A Magazine for Craftmakers
Tantalizing Tidbits from the Feast
Our Western Washington SCBWI conference is two weeks in the past now, and still some of the wonderful snippets of wisdom and tantalizing tips stick in my mind, and continue to to nourish me. I’ll not forget Nina Laden (ROMEOW AND DROOLIET) reminding us, “If you don’t make mistakes, you may not make anything.” And […]
Summer of the Family
Okay, I know this is heresy, but I am not writing this summer.This is my Summer of the Family.In exactly nine days, my beloved son Michael, his wife Christiane, and my almost year-old granddaughter Cecilia will arrive from Berlin, Germany to spend 5 weeks here with me in our home. While they are here, my […]
The Third Eye
Last Saturday I had the great joy of participating in the Northwest Bookfest, presenting a session with my writing buddy Mary Jane Beaufrand (author of PRIMAVERA, and the soon to be released THE RIVER.) Our topic for the session was “How do you get your ideas?” and I had the brilliant (last minute) idea of […]
Putting the pieces together to make a Story
Okay, so I promised I’d fill you all in on the summer family reunion.True to my word, I did not write this summer, but still the story wove in and out as our family gathered here in my creaky old house with old plumbing. They came from Berlin, Germany, from Santa Fe, from San Anselmo, […]
Mirror Images
Okay, so I’ve promised to give some snapshots, some scenes, from the Amazing Family Reunion. One of the best echoes in my mind from that event is the moment my two adult sons, David and Michael, got their first look at each other after two years apart. In that two years, lots of things have […]
pictureHOPE
I received a special picture in the mail yesterday.Entitled The Cat, it was drawn by my five-year-old grandson Weston, who lives in Santa Fe. Anything that Weston draws is special.But this picture has particular significance. Weston created this picture in response to his Daddy, who has already raised over $7000 for DWB (Doctors Without Borders) […]
Gnomes in the Garden
One week ago Saturday, I stepped into a Story Garden. Immediately, like magic, roots grew down into the ground, connecting me to a rich substrata of writers, editors, agents, all with amazing stories to tell. As I wandered the Story Garden (known to some as the SCBWI Western Washington Writing and Illustrating for Children Conference) […]
Tell Me A Secret
We all love secrets, right? The excitement of having a good secret, wanting to share it with someone we trust–and the fun of discovering a secret as well. Well now the Secret is out, and it’s Holly Cupala’s wonderful new book, TELL ME A SECRET. To find out all about it, take a look at […]
Snorkeling with Sea Turtles
Christmas music is playing, it’s cold and gray outside, and I am untangling Christmas lights. But my heart is still in Hawaii. So hard to believe a week ago today, I was standing barefoot in the sand on Wailea Beach in Maui, surveying a three-foot tall sand castle just completed by my grandkids Josh and […]
Snow Day in February
Our unexpected snow storm has me smiling. I love walking in the snow, I love making fresh snow cones, flavored with maple syrup. I love making snow angels and snow forts with my grandkids. But mostly (today) I love that I am snowed in all alone, and everything else I had scheduled has been canceled. […]
Tiptoe Through the Tulips
Ack! I see snow in my last blog entry–must get a new blog entry. Okay, so I could do a blog with lots of rain images, and how the rain makes our creative spirits grow, but right now, today, at 3:42 this lovely Tuesday afternoon, the sun is shining, and my red tulips in the […]
Sesame Street, This is Your Life
I received one of the most startling, albeit joyful, shocks in my life two weeks ago when our Western Washington SCBWI awarded me the first Lifetime Achievement Award during our annual conference at Mariott Hotel in Redmond. It was truly a surreal moment to recieve a standing ovation from over 400 of my dear fellow […]