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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gravel in the bed . . .

"If kids like a picture book, they're going to read it at least 50 times. Read anything that often, and even minor imperfections start to feel like gravel in the bed." -- Mark Haddon 

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and this morning i stumbled across this:

Network with PEOPLE in the children's book industry
700+ Children's book-related BLOGS
Database of 900,000+ CHILDREN'S BOOKS
reviews of books on Members' BOOKSHELVES
Database of 200,000+ CHILDREN'S BOOK CREATORS
Book Videos (Trailers, Interviews, Readings, and more)

JacketFlap connects you to the work of more than 200,000 authors, illustrators, publishers and other creators of books for Children and Young Adults 


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Author and historian Leonard Marcus discusses children's literature from colonial times to present day. His colleague Audrey Niffenegger muses on her own interaction with childrens books and the impact they've had on her work. Donna Seaman moderates.

becoming real . . .

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real." -- Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit

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i just discovered Southern Breeze SCBWI . . . serving Alabama, Georgia & Mississippi . . . check out their homepage and while your there read their newsletter!

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interesting BEA podcast entitled BEA Selects: Reader Centric Publishing – Bringing Authors and Readers Together some really interesting stuff here on what publishers are doing to help bring authors and readers together using the various forms of social media.

and a whole pageful of brief picture-book author interviews from BEA (BookExpo America).

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and this really, really, cool youtube of Oliver Jeffers reading STUCK:

On the Awards and Grants page of the SCBWI website are two articles on the recipients of the 2011 Book Launch Award winners and how they used their prizes to promote their books.

Click Here.

Stumbled across this article: 'Children's author encourages students to find their muses'




Which led me to: Patrick Jennings' Blog.




and to his picture book trailer!!!