woolly mammoth boogers . . .

"When you drink water through your trunk, does it taste like boogers?" -- Ice Age 4



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If you haven't been following Rob Sanders' Picture This blog, you don't know what you're missing. This week it's all about First-Book Deals, so far we've heard from Fred Koehler and Aimee Reid.



My own book, Rabbit Surprise, had been rejected like 10 or 12 times (or maybe more), and I had given up on it, filed it away some place . . . and 2 years later . . . I get this phone call . . . where a slush-reader had liked the story, had not been able to convince the powers-that-be, had saved the story and now that she was working at a different publishing house and was one of the powers-that-be herself (Thank You Tracy!) . . . well, that's my story.


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and here's a little article I enjoyed reading: The Dot and Ish by Peter H. Reynolds


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I don't eat cats . . .

"Chill out, man.  I don't eat cats... Too much fur." -  Dodger, on first meeting Oliver.

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July 16 . . . my birthday! all I really, really want is a Book Contract ! lol. 4 manuscripts in the mail, 2 additional stories going through final revisions and 3 more stories in the creation process.


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and this tip from Kathy Temean's blog, Sharing Information About Writing and Illustrating for Children, lots of good stuff here, be sure to pay the site a visit.


"This should turn as light on for a smart published picture book author. Getting your book’s illustrator featured on Illustrator Saturday is a great way to drum up more publicity for your book."


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and a great article on one author's journey in creating, revising and getting published. Go read about Amy Timberlake and "The Dirty Cowboy" on Harold Underdown's fabulously informational The Purple Crayon website.


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