Illustrator E.B. Lewis Keynote Speaker at the Austin SCBWI 2013 conference, Kick It Up A Notch

When first daughter was about four years old, we visited the Book Mark in the village of Kingsway, a charming older wealthy area in Toronto, Canada. My husband and I were in search to find a new picture book to read to daughter while we were vacationing and visiting friends. When I asked the proprietor to assist me, she eagerly led me to Down the Road by Alice Schertle, illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Since that moment, I have been a huge fan of E.B.'s work. Today, we still have that book on our shelf and the watercolor illustrations E.B. painted scroll through my mind like slides on a projector. Image after gorgeous image. Hetty shopping at Mr. Birdie's Emporium, Hetty juggling her basket of eggs, and Hetty in the apple tree with Mama and Papa. I could go on and on, it's a collaboration of text and art at it's finest! If you haven't seen this book, it's a treasure worth hunting for.

Here's my favorite refrain from Down the Road:

Down the road,
One and two,
Eggs for breakfast,
how-de-do!

Eggs for breakfast,
clickety-clack,
eggs for breakfast,
not a crack!

So needless to say when RA Debbie Gonzales confirmed that E.B. Lewis accepted our invitation to come to our Austin SCBWI Kick it Up a Notch regional conference and give the keynote address, my mind flew to that spot, where Hetty sat up high, high in the apple tree. Wheeee! People, we're in for a sweet, juicy, apple treat!

This week, Mark G. Mitchell, illustrator chair for the Austin SCBWI chapter included an old interview he'd done with E.B. Lewis on his blog post "Mary's Magic." And I'm pointing you toward it, it's worth every four minutes of your time to watch it. Click Here to read that post and hear the interview with E.B. There's also a wonderful glimpse into Mary Sullivan's latest picture book Ball (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013) and it, too, is worth viewing! Her illustrations capture the emotions and actions of a dog in a way that leaves you spellbound and awestruck.

I hope to see many of you starry-eyed like me when E.B. takes to the podium at the Kick It Up a Notch ASCBWI Conference. I'm holding my breath, counting the days until Saturday, February 8th, 2013. Click Here to register.

Austin SCBWI Digital Symposium II: The Nuts and Bolts of Success

Blogs, tweets, facebook, oh my! What a tangled web the world of social media weaves! Every day, it seems more and more ebooks are sold. People twitter. Articles are written on websites and blogs. The digital universe is blossoming as people look to social media and the digital highway to reach their audiences and the children's kidlit industry is no different.

So join me at the Austin SCBWI Digital Symposium II on October 6th, 2012 and engage with us. Not registered yet? Click Here! As one of the faculty members, I'll be presenting the topic "Blogging 101: If you Build it, They Will Come!" Trust me, you can do this. And even if you don't want to maintain your own blog, there are ways to connect with readers through blogs and we'll discuss those options, too.

Tricia and I at her launch for The Navel of the World (The Forgotten Worlds)

In 2011, PJ showed attendees how easy it was to build a book trailer and we had an overwhelming response to have her return for part II of our digital symposium. If you missed her the first time, don't make the same mistake twice. Click here to see author PJ Hoover's blog post about her upcoming presentation "Book Trailers: Bringing Your Story to Life." And click HERE to hear about how she sold two books! Yay, Tricia!! So happy for you!

Kirsten Cappy, owner of Curious City

Do you have a website? You can't afford to hire somebody? Do it yourself. No, really. Marketing guru and owner of Curious City, Kirsten Cappy and author Samantha Clark will present "Website Liberation with WordPress." They'll show you how easy it is to build a professional website using this template driven tool. For more details, click HERE. 

Attending the digital symposium is a must whether you're pre-published or published and our Austin SCBWI chapter has assembled many presentations designed to give you the nuts and bolts you need for success! I've just highlighted a few in this post. Register today and embrace the world of technology. It's time!

A Picture Book Workshop with Chris Barton

Chris reading from The Day-Glo Brothers

Whether he's wearing his Day-Glo lime-green tie or a purple polo or a more tailored suit jacket, one thing is for certain, Bestselling author Chris Barton knows how to address and engage children with his award-winning looks. I mean books!

With more awards than Jim Henson and the Muppets (okay, not yet, but very very close), Chris Barton knows a thing or two about what it takes to produce quality literature and tell a story. He's worked hard and it shows. And the Austin SCBWI chapter is thrilled that he chose to share one of his workshops "You Don't Have to Choose: Balancing Playful Picture Books with Rigorous Research" with Austinites. Click HERE for all the details for the Saturday, June 30th 2012 event.

His blog post "Building A Better Research Process" is just a glimpse at the kind of fabulous content we can expect. Informative, organized, hands-on with a shot or two of humor rolled in for good measure. Last year, Chris taught a 3-day workshop at the Southampton Children's Literature Conference and the literary circuit has been abuzz ever since.

Don't miss this opportunity. Register today (early bird cut-off is May 31). Maybe you'll be the next award-winning author and Chris will be congratulating you. Click HERE for Chris's reading list on his blog Bartography and come prepared to work!

Applying and Analyzing Constructive Criticism with the Texas Sweethearts

This past Saturday, eighteen attendees met at the REI in Round Rock (outskirts of Austin) for an intensive workshop Beyond the Basics: Applying and Analyzing Constructive Criticism with the Texas Sweethearts hosted by our Austin SCBWI chapter. 

After formal introductions by RA Debbie Gonzales, Jessica Anderson, PJ (Tricia) Hoover and Kari Anne Holt presented the Art of the Effective Critique. They discussed logistics like guidelines, rules and protocol and delivering a constructive critique using the “Hamburger” analogy.

Then the five sweethearts (Jeanette Larson, Tricia, Kari, Jessica and Jo Whittemore) engaged in role playing. They showed us exaggerated critique scenarios using the various archetypes (Shy Guy, Jealous Person, The Pusher, Overbearing, Defensive, Bitchy, Stagnant Stalwart, to name a few). This portion of the program had attendees laughing at the ruses but also left the writers with an understanding of how to deal with challenging situations within the dynamics of a critique group.

                                            Texas Sweethearts Role Playing

Before guests broke for lunch, Jo presented writers with tools to use in their manuscript critiques and cheat sheets on what to look for as it relates to content (initial hook, conflict, plot and character development, motivation , turning point and much more) and style (voice, point-of-view, word choice, imagery and believability). She then modeled through open review for SCBWI members using a donated manuscript by Jessica Anderson. Attendees could easily see how her cheat sheet became the perfect dissecting tool to analyze manuscripts.

In the afternoon, two break-out sessions engaged attendees in critiques with peers led by the Texas Sweethearts as moderators and everyone gained feedback on a work in progress. Jeanette wrapped up the day with What Are You Giving? What Are You Getting? which illustrated the benefits of coaching, critiquing and editing.

In keeping with Austin tradition we had chocolate, snacks, drinks and wrap-up prizes to add the finishing touch to a successful day on craft. I must say Austin SCBWI rocks with their programs, but I guess I am a little biased being the ARA for the chapter. And I would highly recommend hiring those Texas Sweethearts who are also Scoundrels, too!