Hey, Jim Hill!

Clapper and the Christmas Bats

December 22, 2011

Susanna Leonard Hill (no relation) is running another holiday themed writing contest (see my Thanksgiving entry here). This one is a riff on ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas.” Here are the rules, straight from the source: The First Annual Holiday Contest is officially open! Post your own version of Clement C. Moore’s traditional poem ‘Twas The Night [...]

Read the full article →

41 Books for Tweens

December 21, 2011

Call them middle-grade, call them YA, call them a cab. These are the books I’ve read in the last year (or so) that I push on people whenever asked. And even when I’m not if I’m feeling gregarious and you look lost in the library or bookstore. Some you’ve heard of, some you haven’t. Take [...]

Read the full article →

Jumping Into Poetry Friday

December 16, 2011

I recently discovered Poetry Friday (thanks Greg Pincus!) and will be hosting it at then end of January. Today I get my feet wet with this piece, from an adolescent’s POV. There is a tight rope walked when you want to be hugged, but are kind of embarrassed by your parents. Growth, change, finding your place [...]

Read the full article →

A Butterfly Flaps Its Wings & I Find a Book

December 2, 2011

It’s been a very busy week. I’m currently in the air, headed to the Big Sur Children’s Writing Workshop, tried to cram the day job into a three day week, and receieved my first tuition bill for the grad school adventure. So, yeah, just a little crazy. That level of stress and distraction led me [...]

Read the full article →

We Gather Together

November 24, 2011

Originally published in Nov 2007 as a Goals Gone Wild newsletter. Thanksgiving, another chance to overeat, visit with the family and give 40,000 grocery items to a local food pantry. I had a lot of help with that last one. Read on to learn more. For seven years, Cape Cod has practiced a new Thanksgiving tradition. One [...]

Read the full article →

The Blizzard Came in Fast

November 24, 2011

Here’s my entry for Susanna Leonard Hill’s Thanksgiving Writing Contest (no relation). The rules are, “250 (or fewer) word kids’ Thanksgiving story, beginning with “They were supposed to go to Grandma’s for Thanksgiving, but the blizzard came in fast…” – I hope you like it. They were supposed to go to Grandma’s for Thanksgiving, but [...]

Read the full article →

Patience is a Four Letter Word

November 23, 2011

PiBoIdMo is chugging along and I am loving it. It’s very cool to see so many people engaged in the act of creating picture books. It wasn’t that long ago that I was convinced I only had one or two story ideas in me. Certainly not enough to consider actually jumping into the kidlit world. [...]

Read the full article →

Who’s Poem is That in the SCBWI Bulletin?

November 11, 2011

Oh, it’s mine! Sweet. Yes, this is a bit of brag, but it’s my first piece in print (and paid!) so I’ll beg your indulgence. I think of this as a “writer’s poem” because it’s something we all feel at one time or another. Those blank pages hold nightmares, friends, and the only way to banish [...]

Read the full article →

A Funny Story About Monkeys and Pants

August 18, 2011

I’ve had a lot of fun showing off giving out my new card to just about anyone that shows the tiniest bit of interest in what I do. But more than a few folks have asked why the monkey is wearing pants. Well, there’s a funny story that goes with that particular character design, so pull [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →