FMS Bookcase, Vol. 1 – Graphite & Doodling
I’m a book person. Love everything about ’em. I don’t think there’s a room in our house that doesn’t have at least one book tucked away somewhere. Strangely enough, not a single one is dedicated solely to working in graphite pencil. So, I was challenged a bit trying to find books to share as part […]
Pitch Wars #BoostMyBio
So, What’s This “Boost My Bio” All About? Some of you know I have a book I’m shopping around to agents. It’s an Upper-Middle-Grade Contemporary SciFi Horror—the type of book I would’ve firewalked for, when I was a kid. It features four main kid characters trying to survive the long, hot boredom of summer in a […]
Middle Grade Summer Reading Fun
It’s the last day of school in my neck of the woods, and that has me thinking about fun summer reading. And, given that Middle Grade has my heart big-time, I wanted to share some of my favorite summertime MG reads. The Season of Styx Malone, by Kekla Magoon, is a little bit madcap adventure, […]
S’Wanderings – NYC Books ‘n Art Supplies Day Trip – Part I
There really is nothing like a trip into the City during the holiday season (especially when you a pick a clear December day with temps in the 50s). For months (maybe even years, now), I’ve been meaning to make a pilgrimage into New York to visit a store dedicated entirely to—wait for it—pencils! And, I […]
The Nutcracker—Crackin’ Good!
The Nutcracker is here and out and available and so very, very cool! After all the months of planning and writing and rewriting, and working with the paper engineer (the incomparable Yevgeniya Yeretskaya), to make sure the text supported the pop-ups without getting in their way, and then watching as Neiko Ng’s beautiful illustration work […]
Pulling back the curtain on some Big News…
I’m so very excited to announce that my third book with Jumping Jack Press will be released later this year. Woo-hoo! This time, I’ve teamed up with illustrator Neiko Ng and paper engineer Yevgeniya Yeretskaya, to create a magical pop-up version of The Nutcracker. Neiko’s charming and rich illustrations, coupled with Yevgeniya’s outrageously-cool pop-ups make […]
Starry-Eyed—The 2017 NESCBWI Conference
I just returned from the 2017 NESCBWI Conference. (NESCBWI = New England Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.) This conference was packed—from very beginning to very end—with activities, sessions, keynote speakers, keynote panels, lunches, breakfasts, open mics, pitch competitions, illustration portfolio exhibits, bookstore shopping, networking opportunities and lots, lots more. (And, that doesn’t even […]
BIG. News. Followed by Even. BIGGER. News.
I’ve been waiting excitedly for the time when I could share some BIG. News. And, now that time has come! Announcing…my second book, The Mitten. It’s a fresh take on the wonderful old Ukrainian folktale and, like Barnacle Carnival, is published by Jumping Jack Press. This time around, though, there’s a different illustrator on the […]
Vojtěch Kubašta Exhibit – Part 3
This is a continuation of coverage of the “Pop-Ups from Prague: A Centennial Celebration of the Graphic Artistry of Vojtěch Kubašta (1914-1992)” exhibit, curated by Ellen Rubin, The Pop-Up Lady, and taking place at The Grolier Club through tomorrow, Saturday, March 15th, 2014. (For more information, please see Part 1 and Part 2 of this […]
Vojtěch Kubašta Exhibit – Part 2
This is a continuation of coverage of the “Pop-Ups from Prague: A Centennial Celebration of the Graphic Artistry of Vojtěch Kubašta (1914-1992)” exhibit, curated by Ellen Rubin, The Pop-Up Lady, and taking place at the Grolier Club through Saturday, March 15th, 2014. (For more information, please see Part 1 of this series of posts.) Kubašta […]