Current Scratch: Happy New Year....

You might have noticed the blog has been quiet this month. We are on BLOG VACATION for December.  We will be back next month with the Current Scratch!

Current Scratch: Join Us!, Sad News, Opportunity, Tip, & Big News!

Howdy, folks! Bundle up with a good book or your current work in progress, Old Man Winter decided to arrive early in Texas!

JOIN US!

*Remember, there's no monthly Schmooze in November & December. But don't forget...

Our Annual Holiday Party. Dress in your festive finery! Bring a guest or come alone to the annual SCBWI-BV Annual Holiday Party.

This year is a holiday crawl in downtown Bryan. We start at Uncorked, 206 W 26th St, Bryan, TX 77803, and then at 6:15, we will arrive at Caffe Capri, 222 N Main St, Bryan, TX 77803, and have an entree. By 8:15, we will move up the street to Murphy's Law for yummy desserts. Come to all or drop in when you can.

Share what you've achieved this year and what you hope to achieve next year. Did you read a good book this year? Let us know. :)

Let's play trivia. Brush up on your Newberys and Caldecotts. :) Do you know which books won the year you were born? Can you name all the RAs of SCBWI-BV?

Giving opportunity! (TBA) Bring one book to be given to a worthy cause.

Food and beverages will be availble for individual purchase at each step on the crawl.

 

***

 

Dec. 6--Candilynn Fite will be signing her picture book, LITTLE ACORN'S BIG FALL at the annual Christmas Stroll in Brenham, after the parade (7:00-8:30) at the Brenham Book Nook.

 

Dec. 7--Sherry Garland and illustrator Layne Johnson will sign Voices of Pearl Harbor at the National Museum of the Pacific War (Admiral NimitzMuseum), Fredericksburg, TX.

 

SAD NEWS

 

As children lit lovers, we mourn the loss of one of our own. A lovely tribute to the creator of Junie B. Jones, Barbara Park.

 

OPPORTUNITY

 

SCBWI and the Author's Guild partner up to create the Children's Book Section of BookTalk Nation. Very cool! Check it out!

 

WRITING TIP

 

What happens when you craft that story. The one you love with all your existence, only to discover people don't like it? Darcy Pattison offers some sage advice.

 

BIG (HUGE) NEWS!

 

Way to go, Kathi Appelt!!! Read the BEST news ever Here .

 

Also, Kathi Appelt and her book THE TRUE BLUE SCOUTS OF SUGAR MAN SWAMP was a 2013 National Book Award Finalist. You can read her interview Here.

 

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

 

 

 

Current Scratch: Join Us! Around Texas, Reading

November is upon us, and, brrr, it's cold! I hope you are snuggled up with good books or blazing through your Nanowrimo, or writing happy words at your own speed.

JOIN US!

No Schmooze in November. Enjoy your Thanksgiving, folks, and we hope to see you for the Annual Holiday Party. Dress in your festive finery! Bring a guest or come alone to the annual SCBWI-BV Annual Holiday Party.

This year is a holiday crawl in downtown Bryan. We start at Uncorked, 206 W 26th St, Bryan, TX 77803, and then at 6:15, we will arrive at Caffe Capri, 222 N Main St, Bryan, TX 77803, and have an entree. By 8:15, we will move up the street to Murphy's Law for yummy desserts. Come to all or drop in when you can.

Share what you've achieved this year and what you hope to achieve next year. Did you read a good book this year? Let us know. :)

Let's play trivia. Brush up on your Newberys and Caldecotts. :) Do you know which books won the year you were born? Can you name all the RAs of SCBWI-BV?

Giving opportunity! (TBA) Bring one book to be given to a worthy cause.

Food and beverages will be availble for individual purchase at each step on the crawl.

AROUND TEXAS

The annual SCBWI Austin conference will be February 8-9, 2014. Click here for details.

The annual SCBWI Houston conference will be April 26-27 2014. Click here for details.

READING

Here is an interesting article in PW about what are the new trends in YA.

Nanowrimo is throwing bunches of writing tips out there. Here is a link.

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

Current Scratch: Join Us, Announcement, Local Events, Big News, & Interest

The end of October is upon us, but fear not, folks! There's still time to break out your cauldrons and brew a spooktacular project for the upcoming winter months.

JOIN US!

The Schmooze topic for Wednesday, Oct. 30, is "Revisiting Revision." From picture books to 60,000-word young adult novels, all manuscripts need to undergo revision before they are ready to send to an editor or agent. Learn tips for revising your work and join the discussion! 10 a.m. Wednesday in the College Station Barnes and Noble. Join us for lunch afterwards.

***ANNOUNCEMENT***


The Piney Woods Retreat scheduled for Nov. 15-17 has been cancelled due to low registration. We haven't given up on the idea, but we will use a different format in the future.

LOCAL EVENTS

Children's Literature Book Club will meet on October 24th, Arts Center in College Station, 4:30 PM. The book is ELLA ENCHANTED by Gail Levine. We will also share picture book versions of Cinderella.

Nov. 9--Sherry Garland’s book signing for Voices of Pearl Harbor, Barnes & Noble, College Station, TX. Sherry is scheduled for a Story Time at 10:30am, Saturday November 9 and will continue with a book signing from 11am-12pm, potentially 1pm, if her schedule allows. *Signing time may change.

Nov. 9--Christie Craig will be at Larry J. Ringer Library (College Station) from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Christie Craig writes contemporary romance, and she writes YA paranormal under the name C.C. Hunter. Christie will present a "Polish me Pretty" editing workshop for teens and adults, and there will be a book signing. You may bring your own copy or purchase a book at the event if you would like to have one signed. Contact Hilary at (979) 764-3416 for more details.

Dec. 3--Holiday Celebration, 7 pm. Location TBA

Dec. 7--Sherry Garland and illustrator Layne Johnson will sign Voices of Pearl Harbor at the NationalMuseum of the Pacific War (Admiral NimitzMuseum), Fredericksburg, TX.

BIG NEWS, FOLKS!

Kathi Appelt's THE TRUE BLUE SCOUTS OF SUGAR MAN SWAMP made it into the top five for the National Book Award for Young Peoples Literature! You can read about it here. You can read the full review of Kathi's book here. Congrats, Kathi!!

Also, Sherry Garland on Oct. 23 -- will be interviewed by Sharon Colson for her TV Magazine Program on the topic of VOICES OF PEARL HARBOR. The program will be aired three times: Oct. 31, Nov. 2 & Nov. 3 on KAMU-TV, the local PBS station. Congrats, Sherry!!

INTEREST

The Texas Book Festival is this weekend, October 26 & 27. A fun, free, literary event in Austin.

Interested in attending the SCBWI Winter Con? Check out details on the SCBWI blog.

Slick Write is a free online tool to check your writing for potential stylistic mistakes and other features of interest.

Check out this cool announcement. The USPS will issue a Harry Potter stamp this November for the holidays.

November is the month for NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, where writers can find support and motivation all while writing 50k in 30 days.

If novels aren't your genre and picture books are, check out PiBoIdMo, Picture Book Idea Month in November as well. By generating 30 picture book ideas in 30 days, a fabulous idea (or two) is sure to be in the mix!



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

Current Scratch: Local Events, Good News, Opportunities.

Howdy, folks! Yay, cooler weather is here. Yards are green. Every one's yard is blooming. I hope that your work is blooming too.

JOIN US

Join us on  Oct. 30--Schmooze: “Revisiting Revision”--10 a.m. at Barnes& Noble, College Station, TX. We'll meet at 10 a.m. in the Science corner of the College Station Barnes & Noble. Come early for a gentle critique session that begins at 9:30.

B.V. EVENT

Piney Woods Retreat, Nov. 15-17, 2013 for writers and illustrators in the pines of East Texas at LakeviewMethodist ConferenceCenter near Palestine, TX. This event is for working writers and illustrators who need time, space and encouragement to move forward with their works in progress. Additional information here. And you can register at Eventbrite.

LOCAL EVENTS

Oct. 26-27--Texas Book Festival, Austin, TX

Nov. 9--Sherry Garland’s book signing for Voices of Pearl Harbor, Barnes & Noble, College Station, TX (time to be set around the football game)

Nov. 15-17--Piney Woods Retreat, LakeviewMethodist ConferenceCenter, Palestine, TX (info above)

Dec. 3--Holiday Celebration, 7 pm. Location TBA

Dec. 7--Sherry Garland and illustrator Layne Johnson will sign Voices of Pearl Harbor at the NationalMuseum of the Pacific War (Admiral NimitzMuseum), Fredericksburg, TX.

GOOD NEWS

Kathi Appelt's The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp is on the National Book Awards Long List! From the site: "Newbery Honoree and National Book Award finalist Kathi Appelt presents a story of care and conservation, funny as all get out and ripe for reading aloud." 

Molly Blaisdell fangirl rom-com PLUMB CRAZY-- to Georgia McBride at Swoon Romance,a nice deal, a 2-book deal, for publication in May 2014, reported in Publisher's Marketplace.

OPPORTUNITIES

New Imprint -- all digital -- Bloomsbury Spark -- Read about it in PW.

Macmillian Children's Books has opened a new site called Swoon Reads. Read about it at Galley Cat.

Check out Merit Publishing yet another new publishing venture available to authors.  Read about it on PW.  

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

Current Scratch: Join Us!, Piney Woods Retreat, Local Events, Big News, & All About Middle Grade

Howdy, folks! There's something invigorating about the first cool spell of fall. Cooler weather seems to lighten the mood. Wouldn't you agree? It's time to plan your winter book projects. So put on a pot of chicken n' dumplings and let's get to writing and / or illustrating!

JOIN US

Read any good middle grade books lately? Five middle grade titles are among the ten books on the new longlist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature! 

Join us on Sept. 25 for a discussion of current middle grade titles, topics, and trends. We'll meet at 10 a.m. in the Science corner of the College Station Barnes & Noble. Come early for a gentle critique session that begins at 9:30.

 

B.V. EVENT

 

Piney Woods Retreat, Nov. 15-17, 2013 for writers and illustrators in the pines of East Texas at Lakeview Methodist Conference Center near Palestine, TX. This event is for working writers and illustrators who need time, space and encouragement to move forward with their works in progress. Additional information here. And you can register at Eventbrite.

LOCAL EVENTS

Sept. 26--Children's Literature Book Club, 4:30 p.m. at Arts Center, College Station, TX. Read The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech, plus any picture book illustrated by David Diaz.

Sept. 29--Fantasy author Cinda Williams Chima reading and signing, 4 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, College Station, TX

Oct. 26-27--Texas Book Festival, Austin, TX

Oct. 30--Schmooze: “Revisiting Revision”--10 a.m. at Barnes & Noble, College Station, TX

Nov. 9--Sherry Garland’s book signing for Voices of Pearl Harbor, Barnes & Noble, College Station, TX  (time to be set around the football game)

Nov. 15-17--Piney Woods Retreat, Lakeview Methodist Conference Center, Palestine, TX (info above)

Dec. 3--Holiday Celebration, 7 pm. Location TBA

Dec. 7--Sherry Garland and illustrator Layne Johnson will sign Voices of Pearl Harbor at the National Museum of the Pacific War (Admiral Nimitz Museum), Fredericksburg, TX.

 

BIG NEWS!!

 

THE SOCIETY OF CHILDREN'S BOOK WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS DEBUTS THE SPARK AWARD FOR INDEPENDENTLY-PUBLISHED WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS

The SCBWI is pleased to announce the creation of The Spark Award, an annual award that recognizes excellence in a children’s book published through a non-traditional publishing route.  The award is open to current writer and/or illustrator SCBWI members who have independently-published a board book, picture book, chapter book, middle grade, or young adult novel through an established self- publishing enterprise or individually self-published. 

SCBWI Executive Director, Lin Oliver, and President, Stephen Mooser, strongly believe that, “it is time that SCBWI recognize that there are new models for publishing. The Spark Award is one way we can reward those authors and illustrators who are pursuing independent and self-publishing in a legitimate and high quality way.”

 

Check out the SCBWI guidelines for the Spark Award here.

ALL ABOUT MIDDLE GRADE

 

Find out what MG titles are on the New York Times Bestseller list.

 

Author William Alexander on writing MG books.

 

Writer's Digest List of MG Literary Agents

 

Two agents discuss everything you wanted to know about MG.

 

A few differences between MG and YA.

 

And a few more differences between MG and YA.

 

 

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

Current Scratch: Join Us!, Local SCBWI Events, Local Author Events, PB Blogs, PB Best Sellers, PB Awards, PB Agents, PB Digital Markets

Howdy, folks!  Fall is on! We have tons of stuff to cover on the blog. Pull out your calendars and pens. Lots of upcoming events. Also here is the PB love.  As promised a mega-load of picture book resources is below. Set aside a day for research.  Enjoy!

Remember, if you have an event, we want to know about it. Let us know about your news! We like to shout it out.  Please email us. Thanks!

JOIN US!

For our next Schmooze: Wednesday, September 25, 2013  and our topic is: “What is Middle Grade Today". We meet at 10 a.m. in the College Station Barnes & Noble, 711 Texas Ave.

Gentle critique begins at 9:30 a.m. Bring 5 copies of 5 double-spaced pages to share. Feel free to join us for lunch afterwards.

LOCAL SCBWI EVENTS

Sept. 26--Children's Literature Book Club, 4:30 p.m. at Arts Center, College Station, TX. Read The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech, plus any picture book illustrated by David Diaz.

Nov. 15-17--Piney Woods Retreat, Lakeview Methodist Conference Center, Palestine, TX.

Dec. 3--Holiday Celebration, 7 pm. Location TBA

LOCAL AUTHOR EVENTS

Okay, it's time to pull out your calendars because we have stuff to do this fall! We are one on fire region!

Sept. 13--Texas Word Wrangler Festival, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Giddings, TX
(Candy Fite and Connie Grudzinski will be appearing.

 Sept. 15--Kathi Appelt’s Book Release Party & Signing for The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp, 3:30-5:30 p.m., College Station, TX

Sept. 21--Kelly Bennett’s Launch Party for Vampire Baby, 11 a.m. at Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, TX

Sept. 29--Fantasy author Cinda Williams Chima reading and signing, 4 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, College Station, TX

Oct. 26-27--Texas Book Festival, Austin, TX

Nov. 9--Sherry Garland’s book signing for Voices of Pearl Harbor, Barnes & Noble, College Station, TX (time to be set around the football game)

Dec. 7--Sherry Garland and illustrator Layne Johnson will sign Voices of Pearl Harbor at the National Museum of the Pacific War (Admiral Nimitz Museum), Fredericksburg, TX.

PB (PICTURE BOOK) BLOGS

 http://theartofchildrenspicturebooks.blogspot.com/ - A blog that focuses on the art and artists of vintage children's books, largely from the 1950's through 1980's.

http://designofthepicturebook.com/ - Carter Higgins's blog, a writer (mostly picture books and middle grade novels) and graphic designer (mostly motion). She's also the Children's Book Editor at Design Mom.

http://paulayoo.com/napi/ - NATIONAL PICTURE BOOK WRITING WEEK (AKA “NaPiBoWriWee”) will take place May 1-7, 2014.

http://wwwpamcalvert.blogspot.com/p/picture-book-university.html -- This is a free self-paced to help you improve your creation of picture books. 

http://picturebookillustration.blogspot.com/ -- this blog celebrate the art of picture books worldwide is a feast for the imagination. Brought to you by Shelley Davies & Julie Fortenberry.

http://www.picturebookparty.co.uk/ -- Discover the best new Walker picture books and go behind the scenes with the authors and illustrators.

http://planetesme.blogspot.com/ Esme Raji Codell – The Wonderful World of PlanetEsme!. A self proclaimed professional readiologist™ who thinks children's trade literature and read-aloud is our best hope for equalizing education in America. 

http://susannahill.blogspot.com/p/perfect-picture-books.html -- Author Susanna Hill sorts through the best of the best picture books.

PB BEST SELLERS

New York Times Children's Picture Book Best Sellers.
Children's Illustrated Best Seller list from Indie Bound.

PB AWARDS
http://www.scbwi.org/Pages.aspx/2013-Golden-Kite-Award-Winners
http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/greenaway/current_shortlist.php
http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/zolotow.asp
http://www.bookweekonline.com/2013Finalists
http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal

PB AGENTS

http://wwwpamcalvert.blogspot.com/p/picture-book-agents.html -- offers a list of literary agents that are currently accepting picture books.

From Chuck Sambucino's Guide to Literary Agents.New Literary Agent Alert:

Kathleen Zakhar of Harold Ober Associates
Fiona Kenshole of Transatlantic Agency
Danielle Smith of Foreword Literary


PB DIGITAL MARKETS

The universe of PBs is expanding. The following links will help you on your journey of exploration.

http://www.meegenius.com/faqauthor
http://storybird.com/artists/
http://xistpublishing.com/
http://utales.com/

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