I always love featuring books that entertain and educate … and when they are written by one of my dear kid lit friends, that makes it even more enjoyable! Author Liliana Tommasini and I met at Miriam Laundry’s Believe Conference in Canada last fall … and what a wonderful event for picture book authors. When … Read more
Let’s be honest, picture book critiques are hard. Whether you are giving the critique or receiving a critique. Over the last few years I have participated in several critique groups. Some groups were a good match and others, not so much. The critiques however, were always respectful and useful. I have just joined a new … Read more
The Women in Publishing Summit (WIP Summit 2025) is an online conference. It is held the first week of March and it features women, who are authors, editors and publishing professionals. It’s a multi-day virtual event. All sessions are held LIVE on Zoom, and the summit covers topics on writing craft, editing, routes to publication, production, marketing, … Read more
National Procrastination Week is also known as Procrastination Awareness Week and is celebrated this year from March 3rd through the 7th. The focus of the week is to educate people about procrastination and strategies to manage it. Procrastinate means to put off doing something until a future time. When people sit down to write they can … Read more
National Storytelling Week (February 1-9, 2025) is an annual event that celebrates the art of storytelling. I come from a long line of storytellers. For as long as I can remember, my Irish grandmother would share stories about her childhood. One of my favorite stories was about her “bellyflopping” in the snow on Halloween! I loved listening … Read more
A “thankful author” is an author who expresses gratitude for the gift of writing, acknowledging the people and experiences that have influenced their work. I am going to claim this day as a day of thankfulness and encourage writers to think about the many people who bless and enrich our lives. Here are some things that … Read more
November is for writing and it is not too late to start. Maybe you’ve never thought of yourself as a writer. But you have been thinking about giving writing a try. Here’s the good news. You do not need a college degree to be a writer and author. What you do need is to write. … Read more
What is National Author’s Day 2024? National Author’s Day is celebrated on November 1st each year to honor the contributions of authors worldwide. Whether it’s through novels, poems, essays, or academic works, authors play an important role in shaping our culture, educating readers, and providing entertainment. Authors have a unique ability to transport us to new worlds, introduce … Read more
One of my author friends, recently shared she has an author coach to help her with her books. I mistakenly thought an author coach was the same as a writing coach. But there are slight differences. Which coaching is right for you? Author or Writing? Only you can decide. Author Coach An Author Coach coaches you through … Read more
As a former teacher, I believe that there is a lesson in most things. The lessons I have learned from writing Gertie Saves the Day and Two Wins for Wiley could fill a notebook or two. It has been just over two years now since my books were published. My life changed for the better and I … Read more
