As I’ve mentioned before, I navigate to books on bears. Not just because I’m writing the biography of Simon Jackson and his fight to save the spirit bears (tentative title, A Voice for the Spirit Bear: The Simon Jackson Story) but because what’s not to love about a bear. They’re majestic and fearless and powerful. […]
Author: carmen
On Top of the Hen House — Meet My Literary Agent!
Hen in bucket at Barrington Living History Farm Life can turn on a dime. Or if you’re a hen living in a coop, life can turn when your egg hatches. And this week my egg that I’d been sitting on for so long, finally hatched! I’m happy to announce that the enormously talented Erzsi Deàk, founder […]
Austin SCBWI 2012 Conference Wrap-Up
Another Austin SCBWI conference has come and gone and the inspiration and motivation are burning through my veins! As the ARA for the Austin SCBWI chapter, I saw the results of many months of hard work pay off and that in itself is one of the greatest rewards. Seeing the sheer joy on attendees’ faces […]
ReaderKidz Review – Sharon M. Draper’s Out of my Mind
If you haven’t read Sharon M. Draper’s middle grade novel Out of my Mind, pop on over to ReaderKidz and read my review here. Sneak peek: “…Sometimes being “normal” isn’t better, especially when it looks and sounds ugly…” Don’t miss this book! For everyone who has ever been misunderstood. Enjoy!
Picture Book Review – Little Dog Lost: The True Story of a Brave Dog Named Baltic
When I picked up the only copy of Little Dog Lost: The True Story of a Brave Dog Named Baltic by Monica Carnesi (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2012) from BookPeople, I knew I was in for a real treat. For one, the cover is inviting, inquisitive and yet peaceful. I particularly like the pale blue sky teamed […]
Picture Books – For the Love of Bears
Chilly or stormy nights demand a steaming cup of cocoa or tea and a good book to chase away the howling wind. That’s why I’ve put together a picture book post on some of my favorite characters, who happen to all be bears. There’s something so inviting and soothing about a bear, their cozy fur, […]
Austin SCBWI Outreach Benefits Bastrop Community and Public Libraries
It’s been one month since we kicked off the Austin SCBWI Outreach effort, an effort to help replenish the books that the families and the libraries lost in the fires that ravaged the Bastrop community. Today, representing the Austin SCBWI chapter, my husband and I delivered over 1,000 books donated by children’s authors and illustrators […]
Why We Write for Children
At this time in the season, I always find myself sitting back and reflecting about the many things I’m thankful for such as my family, air in my lungs, a roof over my head, words in my head and memories to fill my heart. I’m also thankful for the wonderful writing community I belong to […]
Supporting Children with the Love of Books
Many of you will remember the fires that rippled through the county of Bastrop destroying acres of forests and thousands of businesses and homes. But in the aftermath of tragedy comes rebirth, rebuilding and hope. And it is our hope at the Austin Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) that you will join […]
A Recap of the 2011 Texas Book Festival
Another Texas Book Festival (TBF) has come and gone and a heartfelt thank you goes out to all the organizers, staff, volunteers, authors and presenters who made this year’s festival a success. A special thanks to TBF committee members Clay Smith, Festival’s Literary Director, and Marika Flatt, Co-owner of PR by the Book, for asking […]