Introducing...

Well. 

We've had a bit of excitement this week.

First of all, the twins and Birdy are all having birthdays.

We are aswirl in cupcakes and magic.

And Birdy has mastered her solo glue gun skills, 

which means she is all set to conquer the world.

Having said that...

Chess pieces! 

But the sweet week is just getting started. 

See what arrived in the mail? 

Hooray!

Meet ONCE UPON A TIMELY, by Lynn Parrish Sutton, 

illustrated by...Faith Pray (!!!),

published by Kane Miller books. 

 What a magical feeling to see all of the art together in a book!

 It feels like an extra-special birthday gift - for all of us.

Especially because my very first illustrated book 

is dedicated to the wildebeests. 

I'm so grateful to them for putting up with my long work hours

and messy house and shoddy meals 

so that I can pursue this dream. 

To Lynn Parrish Sutton, 

Kira Lynn and the team at Kane Miller books,

and to Molly O'Neill and Root Literary,

thank you, 

with all of the adverbs I can muster. 

(The wildebeests made me this sign. Sweeties. I think we're all a bit excited.)  

ONCE UPON A TIMELY 

is being sold here:

http://www.friends.kanemiller.com/once-upon-a-timely.html

Let Sleeping Bears Lie, and Sneak Peeks

It's not exactly sleeping bears, -not much sleeping at all, really, 

but I am discovering that the road to illustrating picture books  

involves much burrowing away in caves.

A bit like hibernating. 

The good news is that sometimes 

when writers and illustrators hibernate, 

they have magical news to share.

I am a sucker for fairy tales. 

In 7th grade, I won a poetry contest. 

With my prize - a gift certificate to a local bookstore -

I bought two of the largest collections of fairy tales I could find. 

I devoured those books. I breathed in those stories

and longed to make my own. 

And now my life has come full circle. 

I'm thrilled to tell you that I get to illustrate Lynn Parrish Sutton's story

ONCE UPON A TIMELY

with Kane Miller books. 

What magic!

A huge thanks to Molly O'Neill and Root Literary for helping make this happen. 

Thanks to all of my friends and mentors who have encouraged me along the way.

And thank you to the bookstore, the poetry contest, the teachers 

who coaxed me to read and write and make art... 

Where would we be without the very special magic of having someone believe in us?

Here are a few sneak peeks...

Happy dance!

Sometimes dreams draw close enough to touch.

This is mine. 

Making books. 

I think I've whispered that dream to you, my friends. 

Maybe a few times. 

Over the past two years, I've been working as a paraeducator at an elementary school

while feverishly pursuing illustration and writing in all the extra corners, 

loving on my wildebeests,

and sometimes catching up on dishes.

I've put in late nights and early mornings, 

repeatedly fallen asleep 

with pencil in hand, 

and enjoyed a tumult of emotions 

while scrabbling between jobs and family, 

art and laundry. 

 And here it is. 

This wisp-ish dream has come close enough to touch. 

To folks who don't know me, it might seem like it all happened in a flash. 

Like I said, 

"Guess what? I want to make books!" 

"I got an agent!"

"I am going to have a book!"

But you know. 

It's been years. 

Fruitful in so many ways. 

Fruitful in some really hard things! 

And fruitful in thankfulness

and learning to savor the small beauties in life. 

Fruitful in trying to spread love like seeds. 

Fruitful in hunting for the sacred in the dirt.  

In being thankful for each day 

my family and I get to be healthy and alive. 

But still, years. 

It has been so long 

I started to think my dream would stay wishy, 

and that would have been okay, too.

But here it is! It's real!

I'm reveling in this strange and unfamiliar thrill

of having my bright dream come near. 

I am going to be a picture book author and illustrator. 

 I have so many thanks to all of you who have helped me reach for the stars.

Thanks to my teachers, my friends, my crew of writers and illustrators, my family.

And thank you to Molly O'Neill and Root Literary for believing in me. 

To Maria Modugno at Random House for believing in this story. 

Here's to dreams, my friends!

Conference snippets, and ducks

As promised, here are gems from the SCBWI-WWA Spring conference (that's the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Western Washington division, in case you wanted to know).

Ducks... in the pool!
That's the way we do conferences in the Pacific Northwest.

Celebrity sightings!
Author-illustrator Dana Sullivan and the wildebeests showed off some of his book magic.

Richard Jesse Watson encouraged us to question our characters:
           What do they do for fun? What do they think about marmalade? Do they like chickens?
           What would they be like in dinosaur times?

Sketch notes.

Maybe perseverance is worth it. - Patricia Hruby Powell

The writing process is really about revision. - Stephanie Pitts

I'm thankful for the reminder this weekend that writers are more aptly called rewriters.

 

Don't be afraid to do a bad job. Just jump in and do it! - Laurie Ann Thompson 

Sometimes I mire down, stuck so hard looking for the perfect story.  

I love this permission from author Laurie Ann Thompson to loosen up.

I was smitten with Sarah Stewart and David Small, the author and illustrator team behind the books The Gardener, The Library, The Friend, The Journey. Both Sarah and David are so gracious, their words stirring and deep.

Kazu Kibuishi, creator of The Amulet books, got into writing 

because a high school teacher believed in him.

Thanks to a teacher's words- "You can DO this! You can be a writer!"
he got serious about making stories.

It just goes to show you that words
can transform the entire course of a life!
Yay for teachers! Yay for words!

Speaking of encouragement, I got to enter a juried portfolio show.
 
Gorgeous portfolios!
 
Stunning illustrations!
 
And here's one surprise that blew me away:

{quote from the SCBWI WWA Chinook blog:

A jury of faculty judges reviewed all of the portfolios for our 2017 SCBWI Western Washington Juried Portfolio Show.

           Booster Award winner: Faith Pray
           2nd runner up: Margaux Meganck
           1st runner up: Alexander Mostov
           Grand Prize winner: Tracy Subisak    }


What a gift!
I'm so thankful for this honor.
Wow.


I am thankful to the lovely SCBWI Western Washington circle
of illustrators and authors.

What a dazzle of people!
I'm inspired by their diligence and heart.

Books!

The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken
Bloom by Doreen Cronin, ill. by David Small Digger and Daisy Plant a Garden by Dana J. Sullivan
Be a Changemaker! by Laurie Ann Thompson
Pickle by Kim Baker
Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi

alight

It's Spring,
and my creative birds of a feather
flock to Seattle
for the SCBWI Western Washington conference.
It's a bright spot in the middle of the rainy season
as authors, illustrators, publishing gurus, 
and friends alight to sharpen, share, bloom,
and cheer.


I'm thrilled to get to learn from the genius of picture book
duo Sarah Stewart and David Small.
Stewart and Small have created some of my favorite books, including
The Gardener, The Library, and The Quiet Place.

Here's a piece I've been working on for a class I'm taking
with Kristine Brogno, design director at Chronicle Books.

It's a windy whirl of a weekend, with so much wisdom to learn and enjoy.
I'll share some nibbles when I get back.
  
For now, it's time to gather up my portfolio,

get the lights,

keep my eyes and ears peeled,

 make a wish or two,

and soak it up!