Current Scratch: Join Us, Opportunities, Awards, Book Biz, For the Illustrator & Just For Fun

I bet we're all hoping March's showers will bring lots of April flowers, right? Something beautiful must come from the torrential downpours we've experienced this month. (And I'm not talking about the accidental mini waterfall which has occurred in our backyard, due to the raging water flowing from the hill, washing out a section of our land.) I'm thinking of writing a story. I'm seeing a fire ant (Yes, I said fire ant. What? They can be cute, too! Sort of. Okay... maybe not.) family facing the extreme challenge of the backyard river. Texas... Fire ants... I may be onto something! What about you? Any new projects springing up?

JOIN US

"Writing for the Youngest Readers" is our Schmooze topic this Wednesday with author Linnea Heaney. Linnea’s poems are being published in the 2015 summer issues of Highlights Hello. A Real Best Friend, her lyrical picture book story, was published at Hunger Mountain: the Vermont College of Fine Arts Journal for the Arts. She brings the perspective of a teacher and researcher in the early childhood and emergent literacy fields to writing for the youngest readers.

Join us for her presentation at 10 a.m. followed by time for questions and discussion. We meet in the back corner of the College Station Barnes & Noble. Gentle critique begins at 9:30 a.m. Bring copies of 5 double-spaced pages of your work in progress. Those who have time stay for lunch at a local restaurant. Members and friends welcome!

BV folks & friends, do you have a Facebook? Join us over at our new group! The more, the merrier!

Kid Lit Coffee Klatch

Join other SCBWI members and friends for a Kid Lit Coffee Klatch for their next meet up in the evening! This is be a chance to meet other writers and illustrators, maybe gossip a bit about our characters, and encourage each other. You can email Liz at lizbmertz@gmail.com for the next date.

OPPORTUNITIES

The Grateful American Book Prize is the only award for excellence in writing, storytelling and illustration for children’s historical non-fiction and fiction focused on the events and personalities that have shaped the United States since the country’s founding. Details from the website: There is a market out there for well-written, well-illustrated and well-researched accounts of the way we, as Americans, were and the way we will continue to grow, prosper and contribute on a global scale in the future. We invite your interest in and support of the Prize. And, of course, we welcome your participation by submitting your books that meet our criteria for consideration.

Writing YA? A small book publisher Intrigue Publishing (est. 2012) is accepting stories for a forthcoming anthology titled, Young Adventurers: Heroes, Explorers & Swashbucklers. Find out details here. Be quick! The deadline is April 1, 2015.

AWARDS

The Jane Yolen Midlist Author Award 2015 winner is Sanna Stanley. Congrats!!

And the runner-up is Jane Mitchell! Congrats to both! You can read about both authors on the SCBWI blog. Just follow the links.

BOOK BIZ

Big publishers selling books through Twitter? Check out this article about Harper Collins & Twitter. Although this is a special promotion for Harper, Hatchette recently explored the same selling adventure. The article above is certainly well worth the read!

What if you could get your books ordered from Amazon by drones? Yes, directly to your front lawn. *shakes head* Crazy thought, right? Well, Amazon just received approval to test. Read about it here.

FOR THE ILLUSTRATOR

This blog post just popped up, literally, as I was putting this together! Check it out. 10 Mistakes the Illustrator Makes on the SCBWI blog. Just read through it. Great tips to pack into your mental toolbox, illustrators!

JUST FOR FUN

This is a hilarious, short article I found on our fabulous SCBWI Blog called, "If Strangers Talked to Everybody Like They Talk to Writers." You can read the entire article here. I had a few giggles over my coffee this morning. Enjoy!

The views expressed here are my own, and not necessarily those of the SCBWI.

Current Scratch: Join Us, Local SCBWI Happenings, SCBWI Opportunities, Events, Agents, Inspiration

Did you miss us? Your intrepid Scratchpad contributors were slammed with stuff last month, but we are back: "better, stronger, faster."  Wow, what great creative weather we are having!  Nothing like dull, rainy days to make us turn to our imaginations. I hope that you are doing awesome things.

Join us at the College Station Barnes and Noble on March 25 (Last Wednesday of the month). for discussion, news, and encouragement. Topic "Writing for the Youngest Readers." Gentle critique begins at 9:30 a.m, our program stars at 10:00 a.m. Bring copies of 5 double-spaced pages of your work in progress. Those who have time stay for lunch at a local restaurant. Members and friends welcome!

LOCAL SCBWI HAPPENINGS  

Kid Lit Coffee Klatch

Join other SCBWI members and friends for a Kid Lit Coffee Klatch on Monday, March 16, 2015 7-8 p.m. in the Starbucks at the corner of Hwy. 6 and Rock Prairie Rd. This will be a chance to meet other writers and illustrators, maybe gossip a bit about our characters, and encourage each other. You can email Liz…

The Deets: 

Date: 03/16/2015
Time: 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location:  Starbucks, 3985 State Highway 6 South, College Station, TX, Un

BV Illustrator Event! Free Lecture by The Neuland Concept Designers

Concept designers Margaret Wuller and Patrick Hannenberger will discuss their work for film projects such as The Croods, Rise of the Guardians, Monsters vs. Aliens, and How to Train Your Dragon. The free public lecture begins at 7 p.m. in the Geren Auditorium at the College of Architecture on the A&M campus. http://www.theneuland.com/about/

Date/Time: 04/16/2015,7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: Langford Building, College of Architecture, Texas A&M Universtiy, College Station, TX,

SCBWI OPPORTUNITIES

TAX Seminar, Phone

It's tax season, and to take away some of the pain, we've arranged for a seminar to help. Tax Tips for Writers & Illustrators will be given by Robert Pesce, a CPA with the New York firm Marcum LLP. The one-hour seminar is for both writers and illustrators, self-published, traditionally published and pursuing. Click here for more info.

Date/Time: 03/17/2015, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

SCBWI Work-in-Progress Grant

SCBWI provides numerous grants to unpublished writers. The application window is currently open! 

Please click here for more info.

Crystal Kite Award Deadline

The annual Crystal Kite Award is a peer-given award to recognize great books from 15 SCBWI regional divisions around the world. ~~Deadline: You must enter your book published in 2014 by March 15th, 2015. For more information, visit: http://www.scbwi.org/awards/crystal-kite-member-choice-award/ ​

EVENTS

Do you want to participate in the East Texas Book Festival?  Click here for all the info. 

NF4NF Childrens Writers' Conference.  Do you write Non-fiction? Are you interested? Check out the link to the conference held in Rosenburg, Texas on September 17-20.  

AGENTS

This listing of children's literary agents may be interesting to you. Follow this link thanks to Casey McComick at Literary Rambles. 

INSPIRATION

Because you freaking need inspiration.  Here are links to many podcasts that are sure to stir you up. Here is the link. 

The views expressed here are my own, and not necessarily those of the SCBWI.