Ad-Lib Mondays
Moving Forward — with Flowers for the Living
I attended a birthday party recently — a 70th birthday to be exact. One of the main features of the afternoon was “Open Mic Time” during which various family members and friends went up to the microphone and told the gathering what the honored guest had meant to them over the years, and what she…
Read MoreA Word with Beth — about Me, Myself, and I (Part One)
The Owl has observed that Me, Myself, and I are often troublemakers in the grammatical world. Me and I work in tandem to cause confusion, while Myself causes quite enough problems on its own. Today I’m going to talk about Me and I. Myself will get a post all of its own, next month. Here’s…
Read MoreHow to Make a Picture Book, part 3
How to Make a Picture Book, part 3 Story Development Julie Gribble is back with the third installment of her blog series. You’re going to like this… … … Bonjour, mes amis! I’m taking a break from sightseeing in Old Montreal to write this post. It’s a nippy spring day and the shining sun…
Read MoreIn the Spotlight — Mary Aalgaard, On the Page and Off the Page
Some of you may remember that in 2012 I participated in the amazing blogging challenge, the A to Z Challenge, in which bloggers post every day in April using the letters of the alphabet as their daily prompts. I made some great friends through that challenge. One of those friends is Mary Aalgaard, who is…
Read MoreMoving forward — Writing is Not Just Writing
Last summer, when many of my writing friends were gathered in Los Angeles for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators international summer conference, they had the opportunity to attend a break-out session/workshop that I so wished I could be part of. I’ve often mentioned Julie Foster Hedlund. She is an author, the originator…
Read MoreHow to Make a Picture Book — The Making of Bubblegum Princess: Part 2: Choosing your Illustrator/Choosing your Author
It’s the second Monday of the month, and that means it’s time for Julie Gribble’s guest post series on How to Make a Picture Book. I love the subtitle of today’s post: Choosing your Illustrator/Choosing your Author or How to Find a Best Friend for You and Your Story. If you missed the first post in the series,…
Read MoreGetting a Fresh Perspective
It’s been cold where I live — the sort of cold that gets into your bones (and makes them rattle, even when they’re well-padded, like mine. 😉 ) The church where I play the piano responded to the cold this week by holding the Sunday service in the basement. It’s toasty warm down there. But…
Read MoreMoving Forward — with learnings from a picture book
As I continue my year’s theme of moving forward, and continue to discover what that means for me, I’ve drawn some excellent learnings from a picture book. When I set myself toward a goal, no matter what that goal is, I tend to want to get to it as quickly as possible. When I make…
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