About once a week I race into my kitchen, book clutched to my chest and announce, "You have to see this book!" Someone (the lucky one who just came in for some chips and salsa or an apple) then turns to me and says, "Is it your new favorite?" I smile and contemplate all my favorites and say something like, "Well, yes. It's one of them." Yesterday, I attended the RMC- SCBWI Fall Conference and picked up my fair share of books (as well as a WEALTH of inspiration). This one, A BIG MOONCAKE FOR

It's not often I run across a picture book that stops me in my ... okay, let's be honest, picture books derail me all the time. But this one...this book! GRUMPY MONKEY, written by Suzanne Lang and illustrated by Max Lang, had me kissing it from the first page. As if just the main character's name wasn't hilarious enough (Jim Panzee... are you kidding me?) and the fact that the sun is too bright, the sky too blue and his bananas too sweet (such hardships), EV-ER-Y-ONE on planet earth who can read

Oh, hello there. Yes, it's been a while. I've missed you too. What have I been doing? The usual. Say, have I told you about my new favorite book? NO? Well, then. I'd like to introduce to BOLIVAR, by Sean Rubin. I don't want to say too much because I knew nothing about it until I tripped across it in my elementary school library, and what a pleasure it was to discover. Almost like discovering the world's last living dinosaur ;) Trust me...check it out!

As if it isn't difficult enough to stay out of the library at the school where I work, I had to contend with the book fair all last week. Yes, I bought my share. The one I find myself most enthralled with though is a thin little paperback entitled THE WATER PRINCESS. I was drawn to the cover after listening to stories of a friend of mine's daughter, who is in the Peace Corp teaching in The Gambia (she gets a bucket of water a day... to do whatever she wants: cook, bathe, drink- hopefully not in

The SCBWI Fall Conference began on Saturday and ended on Sunday. I, however, am still riding the high. It has been very hard to come back to earth after floating in such a creative universe. So here, tonight, I just want to put in print the names of a few people who I suspect will keep me flying for some time... Venessa Brantely-Newton, Matt de la Pena, Angela Hawkins, Luke Flowers, Dustin Retch, Dan Sorenson, Dow Phumirik, Kaz Windness, Stan Yan, oh gosh and so many more! Thank you all! Writing

True. I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks. But it's Monday night and I'm back. Getting ready for the Fall Letters and Lines SCBWI conference has kept me busy. Lots of drawing and printing and redrawing and reprinting. This evening's offering is an option for my portfolio's cover page.   ... this is hard. It's been a tragic day. Dark and rainy in CO but even darker in Vegas. Can't go on blabbing about drawings when so many hearts are breaking. "Love is in need of love today."

One of my own illustrations for a change! I labored a good part of the day on this one, but it was a labor of love.

The Hobbit, Battle of Five Armies is playing in the background as I compose this blog entry. Only moments ago Smaug soared over the rooftops of Laketown, setting the whole place afire! Me, in my head: It's fine that the whole town is burning, it probably stinks anyway and they can all live in Dale when it's over. But what if someone's manuscript is in their house? YIKES!  Then I assured myself that the residents all had enough time to gather their children and important bits before boarding

Time to get serious. The fall SCBWI conference is coming up and my laundry list of things to accomplish before attending is ever growing. I thought I'd pick off an easy one this weekend. I was headed to Staples to pick up a copy order for school and thought "Hey, they do business cards, right?" They do. And though this will not be a rant about less than acceptable workmanship it is a cautionary tale. The above photo shows a small selection of the botched batch. Smudges, mis-cuts... what? Must be