Happy Monday, All!
We're experiencing the sun before the snow today in Missouri. It's a gorgeous 65 degrees right now. But by 7:00 pm tonight, the temperature is supposed to drop almost 40 degrees, with a slight chance of snow. Ouch. I keep telling myself I love the four seasons. I love the four seasons.
On Saturday I was lucky enough to attend the Kansas SCBWI conference, and boy, was it awesome! Speakers and faculty included author Sharon Draper, agents Karen Grencik, Jen Mattson, and Heather Alexander, and editor Brett Wright from Bloomsbury.
While I couldn't attend every breakout session, I did learn a ton from the ones I sat in on. Heather gave us great advice about improving our voice, and Karen used actual letters from editors (anonymously, of course) to discuss why manuscripts get rejected and how ours can avoid the same fate. Sharon inspired us with tales of her journey as an author and encouraged us to write what we know. And the five lines panel was sooooo interesting. It was fun to see the agents' and editor's takes on the first five lines of blind submissions. [I squee'd silently when they read and liked mine!]
Two of the best parts of the conference? Videos by Sharon and Karen featuring "Rise" by Shawn McDonald and "Words" by Hawk Nelson.
Thanks to Sue Gallion, my buddy, crit partner, and RA for the KS SCBWI chapter, for organizing such a great event!
In other news, if you're near a current [December 2014] Highlights magazine, please flip to page 30 and read my rebus, "My Tasty Snowman."
Hmm. You don't think I brought on this cold snap, do you?
All the best,
Jody
Hi, Jody! We've had a beautiful fall up to now--I really can't complain. It's starting to near the end though. Today it's supposed to go up into the low 50s but will be getting significantly colder over the new few days. I see flurries in the forecast, too.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had such a good time at the SCBWI conference, and congrats on your Highlights publication! Woot! :)
Bring on the mittens and hats! Thanks, Gisele!
ReplyDelete