Today, I woke up to the exciting news that my little story A PENGUIN'S DREAM flew into the hearts of some of the judges for Vivian Kirkfield's 50 Precious Words contest! Many thanks to Vivian and all of the judges who put time and effort into this contest. This contest really makes you consider every single word in your story and to make them count!
A Penguin’s Dream Living in a wetsuit, my feathers are short, stiff. Waterproof. My wings are flippers. Built for gliding through seawater. Not air. I’m flightless. But, what if I could… FLY! Soar somewhere sunny, perching in a treetop, near the clouds. Swimming is swell. But in my dreams, the sky’s the limit.
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I am thrilled to announce that one of my manuscripts was selected by Mindy Alyse Weiss and her team of judges for the #PB Party Showcase for 2024. This year, there were 1,100 entries and 55 writer finalists selected and 25 author/illustrators. It is an honor to be in this group of talented people. I am blown away by the generosity and kindness of Mindy and her team of judges. They are genuinely so happy to be doing this contest despite all of the work and effort they put into it. Mindy helps people's dreams come true every year through PB Party. The writing community is the best!
Something strange was happening at Cucumonga Campground. Legend had it that a creature lurked in the lake. A fearsome, ferocious, frightening creature. Some said it swallowed canoes. Campers. Even whales. WHOLE!
Coming soon...THE QUACKEN by Justin Colon and Pablo Pino. Justin Colon is one of the most generous people in the industry. Years ago, he created the PB chat mentorship in which I was part of in 2022- a free mentorship where aspiring authors work with experienced industry mentors to improve their craft. He also offers a critique service specializing in pitches. Because of Justin's efforts, so many writers have had incredible opportunities. THE QUACKEN comes out in 2024, but is available for pre-order at the link below. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Quacken/Justin-Colon/9781665922487 Congrats, Justin! Some amazing news to share! Last week, I had the honor of being chosen by Elisa Boxer as a mentee this summer for the #PBChat mentorship program 2022! This is an annual mentorship hosted by Justin Colon on twitter.
This summer, I will be able to work on my writing goals with Elisa and improve my craft. In September, I can participate in a showcase to display my writing among editors and agents. I am so excited to get started! I'd like to add that I've applied to this program before. I've participated in many, many contests, and sent countless queries. Nothing but lots and lots of rejections. So writers, if you weren't selected this year, KEEP GOING! I am living proof that if you don't give up, keep writing, keep revising, keep submitting and putting yourself out there, your yes is coming too! This year is all about the contests! I am excited to take part in another contest for kid lit writers. Thank you Kaitlyn and Ciara for hosting the Spring Fling Kid Lit Contest. Below is my entry which is 133 words. "Wake Me Up in Spring"
The wind howled. The snow flurried. "It's time," said Bear. "Wake me up in Spring." He stretched his paws high in the air, snuggled up with his favorite "Teddy cat", and listened to some relaxing beach sounds. He closed one eye and then the other. It didn't take long until Bear was out cold. And then he slept...through December's holidays, through January's new year... Through lovey dovey February... and into March. Then finally, one April day... Bear opened one eye. "Is it spring yet, Teddy cat?" His tummy growled, as if to say, "YES!" He crept out of his cave. Blades of grass peeked through the ground. Flowers bloomed and bees buzzed. Snow was a distant memory. Bear's nose twitched, his throat itched. His eyes watered. ACHOOOOOOOO! "Yes," Bear sniffled, "Spring has sprung." Over the last few years, I have enjoyed becoming more active on Twitter. I have participated in a few writing contests such as the #PB Party and #PB Chat. One of my entries was even on the runner up list last year for PB Party!
This month, I learned about a contest hosted by Vivian Kirkfield called #50Preciouswords. In short, she challenges writers to write a story appropriate for ages 12 and under with a beginning, middle and end, using 50 words or less. At first when I saw it, I was intrigued but intimidated. I didn't think I could do it. Then over February break, I went on a hike with my 6 and 4 year old children. I always enjoy taking walks through the woods with my kids. But my 4 yo has to stop every 5 feet to pick something up. By the end of the hike, her pockets are full of acorns, sticks, leaves and rocks. A 20 minute walk can end up taking an hour or more! As I lay in bed that night after our hike, I thought about how frustrated I was that our hike took so long. Upon reflecting, it really is so special how infatuated a 4yo can become with the outside world. Every leaf is dazzling to her. Every stone. I sadly realized this curiosity would not last much longer. That's when I was inspired to write LITTLE EXPLORER for the 50 precious words contest. I want to hold on to the memory of her being so captivated by the world. It is fleeting, but oh so precious. LITTLE EXPLORER (50 words) Little explorer, how the world dazzles you. Every leaf. Every acorn. Every rock. You gather them, one by one. Holding them close. Treasures from nature. Each has a story to tell. And they know you will listen. Go on, share their secrets. They don't mind… Nature’s wonders are for all. Any picture book writer knows, getting a good critique for your story is priceless. This is why I joined a critique group, not only to connect with other writers but to improve my craft. I have also invested in professional critiques which have been extremely helpful.
But what if you could get a professional critique...for free? This year, PB Spotlight is offering the chance to win a free critique from over 30 authors, illustrators, and agents. From the website: The purpose of this annual event is to celebrate the critique and revision process and to help build our kidlit community. It's my sincerest hope that new connections will be made and that actual, living, breathing books will be birthed out of this process. The festival is happening October 17th-31st. The deadline to enter the raffle will be October 31st 8PM CST. 31 winners will be randomly selected and then "paired with their person" based on information provided on the registration form. Winners will be announced throughout the day on Saturday, November 6th on Twitter, Facebook, and on a Picture Book Spotlight blog post. See www.pbspotlight.com for more info! So, what do you have to lose? Enter now! This summer I took part in a webinar through The Writing Barn called "Taking Risks when Writing Non-Fiction". I learned that in order for your NF work to stand out, sometimes you need to TAKE RISKS. Risk taking can come in many forms:
- Topic risks ( political, sad, overdone, gross, etc) - Style/Structure Risks (poetry, rhyme, repetition, different POVs, lists, etc) - Financial/Time consuming risks - Emotional subjects - Potentially getting "scooped" and - the living subject risk I didn't realize it at the time when I was taking the webinar, but I was already taking a risk with my current NF PB Bio WIP as I am writing about a living subject. As a public figure, I thought she was fair game. All summer, I've been trying to reach out to her and her siblings to see if I could ask some questions about her youth, as I haven't found much about her as a girl in my research. Well, spoiler alert... no one got back to me. Then... something amazing happened. I had also reached out to a friend of hers. A close friend and partner of hers. Well, one day I happened to check my spam mail and boom. There it was. An email response back from Resource X-- who could not have been more nice and supportive. This close friend of hers happened to be an author of some of the books I GREW UP READING. It was INCREDIBLE for me. I got to thank her and share that I have passed on down some of her books to my own daughter to read. She was an amazing resource I was excited to utilize for my story. Then, something terrible happened. I received a letter in my mailbox from a law firm representing my subject, asking that I stop reaching out to her friends and family and that she doesn't want a story written about her. That she values her privacy. I was bummed. Super disappointed. I had spent all summer researching and reaching out to primary sources. More over, I believe in the story that her life has to share. So, in this writing journey, there are risks and rewards. My risk taking led to connecting with an author who I admire. For now, I will set that project aside. I don't want to start it out with such negativity. (An official cease and desist letter-- I guess that means I'm a real NF writer then, right?) But, I don't regret the risk taking and hope in the future my risks can take me on an unexpected journey again. This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a virtual conference hosted by @TheWritingBarn for non-fiction kidlit creators. The founder, Bethany Hegedus, started off the weekend sharing the manifesto of The Writing Barn. She asked us which line stuck out the most to us and to share it in our breakout groups. Among many brilliant lines, I chose: "Creativity takes bravery." Many times as I have worked on a project, I wonder to myself, why me? Who am I to write this person's story? I have self doubted more times than I am happy to admit. But creativity takes bravery. If not for me, then who. Maybe, just maybe, I can capture this person's life in a way not seen or known before. Maybe I can show this person's story to some who may not know. It is scary and overwhelming, but I've got to start somewhere. My subjects' stories are my big WHY- why do I write? Because I believe the world should know their stories and I believe in them.
There were many lightbulb moments for me this weekend. Like when author Christina Soontornvat said, "If you can make someone feel something, you can teach them something." This really stuck with me as I am working on the emotional connections in my PB Bios. The incredible Lesa Cline-Ransome reminded us to continue to ask questions and Candace Fleming advised us to find experts who share our passions. Finally, debut author Meghan Browne shared, "Never be afraid to ask for what you need." After hearing her detail how she obtained her primary sources, I was inspired. I have been afraid to ask for favors with my writing as I feel no one owes me anything. I am nobody writing this story. But again- we all have to start somewhere. And I am going to ask my way up. Less than 24 hours after the conference, doing some online google stalking on Twitter and Facebook, I have found one primary source who is willing to talk to me and am working on connecting with another. All because I had the courage to ask. Thank you, Bethany Hegedus for a seriously life changing weekend. PS. Did I mention during the conference author Kirsten Larson retweeted me and Lesa Cline-Ransome responded to my tweet? GEEKING OUT! I've been on my writing journey for about 3 years now. Although it is a relatively short time, I am really proud of how much I've learned and how far I've come in that time. From my first (cringe-worthy) draft of my first story to this week, when I was emailed by a real live literary agent, who said she "hopes" to see my story in her inbox. This is a HUGE step for me.
This week I applied to Justin Colon's PB Chat Mentorship Program and I had to list out all of the things I've done to improve as a writer. After doing this, I realized, I am proud of the things I've done since I've started writing. I am a member of SCBWI and am an active member/volunteer of the Eastern Upstate NY chapter. I run a critique group bi-monthly for our chapter. The last conference I attended in person was in 2019 called the Falling Leaves Retreat for SCBWI Eastern Upstate. I’ve attended numerous SCBWI Zoom classes, Children’s Book Insider Kidlit Distancing Socials and Zoom classes held by Manuscript Academy. I have had numerous professional manuscript critiques and a professional query critique through Manuscript Academy. Being involved with Twitter has helped me connect to other writers as well. I have participated in the Twitter PB Party Contest held by Mindy Alyse Weiss and one of my manuscripts was on the runner up list this year. I have connected with a critique partner through Kailei Pew’s writer connect who is now a #WriteMentor. Finally, I have checked out from the library and read over 300 picture books in the last year! And even with all of that, most people I know, friends and family don't know that I am a writer. Really only, close friends and family. I haven't really "come out" as a writer yet. Why? I guess I have this silly notion that people might not care unless I have an actual real live book to show them. Which only writers know how insanely difficult this is to achieve. How much competition there is. The steps you have to take. The writing, revising, improving. The time. Then there is the actual lottery ticket of getting an agent's attention! It is a process that I have enjoyed but also have wanted to give up on a few times now. But here I am still at it. The dream is alive. But my question for you is, if you are unpublished, have you come out as a writer to your family and friends yet? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading. |
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