Bookish Relaxation! And giveaway!
Hello from an author who's hit all her deadlines.
Hello, friends. Here I am, in a wonderfully relaxed state of mind. (Well, when it comes to writing, at least.) Because:
Ava Lin, One of a Kind is launched!
I was pretty nervous that nobody was going to show up for my launch party for AVA LIN, ONE OF A KIND, so it was a wonderful surprise to have a full house of young readers and friends! Thank you to Linden Tree Books for another awesome launch party!
WRAD and S.T.E.A.M Reading Challenge are wrapped!
I had a lovely time chatting with students all over the country about Best Buddies and Ava Lin on World Read Aloud Day. Thank you to the teachers who hosted me and to all of the wonderful kids that I got to meet. I also got to meet with the winners of the S.T.E.A.M. Race to Space Reading Challenge in a fun chat about robotics and invention. I always love connecting with young readers!
The Writers’ Neighborhood is winding down!
The Fred Rogers Writers’ Neighborhood Fellowship was an amazing experience where I got to learn from the most wonderful mentors and peers and connect with the TV writing community. I’m so grateful for the opportunity and look forward to our final remaining meetings. I overloaded my plate so I could take part in this program, but it was definitely worth it! Now, I’m looking forward to getting back to a more manageable workload. Which brings me to…
My book deadlines are met!
Ava Lin, Super-Duper Happy (releasing in June) is locked and has been sent to the printers! I’ve handed in full art for One Mad Cat Book 1 (releasing next summer) and a first draft for Book 2 (releasing who knows when). I’ve submitted feedback on sketches for LOTS AND LOTS OF OCELOTS (also releasing next summer). This means that there are no balls in my court at this very moment!
And now… zen.
What am I doing now? Well, I went to a lovely SCBWI CenCal Writers’ Retreat with Christine Evans where we connected with fellow kidlit creatives in a gorgeous coastal setting.
I’m thinking about my next project (I’m out on sub with one project and starting work on another… but not pushing myself to finish it any time soon.) I’m hanging out with my kids who want to make a video game together. I’m planning spring breaks and summer travels. I’m doing laundry because it never stops. I’m fielding emails and visit requests and trying to leave myself breathing room. I’m catching up on life overhead. I’m reading books. My most recent recommended reads: The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo, The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier, and I’m just about to dig into Cindy Chang’s debut graphic novel, How To Draw a Secret, which we got to celebrate with her last week—and she’s having a launch party tomorrow at Linden Tree Books!
Kidlit Survival Guide
As always, Christine and I have been sharing our craft, business, and personal thoughts from our writing experiences on the Kidlit Survival Guide. In case you missed our latest posts:
Giveaway
At the SCBWI CenCal retreat, I had the pleasure of meeting some fellow authors and picking up a couple of books! I’m bundling my ALPHABOT book with Sari Karplus’s Robotastic and Amy Duchêne’s POOL PARTY in this month’s giveaway. Like or comment for a chance to win! (U.S. shipping addresses only (?).)
My kinders LOVED hearing you share BEST BUDDIES on WRAD - thank you!
What an excellent trio of books!