The Hampton Inn in Exton rocks!!  I’ve got solid proof to back this up…I was greeted with warm gooey cookies upon arrival.  I know-I can stop there, but there really is more.  They gave Jodi, Megan and I joining rooms so we could stay up really late and talk.  They provided all kinds of well thought out little things in the room-like an empty fridge that you could actually put stuff in.  I could have used that on vacation this summer.  Then don’t get me started on the kicking breakfast buffet-cheese omelets and make your own waffles.  Yummy.  Last but not least the staff was diligent, thoughtful and just plain nice.  I lied…one more…the beds were comfy too.  I’m a fan Hampton Inn.

Friday evening was all about the Red-eye Critique sessions.  Thanks to a lot of hard work by Ellen, a mixed group of picture book, middle grade and young adult writers were able to exchange manuscripts ahead of time so we could come together with critiques ready for an evening of sharing and brain storming.  But first, like all good children’s writers…we EAT!

The bonus thumbs up goes out to our waitresses who were great and did separate checks.  Woot!
After filling up and getting to know one another, we broke off into groups.  I was in the YA Critters and we worked on our manuscript critiques until nearly 11pm.  It was awesome and productive…my only regret is sitting near those very tasty sweet potato chips…damn their slaty sweetness.  

After finally getting to sleep (you remember that connecting door)…

It was off to the Whitford Country Club and registration.  

Of course we ran right to the book store to grab some books before they were sold out.  :o)  Then there was cheese danish-good times already!

Conference Director Tara Cahill gives us a warm welcome.  And then it was straight into the fun stuff like PUPPIES, PUMPKINS AND PUBLISHING with Lindsay Barrett George.  Lindsay is an author/illustrator picture book writer.  Her thoughts on herself…"For a little girl whose passion was drawing birds and fish and flowers and trees, to end up as a artist whose passion is drawing birds and fish and flowers and trees…it doesn’t get any better."

Lindsay started with a hands on skit about how to write a children’s picture book using using Kevin as the "writer", Karen as the "illustrator" and Lindsay as the "Editor".  Needless to say, we are waiting to hear that Kevin has acquired his own television sitcom. LOL!  Everyone was very funny.

She then went on to stress the importance of a dummy when creating a picture book and to remember that the book is about MOVEMENT! First you open the cover and then you turn the page.

 
Here are two small samples of her artistry and they barely do her work justice.  I highly encourage you to find her books and share them with your children.

Lindsay left the discussion with three things to keep in mind when you’re creating your own picture books. 

1.  Magic-must give your readers a little bit of magic.
2.  Care-your reader must connect on an emotional level.
3.  Ask yourself…does this book make a difference?

I’m pretty sure that her books have successfully kept those three things in mind.  *heart squish*

Next up on the agenda was a trio of amazing ladies…  
*Nan Marino, author of NEIL ARMSTRONG IS MY UNCLE AND OTHER LIES MUSCLE MAN McGUITY TOLD ME.
*Jennifer R Hubbard,  author of THE SECRET YEAR.
*Jeannine Norris, author of TONIGHT YOU ARE MY BABY: MARY’S CHRISTMAS GIFT.

These ladies are all part of the Kidlit Author’s Club which is a group of children’s book author’s from NJ, PA and MD.  Their topic for the day was FIRST CROP: PLANTING AN IDEA AND HARVESTING A BOOK.

First up was Jeannine Norris and she…********We interrupt this broadcast for a 10:00am critique session with Erica Rand Silverman*********
Opps, by the time I returned, Jeannine’s portion of the talk was over so I have my fingers crossed that I’ll be able to catch up with her some other time.

Next up was Nan Marino, we are Facebook Friends and I’d just finished heading her novel to my two oldest boys so I was very excited to meet her in person.  

Here are some of Nan’s best seeds of inspiration…
*Read like a writer-learn from the people who do it well.
*Facing rejection is like being in the middle of your own novel/story.  
*Her favorite writing prompt-Pick an adult and figure out what he or she was like as a child.
*Her favorite advice-find the truth, just tell the story and have faith in your words.

Last in line was Jennifer R. Hubbard a friend of mine on LiveJournal and the founder of the Library-Loving Challenge.  If you get the opportunity to be involved with this event it is wonderful and there are multiple ways for you to support libraries.  This year was the second year of the challenge and the results were spectacular… she raised $5148, plus 80 pounds (UK), plus at least $300 worth of new books, plus donations of used books and audiotapes. Woo hoo!!!!!!

Jennifer talked about bringing the teen novel to market.  Here were her best pieces of advice…

*Build your story around a conflict, challenge, mystery or unanswered question.
*Stay with the teen POV.
*Kill your "darlings"-don’t get too attached to what you’ve written.
*When self-marketing-do what fits into YOUR wheelhouse.
*Group events are more fun than solo events so BAN TOGETHER!!!!!
*When writing MG/YA write to the reader vs. the gatekeeper.

I know you think it can’t get better than this but *squee* IT’S WENDY MASS!!!!!!

Wendy also talked about PLANTING SEEDS.  She started off by giving us a wonderful mental picture of how to write a story.  Take a character, put them in a tree, throw rocks at them and then help them get down.
She also had lots of other helpful advice…

*Learn to read books like a writer, looking closely at chapter beginnings and endings.
*Be inspired by things that help you feel like a writer.
*Ideas come from experience, observation and imagination.
*Strongly believes in creating  20 minute character bios and flushing out an outline by hand. Wendy’s Pre-writing workout.

I must also SHOUT the exciting news…JEREMY FINK AND THE MEANING OF LIFE (I LOVE this book!)  Will be coming out as a movie in 2011!!!!!!  Wendy had some pictures of the actors on set and has even filmed a cameo scene in the movie!

Lunch time!!!!  The food was yummy and thinking about it is making my tummy growl.  I may have to take a break here and go find a snack. Promise to be back soon with Part II of the Eastern PA SCBWI Fall Philly Conference. 

Fishkill’s Blodgett Memorial Library was founded in 1934 and while it has grown and changed to meet the needs of the community, it has managed to maintain a small town, intimate feel. When you walk in the door you are always greeted with a smile.

Julie (the Library Director) and Sandy are just two of the many wonderful employees and volunteers that assist the 10,000 people a month who walk through Blodgett’s doors. They are also really sweet about handing my kids the key to the bathroom ALL THE TIME!

Blodgett has a wonderfully quaint feel to it, but it also provides computer access to anyone who needs it. That’s just the tip of the ice berg though. The library runs a host of other programs that help and support all different components of the community…

AARP provides free tax help at the library.

They also have a large selection of LARGE PRINT Books.

Blodgett’s Battle Bots participate in the Regional Battle of the Books Competition. "Battle of the Books is a nationally recognized literature contest in which young people answer trivia questions based on specific books they have read. It encourages young people to get involved with great literature, work together as a team and then gather with other teens in the spirit of friendly competition to test their knowledge. The goal of this program is to foster a lifelong love of reading and to encourage library use among middle grade students." Woo Hoo!

Some of Blodgett’s additional activities and groups include…

*BOOK BUDDIES (where teens read to kids)
*KNITTERS and TEEN KNITTERS
*FATHER’S RIGHTS
*MYSTERY BOOK CLUB
*FRIENDS GROUP
*CHESS CLUB

There is also a separate Mystery Book section and plenty of Nonfiction to keep a curious reader busy.

Dear to my heart, they have the YA Lounge. Without a doubt some of my donation will be ear marked for teen readers. Can’t wait until I can put one of my books on the self here…

Some of my favorites are right here!

Before you can make it upstairs to the YA section, you have to spend lots of time with Miss Siebert in the Children’s Room. This of course is a pleasure. :o)

Shhhhhhhh I’m working on getting a book or two down here also.

Miss Siebert runs an active Children’s Room with Toddler and Preschool story times and year round events and activities. The highlight of the program is the Summer Reading Program.

Last but not least, when the doors are ready to close for the evening and they must kick you out, you can take your chin-high stack of books and multimedia to the front desk and check out with a smile because you know that you can come back to Blodgett tomorrow. This is a wonderful library filled to the brim with dedicated staff and volunteers. I’m very proud that they are my library.

If you haven’t had a chance to stop by and make a comment on the LIBRARY-LOVING BLOG CHALLENGE, please take a moment to click on the link and leave a quick note. For every individual and unique comment I am donating $1.00 up to $150 to this hardworking Library. I also encourage you to support your local library in any way that you can.