Hello friends! Disneyland on the 4th of July, Long Beach with my MIL, Mario ride at Universal Studios Happy July! I hope your 4th was filled with fireworks and lots of fun. We spent the day at Disneyland. Then my 89-year-old mother-in-law came for a visit. I also made my first visit to Universal Studios Hollywood in 30 years. On the picture book frontā¦ I had a meeting with my editor for Shape of Our Stories to finalize back matter. The current target pub date is March 7, 2028. Here's hoping!...
about 1 month agoĀ ā¢Ā 3 min read
Hello friends! From left to right: At the Pantages theater for Alicia Keyes's Hell's Kitchen; seeing Snoop Dogg; a tour of the Page Museum before it closes for refurbishment ahead of the Olympics. Happy Summer! I'm soaking it up, and I hope you are too. We've been enjoying outdoor concerts and summer nights at cultural venues across Los Angeles thanks to our public radio station, KCRW. The latest was a tour of the La Brea Tar Pits's Page Museum before it closes July 7 for upgrades before the...
2 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 3 min read
Hello friends! Left to right: Netflix is a Joke Festival at the Greek; William Shatner and Neil deGrasse Tyson in conversation, Millennials Are Killing Musicals: The Musical Happy May! I've been out and about a lot this month, from a comedy festival to seeing William Shatner and Neil deGrasse Tyson, and taking in a brand-new musical, Millennials Are Killing Musicals (which I highly recommend if you ever have a chance to see it). I think I'm ready for a break! On the picture book frontā¦ I have...
3 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 4 min read
Hello friends! From left to right: Atop Seattle's Space Needle, volunteering for FIRST robotics with my dad (right), meeting a favorite author at LA Times Festival of Books Happy April! It's been a busy month, and I already feel like we're barreling toward the end of the school year. My family spent a lovely (and not too wet) spring break in Seattle and Olympic National Park (see above), and my Dad and I once again volunteered for our local FIRST robotics tournament, which is always a blast....
4 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 3 min read
Hello friends! Jack Kirby exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center, Read Across America in my BFF Lourdes's 5th grade, and Literacy & STEM night at my librarian buddy Erin's school. Happy summer! I mean, spring? But it's 91 degrees here in Southern California as I type. Gah. š„µ It's been a month of school visits for me. It's such a joy to connect with young readers to discuss writing, book-making, and STEM at local schools. On the picture book frontā¦ Iāve been developing a new nonfiction idea,...
5 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 3 min read
Hello friends! Whelp, I am just back from a long weekend in New Mexico followed by ABLA's Big Sur Children's Writers Workshop where I served as critique group mentor for two fabulous picture book groups. Photos below. Hiking in NM (on a broken ankle), Santa Fe!, at Big Sur with mentees The photo at left is just after I stepped off a large rock and fractured my ankle (the fibula, NOT the weight-bearing bone), but continued to hike on it. And then walk 3+ miles around Santa Fe including the...
6 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 3 min read
Hello friends! Big news! My next book is out now--Telling It True: Writing Nonfiction Kids (and Teens) Want to Read. Telling It True is both a prequel and companion to Reimagining Your Nonfiction Picture Book. While Reimagining zooms in on revising nonfiction picture books, Telling It True zooms out. It walks you through the full process of finding strong nonfiction ideas, researching effectively, and drafting engaging, fact-based books, no matter the format, from picture books through YA,...
7 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read
Hello friends! I hope you are building some time to rest and recharge into your December. I'll be off for almost three weeks, and I can't wait. Left to Right: D&D: The Twenty-Sided Tavern show, magic show at The Magic Castle in Hollywood, holiday stories with Deadpool and Wolverine at Disney In the meantime, I've been soaking in the season with lots of live performances, holiday movies, and a quick trip to Disneyland. Disney's holiday decorations are one of my favorite things (especially...
8 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 2 min read
Hello friends! First, a bit of fun family news. On Oct. 28th, my husband made the historic first flight of the X-59, a prototype experimental aircraft designed to test whether we can make future aircraft quieter so we can (someday) fly supersonic across the U.S. I got to sit next to the control room and hear and watch everything. It was so cool! Check out the NASA video below. Post flight! Attending educators conferences From left to right: In the Little, Brown book at NCTE, signing books for...
9 months agoĀ ā¢Ā 3 min read