Yes, you read that correctly, Grandpa’s Cigar Box. No, it’s not Grandpa offering his granddaughter a fat Montecristo White to puff on. Yes, it’s a children’s picture book. Say whaaaa? That’s what my critique partners said, but more about that later. Grandpa’s Cigar Box is a story about a little girl who visits her grandpa…
You meet the most delightful people when you get together with friends. Once a month or so, a group of children’s book authors gather at a coffee shop to share ideas about writing, publishing, and marketing. This is where I met Sarina Siebenaler, children’s author. Her adorable picture book Do Not Wish for a Pet…
Dog Lovers Calling all dog lovers out there, and I know there are lots of you because of the plethora of doggo Instagram and Twitter accounts. Welcome! I’m a dog lover too, and am here to share with you a few dog tails of my family canines. I’m sure you all have tails of your…
Oh the people I’ll meet on social media and the places I’ll go. I met Author Kate Foster on Twitter and discovered she lives in Australia, one of the places I’ve always wanted to go. I asked to be interviewed on her blog, and she accommodated with fun questions. Now it’s my turn to interview…
Happy New Year Happy new year! According to Larry’s Words of Wisdom, “Toss 2020 into the fire and toast 2021 with a Cosmopolitan.” I added the Cosmo part; Larry’s on the wagon. He tried a sip of his human dad’s Bud one time, and it didn’t come out so good – if you catch my…
I’m so happy to interview author Teresa Krager. Teresa and I met at an SCBWI-AZ KidLit Mingle group where authors gather to discuss writing tips, read our works in progress, and critique manuscripts. I was thrilled to be part of her journey writing her book, Before Your Birth Day, and to celebrate with the other…
Are you enthralled by the space program like I am? Author Nancy Derey Riley just published a picture book staring the Mars rover, Curiosity, and she illustrated it too! What talent! The book is truly fabulous, and contains fun facts about Mars, the NASA Mars rover program, and Morse code. Nancy and I met on…
Latkes for Santa Claus, isn’t that a great title for a children’s book? I’m so excited to interview the author, Janie Emaus, as she launches her debut picture book this week. Janie and I became friends through email, and now we are virtual friends through social media. I was impressed by her writing career and…
Autumn “Have you put out your fall decorations yet?” asked Cousin Linda. I replied, “Sweetie, it’s 100 degrees out. I hardly feel like putting pumpkins on the porch so they can shrivel up like dried apple heads.” Besides, there is no Autumn in Phoenix. We have two seasons, spring and summer. I’m not much of…
This week I’m interviewing children’s book author, Phoebe Fox. Several years ago, Phoebe and I entered manuscripts in the same contest run by Southwest Human Development (SWHD), a nonprofit organization in Phoenix, Arizona dedicated to early childhood development. SWHD promised to illustrate and publish the winning manuscript. Phoebe won the contest and to be honest,…
