Countdown

Holy jar of mashed bananas!

My first grandchild is due next month and the countdown is in full swing...

I threw a baby shower for my daughter earlier this month to celebrate. We had a great time planning it, and I made lots of fun decorations. The nursery theme is elephants, so I included one of my favorite picture book quotes. It was posted on a welcome sign by the door:

"A person's a person, no matter how small."—Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears a Who

Here are a few snapshots of everything before the event got underway:

The diaper cake was adorable!
(What a job, though.)

Here's the nursery. See the elephants?

I wrapped plastic silverware in paper napkins.
(The polka dot container is in the nursery now.)

Fancy and no mess to clean up!

We ordered the cake.
(The bakery did a fantastic job!)

I filled several buckets with goodies.

And this banner was displayed on a wall in the dining room.
(I designed it on the computer and laced the printouts with ribbon.)

I also made these favor boxes and filled them with Hershey Kisses.
(Cookies and Cream!)

Phew.


Fifty of them!

Here's a picture of Crissy and me at the shower.
(I think we have the same nose and chin.)

3 more weeks!

Christmas Book List

"Bah!" said Scrooge. "Humbug!"

It’s November and why wait another month for presents you might not get?

I’m about to order Fu Finds The Way by John Rocco. I saw the book trailer last month and loved everything about this new picture book. See for yourself:

WOW!

Shout out!

On Tuesday, author Jean Reidy held a Private Picture Book Peek Week for her blog followers. I entered the contest and won a free critique. Isn't that awesome?

Yes!

I submitted a manuscript that I’ve been working on for quite awhile and Jean’s comments were enormously helpful. She is a very talented writer and I’m so thankful for her feedback. I'm also digging into those revisions right now!

FYI, you can preorder Jean’s new picture book Too Purpley! at the BloomsburyKids.com address. I can’t wait to read it:

Cheers, Jean!

(The cover matches my favorite shirt.)

Need tuition for Chautauqua?

Don’t forget about the HIGHLIGHTS 2010 FICTION CONTEST . The rules are posted on their website. Here's a snippet:

CATEGORY: Fiction based on a true story from your family.

PRIZES: Three prizes of $1,000 or tuition for the Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop at Chautauqua.

ENTRY DATES: All entries must be postmarked between January 1 and January 31, 2010.

Sounds like fun!

Promo

I celebrated my birthday by ordering books, books, and more books...

Can you think of a better present? Um, no.

Chronicle Books is fast becoming one of my favorite publishers. They run promos for their customers and this month it's all about Halloween. I’ve been drooling over several titles and this added incentive cinched the deal:

Frank Was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance

By Keith Graves

Thirteen O'Clock

By James Stimson

Over in the Hollow
By Rebecca Dickinson

Illustrated by S. Britt

These picture books have inspired me to work on illustrations today.

The covers are amazing!

SCBWI Florida Events

There are two upcoming SCBWI Florida events that you will not want to miss:

Picture Book Boot Camp
November 7, 2009
The Lake City Holiday Inn
213 SW Commerce Drive

Lake City, FL 32025

Lisa Wheeler is teaching the Picture Book Boot Camp for the SCBWI Florida on November 7, 2009. This event will be held at the Lake City Holiday Inn from 9 AM to 5 PM. The cost of the boot camp is $100 for SCBWI members and $125 for non-members. Critiques are $45. Seating is limited to 50. For more information click here.

Next up:

SCBWI Florida Regional Conference
Hot Steps to Publication

January 15-17, 2010
Wyndham Miami Airport Hotel

3900 NW 21st Street
Miami, Florida 33142

I’m so excited! The brochure and registration forms for this spectacular conference are now available on the SCBWI Florida website. This event takes place on January 15-17, 2010 and it has an impressive lineup up speakers:

Richard Peck, Kadir Nelson, Michael Grant, Kathleen Duey, Alexandra Flinn, Brenda Bowen, Jennifer Rofé, Lauren Hodge, Jill Santopolo, and Henry Cole

There will be three intensives:

Picture Book: Joyce Sweeney, Laurie Friedman and Lauren Hodge

Novel: Kathleen Duey and Jennifer Rofé

Illustrators': Henry Cole and Janeen Mason

There will also be a field trip to Books & Books in Coral Gables on Friday night, and a Havana Nights Fiesta on Saturday evening back at the hotel. I'm busy working on those Latin decorations, so get your costumes ready. We’re going to salsa with pros for three days! For more information click here.

And now, back to my seventeen hour sewing stretch. I'm almost finished with the table centerpieces:

280 stripes so far...

Whew!

Haunted Libraries

Miss Smith and the Haunted Library
by Michael Garland

A dreary fall morning takes a wacky turn when Zack’s favorite teacher walks the class to the library. Mrs. Creeper, the librarian, reads from the Incredible Storybook and out leaps the Headless Horseman and a whole cast of spooky characters—love it!

Michael Garland’s luminous illustrations make readers feel like they are a part of each scene. There are lots of quirky perspectives and that’s what made this picture book so much fun. I gasped when the Hound of Baskerville pounced from the book and I bet kids will, too:

(I'd buy this one again and again!)

And while we’re on the subject of haunted libraries…

Do you suppose they are real?

Willard Library

21 First Avenue

Evansville, Indiana 47710

I had the pleasure of visiting Evansville, Indiana several years ago. Victorian Gothic architecture dominates the downtown area. I wasn’t surprised to learn about the Grey Lady ghost who reportedly haunts the Willard Library on First Avenue. Check out the 24-hour a day Ghost Cam and see if you can spot her. I love a good scare and October is the best time of year for it.

Have a spooktacular weekend!