I’ve loved judging the first round Cybils Awards for picture books and board books. There were more than 300 books to read, but it’s been a pleasure to read outstanding books that I hadn’t encountered earlier in the year. If you don’t know how this award works, anyone can nominate one book in each category….
It was a treat to see Tui T. Sutherland present at The Writers’ Loft. Her presentation was about writing so I thought the event was for adults. My son is a huge fan of her series Wings of Fire so I thought I would be sneaky and bring him along. He’s 13-years-old and has been…
I spoke at The Writers’ Loft on my background as an entrepreneur co-founding Aquent, a staffing company specializing in placing temporary employees in marketing and creative industries. In many ways, an entrepreneur and an author are similar. Both are trying to bring an idea to market. With this in mind, I tell the story of…
This is my first time judging the Cybils Picture Book and Board Book First Round Long List, but my fourth time as a judge in the Graphic Novel and Easy Reader/Early Chapter Book categories. If you don’t know about the Cybils, it’s a children’s and young adult book award by book bloggers. The Cybils Awards…
The recent family separation of some 14,000 children is not a new policy for the United States. Involuntary assimilation was a policy during the late 19th century when the U.S. and Canadian governments forced nearly 150,000 Native American and Indigenous children into Residential Schools reminiscent of Oliver Twist’s orphanage. In fact, the Residential Schools’ conditions were…
My kids can’t believe that I am the first in our family to experience indoor skydiving. I was supposed to skydive out of a plane for a friend’s 40th birthday party a few years ago. I flew to Las Vegas for the party, but I wasn’t able to pull the trigger. It turns out that…
Did you know that picture book authors and illustrators do not communicate until the project is completed? I think it’s to give the illustrator some creative space to bring the words to life. No one likes to be micromanaged by someone else’s vision. My debut picture book, SUMO JOE, with illustrator Nat Iwata is not…
My husband found this toy at Costco and gave it to our son for his 14th birthday. My son likes Legos and building kits so this was a natural fit. This would be my STEM toy recommendation for the holiday season. I love how it teaches simple machines in a really fun way. My son…
Thank you to Study.com for sponsoring this post. Did you know that you can earn college credits by just by passing a test? The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a group of standardized tests created and administered by the College Board. These tests assess college-level knowledge in thirty-six subject areas and provide a mechanism…
