Happymaking

I'm a PiBoIdMo 2010 Manuscript Critique Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 17:51:00 +0000

I'm one of the PiBoIdMo 2010 Manuscript Critique winners! I'm so happy I'm literally doing back-flips. Literally. Which isn't easy when you're sitting in a recliner, a computer betwixt your pretzeled legs.

Inner Critic: Oh no you did-n't!

Oh yesss I d-i-hd! :P

Inner Critic: To receive help and advice from a professional author of this caliber is priceless.

I know, right? I KNOW! :o

Inner Critic: You don't deserve it.

Oh, stick it in your higama jigama. What does that have to do with anything? And maybe I do. Maybe I do deserve it. Did you ever think about that?

Inner Critic: Your manuscript is way too long for today's market.

What are you talking about? It's well under 500 words.

Inner Critic: Your participles are dangling. And so are your boobs.

Irrelevant. Are you trying to ruin this moment for me?

Inner Critic: The author who reads your manuscript will laugh at your incompetence.

Oh come on. I'm not that bad. In fact, I rather like my manuscript. Sure it needs some work, but...

Inner Critic: A BIT? Try a ground floor re-write.

What the heck is a ground floor re-write? Did you just make that up? Your analogy is flawed. And are you smoking a miniature cigar? What the...?

Inner Critic: Are you sure?

About which thing? And why am I even talking to you when I should be enjoying the moment? Consider yourself banished to the murky depths of my subconscious for the remainder of the day. Hazaa!

Congratulations to the rest of the manuscript critique winners, especially Leslie Zampetti who is in my critique group. Enjoy your win! You most certainly deserve it! Congratulations to all the PiBoIdMo participants and contest winners! Thanks again to Tara Lazar and the participating authors, illustrators and agents.

Ain't it cool? 8)

PiBoIdMo Grand Prize Winners! (I'm so jealous I might just put your hands in water while you are sleeping. Just kidding! No, really. Not really!)

PiBoIdMo Picture Book Winners! (Congratulations Christie Wild!)

PiBoIdMo Simon & Schuster Picture Book Winners (Congratulations Angela Peña Dahle and Romelle Broas!)

PiBoIdMo Jewelry, Greeting Card and Mug Winners (Congratulations Corey Schwartz! How funny is that mug?)

I'm a PiBoIdMo 2010 Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 10:54:00 +0000

I did it! I am an official PiBoIdMo 2010 SINNER! Oops, I mean WINNER!

Inner Critic: Yeah, you and hundreds of others. Nice Freudian slip there, by the way.

Hundreds of other kindred souls!

Inner Critic: Hundreds of others who are either (a) already published or (b) will certainly be published before the likes of you.

Stop that! Firsly, people don't actually use the phrase "the likes of you" in conversation. Only in pulp fiction. Secondly, suuure, technically we may be in competition, but to be honest I don't think of it that way. Picture Book Authors, be they published or aspiring like myself are a rare, sweet, and nutty breed. We go ga-ga over wordplay. Silly over alliteration. We share a love of children, a fascination with human emotions and we live together in the land of imagination. We care. We're also at least 50% off our rockers, and we like it that way!

Inner Critic: No forced rhyme!

Agh! What does rhyme have to do with anything? Was I talking about rhyme? Don't you have someplace to be?!

Thanks to PiBoIdMo hostess Tara Lazar, her amazing guest posters (Wow!), the fantastic line-up of rock star agents (Ammi-Joan Paquette of Erin Murphy Literary Agency, Kelly Sonnack of Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Inc., and Joanna Volpe of Nancy Coffey Literary and Media Representation) who will be offering their thoughts in the form of three grand prizes to be announced in a few days - fingers crossed.

To my fellow Picture Book peeps, specifically fellow PiBoIdMo 2010 winners, CONGRATULATIONS! Let's continue to support, encourage and elevate each other with our successes, be they minor or earth-shakingly major, well into 2011 and beyond! :D

Picture Books & Jolliness: Daily Report Card

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:47:00 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

I wish I were a better ball handler.

Like most moms people, I have plenty of balls in the air. The problem is, I don't always have the right ball in the air at the right time, and I rarely pay equal attention to my balls. All of my balls are good balls, and I don't want to get rid of any of them. I want to become a better juggler. If I pay too much attention to one ball at the expense of the others, I will either end up with balls all over my head, or a handful of sad, lonely balls.

In an attempt to address some of my balls, I've devised this daily report card. It is a work in progress, and I have no intention of actually grading myself daily. I don't need that kind of pressure. I'll do it when I can. OMG I'm already setting myself up to fail. Anyway, I'm hoping that being mindful of my balls will allow me better serve my family and myself. After grading myself for a while, hopefully I'll have a good idea of what's working, what isn't, and which balls need more attention and tweaking.

Heather's Report Card for 11/22/2010

Smileys denote today's grades.

Health & Well-Being - Diet, exercise, not freaking out, zen
;-(

My Children - Something new - craft, exercise, game, silliness
^_^

Frugality - Not being wasteful, cutting back, scoring a freebie
8)

Picture Books - Writing, revising, critiquing
;-(

Link or Photo of the Day - For fun and personal enrichment
William Carlos Williams, DANSE RUSSE
also...
Spotlight on Agent Mary Kole at Writing and Illustrating

Calling All Picture Book Lovers!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 10:03:00 +0000

Hi, everyone! My name is Christie Wild and I'm happy to be visiting you today. Heather invited me to do a guest post on her blog about my experience with The Institute of Children's Literature (ICL). As many of you know, she is taking the ever-popular Intensive Picture Book Workshop by Anastasia Suen (pronounced 'soon'). I may take that class in the future, but today's post is based on a different writing program. I just signed up to take my second class through ICL. It may seem like I'm advertising for them, but I'm not. They are a for-real organization with professional instructors (editors and published authors). Lots of great freebies on their website, too. Kristi Holl is the blogger for Writer's First Aid, a Medicine Chest of Hope. Her blog has well over 30,000 RSS subscribers. She is a graduate of ICL (and is now an instructor there) and has gone on to publish over 35 books and hundreds of magazine articles and short stories. She says that ICL is the only formal writing instruction she ever had.

I took the first course right out of high school and finished it during college, where I majored in Creative Writing. My instructor back then was Cindy Savage. The course was very comprehensive and informative. I wrote a lot of teen romance short stories back then. Cindy was very encouraging and gave great critiques. That was for the Writing for Children and Teenagers course.

The one I'm enrolled in right now is called Writing & Selling Children's Books, An Advanced Writing Program for Selected Students. ICL's promise is that they will help you develop a manuscript ready for submission. The course I'm in right now will help you complete one long book, or two to three short ones (picture books). So of course I'm going the picture book route. There are nine assignments and you have two years to complete the course. It costs $707. My current instructor is Clara Gillow Clark. The assignments go about like this:

letter about goals plus three ideas

book idea in summary form

1st book

2nd book

revise 1st book

revise 2nd book

revise 1st book again and propose a 3rd

revise 2nd book again and a draft of 3rd

all revisions requested and cover/query letters, outlines, resumes, etc.

I'm excited-beyond-Santa excited! :D If any of you have specific questions, just ask. I'll be happy to try to answer them.

Oh, and over at WRITE WILD, my own personal blog, I'm having a GREAT giveaway contest to celebrate my taking this course AND to celebrate my 100 followers! I am giving away TWO copies of the market guide published by ICL. One 2011 issue, and one 2010 issue of Book Markets for Children's Writers. If you think you know your picture books, go comment on my blog post for 11-5-10. And come back on the 6th for an interview with Tara Lazar, the creator of PiBoIdMo!

Thanks for having me! See you around the blogosphere! And good luck in my contest...

Important Information about Google Buzz Class Action Settlement

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 14:30:00 +0000

Google rarely contacts Gmail users via email, but we are making an
exception to let you know that we've reached a settlement in a lawsuit
regarding Google Buzz (http://buzz.google.com), a service we launched
within Gmail in February of this year.

Shortly after its launch, we heard from a number of people who were
concerned about privacy. In addition, we were sued by a group of Buzz users
and recently reached a settlement in this case.

The settlement acknowledges that we quickly changed the service to address
users' concerns. In addition, Google has committed $8.5 million to an
independent fund, most of which will support organizations promoting
privacy education and policy on the web. We will also do more to educate
people about privacy controls specific to Buzz. The more people know about
privacy online, the better their online experience will be.

Just to be clear, this is not a settlement in which people who use Gmail
can file to receive compensation. Everyone in the U.S. who uses Gmail is
included in the settlement, unless you personally decide to opt out before
December 6, 2010. The Court will consider final approval of the agreement
on January 31, 2011. This email is a summary of the settlement, and more
detailed information and instructions approved by the court, including
instructions about how to opt out, object, or comment, are available at
http://www.BuzzClassAction.com.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
This mandatory announcement was sent to all Gmail users in the United
States as part of a legal settlement and was authorized by the United
States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Google Inc. | 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway | Mountain View, CA 94043

Capstone Connect Share and Win Contest!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 09:32:00 +0000

Fans of Capstone books will want to head over to Capstone Connect and enter their Share and Win Contest. Snippet below...

"...tell us about your favorite experience with Capstone books and you could win a $250 Capstone gift certificate. Yep, that’s $250 in Capstone books! Simply share your stories with us in the comments section of this post. Contest runs Nov. 1 through Nov. 14, 2010..." via Capstone Connect

Anastasia Suen at Frisco Reads 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 09:59:00 +0000

While Facebooking on Monday when I should have been writing, I caught a little blurb from Anastasia Suen about Frisco Reads 2010, where she would be in attendance signing books and emanating greatness. My words, not hers, although that would have been pretty funny. I quickly concluded that I simply had to be there. Broken toe or non, how many chances does one get to meet Anastasia Suen frente a frente? I recently completed Part 1 of her Intensive Picture Book Writing Workshop, and will be starting Part 2 on the third of November. I wanted to meet my teacher in person.

Granted, I was a bit nervous. I wasn't sure if I should be subjecting my poor little toe to so much walking, and harbored a fear that my three year old son Joe would spot something shiny and irresistible, take off across the parking lot to fetch it, and that I wouldn't be able to chase him. History has also taught me that I'd probably babble to Anastasia about hairless monkeys and toddler poop, and that she'd be justified in barring me from future workshops.

Thankfully, everything turned out fine. Anastasia recalled that I'd mentioned my gimpy toe once or twice or thrice, and I rewarded her attentiveness to detail by wriggling a stinky foot in her face. Then, my usually ebullient Joe got down on all fours and scurried under her table. Even that didn't phase her. I probably should have allowed him a minute to adjust to the crowded, noisy cafeteria before approaching Anastasia, but I didn't want to chance missing her book signing. Joe recovered in time to wave her a proper bye-bye, and was back his normal cheerful self within minutes, thanks to the golden belly of Rosie the Therapy Dog.

: Cover of Hamster Chase (Easy-to-Read, Puffin)

Anastasia was great. She didn't even whack me over the head for hovering when she spoke to a fan and her two adorable near-tween sons, who obviously hold Anastasia in Rock Star status (as they should). Seems in my intentness to coaxing Joe from under her table, I neglected to ask Anastasia to sign HAMSTER CHASE for Lily as well. When I finally did, she was kind enough to comply.

Below is a picture of the lot of us. Anastasia is the normal one standing on her own two feet. For some reason, I thought it would be a better idea to kneel and keep my hands on Joe in case he got any notions about scooting under the table again.

: Cover of Red Light, Green Light

That night at bedtime, I was sifting through Joe's library books, asking him which he wanted to read, when he announced: "RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT!" I attempted to explain that it was a very special book, written and signed by Ms. Anastasia Suen herself, and that it was resting in a place of honor on my bookshelf and therefore not touchable by live people without kidskin gloves. But he made the puppy face, so I unshelved the object of his desire and we enjoyed it together. Joe's favorite part was the robot towards the end. "He's telling the cars where to go!" And then, "How did he get there?"

Ahh, good times. :D Thanks, Anastasia!

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 09:53:00 +0000

PETE THE CAT: I LOVE MY WHITE SHOES
by Eric Litwin (aka Mr. Eric)
Art by James Dean
First Harper Collins Edition, 2010

I fell in love with PETE THE CAT: I LOVE MY WHITE SHOES at first sight. I spotted it on the "new books" shelf at my local library and was reaching for it when a helpful librarian entered the scene.

"Oh, kids love that book!" And then she was heading my way, a trail of tossed chairs in her wake. "It's a big favorite for story time. There's even a song that goes along with it. As you can see, we don't have it in the book anymore, but you can listen on the internet."

Then Joe, who is usually more interested in his fellow library urchins than in scouting out new books, reached up from my blind spot and swiped the book from me.

"Look at his shoes!" He pointed and laughed at Pete the Cat.

Joe loves the book because it's fun. I love it because it's fun, and because of it's laid-back message of not getting riled up about things that don't really matter. Kids get to explore colors and music. What's not to like?

Summary: Pete the cat loved his white shoes, and even had a song for them, but one day he stepped in a big pile of...???

Theme: It's all good.

Additional Activities:

View photos of my son Joe, 3, showing off one of his favorite books...

Visit EricLitwin.com. Be sure not to miss the pictures and videos sections! (links at the top of the page)

Check out http://petethecat.com/

Have your kids draw pictures of Pete the Cat wearing their own shoe creations. (If you do, please photograph, upload and post a link in the comments section!)

Watch this dynamic school performance of PETE THE CAT by author Eric Litwin, illustrator James Dean, and a friendly fellow on guitar, and sing along with your kids! (Link provided with permission of Mr. Eric.)

The Great Library Giveaway - From the Mixed-Up Files...

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 09:08:00 +0000

: Image by The Real Estreya via Flickr

One of my favorite blogs is From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors. There's always something exciting happening there, and much to learn from them. Right now their Great Library Giveaway is under way. What a wonderful cause!

Be sure to check out The Great Library Giveaway FAQ, then peruse to The Great Library Giveaway post and nominate your library of choice in the comments section. A winner will be chosen at random on Tuesday, November 30, 2010.

If your entry is the one chosen as the winner, these good folks will also send you a $25 gift certificate from your local independent bookstore. Wow!

Additional Activities:

Check out the titles donated to The Great Library Giveaway thusfar. (click here)

If you or somebody you know would like to contribute a book or books to this giveaway, details can be found here.

Shop IndieBound

If you have authored a middle-grade book that will be coming out in the near future, email newreleases [at] fromthemixedupfiles [dot] com with your name, title and publisher to be included in their list of upcoming releases. (Traditionally published only.)

PiBoIdMo 2010!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 14:01:00 +0000

PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month, November) 2010 is almost here! This will be my first year of participation, and I'm so stoked I'm shaking my fanny like a Schnauzer.

If you are also a picture book writer, be sure to stop by Tara Lazar's blog Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) and check out her PiBoIdMo 2010 Information Section. I promise you will be flabbergasted and subsequently delighted by the list of guest bloggers and literary agents she's lined up.

To quote Tara...

"The concept is to create 30 picture book ideas in 30 days. You don’t have to write a manuscript. You don’t need potential best-seller ideas."

If that's not enough to entice you, Tara also says...

"Writers who complete the 30-ideas-in-30-days challenge will be eligible for prizes: feedback from a literary agent, original sketches by picture book illustrators, jewelry and who knows what else. (If you’d like to donate a prize to PiBoIdMo 2010, please contact me at tarawrites [at] yahoo [dot] com.)"

Tara Lazar is the author of THE MONSTORE, "opening in your town in Summer 2013 from Aladdin/Simon & Schuster".

Additional Activities:

Pick up your own PiBoIdMo 2010 badge!

Follow Tara Lazar on Twitter @TaraLazar.

Follow Tara Lazar at JacketFlap

Check out Frolicking through Cyberspace: The Unread - Interview With Tara Lazar

Scroll through Simon & Schuster's Children's Books "Coming Soon"

Read about The Erin Murphy Literary Agency and Tara Lazar's Literary Agent, Ammi-Joan Paquette

Knuffle Bunny Too by Mo Willems

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 17:24:00 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

KNUFFLE BUNNY TOO: A Case of Mistaken Identity
by Mo Willems
Hyperion, 2007

Summary: Trixie is excited to share her one-of-a-kind Knuffle Bunny at school for the very first time. When she does, she is shocked and dismayed upon discovering that her classmate Sonja also has a Knuffle Bunny. It isn’t until the Knuffle Bunnies are inadvertently switched, and an early-morning bunny exchange has come to pass, that Trixie realizes how much she and Sonja have in common, and the two become very first best friends.

Themes:

What is special is not diminished by its lack of uniqueness. The holding dear of common objects, and one might extrapolate loves, goals, ideas, values, etc., should not serve to divide, but to unite.

I also see the Knuffle Bunnies as proxies for the girls themselves.

Possible underlying message about firsts – how special they are, and how a first gone wrong can turn into a different first gone right.

Mother-Approved: Mo Willems is one of my favorite picture book writers. And Knuffle Bunny Too, the second book in the Knuffle Bunny trilogy, is no disappointment. In a mere 374 words, Mo has managed to usher me through a wide range of emotions. I snickered, I held my breath, I felt warm inside.

Father-Approved: Dennis gets a kick out of the Knuffle Bunny books as well.

Kid-Approved: Both Joe, my three year old, and Lily, my two year old, loved this book. Sometimes Lily comes up to me and says, "Knuffle Bunny!" for no apparent reason.

*********

Additional Activities:

KNUFFLE BUNNY TOO Study Guide

KNUFFLE BUNNY Teacher's Guide (.pdf)

KNUFFLE BUNNY activities for the kids

Mo's October Appearances

Have your child pretend she is taking her own lovey to school for show and tell.

Look at zee cute bunnies...

Please feel free to add your suggestions for additional activities below. :)

Winding Down the Knuffle Bunny Trilogy « TWO WRITING TEACHERS

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 18:13:00 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

Here's a good post from "Two Writing Teachers" on what we can learn from Mo Willems's Knuffle Bunny Trilogy, one of my absolute favorites...

"There are quite a few things we can teach students about the qualities of good writing from Knuffle Bunny Free. Three things I’ve identified are:"

via Winding Down the Knuffle Bunny Trilogy « TWO WRITING TEACHERS.

Nicholas Sparks Book Contest From Mind Rants of a Totally Crazed Super Mom

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 08:15:00 +0000

: Image by EssG via Flickr

I found out about this fabulous contest via Kangaroobee's Blog. Thanks for posting the link! Details...

"A chance to win a SIGNED copy of Safe Haven

annnddd paperback (one of each - unsigned- but still fabulous) copies of Dear John and The Last Song

Wha-at? Seriously?! What do I have to do?

CONTEST RULES:

1) Comment below and tell me your fav Nicholas Sparks book ever—just one, people—make The Choice

2) Make sure you leave your full name (I have a lot of friends named Michelle!)

See—easy peasy.

And if you have any questions, email me at alisonmiller20@gmail.com

And for extra entries…

+1 if you become a new follower of my blog

+2 if you already are a loyal follower of my blog

+1 new followers on Twitter

+2 if you already follow me on Twitter

+1 linking to my contest on your blog, Twitter (provide a link please)

+3 for posting about my contest on your blog (a link for that too)

+2 if you add me to your blog roll

And bonus for my loyal Facebook friends

+2 for sharing my link on your wall

If you have any extra entries, tally them (I know I'm a math teacher - but your tally would be a gigundo time-saver) and post that in your comment. Winners will be selected at random and the contest will end Tuesday September 28 at 11:59 EST.

On September 29, I’ll post the winners as well as a review of his new book. The winners can email me their addresses so I can mail off prizes!"

via Mind Rants of a Totally Crazed Super Mom: Mr. Fabulous and Me - and a Contest for YOU!.

Lily – Galveston, TX

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 08:27:00 +0000

Dennie & Amanda

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:01:00 +0000

Brain Dumping and pondering YA voice

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 10:09:00 +0000

: Image by Deep Frozen Shutterbug via Flickr

Although my focus is on learning the craft of picture book writing, I occasionally genre-hop during writing practice/brain dump sessions. It seems my brain has ideas of its own.

The other day I was brain dumping, and the following character plopped out: (excerpt)

Diary Entry - Date and time

...They say it was a miracle I survived. I say it was a miracle I was ever born, that God saw fit to reward Peter Pony (real name Jango Lipschitz – yes, that’s right, my real last name is Lipschitz) and supermodel Mette Svingerviposidedeneyen with a child. Or maybe it wasn’t meant to be a reward. Maybe I was meant to make their lives unpleasant. I think perhaps it’s the latter. Neither Mom, when she was alive, nor Dad have ever been able to look me in the eye. Not since I was a toddler, anyway. I think my eyes are the only mirror they ever encountered through which they weren’t catapulted into narcissistic Valhalla by means of their own reflection.

Bitsy, aka Grandma, Dad’s Mom, says I haven’t been right or “raht” as she would say it, since the accident. It was for that reason she suggested I stay with her and her “inmates” as Dad calls them, at Bedford House, instead of accompanying Dad and Nanny Naughty Nurse on the Pulsating Pony Absolute Final (For real this time!) World Tour.

Diary Entry - Date and time

It has been decided. I will be allowed to stay at Bedford House for a period of 6 months. If all goes well, I will be able to continue the school year (REAL school!), but if I blow chunks and frick up the whole deal, I will be expected to return to Beverly Thrills, under the tutelage of my long-time nanny turned Stepmom, Nanny Naughty Nurse.

This, of course, is not her real name. Its appearance coincided with her shift from loving nanny and devoted overseer of my health and well-being to Stepmom extraordinaire, complete with new boobs, new lips, perky Brazilian buttocks, and a sudden devotion to three-martini lunches. Naughty nurse, indeed. It was said that nobody goes through that many tennis racket strings without ever setting foot on the court unless a little hanky-panky is involved.

Blech. The thought of her and Dad as a couple still makes my stomach want to crawl down my intestines and hide. Not that Dad’s all that normal himself. He may be a bit of a freak, but he’s my freak and my daddy to boot. Let’s just say that I love him, but I don’t always like him.

I know the writing, organization and grammar are doo-doo, this is just a brain dump. My main concern at this point is VOICE. I wrote over 1,000 words, but I couldn't bring myself to pursue or revise. I kept wondering: Is this the authentic voice of a 17 year old girl? Is her thinking too negative? Are her words too big? Is it all too heavy? How can I get the feedback I need in order to make an informed decision and grow?

I'm thinking this is one of the many uncertainties of creative writing. You can't tell, don't know, and you probably won't get the feedback you need in a timely fashion without forking out big bucks to an editor or writing mentor. And who wants to do that unless you have a pretty good idea that there's something "there"?

I was able to procure some indirect help, though. When I was scratching my bum and pondering all of this, Mary Kole wrote a post over at KidLit.com that she finished by asking if anybody had any burning writing or publishing questions. I wasn't about to let that opportunity slip! I asked her about YA voice, and she was freaking awesome enough to respond in her post "Mature Voice for the YA Market".

There is some invaluable general information there. I have read that it's best to save first-person voice for romance, mystery, etc., but I hadn't thought to expand the notion per her suggestions. Voice and action should be complementary. Makes sense. It's still hard, though, to get outside of yourself and tell if your female YA voice is actually coming across like that of a 56 year old longshoreman.

Conclusion: I picked the wrong day to stop sniffing cat food.

All brain dumps © Heather Kephart.

Horse on patrol - McKinney TX

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:03:00 +0000

What is happening here?

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:40:00 +0000

Picture Book Writing + Twitter = #pblitchat

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:39:00 +0000

: Image by your neighborhood librarian via Flickr

If you're interested in authoring Children's Picture Books, and chatting with other like-minded folks, I highly recommend that you take advantage of #pblitchat, a weekly chat co-convened by friendly Aussies Karen Collum (@KarenCollum), and Kat Apel (@KatApel).

For details, including chat transcripts, check out:

Picture Books Only: Home of #pblitchat

New home for #pblitchat!

Karen Collum is happy to add you to the #pblitchat news & info mailing list. Just drop her a line: pblitchat@bigpond.com

You may also search twitter for #pblitchat, and add it to your saved searches for easy reference.

Anastasia Suen's Intensive Picture Book Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:25:00 +0000

I finally bit the bullet! I'm excited to announce that I will be attending Anastasia Suen's Intensive Picture Book Workshop lessons 1-6 September 1st - October 20th, 2010.

Online Workshops with Anastasia Suen

For those interested in attending, below please find the Q & A Anastasia includes in her welcome email (shared with permission):

Welcome to the Intensive Picture Book Workshop #1-6!

Q. How does this work?

A. On the first Wednesday of each month a new workshop begins. For 6
Wednesdays in a row I will send you a workshop lesson via email. You
have 2 weeks to complete each lesson.

Q. What do the numbers mean?

A. Due to the economy I have split my 12 week workshops into two 6
week workshops. Lessons #1-6 are the first half and Lessons #7-12 are
the second half.

Q. How do I send you my homework?

A. Just click reply to email me your homework. (Please write your
reply *in the body of the message* so we don't have to worry about
software compatiblity or possible viruses in the attachments.)

I will reply to your email that afternoon or the next day. (I write in
the morning and read the workshops in the afternoon Monday through
Friday.)

Q. How long do I have to complete the workshop?

A. You have 8 weeks to complete the 6 lessons in this workshop.

Lily at Blue Goose

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 23:21:00 +0000

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Dog of life threw bone!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:14:00 +0000

Image via WikipediaOr am I dog-throwing bone? Not sure how that works. All I know is...

AM GENIUS!

And fool.

Will concentrate on the genius part. Couldn't figure out how to export links from Kidlit Writer to new and fabulous Diary of Heather blogspot blog, but then had an idea! Viewed source, then pasted html into shiny new Resources - Writing for Children page. Tweaked a bit and am now in Heaven as was actually considering manually copying and pasting well over 30,000 (plus!) links from said prior blog to said new blog.

Regarding the fool bit, well, that's because this is about the tenth time I've moved my blog. Will be the last! Have said that before, methinks. But sincerely mean to mean it this time.

P.S. As is new DIARY blog, will be posting like this as am not writing blog post, but writing DIARY post.
P.P.S. Don't care if is annoying.
P.P.P.S. Am hungry.

I won the Palace Beautiful giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 19:42:00 +0000

I'm thrilled from the tips of my wiry, attitudinal gray hairs to the bottoms of my desperately-in-need-of-a pedi feetsies to have won a copy of Palace Beautiful by Sarah deFord Williams, published by G.P. Putnam.

Thanks to Jennifer Duddy Gill of "From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors" for drawing my name from that bowl! I can't wait to dive in. Be sure to check out the posts for more information about Palace Beautiful, and an interview with Sarah deFord Williams:

Palace Beautiful – Interview and giveaway
Palace Beautiful Giveaway Winner

Text Wrap Around Image Generator

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:39:00 +0000

Image by Jesper Rønn-Jensen via Flickr

While trying to get the dang text to wrap around my picture at my new website, and stumbled over the Text Wrap Around Image Generator. If you're html-challenged like I am, you're going to want to bookmark this tool.

All you need to do is insert the URL to your picture, then insert your text. The code is automatically generated for you so that you may copy and paste into your html editor. (Note: It ran the paragraphs together for me, so I just inserted "< br>< br>" between paragraphs in the code - manually omit space before the b's - and it worked like a charm.)

Skidmarks and Stupidity

noreply@blogger.com (Heather at My Coupon Coop) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Originally posted 9/8/2009

I woke up late today and stumbled my way to the kitchen on a coffee beeline that looked and felt like a yellow brick road, to discover my husband Dennis fully dressed for work and passed out on the couch. I thought it best to gently rouse him and let him know that he was supposed to be at work. As it turned out, he'd aggravated his sprained ankle buzzing around the house yesterday preparing for his return to work and had no plans to get up from the couch any time soon. It was sad and cute at the same time.

Not much later in the day the post-vacation, injured husband clutter got to me and I decided to make short work of it.

First stop on the tidy train: stinky laundry.

Dennis as Lily our one year old: Are those "browns"?

Me: Those are whites. Some of our whites have brown on them.

Dennis to Lily: Mom has little to no bowel control. If she had bowel control she wouldn't use it anyway. What would be the fun in that?

He says this as I tenderly fold his underwear and turn his socks inside themselves to form conveniently paired bundles.

Later yet, after an extended grocery shopping sojourn consisting of peach sniffing, cucumber thumping, and beer procuring, (the ancient checker actually eyed me suspiciously and asked my birth date causing me to choke on my 40 year old tongue wrinkle), I returned home to the news that Dennis' doctor had called in his prescription not five minutes prior.

On the way to the pharmacy I turned on the radio, (yes, the radio... we old bats like old things), and was met with what sounded like static. I flicked the lever on my steering wheel to move it to the next station. The static grew louder. I flicked more vehemently. Flick flick FLICK flickflickflick. Suddenly I'm being blasted by Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark at the Moon".

Who knew that that "Bark at the Moon" sounds like "Bazzrrxxxskkkzzxzz" in the lower volume ranges?

I would have happily Barked at the Moon in the first place so I did just that. I kept on barking even after my minivan ground to a halt at a stoplight. I envisioned a giant hair bow in the shape of a bat and checked myself out in the mirror. It wasn't there of course, but I was pleased with the look of it and continued to headbang my way into the hospital parking lot.

After a stop here and a doctor note grab there, I once again found myself approaching the pharmacy. It was packed and offered only two available seats; one next to a kindly senior citizen and another holding an empty water bottle and a worn copy of Coachella Valley Your Health Monthly. I smiled at the elderly gentleman and said, "Hello. Is this seat taken?"

This man had not one but two lazy eyes, and his face was clearly pointed in my direction, but he afforded me neither acknowledgment of my existence nor any response whatsoever. Upon realizing I couldn't be sure of his ability to hear, or of his sanity, I took a step back and plopped myself right on top of the water bottle.

I'm no fool. It was obvious that the only way to save what I like to think of as my natural aplomb was to snatch that magazine up faster than the speed of light, cross my legs and pretend I'd been sitting there for half an hour. So I did just that.

I flipped to a page about natural skin masks. Do I have dry skin or combination skin? Only one of my many beauty quandaries. I go with dry skin. Bad choice.

In a recipe that is obviously not meant for consumption I take in the words, "(no need to substitute Splenda in this recipe)". I wrote in "OMG", because I said the words out loud, violently flicked the page with my right hand and squinted at the lazy-eyed gentleman in a manner that shrieked, "Can you bah-lieve this?" Mercifully, I spotted Dennis' name on the put-you-out-of-your-misery board and hopped up behind a waiting couple.

After five and a half minutes of, "He said he was going to send down a note"'s, and "He's an idiot, I never liked him"'s it was my turn at bat. Inexplicably, the girl behind the register motions me over to the right. I comply. Again she motions to the right. Again I comply. She says, "You can come to this window too." I hand her my ticket. She heads back off to the left and types into a computer and eyes me nervously. I continue to smile. She goes on about how I could have come to that window, the one she motioned me to before hopping back to the left, until I say, "The 'Pick-up Prescription' sign is over where I was standing." She glares like I'm an idiot and says, "I'm just letting you know. For next time."

I smiled a broader smile. Her lips twitched. I plucked the bag out of her hand and made my way home.

Is it just me?