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Robyn must decide her future at the coming of age ceremony, but choosing the right path is a challenge. Most girls in Robyn’s village will choose traditional roles of healing, midwifery or farming. None of these choices appeal to Robyn. Instead, she yearns for the red-hot crucibles full of molten bronze and the roaring fire of her father’s foundry. But her future brother-in-law, Gilhey, her most ardent challenger at the foundry, has other plans. Will Robyn find the courage to stand up to Gilhey and become the bronze caster she longs to be?

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As the littlest Hapenny, Maewyn Bridgepost spends her days from breakfast to midnight nibble scrubbing the hearth, slopping the pigs, and cooking for her guardian, who never spares a kind word. Mae dreams of her long-lost mother, the day she can be rid of Gelbane and finding a life worth living. As if life as a servant wasn't bad enough, Mae learns that Gelbane is a troll-and Hapennies are a troll delicacy.

New eBook Available June 1, 20

This Young Adult Romance Anthology makes its way through time, visit the Holy Roman Empire, French Revolution, Victorian England,











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NESCBWI - No Place Like Home

     It was a great weekend and I hated to see it end, but it was nice to be home.
     I sat with my husband at the kitchen table and between bites of salad I explained why it felt to so good to be at a conference.
     My conference peeps aren't just colleagues, they are friends. They are genuinely happy to see me, make feel loved and appreciated, and inspire me to more than I would settle for.
     He smiled. He understood.
     To every single person who attended this year’s NESCBWI Conference in Springfield, MA, Thank you. You made this past weekend one I will never forget.

Here it is! NESCBWI 2012 "Keeping it Real" Conferenece

I can only give you a glimpse of things to come but we did change things up.

Registration opens January 23, 2012. Get your manuscripts and agent quick queries ready! Deadlines for submitting for critiques close early for the upcoming conference due to the dates being in April.

Kudos to Jen Carson for all she's done with her work on the newest version of the postcard and in such a teeny-weenie amount of time.

Calling ALL Volunteers for NESCBWI 2012!

We need you to make 2012 the best conference ever!

Only 251 days until the conference.

Want to volunteer?

Click here to complete the volunteer survey.

The New England SCBWI annual conference is entirely organized and run by volunteers, so help is vitally needed and greatly appreciated. This is one of the largest regional SCBWI conferences, and last year we sold out the conference in two weeks. This year, the theme is "Keeping it Real: Reality and World-building in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Illustration" and the conference will take place April 20-22, 2012 at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel, Springfield, MA.

Please complete the conference volunteer survey if you are interested in helping out. Getting more involved in the NE-SCBWI conference is a great way to meet accomplished authors, illustrators, editors, and other publishing professionals.

Volunteers are needed to assist with many different aspects of the conference. Conference weekend volunteers are responsible for tasks during the conference weekend only, and will be trained that weekend. We also need volunteers to help select workshops for the conference. The Workshop Selection Committee will meet on October 2, 2011 in Holden, MA to choose the best workshops out of all the proposals submitted.

We are also seeking volunteers to take on roles with greater time commitment and involvement. If you are interested in any of the following volunteer positions, please email nescbwi12@gmail.com with your full name, contact information, and a brief explanation of why you feel you would be a good fit for the position.

Open Volunteer Positions

Special Interest Group Coordinator

Special Interest Groups are informal discussions meant to promote networking and discussion on topics of mutual interest. For example, past Special Interest Groups have discussed writing fantasy, using Twitter, and digital illustration. The Coordinator will need to solicit topics for the groups, find and recruit volunteers to lead the discussions, create signage for the tables, and make sure that the event runs smoothly.

Contact nescbwi12@gmail.com if you are interested in this position.

Book Signing Coordinator

Authors and illustrators who present at the conference are invited to sign books. The Book Signing Coordinator is responsible for contacting and scheduling faculty for the signing, coordinating with the conference book seller to ensure that their books are available, and figuring out the best set-up for the book signing room, including line management.

Contact nescbwi12@gmail.com if you are interested in this position.

Assistant Critique Registrars

The Critique Registrar takes every manuscript submitted for a critique at the conference, organizes them by genre, and submits them to appropriate editors and agents. The Registrar also puts together the schedule of critique meetings. Assistant Critique Registrars will work with the Registrar to manage this process and deal with critique requests and scheduling issues. We are looking for volunteers who live in the Burlington, MA area.

Contact nescbwi12@gmail.com if you are interested in this position.

Open Mic Coordinator

Open Mic night was popular this past year, so we would like to offer this event again in 2012. The Open Mic Coordinator will plan the open mic night (or nights) and will be there to ensure that the event goes smoothly.

Contact nescbwi12@gmail.com if you are interested in this position.

Door Prize Coordinator

The Door Prize Coordinator will solicit prizes to give away during the conference weekend, organize the prizes at the conference, and come up with a fun, creative, and efficient way of conducting the raffle.

Contact nescbwi12@gmail.com if you are interested in this position.

Poster Showcase Coordinator

The Poster Showcase Coordinator organizes and runs the Illustrator poster contest at the conference. The Coordinator will come up with a concept for the contest, solicit prizes for the winners, present the prizes to the winners, and take charge of set-up and take-down of the contest.

Contact nescbwi12@gmail.com if you are interested in this position.

Portfolio Critique Coordinator

Art Directors give portfolio reviews at the conference. This Coordinator will seek out Art Directors who are interested and available the weekend of the conference to critique portfolios, and will manage the portfolio critique schedule.

Contact nescbwi12@gmail.com if you are interested in this position.

Portfolio Display Coordinator

This year, we are interested in adding a location for illustrators to display their work. The Portfolio Display Coordinator will recruit illustrators to take part in the display, and will manage set-up and take-down of the room.

Contact nescbwi12@gmail.com if you are interested in this position.

Sneak Peek - 2012 NESCBWI Conference Artwork

The illustrator for the NESCBWI 2012 Keeping it Real in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Illustration, is Jen Carson.  Here is a preliminary sketch that she has shared with me!

NESCBWI 2012 Call for proposals

It's official! Today the call for proposals for the 2012 NESCBWI Spring Conference "Keeping it Real: Reality and World-building in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Illustration" is out. 

Reality doesn't often get the spotlight in the post-Harry-Potter world of children's literature, but even in fantasy or highly stylized illustration, a believable world is fundamental. Also, there is so much we all can learn from nonfiction research and writing techniques. Finally, how do you stay realistic and focused on your future in this rapidly evolving industry?

As always, the conference will have a strong focus on craft. This year, we are moving to a new venue with more space available for workshop sessions. We'd like to invite more small, hands-on workshops. Of course, larger lecture-style workshops are still welcome as well.

This is one of the largest regional SCBWI conferences, and last year we sold out the conference in two weeks. We welcome proposals from everyone. We also encourage artists and writers of color, those who are differently abled, and others from underrepresented groups to propose conference workshops.

What YOU Need to know: Important Information

Conference Dates: Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon, April 20-22, 2012
Conference Location: Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel, Springfield, MA
To Submit a Proposal: Please complete a conference proposal form. Separate submissions are required for multiple presentations or workshop/intensive versions of the same presentation.

Proposal Due Date: September 16, 2011
Presenter Notification Expected: November 1, 2011

Types of Presentations: 55-minute workshops; 120-minute intensives

 
What are we looking for?

55-minute workshops

• Presentations that relate to our conference theme.
• Presentations that last 55 minutes in their entirety. When planning, leave time for participant questions and any required audiovisual setup.
• A range of presentations for all SCBWI members, including illustrators and writers in all genres.
• Leveled presentations. We are not trying to find one presentation that everyone can attend. Instead, presenters should direct material toward a specific experience level. For example, an "advanced" illustration presentation should not begin with "Why you should carry a sketch book," and a "beginner's" writing workshop should not address marketing a contracted novel. 
• Focused presentations with clear learning outcomes. These should be clear, tangible "final products" that attendees take away. Plan the presentation thinking, "I want participants to leave with these three tools or ideas." A few examples: ideas for a new direction or revision in their own work; increased understanding of a specific genre, style, area of craft, art media, etc.; a step-by-step plan of attack for marketing, revisions, problem-solving, etc.
• Hands-on workshops where attendees spend significant time in writing, illustration, or marketing exercises applying ideas to their own work.
• Lecture-style presentations  with information that participants can take back to their desks to ponder and play with. 
• Presentations that include a range of examples rather than drawing solely from the presenter's experience or body of work.
• Presenters who are published members of SCBWI, as well as editors, agents, MFA graduates, and other industry professionals. Past presentation experience is appreciated.

120-minute intensives

Intensive proposals should meet all of the criteria listed above for 55-minute workshops. Also consider the following:

• 120-minute intensives typically take place on Sunday, and there are fewer slots available for these workshops.
• Two hours are provided, so plan exercises or some interactive element in the workshop. An intensive should not only be a lecture.
• Past presentation experience and in-depth knowledge of the topic are required.
• Partner presentations are welcome.

Note: If you apply to present a 55-minute workshop or a 120-minute intensive and we feel your presentation may better fit the other format, we will let you know!

Selection Criteria and Topics

Every year SCBWI New England receives many excellent proposals, more than can fit into a conference schedule. Therefore, we must choose on the basis of experience, quality, variety, novelty, attendant costs, and other factors. Please use the NESCBWI Workshop Rubric for more explicit selection criteria and standards.

We would love to see presentations on the following topics. If you are an expert on one of these topics, we would love to see your proposal.

• Hands-on writing workshops: tools, tips, outlining, character sketching, etc.
• Hands-on illustration workshops
• Publishing 101 session for authors or illustrators
• Developing an idea from conception to completion
• Nonfiction and fiction research
• Secrets of Story Arc
• How to lay out a picture book dummy
• How to start your own publishing company
  
• Gesture and emotion for illustrators
• School and library visits and promotion
• Writing nonfiction articles and short stories
• Mystery writing
• Creative writing courses in the New England area
• Game plan for leaving a full time job to become a freelancer

I hope to see you there!

After the Beta Reader - Reads! 11 Things You Can Do.

My last blog post was about the importance of having a beta reader. So, let’s say you have a beta reader and they’ve read your manuscript. Waiting is hard. Every now and then you wonder if they hate it. With any luck, they won’t. And now you log into your email and they’ve sent you feedback...gulp...what now?

1.  Take a deep breath.
2.  Pour a glass of wine (so what if it’s only 8:17 AM).
3.  Grab a highlighter.
4.  Kick off your slippers.
5.  Sit back.
6.  Read.

If you find something that makes you want to stop reading, highlight it and continue reading. Read it all the way through and don’t think defensive thoughts.

7.  Now read it again. This time look for dangling threads, problems and "just not working notes", your beta reader noted.

Didn’t realize you stopped writing about something halfway through, did you? Well, this was where my beta reader, rocked! She found several threads that weren’t completed and one that didn’t even need to be there anymore.

8.  Put it down and walk away for twenty-four hours.

I know, not easy to do, but this is important to your story. Take this time to do other things and let your beta reader’s input percolate.

9.  When you are ready, make the small edits first. 

Focus on grammar and punctuation. They are easy and you need to make them.

10. Finally, with your beta reader’s comments in hand, read your story from beginning to end.

Ready?

As you read, you will see where the problems are. You will know what you need to do. It’s you story and you know it best.

11. With opened eyes, revise!

What are some of the things you look for when reading a manuscript?

Q is for Questions Asked by First Time Conference Attendees

Are you going to your first writer’s conference this year? Are you wondering how to get the most from your first time?

If your first time is a large regional conference, I recommend you focus on craft. The New England chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writer’s and Illustrators Conference is designed to have something for all levels of experience.

For first-timers, there is a Friday afternoon workshop, Conference Orientation. This workshops is an excellent way to get a quick over view and great tips on making your first conference work for you.

Peer Critique Workshop will explain how to give and receive critiques. Other writers are some of the best sources for Learning from. Most have been exactly where you are, at the beginning of their writing journey. And remember, there is something to be learned from each person, even if you don’t agree with their style or comments. Dig deep and be objective. Take what you learn home and start your own critique group.

I hope you registered for Saturday’s Publishing Basics: The Myths and Realities. You’ll learn about the basics of manuscripts, researching and finding publishers, agents, how to handle rejection, and what to do when you sell your first book.

Sunday has a great workshop for beginning illustrators. The Illustrator’s Academy focus on revision in illustration.

Most of all, relax and smile. Say hello and introduce yourself. We’ve all been a beginner at something. Writing can be solitary but that doesn’t mean you are alone.

What tips and suggestions can you give first time Writer conference attendees?

The Glimmer of an Idea

That glimmer of an idea, the one that won’t let you sleep, or focus on your family. It shimmers at the most annoying times, just out of reach. You can hear your brain scream as you try to snare that illusive thought. Stretching your gray matter, hoping to capture any essence of this magnificent idea before it slips away.

If you can lasso that runaway thought, form a solid, cohesive concept, you may just have the start of something brilliant. It’s the holding onto that hint of an idea which causes the brain scream.

I’ve tried the “carry around the notebook and pen” approach, but no idea ever forms when I’m prepared for it. Instead, it raps the inside of my skull every once in a while, reminding me it’s still there. Then the day comes, when it dislodges from the gray matter and bursts forth in full color.

If I don’t stop what I am doing the moment this happens, it’s lost. So now I scribble on whatever is available, usually on my arm. Sometimes my kids arm. Just a word or two is all it takes for me to remember. Then I race home, power up the laptop and tell the kids to fend for themselves for the rest of the night.

How do you do it?

E is for Email Queries

Don’t leave! Yes, I used the word query. Truth is, you can’t get published if you don’t query. Most editors and agents prefer this method of submission. It’s green, eco-friendly,  and postage-free.

It’s also so darn easy if you do your homework.

Just like in the “old” days, there are submission guidelines you need to follow. There is no excuse not to know them. Just about everyone has a website or blog where these guidelines can be found. This is not a hardcore, you must do it like this, set of directions.

I'm just offering some common sense things to think about. So here goes.

Use the correct email address. Does it go to a Query@email.com address or to s specific person's email. Make sure you know.

Subject Line - use it. Include the word query, that’s what it is. Not using the word, won’t get them to open the email any faster. Actually, it might be the reason they delete it, unread.

Salutation - be professional. No “Whaat’s up, Dog! Dear Mr. (insert last name), Ms. (insert last name), or if you are on first name basis, Dear (insert name).

Body Text - keep it short and to the point. You know the cliche; hook, line, and sinker. Use it.
    Hook - Exactly what it sounds like, with name of project and page count.
    Line - One paragraph, description or pitch.
    Sinker - Tell them if you have have included sample pages and who you are.

Signature Block - Name and contact information, Include your email, web or blog address, and  a phone number.
    Example:    Samantha Writer

            youremailaddress(@)email.com
            Writetoblog.bloghost.com
            555-555-5555

Know what to include:
Did they ask for a synopsis and the first chapter?
Do you insert into the email or as an attachment?

Everyone has different preferences. Make sure you know them.

Do you have any great email query tips? I would love for you to share them. Post them in comments.