Hello, friends!

Left with Cathryn Brenner, Joyce Uglow, and Darcy Pattison; center with Emily Dangremond; right with Debra Shumaker and Julie Hedlund.

Happy October!

The SCBWI-Wisconsin Engaging Stories conference earlier this month was an absolute delight! It was intimate (around a hundred attendees) but so informative with lots of sessions. I got to lead a small group through the process of developing and refining their nonfiction ideas, which was a joy. My hat's off to Joyce Uglow and her team who did an amazing job.

Though many acknowledged the difficult market and challenging external factors like AI-generated books and book banning, what I took away (and what I shared) is this: at the end of the day all we can control is our craft and doing our work. We can't control whether a book will be published (if we go the traditional route), how many will read it, and how they will respond to what we say. Yet every book we write is a new opportunity to break out, reach readers, and impact young people's lives. So acknowledge the market challenges, but then set all that aside and go make your art.

And speaking of your art...

ABLA's Big Sur Conference: Spots Are Still Available

It's not too late to reserve your spot in the ABLA Big Sur Children's Writers Workshop in Monterey, CA January 29-31, 2027. I'll be there leading two critique groups, each of whom meet twice with time to revise in between. Unlike other lecture-focused workshops, Big Sur really allows you time to focus on your works in progress aided by agents, editors, and experienced authors. I hope you'll join me! Learn more here.

Things I'm loving right now

Widow's Bay (Apple): Yes, I'm late to the party on this one, but I feel like October is the perfect spooky season to watch this folk horror/dark comedy about a small-town mayor desperate to make his little island the next Martha's Vineyard only to discover the ancient curses are real. I love Matthew Rhys in The Americans, and he shines as Mayor Tom Loftis. It's a great cast. Check it out.
Richard Osman's We Chase Shadows (We Solve Murders #2). Calling all fans of The Thursday Murder Club. This is book two in Osman's new series, We Solve Murders, which kicked off last year. In this installment, retired cop Steve, his daughter-in-law, Amy, a close protection officer, and master writer Rosie, trot the globe to find the criminal mastermind behind a string of murders. Meanwhile widowed Steve wonders if he can fall in love again, Amy reevaluates her marriage as her anniversary approaches, and Rosie struggles with low sales for her latest novel. It's a delight. Read more here.
Trader Joe's Maple Espresso Tea. My favorite fall tea is back! Nothing says "fall" like Trader Joe's Maple Espresso black tea. It also includes roasted chicory, fenugreek, and dandelion root. I tend to switch to this in the afternoon when I've had enough coffee for the day, since it's only 12.5 mg of caffeine (compared to 40 to 70 mg for regular black tea). More details.