 12X12 Challenge. I heard about it from Loni Edwards, a fellow illustrator and writer, and thought it would be a good tool to get me motivated to create again. The challenge could offer a relaxed accountability, perhaps a bit of community throughout the year. It has turned out to be so much more than I ever expected!

The vast amount of information shared on participant blogs and the 12X12 facebook page has offered a quick education in all things involving the art and business of children’s book publishing. It’s a crash course in marketing, query letters, pitch writing, finding the right agent, social networking, the changing face of publishing, ebooks, editing and revising. Instead of floundering through the internet trying to figure out the best blogs and reference books with my limited time, my 12X12 peers offer excellent suggestions and recommendations on a daily basis.

I enjoy reading the blogs of our diverse group of participants. I may not comment often due to time restraints, but I am reading, laughing, commiserating and learning. This group offers a positive, friendly support network of published and unpublished writers. A community that shares a passion for children’s literature. People that are willing to help out with any question or project brought their way. I have found a wonderful critique group (#4!) through the 12X12 facebook page to thoughtfully help me hone my rusty writing skills. It mitigates the feeling of isolation that so often comes along with this profession.

Participating in this challenge with it’s gentle accountability has changed the way I approach my work, as well. Instead of treating it as some precious hothouse orchid needing a very narrow set of conditions to survive (a certain time of day, David being home, a quiet space that never materializes), I treat it like a dandelion that thrives anywhere it lands. The desk in the corner of our living room is my workspace and I write, draw and paint in between answering questions, fixing snacks, projects and listening to my boys talk about their interests. Art is now woven into my daily life. It needs to be or it will never have the opportunity to happen. My sons have picked up on my newly found joy and often draw and write alongside me. Of course, there are days when their needs fill all of my time and yes, it’s very discouraging when that happens for several days in a row, but this balancing act is my life for the indefinite future. I can choose to accept it and work with where I am or I can make myself unhappy fighting what cannot be changed. No one wants to live with a miserable person, so I choose acceptance.

The support and enthusiasm of the 12X12 participants makes that acceptance easier. Thank you all for sharing your passions and thank you, Julie, for starting something so wonderful.

Heather Newman has been drawing since she was big enough to hold a pencil and her prized possession as a young girl was a large box of blank essay books,  perfect for writing and illustrating stories or drawing her own images for favorite stories. Creating art continues to bring her great joy over 30 years later and her favorite projects involve work for children.  After spending a little over a year having many grand adventures traveling the country in an RV with her family, Heather found her dream home in the woods of Maine.  She lives with her husband, three sons, two friendly mutts and a slightly grumpy, geriatric cat.

She can be found at http://www.heathernewman.net/  and http://hnewmanart.blogspot.com/  Her recent work has included illustrating both Cody Greene and the Rainbow Mystery by Linda Fields and The Howling Vowels by Leslie Schultz, from Do Life Right Publishing in 2011.

 

Categories: 12 x 12 in 2012, Guest Blogging, Picture Books, Works in Progress, Writing · Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Gratitude Sunday 81

13. May 2012 · 13 comments

First of all, Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there.  I am ever grateful both for my two amazing children and my own wonderful mother. We celebrated a day early since I am flying to Honesdale, PA today for a Highlights Poetry workshop. Five full days to write and read in a cabin in the woods – how grateful can one woman be? :-)

My favorite gratitude moment this week happened on Friday evening. Jay and I were reading together.  The house was quiet except for the rain outside.  We decided to read Simeon’s Gift by Julie Andrews Edwards and Emma Walton Hamilton.  We have a CD that accompanies the book with Julie Andrews reading the story and lovely piano music as background.  Jay sat on my lap and we got started. Well, the combination of a long week at school, the cloudy evening, the rain on the roof and Julie Andrews’ soothing voice became too much for him and he fell asleep.  He is six years old, so it’s been a long time since he’s fallen asleep right on my lap.  Once the story was over, I sat and listened to the rain while I held him as he slept. One of the most peaceful moments I’ve had in a while.

Of course, we had to listen to the story again after dinner so Jay could find out what happened to Simeon! :-)

Quotes on Gratitude

In lieu of specific quotes on gratitude, this week, in honor of Mother’s Day, I share this passage from The Prophet by Khalil Gibran which I thought especially beautiful and appropriate.

 Your children are not your children.

     They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.

     They come through you but not from you,

     And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

     You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

     For they have their own thoughts.

     You may house their bodies but not their souls,

     For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

     You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

     For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

     You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

     The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

     Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;

     For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable. 

Gratitude list for the week ending May 12

  1. Margareaders meeting – at my house this time. Discussion: The Hunger Games. Very fun evening.
  2. My mother, for having the kids spend the night at her house so that I could host aforesaid Margareaders meeting.
  3. Good friends, in all the forms they come in, who supported me in many different ways this week.
  4. Em had her “flying up” ceremony from Brownies to Junior Girl Scouts.
  5. A Saturday Mother’s Day celebration, since I leave for a Highlights workshop today. Yoga, hot bath, hot tea, homemade gifts from the kids, a nap, a dinner that I didn’t cook accompanied by nice red wine.  I’d call that a perfect Mother’s Day.
  6. A sound night’s sleep on Friday night. The first in quite a long time.
  7. My kids! Every mother’s day I reflect on how fortunate I am to be blessed with these beautiful people in my life.
  8. A check in the mail for an article I wrote.
  9. KT’s BBQ
  10. Maurice Sendak. All writers, illustrators and readers of children’s literature owe him a debt of gratitude. I appreciate his honesty and authenticity, his unwillingness to compromise his art for the sake of the market. His insistence that we recognize children for the intelligent, complex beings that they are – that we not write down to them or assume they don’t know everything adults know.  I thank him for asking the questions and then spending his life trying to answer them in his art.  We all are the beneficiaries of that inquiry.

What are you grateful for this week?

Categories: Family, Friendship, Gratitude Sunday, Writing · Tags: , , , , , , ,

Perfect Picture Book Friday: The Night Before Mother’s Day

11. May 2012 · 11 comments

Today’s PPBF selection is from Natasha Wing, the latest victim participant in the How I Got My Agent series.  With the “big day” referenced in this book coming up on Sunday, I think it’s a great choice for this week! :-)

Twas the Night Before Mother’s Day

Written by Natasha Wing

Grosset & Dunlap, March, 2010

Suitable for: Ages 3+

Themes/Topics: Mother’s Day, Holidays, Family, Gifts

Opening/Synopsis: I personally think this opening speaks for itself:

‘Twas the night before Mother’s Day when as quiet as a mouse, 

Dad told us his plan to get Mom out of the house.

Her sneakers were set by the doorway with care, 

In hopes that her running pals soon would be there. 

Then Mom in her sweatsuit and red baseball cap, 

Plugged in her earphones and jogged off in a snap.

Activities:  As a mother, my recommended activities would be to have the Dads get their kids to bake mom a cake, make her cards and give her a home spa, inclusive of a foot rub!  It would also be fun to compare Wing’s poem about Mother’s Day to Clement C. Moore’s Christmas original.  Where does the author use similar language and references and where does she deviate?  This link features many literacy and writing activities using the book as a starting point.

Why I Like This Book: Well, I’m a mom, and I want to be able to go for a run, come home to a brunch and homemade cake and cards and later have a home spa prepared for me by my husband and children! :-)  In all seriousness though, children love any and all holidays, which is why I think this “Twas” series that Natasha has created is so wonderful.  I remember getting so excited for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and readying my little handmade gifts that I’d poured my heart into.  These kind of holidays (and books) are reminders that its family and the everyday people that are truly worth celebrating.

For more fantastic picture books and resources please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog and find the tab for Perfect Picture Books.

Categories: Perfect Picture Book Friday, Picture Books, Rhyming · Tags: , , , , ,

How I Got My Agent: Natasha Wing

10. May 2012 · 15 comments

I realize that ever since the 12 x 12 in 2012 challenge went live, the “How I Got My Agent” series has been a bit stagnant.  Well, no more! Today I breathe new life into the series by welcoming Natasha Wing, a fellow Colorado author.  Natasha is the wildly successful author of the “The Night Before” series, with Halloween, Easter, New Year’s and Mother’s Day just a few of the titles available.  What is even more exciting is that her latest book in the series — THE NIGHT BEFORE FATHER’S DAY — releases today!  I am so glad to host Natasha and not only hear her agent story, but also help celebrate her book birthday!  Welcome Natasha!

Natasha, how long had you been writing before seeking an agent, and what made you decide it was time to look for one? What kind of research did you do before submitting? 

I had been writing for about 5 years and decided I needed an agent when I discovered that I had accepted less for my advance than I should have. The other thing I was looking for in an agent was to head off rejection letters. Didn’t like getting those in the mail. So I got the name of an agent from a friend and submitted to her after publishing my first book, but the agency didn’t take me, even though we had a mutual friend! In all fairness, they wanted to see that I had published more than one book. The other agent I contacted was through a movie industry friend’s agency, but they weren’t interested either. So I put looking on hold until I had more books.

The Night Before series are rhyming books, and we always hear that agents and editors don’t want rhyming manuscripts.  How did you break that particular barrier?

It was a personal challenge when I took a class at a university about writing for children and the instructor said don’t submit rhyming stories, so I set out to prove him wrong and sold Hippity Hop, Frog on Top, my first book – a counting book that rhymed. With the Night Before series, I wasn’t submitting original rhymes so to speak, because it was based on a poem that had been part of our culture for over 100 years, so it was an accepted form of storytelling. I just put my twist on it.

Likewise, editors and agents often say not to pitch book series. How did you come up with the idea for the T’was the Night series? Did it start as one book or did you always plan it as a series? 

It began as one book, The Night Before Easter. I thought, yeah! I sold a bunny book! And that’s all I thought would come of it. But I have a very astute editor at Grosset & Dunlap – Jane O’Connor of Fancy Nancy fame – who saw that sales went well for the Easter book, and asked me to write a Halloween version, then a Valentine’s Day version, then later we added school-related themes. It’s the series that keeps on giving! So no, it wasn’t planned, and you can see by the number of illustrators who have illustrated along the way that the style wasn’t pre-planned either. Fortunately, there is a connective feel to the art that ties the books together. Now Grosset & Dunlap is using Amy Wummer exclusively, and I enjoy her art. Today, The Night Before Father’s Day is being released, and another one, The Night Before My Birthday, is in the works. So this series has sort of defined my place in the children’s book industry.

How did you know your agent was “the one?”

I met my agent at a conference in New Orleans quite accidentally. I had a major migraine (which I never get), but I wanted to go to the Newbery dinner so I forced myself to attend. After the dinner, I was hanging out in the lobby and happened to be standing next to Linda Pratt who at the time was representing Sheldon Fogelman Agency. We started talking and she asked me to submit samples and a career goal summary. I wasn’t actively looking for an agent, but I wanted to take the submission part off my shoulders, so I submitted to Linda. Her agency accepted me. That was 1999 and we’re still together – I followed her to her new agency, Wernick & Pratt. I knew she was “the one” because she was very calm and patient, and smart and willing to listen. She also “gets” me and knows how to motivate me and unlock my blocks. So it’s like having a friend who gives you unconditional love without judgment. Plus she’s been in the business for longer than I have so I trust her insight.

Has your writing process changed since signing with an agent?

Well, I just talked to my agent this morning, and after 20 years of writing, I apparently still need some direction and reining in! I tend to write whatever moves me: picture books, concept books, biographies, middle grade, easy reads…you get the picture. So it’s hard for me to focus on one genre and develop a Natasha Wing niche. The only thing that comes close is my Night Before series where I’ve jokingly dubbed myself The Night Before Queen. But that grew organically so it’s not something I planned. With an agent though, I write more freely without the dred of getting rejection letters out of the blue or dealing with having to research where to send the manuscript next. That part I always hated because it took away some of my energy from writing. I also try to write in a more directed way now. If I know an editor is looking for a certain type of story, I can cater it to her in hopes that she will contract it. No guarantees these days! So I guess I would say that I write with more purpose and direction, yet if you ask Linda, she might not agree! I can be like an ADD puppy sometimes who wants to fetch every opportunity!

What advice would you give to picture book writers looking for agents today? 

Have a variety of picture books ready, don’t bank on just one to land an agent. He or she needs to see that you’re serious and a career writer, not a hobby writer. The agent will get a better idea of your writing style if you have more manuscripts to show. One other way to show that you are serious about your career is to join the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators or Children’s Book Insider.

What’s up next/what are you working on now?

I work on several things at the same time because they are in various stages of completion. Right now I am researching a new biography, waiting to hear if I still need to revise end notes for my upcoming biography on Jackie O, rewriting the first chapter (for the millionth time) of a middle grade novel, and fleshing out a middle grade underwater fantasy. That plus promoting my new book, The Night Before Father’s Day. This year I actually wrote out a list of goals and it feels good to check stuff off.

As a fellow Coloradan, what is your favorite place to visit in Colorado and why?

I love Rocky Mountain National Park in any season for its beauty and wildlife. My husband and I have so many more trails to check out still. I also love skiing at Steamboat Springs and Copper Mountain. And we always find ourselves in Old Town Fort Collins for happy hours. We’ve only been here two years, so there’s lots more to explore!

Natasha Wing has been writing children’s books for 20 years and has 21 books to her name. Her best-selling Night Before series regularly makes best-seller lists. An Eye for Color: The Story of Josef Albers was an ALA Notable. She is the Picture Book Expert for Children’s Book Insider and a mentor for Rocky Mountain SCBWI. Like her on Facebook at Fans of Natasha Wing books (https://www.facebook.com/natashawingbooks), or read Natasha’s News at www.natashawing.com. Natasha also does free Skype visits to schools.

Categories: Authors, Guest Blogging, How I Got My Agent, Picture Books, Publishing, Rhyming, SCBWI · Tags: , , , , , , ,

April 12 x 12 Winners!

09. May 2012 · 23 comments

First of all, let me thank you all for your patience with this announcement.  I usually post winners on the 2nd of the month, but real life prevented me from doing that this month.

Nonetheless, with FOUR fabulous prizes to give away from our FOUR fabulous April authors, I think it’s worth waiting for. ;-)

Once again a huge thanks to our April Author-Palooza participants.  It was so much fun to put together, and it’s nice to be able to award four prizes this time.

Now onto the winners!

The winner of the critique from author Jennifer Ward is… CARRIE FINISON!!

The winner of the critique from author Linda Ravin Lodding is… MELISSA MEAD!!!

The winner of Sandy Asher’s book, WRITING IT RIGHT: How Successful Children’s Authors Perfect and Sell Their Stories is… WILL ORSER!!

The winner of the critique from author Susanna Leonard Hill is… MARY JO GUGLIEMO!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to all the winners!!  Please leave me a comment with your email address so I can get that information to our April author contributors.  

 

Categories: 12 x 12 in 2012, Authors, Giveaway, Goals, Picture Books · Tags: , , , , ,
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