HOLY GUACAMOLE!!!!!

TOUCHING THE SURFACE is out in paperback TODAY!!!!!

Where you can find it:

*Amazon

*Barnes & Noble

*IndieBound

Can you believe it’s been almost a year since I became an author? And even longer since I sold my first book and got an agent. Here’s a little walk down memory lane. Humor me–I’m nostalgic today. So in no particular order because that would add a layer of organization I’m not capable of, here’s just a few of my most fabulous moments between finding my agent and birthing a paperback…

Standing outside the Simon & Schuster offices.

Apocalypsies at the LA SCBWI Conference!!!

Meeting my agent (Michelle Wolfson) and editor (Anica Rissi) for the first time. <3

The Class of 2k12!!!!!

Came home from a run to find my ARC’s had finally arrived!!! Such a squee moment!!!

The ARC!

Authors, Simon & Pulse friends and Writer Buds at the NY SCBWI Conference. <3

Bookmarks!!! Thanks Jeff Fielder.

Bringing my book to the Golf Bag Holder (Eastern PA Poconos Mountain Retreat with Jodi Moore.)

First book I ever signed went to Laurie Halse Anderson. Love her.

This made it feel so real.

Loved participating in the YAmazing Race with my Apocalypsies!!!

First author event, even before my book was out. LOL! With my buds from the Class of 2k12. <3

Making friends at BEA!!! Lisa and Kim.

First BEA was even sweeter because I got to spend time with my fabulous agent. <3

Blogger love <3  Finally got to meet Erica!!!!

Joining YA Outside the Lines. 

It was a BEA Apocalypsie event of awesome.

Ummmm I got to hear JOHN GREEN!!!!!!!!!!!

Made amazing new blogger friends. Kim and Grace. <3

Hanging with Jay Asher at LA SCBWI–Dude, it was awesome.

Joining the Bookanistas!

Kimmiepoppins met Mary Poppins!!!! I met Julie Andrews!!!!

Signing my contract!!!!!! I AM GOING TO BE AN AUTHOR!!!

My book was at Bologna. Takes my breath away.

Wow!

My Yanni dance girls wearing TOUCHING THE SURFACE T-shirts. <3

Signing books at my book launch.

Good friends drove in from far away despite all the trouble with Hurricane Sandy.

Just an amazing experience.

Unable to thank my friends and family enough for their love and support on that special day.

More book launch at Oblong Books. I LOVE that bookstore and everyone in it. <3

Dad–there–even when he couldn’t be. The dedication.

On bookshelves in bookstores.

Kimmiepoppins finally gets a book launch in NYC after Hurricane Sandy delayed it. Mean Hurricane–awesome party.

Woo hoo!!! I got to speak at the NY Public Library.

I’m a fangirl–it’s A.S. King people!!!!!

I’m a fangirl–it’s Sharon Creech people!!!!

My first SCBWI faculty gig at the Eastern NY SCBWI Conference–where I got paid to talk with my hands about things I love.

Connecting with teen readers and making hedgehogs. *grin*

Loving on my writer mama, K.L. Going. <3 Wouldn’t be here without her.

And because you made it to the end of my reminiscing…you shall be rewarded with a chance to win a signed copy of the brand spanking new TOUCHING THE SURFACE paperback!!!!

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tags: Anica Rissi, Apocalypsies, ARCs, Barnes & Noble, BEA, Bologna, Book Launch, Bookanistas, Contest, Dad, dance, dedication, Golf Bag Holder, Jay Asher, Jeff Fielder, Jodi Moore, John Green, Julie Andrews, K.L Going, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Kimmiepoppins, laurie halse anderson, Mary Poppins, Michelle Wolfson, Oblong Books, Paperback, SCBWI, Signed Copies, Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse, The Class of 2k12, Touching the Surface, Wolfson Literary, YA Outside the Lines

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Just this past weekend (September 21-22) I got the chance to sail into inspiration at the Eastern NY SCBWI Regional Conference. It was a fabulous event for multiple reasons…

*This is my local conference and I love supporting my local SCBWI in anyway I can. This was the very first SCBWI conference I ever attended (back in June of 2007) and it was a life changer for me. I am here to tell you I would not be a published author if it were not for the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators)

*Because this was a local conference, I had the good fortune of have more of my Eastern NY buddies able to attend than I do at most conferences. I seriously love this group of writers and I never get to spend as much time with them as I would like. This was a treat.

*The Faculty was INCREDIBLE! And no, I’m not just saying that because this was my first time as conference faculty. LOL! Although, it was an awesome experience.  I’m saying that because it was an incredible line up with speakers who have or who need to grace the SCBWI international stage. But just so you know, this is absolutely an area where I’d like to see some personal growth on my part. I have proposals developed for future SCBWI events so keep your fingers crossed that I get selected.

So, let’s get to the conference recap…

After registration and a warm welcome from the ship’s captain (RA Nancy Castaldo) We had the honor of listening to a Children’s Literature legend–Jerry Pinkney. Seriously, I could stare at his art and listen to his thoughtful stories all day.

Here are some of Jerry’s best thoughts during his Keynote Speech about ENVIRONMENT, TOOLS AND PROCESS

*His mom read him Hans Christian Anderson and it informed his work.

*His parents supported his artistry–in fact he drew on his bedroom walls and when they became full, his dad would repaint them white.

*He uses poetry to interpret our history and to help bring to light the roll people of color played in our past.

*Jerry Pinkney is dyslexic and to compensate, he is very organized with his art.  *fist pump* A big HUG going out to another awesome dyslexic!!!! Yes, you know I hugged him–I do that.

Session #1–An Editor and An Agent Discuss Acquisition (Jennifer Laughran-Agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency and Elise Howard-Editor and Publisher of Algonquin Young Readers)

Here are some of the best take aways from this session…

*When you write a good query/pitch, it will get used in the publishing process.

*In most cases, titles change.

*When submitting a PB manuscript, use illustrator notes sparingly (to explain a visual joke that can not be understood through the text)

*It’s okay to break the querying rules if and only if your manuscript is so fantastic I’m obsessed with it. If it’s that good I’ll read it scribbled on a cocktail napkin. (But yours is not that good.) LOL! Jennifer Laughran

Session #2–PUBLISHING NUTS AND BOLTS with Harold Underdown

I’m a huge fan of Harold to start with. I’ve seen him speak before and he’s written The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Children’s Book Publishing. He’s a fabulous source of information on a broad swath of children’s literature topics and you can’t get better than picking his brain. Here are some great take-aways from his Saturday session…

*Platform: in children’s writing it is not a necessity to come with one–it will develop over time.

*Picture Book writers are going to have a hard time finding an agent. Kids commercial fiction needs an agent.

*Kids have different developmental needs and have diverse tastes. This is a wonderful thing but it makes writing for them challenging.

*Picture Books are not just ONE thing.

*Study what’s on the shelves now, not what is on your shelves–Books are always evolving.

*Study the books on award lists.

*On formatting a manuscript–ALWYAS FOLLOW THE RULES.

Lunch was YUMMY! I have no pictures, I was too busy inhaling it. There was soup and salad with chicken or beef. The rolls were warm and toasty and the cookies were scrumptious. In fact, they were so good, I wasn’t even focused on the DEBUT AUTHOR PANEL right after lunch!!!!!

Ummmm I have no notes for you LOL! I was doing double duty being moderator and panelist along with Lizzie Foley (REMARKABLE) and Lisa Amowitz (BREAKING GLASS) But I do have pictures (Thank you to everyone who shared them with me!!!!!)

Yeah, I talk with my hands a lot. *giggle*

Next up was an Agent Panel–REPRESENTING OUT WORK with Amy Boggs (Donald Mass), Melissa Turk (Melissa Turk & the Artist Network) and Jennifer Laughran (Andrea Brown)

All three agents gave a ton of insight into how they operate, what they’re looking for and the general ins and outs of working with an agent. Here are some of the highlights…

*Your query should leave out the “it’s a fast paced …” part of the cover flap. (AB)

*Don’t hand any paper (synopsis) to an agent at a conference. It will burn their hand. LOL! Follow submission guidelines and reference the conference. (JL)

*On contracts: Every little word id there because it happened to somebody. (AB)

*Good questions to ask an agent in an interview: What books do you like that you don’t represent? What books do you dislike? (JL)

*PB Writers or Author/Illustrators should query one MS but have 3 or 4 fleshed out MS’s in the wings.

Next there was a book signing!!!!!! I LOVE getting a chance to share TOUCHING THE SURFACE with new people and talking about their projects and aspirations. I made so many new friends this weekend.

Autographing was followed by dinner and then…

A DESSERT CAFE WITH ELIZABETH BIRD (Youth Materials Specialist for the New York Public Library)

Let me just tell you, I was blown away by Betsy’s Keynote and the dessert selection was the bonus!!! YUM!!! But I would have adored her talk even without a HUGE side of chocolate yumminess. But since it was there…BONUS!!!! I apologize because I didn’t take a lot of notes or tweet–I was simply a captive listener. But if you’d like a taste of what Betsy has to offer, I highly encourage you to check out her blog–Fuse #8. It’s amazing!

Kim Sabatini, Betsy Bird, Harold Underdown, Lois Miner-Huey and Nancy Castaldo

On a side note–Betsy incorporated Lois’ fabulous book Ick! Yuck! Eew!: Our Gross American History into her presentation and raved about it, not remembering that Lois would be in the audience. How cool is that??? All my teacher buds, be sure to check this one out because it’s got librarians cheering.

 After such a fabulous day, I  went home completely pumped, totally exhausted and full of too much chocolate. But I needed to get over it quickly because I still had the SUNDAY INTENSIVES!!!!!

There were three choices for the Sunday event…

*Harold Underdown: MANAGING YOUR CAREER IN A CHANGING MARKET

*Kendra Levin (Editor, Viking) MEET YOUR CHARACTERS: HOW MOTIVATION DRIVES STORY

*Semadar Megged (Art Director, Philomel) PORTFOLIO EXAMINATION AND DISCUSSION

They all sound great, don’t they? I picked the session with Harold. It was a small intimate group and I learned a metric ton of stuff. I didn’t tweet or take pics because I was interactively engaged and that is a great thing. After two hours of intensive we finished off the conference with an amazing presentation from Steve Sheinkin, author of BOMB. Steve is a former text book writer with a passion for history and a drive to turn our past into really honest and interesting stories so that kids can remember and enjoy them. I was also very impressed with the idea that most of out history lives in gray area. The text book writers and those who influence them have created a world of black and white. Steve pointed out that no one wants to hear there is good and bad in everyone, particularly their heroes.But maybe that narrow way of thinking is in the past–because with the accolades that Steve is getting for his writing and research, I think history books are changing for the better.

Let’s face it, no matter how long an SCBWI conference is, it ends too soon. So, before I go, some candids proving how much everyone was enjoying it…

Kim and Linda–your neighborhood Shop Talk Coordinators!!

Jeannie and I met because she almost knows my brother LOL!

Some of our Shop Talkers doing a pile on. <3

I love being a mentor for talented young writers. Kim and Danielle. ((((hugs))))

Kim and Linda hugging on our awesome RA!!!! Thanks for everything, Nancy. <3

And that’s a wrap. Any questions about the conference? Want to know more about our Hudson Valley Shop Talk? We want YOU!!!! Anyone take notes for the debut author panel. I’d love it if you threw a highlight or two from the presentation in the comments. What conference are you planning on doing next? Want more info on the SCBWI??? Just let me know what you need to know. And plan on coming to #EastNYSCBWI next time. <3

Tags: #EastNYSCBWI13, Agents, Algonquin Young Readers, Amy Boggs, Andrea Brown, Betsy Bird, Bomb, Breaking Glass, Conferences, Donald Mass, Editors, Elise Howard, Elizabeth Bird, faculty, Fuse #8, Harold Underdown, Ick! Yuck! Eew!: Our Gross American History, Jennifer Laughran, Jerry Pinkney, Kendra Levin, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Liza Amowitz, Lizzie Foley, Lois Miner-Huey, Melissa Turk, Nancy Castaldo, non-fiction, Remarkable, SCBWI, Semadar Megged, Steve Sheinkin, The artist Network, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Children's Book Publishing, Touching the Surface

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Today I’m cross-posting over at YA Outside the Lines and talking about The Truth About Sleep Away Camp. There may be 80’s permed hair for your amusement!

Just a reminder, you still have time to enter my write a review contest!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I also have some up and coming events…

*I’ll be at Oblong Books and Musics HVYAS Birthday Party!! More info HERE!

*Children’s Writer or Illustrator and located in the Hudson Valley? Join us for our local SCBWI Shop Talk Meeting in August. For more information, feel free to contact me directly.

*I’ll also be faculty at my very first conference, which is also the very same conference I first attended as a newbie. Yea, pretty WOW! Registration is still open for the SCBWI Eastern NY Conference on September 21-22nd. Lots of amazing speakers and opportunities.

*September 28th I’ll be part of a fantastic line-up at the Warwick Children’s Book Festival. Details Here

*October 17th I’m thrilled to be a part of the Ulster BOCES FALL INTO BOOKS CHILDREN’S & TEEN LITERATURE CONFERENCE in Kingston NY. I adore hanging out with librarians!!!

And good news…finding me is not nearly as hard as finding a little unidog. So, come hang out and we’ll squee and hug and talk about books and maybe eat some chocolate. I usually have some stored in a bag or pocket somewhere.

Tags: Book Signing, Conferences, Fall Into Books Children's & Teen Literature Conference, HVYAS, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Oblong Books, SCBWI, SCBWI Eastern NY, Shop Talk, The Truth About Sleep Away Camp, Ulster BOCES, unidog, Warwick Children's Book Festival, Write a Review Contest, YA Outside the Lines, YAOTL

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Guess what? In one week I’ll be teaming up with Rockstar Book Tours!

The tour runs for two weeks – July 8th-12th and July 15th-19th. There are ten stops on the tour, which consist of reviews, guest posts and interviews.

The tour will also have a giveaway for five SIGNED copies of TOUCHING THE SURFACE via a shared Rafflecopter.

I am in love with this gorgeous badge, designed by Parajunkee Design. Didn’t she do an amazing job?  Feel free to check out more of her design work and to grab a copy of the badge to post in your sidebar! In fact–plaster it anywhere you’d like. I would love to have you help to spread the word.

You can find out more about Rockstar Book Tours HERE. And if you’d like more information and a schedule of the TOUCHING THE SURFACE tour, you can check that out HERE.

* * *

Don’t forget–all summer I’m running a Write-a-Review contest!!!!

Read TOUCHING THE SURFACE and then post your review on  my Amazon TOUCHING THE SURFACE page and my Barnes & Noble TOUCHING THE SURFACE page. You only have to write one review, but each post will get you a chance to win a $100 gift card. You can read HERE for more details about the contest.

In order to make sure I can reach the winner, use this Rafflecopter to record your entry.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

* * *

As if that wasn’t already a whole bunch of awesome, I’m really looking forward to doing a book signing at Anderson’s Bookshop in Larchmont, NY on Saturday July 13th!

I’ll be there with Joanne Rock and  Karen Rock aka JK Rock!

And Kimberly Ann Miller…

You can click on the covers to find out more about both books!

Happy Monday!

Tags: Amazon, Anderson's Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Book Signing, Camp Boyfriend, Contest, gift cards, JK Rock, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Ann Miller, Kimberly Sabatini, Parajunkee Design, Rockstar Book Tours, Touching the Surface, Triangles

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BEA Harlem Shake

I’ll let you know if it was just like this–recap next week! Have a great weekend.

If I could snag any ARC of any up-and-coming book? What would it be???

Tags: ARCs, BEA, BEA Harlem Shake, Book Expo America, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini

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Hello Friday! What took you so long to get here??? Even though this week seemed endless, with very little sleep, it also simultaneously sped by at the speed of light. Yup. That’s exactly how it happened. Trust me. I’m feeling the need to recap, mash things up and write in bullets today. It may be the lack of sleep thing. Just go with it.

*Don’t forget you still have time to support a great film…PROMISE LAND…and earn yourself one of five signed copies of TOUCHING THE SURFACE or a 10 page ms critique from me. GO HERE!!!!

*The winner of the caption contest is….

At 11:02 am A.N.Remtulla said:

Your mouse? I eated it.

I’m still chuckling about that one. <3 Beans loves a good mousey. Reeces on the other hand loves a good hair elastic. Cat diversity.

*I’ll be at BEA on Friday May 31st!!!! I’ll be having lunch with my spectacular agent and hunting down ARCs with my roomie from last year, Lisa Lueddecke. <3 It’s our friendship’s one year anniversary!!! I’m also hoping to finally see Rachel Simmons in person. We just miss each other every where we go. LOL! I’m also going to miss my girl, Grace Smith who made me smile every time I saw her last year. 🙁 Hoping to see a bunch of people who I connected with last year and of course make some new face to face friends. If you see me, don’t let me pass you by–I’m a little bit of a spaz when it comes to remembering names of cyber friends and then attaching them to real live people. HELP ME OUT!!!!

*On June 2nd I’ll be participating in the Chronogram Kids & Family Fun Day. When I have more information on the author panel, I’ll let you know.

*Interesting observation: I’ve been cleaning and prepping the house for sale and I’ve been writing and revising. One of those things burns a lot more calories than the other. Damn.

*On June 12th I’ll be a guest speaker at the Orange County Librarians Dinner. I’m super stoked about that!!!! Watch out Orange County Librarians, I’m giddy with excitement about hanging with you.

*And I’ll leave you with my very entertaining Goodreads review of…

“I’ll be honest. My boys and I LOVE Roald Dahl books. All of them. Rather than review this book in my predictably gushy manner, I thought I would tell you a funny story that happened during our nightly reading sessions…

For those unfamiliar with the story, a grandmother is instructing her grandson on the multiple ways one might recognize a witch in disguise. While giving this info to my eight year old, he checked me over to confirm that I was indeed, not a witch. When he heard they wore itchy wigs, he checked my hair line. He investigated my toes and fingers for cat like claws and block like feet without toes.I thought I’d passed inspection, but a few days later, I caught him staring deeply into my eyes. (There had been a mention of a witches pupils being multicolored.) After a good hard look, he pronounced that I was definitely not a witch–I didn’t have multicolored NIPPLES. I corrected him and indicated that he meant PUPILS. His response was…whatever…it’s the same thing.

And there you have folks.”

I figure I’ve given you enough information for the comments without having to light your way. ROTFL! Have a fabulous holiday weekend. I WILL NOT BE BLOGGING ON MONDAY (Memorial Day) I’ll be picnicking and celebrating my 12yo’s graduation and move up to middle school. I’ll also be very busy being proud to be an American. May the force be with you!

Tags: BEA, Caption Contest, Chronogram, Contest, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Memorial Day, Orange County Librarians, PROMISE LAND, review, revising, Roald Dahl, The Witches, Touching the Surface, writing

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Here’s my recap of the New England SCBWI Conference for the second time. I got this half done for Friday when my oldest son’s school transportation had the drivers go on strike and then my other two kids came down with strep. I decided to postpone the post and finish it over the weekend.  I saved it and and then the gremlins that live in my computer erased only the part I’d finished. *head thunk*

I arrived at the conference at around noon on Friday and did all of the standard checking-in and hugging friends things. Then it was off to the first sessions.

Friday 5/3/13

A Intensive–KEYWORD BY WORD: CREATE A PLAND TO BRAND. SELL, AND PROMOTE YOUR NOVEL with AC Gaughen and Hilary Weisman Graham

I love attending events by my Apocalypsies and Class of 2k12 siblings. So much fun!

Favorite take-aways…

*Everyone IS buying bookmarks and everyone WANTS bookmarks for swag, whether you like it or not LOL!

*Twitter is the most popular place (debut author questionnaire) to focus your social media push, but tumblr is where the teens are.

*  *  *

Workshop B–MANAGING YOUR WRITING; MANAGING YOUR LIFE WITH PEGGY DEITZ SHEA AND JANET DOUCETTE

This session started off with some relaxation and focusing techniques. I became so relaxed I forgot to take a picture and may have almost fallen asleep at one point LOL!

Favorite take-aways…

*Are you here?

*Women are great multi-tasks but being a multi-tasker is not in your best interest. You can get stuck on the bridge between the right brain and the left brain.

*Requests (received or given) should always include the right to decline and a clear expectation of fulfillment.

Keynote–PANEL DISCUSSION: AN UNCENSORED DISCUSSION ON EDGY YA

Favorite take-aways…

*Be true to the work.

*Should the parent be the gate-keeper or do children effectively police their own reading material?

Saturday 5/4/13

Keynote–THE WORDS WE CHOOSE TO SAY by Sharon Creech

A HUGE fan-girl moment for me!!!! Yes, she really glows in real life. <3

Favorite take-aways…

*Find your own voice, your own rhythms–it makes you a better writer.

*Use it all (great ideas) when you’re writing. New stuff will grow. Words generate words.

*Don’t be in such a hurry to publish your story. Time may allow you to deepen it. There could be something profound under there.

C Intensive–REAL REVISION: BIG PICTURE AND LINE BY LINE with Kate Messner

I LOVE Kate! That’s all.

Best take-aways…

*Revision is finding and strengthening the heart of your story.

*You can’t revise, to bring about the heart of your story if you don’t know what the heart is.

*Writing off-draft can help you understand things.

*Trying something you’re not great at can free you up.

*Use a mentor text to guide your way.

*Make what you need to explore and fix your book. (Charts, maps, timelines and outlines)

If you want to learn more about Kate’s amazing revision tips–check out her book REAL REVISION.

Time for lunch and another amazing Keynote with author/illustrator Grace Lin

Stephanie, Megan and Kendra

Annie, Me, Jodi and Eileen

Best take-away from Grace Lin’s keynote (sorry I don’t have a picture)…

You’ll be your best self when you are yourself in you writing and art. <3

Workshop G–THE ART OF THE OUTLINE with Elisabeth Papdemetriou

Best take-aways…

*Don’t confuse learning the skill (of outlining) with the act of outlining.

*Plot and character are inseparable.

*Outlines should include every single scene in your book.

*Have your closing scene echo your opening scene.

 And I FINALLY got to meet Jo Knowles. I’ve participated in JoNoWriMo for years and Jo was one of those warm and giving authors who mentors those around her–plus I love the books she writes. Check out her latest, PEARL which won the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award!

Workshop H–THE POWER OF POINT OF VIEW with Linda Urban

She is hilarious by the way.

Best take-aways…

*I believe we are living in an increasingly 1st person world. 1st person is only going to grow. Writing in 3rd person may allow you to stand out.

Saturday’s Autograph Party!!!!!

Katie chatting up the awesome Nova Ren Suma.

Sharon Creech signing for my friend’s daughter who is her BIGGEST FAN!!!!!

Of course I’m I HUGE fan too!!!!!

Jodi chatting with Jodi.

Kate Messner signing a book for the Fishkill Frogs!

Lynda Mullaly Hunt, author of the MG novel ONE FOR THE MURPHYS, signing and making friends.

Greg Fishbone (Class of 2k7) and AC GaugheBrendan (Class of 2k12) hanging out

REVISING A CAREER: TIMING, TRUST & TEAMWORK with Brenda Reeves Sturgis, Emma Dryden and Karen Grenick

Favorite take-aways…

*Don’t quit–ever. <3

Some down time in the Sheraton while waiting for the Ballroom to open up.

The Books for Boston collection bin.

Check out some of the inspirational messages written in the books going to Boston.

Sunday 5/5/13

Panel Discusion–SCULPTING STORIES FROM FACT: FOUR WRITERS OF HISTORICAL FICTION SHARE STRATEGIES

Sarah Lamstein, Jeannine Atkins, Padma Venkatraman and Pat Lowery Collins (Boo my picture didn’t come out!)

Favorite take-aways…

*I tried to pack Padma in my suitcase. All four authors were great, but she stole the show. LOVE her!

*When story and history collide–story always wins. (PV)

*The attitudes of the times plays a role in the story/plot. (SL)

*The reasons writers aren’t diagnosed as schizophrenic is that we listen to the voices in our head instead of conversing with them. (PV)

*Create a LOVELY FILE to put all the darlings you cut–then you will always have them. (PV)

I Intensive–ADVANCED PLOTTING with Chris Eboch

I was very busy in this small, pro-track class and you guessed it–I forgot to take a picture. *smacks own hand*

Favorite take-aways…

*If your main problem can’t be introduced early, find a way in, something that gives a hint.

*Be careful not to open too fast. Give the reader a little time to get acclimated.

*Action without context is not a good thing.

*Likable character plus a bad situation makes the best story.

*Real life drama needs to be set up correctly to be believable to the reader.

You can find our more about Chris Eboch and advanced plotting HERE.

Workshop N–THE YIN AND YANG OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT with Kami Kinard

More Apocalypsie love!!!!! And yes, I was too busy meeting Kami in person for the first time that I…didn’t take a picture. Should have gotten one of us together. Drat!

Favorite take-aways…

*Add believable traits to your characters.

*Characters with both good and bad motives and traits naturally create much desired tension.

*Books are about physical, emotional and spiritual journeys.

Kami posted some stuff on humor from another of her sessions on her blog. You can catch it HERE!

And because I always have to buy one more book LOL! Hanging with the AWESOME Padma Venkatraman, author of CLIMBING THE STAIRS. <3

Me, Padma, Jodi and Megan

And then it was time to say goodbye and drive home. NESCBWI was an amazing conference and I’m so glad I got the chance to grow. It truly had the feel of an International SCBWI Event but with the intimacy of a smaller conference. Lots of fun and I hope to be able to attend again next year too! Have any of you been to NESCBWI before? Any new authors that you’ve now got to put into your TBR pile?

Tags: #NESCBWI13, AC Gaughen, Apocalypsies, Books for Boston, Brenda Reeves Sturgis, Chris Eboch, Climbing the Stairs, Greg Fishbone, Hilary Weisman Graham, Jo Knowles, JoNoWriMO, Kami Kinard, Kate Messner, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, Linda Urban, Lynda Mullaly Hunt, New England SCBWI, Nova Ren Suma, Padma Venkatraman, Pearl, Real Revision, Sharon Creech, The Class of 2k12

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This Sunday 4/14/13 I’ll be at the Red Hook READ LOCAL LITERARY FESTIVAL!!!!  (Click the link for the full schedule)

 Lots of great activities all weekend long–but I’ll be speaking and signing on Sunday afternoon with two other amazing authors…

2:00 – 4:00 p.m.: Hudson Valley YA Society
Panel featuring Maya Gold (Spellbinding), Jennifer Donnelly (Revolution) & Kimberly Sabatini (Touching the Surface)
Red Hook Public Library, 7444 S. Broadway

We would love to hang out with you.

Read Local Red Hook Literary Festival is presented in partnership between

the Red Hook Community Arts Network, Bard College Center for Civic Engagement, the Red Hook Public Library and  Oblong Books and Music.

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