UP!–OK…Wow! Sorcerer’s Stone ILLUSTRATED!

Posted on October 15, 2015 by writersideup

(NOTE: while this post is current, scroll on the sidebar —in a separate tab or window—to click to listen to Hedwig’s Theme while reading 😀)

It just goes to show you how behind I am on news that, several years ago, I would’ve been aware of AGES before it happened. Today, on one of my Barnes & Noble visits, as I was making a bee-line for the Children’s Books section, I passed by a 4-step display and once THIS COVER registered in my mind ❗ , I doubled back to get a better look. As if put under the Imperius Curse 😕 , as I stepped forward my arms raised and I snatched a copy from its perch. I greedily put it in a basket to peruse along with the dozen other picture books I would gather. Of course, I saved looking at this for last 😎 . Continue reading →

UP!–The 2015 PRINCETON BOOK FESTIVAL!

Posted on September 23, 2015 by writersideup

I honestly don’t think I can adequately express just how beside myself I was when I first got a gander at the stellar line-up of KidLit “stars” who’d be attending the Princeton Book Festival this year. Seriously—Cloud 9 became my footstool. In fact, it still feels a bit cushiony under my feet 😀 Continue reading →

UP! — Nerdy Chicks DO Rule! :D

Posted on August 3, 2015 by writersideup

Seriously—when you visit Disney World, is a 1-week vacation enough to fit in all the amazing attractions? No way! When your time is limited you need to plan—picking and choosing what to see, when and how often (yes, I have a few for which, like Lays Potato Chips–once is not enough). It’s very much the same in the expansive online “Disney” World of Kidlit. There are SO many “rides and attractions,” we must decide which to visit, when and how often. It can be quite the struggle, but some “rides” are no-brainers and deserve repeating, again and again, such as the amazing sites “Nerdy Chicks Rule” and its sister blog “Kidlit Summer School.” Continue reading →

UP!–The Afterglow of Our 2015 NJSCBWI Conference :D

Posted on June 16, 2015 by writersideup

I’ve said it many times before and I’ll say it again: KidLit events are WONderful! For me, spending time around kindred spirits, regardless of what we’re doing, is very energizing, uplifting, inspirational and just plain FUN!

I’m a big believer in research and being super-organized for an event of this magnitude and importance (certainly for me), and this year I had the added task of creating a new dummy book. I had less time to do it than I would’ve liked, including the development of 9 characters, but I’m happy to report I did finish and was able to Continue reading →

UP!–NJSCBWI 2015 Conference Personal Schedule Template for Download!

Posted on June 5, 2015 by writersideup

It’s quite a few years now that I’ve been fortunate enough to attend the June New Jersey SCBWI Conference. For those of you unfamiliar, the SCBWI is the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. I was heavily involved with the organizational end of this spectacular event for several years, and in doing so I created countless charts for the many facets comprising it. At that time we provided each of nearly 300 attendees with a pre-filled Personal Schedule for which I designed a version in—of course—none other than chart form. As is the nature with the passing of the organizational “baton,” things change and with that, the method for providing the personal schedules to the attendees. For the past few years they have been generated by RegOnline, the excellent online registration venue our chapter has been using, and this method does the job accurately and swiftly. Continue reading →