Ten days until Christmas and I'm still sending out queries...

Christmas display by Spencer 2016

 Florida SCBWI Regional Conference in Miami

I was going and then wasn't and now it's official. I've registered for: 

BECOME A KID LIT ROCK STAR- Florida SCBWI  Regional Conference

Can't wait!  January 13-15th, 2017. 
Early Registration ends on December 9th, so do it now and save cash. 

For more information: florida.scbwi.org

To join in the learning and fun go to: register.scbwiflorida.com
: 

CAUGHT READING

Elliott basks in the sunshine reading a good book. 

                 

      SCBWI Florida to Celebrate HOLIDAZE

Who:   SCBWI Florida

What:   A celebration: Holidaze

When:  Saturday, December 3, from 2 to 4 p.m

Why:    Because we love gathering with our                      fellow writers and illustrators

How:    Drive to  Panera at Feather Sound, 2285              Ulmerton  Rd., Clearwater, FL 3376                               

Holiday pastries, cookies and treats will be served, members will  buy their own drinks.

Bring a new or gently used children's book or books to donate to families-in-need who receive housing through the Family Residence of the St. Pete Free Clinic.

Thanks to Rob Sanders, author of  RUBY ROSE Off to SCHOOL SHE GOES, for setting this up

www.robsanderswrites.com

        Skywriters Have Three New Reasons to Smile  

                       Augusta Scattergood, author of MAKING FRIENDS WITH BILLY WONG,  Sandra Markle, author or GASPARILLA'S GOLD and Janet MacLaughlin, author of HAUNTED ECHO, show off their newest publications at Peaches in Ellenton, Florida. Peach's Restaurant is one of the spots where Skywriters hold their critique group meetings. 

Congratulations to these talented authors.

Augusta Scattergood, author of MAKING FRIENDS WITH BILLY WONG snapped this photo of author Sandra Markle posing with a fan at National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention held in Atlanta this week. Both Scattergood and Markle were invited to take part in the program.

I'm proud to say Scattergood and Markle are both members of  my SCBWI critique group, the Skywriters.

 

 HAUNTED ECHO

by Janet McLaughlin

     Janet McLaughlin's cover of HAUNTED ECHO may pull you in, but her gift of writing in book one of the Soul Sight Mysteries will keep you reading.
     Main character Zoey with her ability to see and hear ghosts plans thinks she's going to have a vacation of fun and adventure with her best friend Becca and Becca's family on a Caribbean Island. But the ghost of a young slave girl needs Zoey's help and that changes everything.
     The teen book blends suspense, romance and the paranormal into a read that will surely win McLaughlin fans. Check it out:

www.Amazon.com:Books

Richard Peck is everywhere, but I always seem to miss him. 

Peck was at a Sarasota book store in February. My birth month. I learned about that appearance the day before he spoke, but had already promised a friend a ride to and from a doctor's appointment.  Of course, that was a no-brainer. But it's been that way a few times,  missed opportunities to hear Peck speak about writing children's literature. 

In the wee hours of this morning I clicked on Augusta Scattergood's blog, http://ascattergood.blogspot.com/ and she had wished him a belated birthday. 

So, I even missed wishing him a proper Happy Birthday on his special day. Yeah, I know, he must have been heartbroken, right?

On I move to Irene Latham's post.  http://irenelatham.blogspot.com/2010/04/ode-to-richard-peck.html about Peck. Okay, Mississippi isn't that that far from Florida. Why didn't I go?

Today I declare that --as a gift for my next birthday, God willing -- I will hear Richard Peck speak in person. Not as part of a bucket list. Heck no. I don't have one of those. Nope. I own a scroll etched with hopes of finding new adventures and treasures.  Hearing Richard Peck speak will mean I can slip a jewel inside a  personal treasure chest. 

Until then, I'll continue to write stories and like the other bloggers,  share my favorite Richard Peck quotes.

                        "We write by the light of every book we've ever read."                            

                                                       and                                                         

             "Kids are not looking for authors in books: they are looking for themselves."


Aren't those cool quotes? Who wouldn't want to hear more from an author who thinks that way. I'm just saying...

   Thank you Skywriter Susan Banghart for bringing a Minion to the our critique meeting. He's one of a few Minions she received for Christmas from her husband Scott. Is this Minion named Stuart?                                              Whatever his name, he has become our Minion Muse.

Photo by Skywriter Janet McLaughlin. 

Happy New Year fellow writers and readers. 

Looking forward to 2016 and all the hope it brings.

While a lot has changed in 2015, there is still one fact that remains unchanged in 2016:

Thanks to my friend Carol Peterson for the photo.