A Bit of Christmas Cheer!
December 25, 2015This makes me happy, a nice endorsement of Double Happiness will be appearing in their February 1st edition: “Enchanting.”—School Library Connection
Read more...How The Story I’ll Tell Came To Be
November 12, 2015I wrote this post for Lee & Low. As I mention in the article, The Story I’ll Tell was one of those amazing gifts that we sometimes receive as writers. The idea came to me in a day dream. Click here to find out more.
Read more...THE Book Syndrome
October 16, 2015Confession time, my fellow authors. You, too, must have experienced what I call “THE Book” Syndrome. Yes? Please tell me so! It happens when someone else’s story is published at the same time as your book, but THE Book is far more flashy, in a golden orbish kind of way. It gets all the attention ...
Read more...A Cat, Replaced
October 14, 2015It’s fascinating to learn how my illustrator, Jessica Lanan, paid attention to the finest details when creating The Story I’ll Tell. At one point, dressed up and carrying firewood, Jessica had her husband take her picture so she could more accurately depict a scene in the story. Read more here so you can see how the story’s father ultimately replaces a cat in that ...
Read more...The Flow of It All
October 14, 2015A novice children’s author rarely has a say in the choice of illustrator for her book. That said, I’ve been delighted every time by my publishers’ match-making abilities. When I first saw Jessica Lanan’s illustrations, I fell in love. In great part this was because her art carried me into the story. It flowed beautifully. If you click here, you ...
Read more...An Afternoon in Providence
October 11, 2015Until I was asked to do a signing at the New England Independent Booksellers Association, I’d never heard of NEIBA. This past Thursday I discovered what the are all about while attending their annual conference. I thoroughly enjoyed my time meeting the owners of local bookstores that I’ve frequented or that I need to frequent. Let’s ...
Read more...Ever Wonder. . .
October 7, 2015I’m fascinated by the work of illustrators. Having no talent whatsoever in the visual arts, I stand amazed. I wouldn’t know where to begin. Thankfully, Jessica Lanan, the illustrator for The Story I’ll Tell, is doing a series describing her journey. You may see how she started brainstorming here!
Read more...Double Happiness Activity Kit
October 7, 2015Well, how about them apples? Actually, in this case I should say, “How about them boxes?” Thanks to the ingenious Kirsten Cappy and her Curious City, I now have a beautiful activity kit to go along with my book, Double Happiness (Chronicle Books). You may link to it here, or find it under the Educational Programs. I ...
Read more...Off and Running
September 3, 2015Ahh, the lazy days of summer are fading. Sigh. Still, that means Double Happiness is definitely on the scene. With its book birthday on August 8th, I decided to wait until folks returned from the beach for some book signings. If you care to mark your calendars, here are some upcoming events: September 11th, 7 pm, ...
Read more...Why Double Happiness?
August 4, 2015At some point in your life you may have come across the Chinese characters that mean “double happiness.” To make this symbol, the character for “happy” is basically repeated, so you have “happy happy” next to one another, creating an extra joyful effect. It might look traditional like this. Or more modern or simplified like ...
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Children’s Author and Poet