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Life on the Deckle Edge

Nonfiction Nature Focus for February!

Okay, this is a commercial. But I want to give you a heads-up that February around here will celebrate some wonderful nature writers for children!

I had the blessed opportunity to grow up in a place and time that afforded hours of unsupervised time in the woods at the edge of my Florida neighborhood, and hours of solo bike rides to nearby lakes and parks. For many of today's children, the natural world is, well, unnatural to them.

Read Richard Louv's LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS - Saving our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder. It was originally published in 2005 and revised/expanded in 2008.

Another book I'm crazy about is A PLACE FOR WONDER - Reading and Writing Nonfiction in the Primary Grades by Georgia Heard and Jennifer McDonough. The authors present creative ways teachers (and other adults) can open the doors of exploration for young students and help them to express these connections to the natural world. Read More 
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The Greater Good

A New Year is the perfect time to renew our commitments to make a difference in the world, or to start a new habit that does.

An amazingly simple, effective way to help the planet and its human and animal inhabitants is simply with a click - or a few - a day! Since 1999,the GreaterGood Network has donated more than $20 million dollars to charities across the country and around the world,with grants distributed through GreaterGood.org, an independent 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

I have a link to The Literacy Site on the right of this website.  Read More 
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Writing workshop with Lola Schaefer - Free!

My friend and prolific, award-winning children's author Lola M. Schaefer has just the thing to jumpstart everyone's writing for 2011:

New Ideas For A New Year: A workshop for writers of children's literature is a FREE two-hour workshop next Saturday in Atlanta. Sponsored by SCBWI Southern Breeze and the Friends of the Northeast Spruill Oaks Library, the workshop will take place at the library Jan. 15th, 10 a.m. to 12 noon. There is no cost, but seating is limited and you MUST register by Friday, Jan. 14. Contact Stephanie Moody, Southern Breeze Local Liaison: Moodyviews@Bellsouth.net. You can also register by calling the library (770-360-8820) or visiting the Adult Reference Services desk at the library, 9560 Spruill Road, Johns Creek GA 30022.
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Here's to 2011!

Happy New Year!

I'm looking forward to a year of hard work, encouraged and noursihed by time with others who love children's books.

Between regular stretches of writing, and waiting on word from editors about a couple of projects, I look forward to meeting young readers and writers in schools as well as "older" readers and writers at professional gatherings.

I'm particularly looking forward to participaing on an Authors Panel at the Georgia Reading Association conference in Atlanta this month. I love meeting teachers and other reading enthusiasts, and it will be a treat to catch up with Georgia children's authors Donny Bailey Seagraves, Elizabeth Dulemba, and Margo Calendaria on the panel. Read More 
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Dive into Poetry with Rebecca Kai Dotlich!

OK, it might not seem like the season at the moment to wade, splash, or dive into anything. . . . BUT – before you know it, we’ll be rounding winter and spring and facing summer. And what could be more perfect for a summer retreat than a long weekend exploring poetry for children with celebrated poet and award-winning author Rebecca Kai Dotlich?!

It’s my pleasure to coordinate a special poetry workshop/retreat for SCBWI Southern Breeze, limited to 22 paid attendees, June 10-12 at the Center for New Beginnings in Dahlonega, Ga.  Read More 
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Explore 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS IN GEORGIA with Susan Rosson Spain and Elizabeth O. Dulemba

Elizabeth Dulemba and Susan Rosson Spain
Let’s ring in the Christmas season with another great book in Sterling’s “The Twelve Days of Christmas. . .” series, namely, The Twelve Days of Christmas in Georgia, written by Susan Rosson Spain and illustrated by Elizabeth O. Dulemba, friends I’m proud to have in my neck of the woods in the northern part of the Peach State.

If you are in this neck of the woods, be sure to stop by their next signings: Tuesday, Dec. 7, 4 – 5 p.m. at the HALL BOOK EXCHANGE in Gainesville, and Thursday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. at LITTLE SHOP OF STORIES in Decatur. Elizabeth and Susan agreed to drop by here, too, and tell us about their book.

Welcome, Susan and Elizabeth! The Twelve Days of Christmas in Georgia takes readers on a colorful journey led by cousins Ava and Jacob, from the mountains in the north to the Okefenokee Swamp in the south to the Atlantic coastline. Jacob describes their adventures in letters home, tucking in lots of history and fun facts.

How in the world did you decide which points of interest to feature?
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On board ROSA'S BUS with Jo S. Kittinger

This week of Thanksgiving, I’m especially thankful for our guest. Jo S. Kittinger is a prolific author, co-Regional Advisor for our SCBWI Southern Breeze region, and all-around wonderful person. Jo’s insightful comments during a critique six years ago resulted in a submission that led to my first sale – Sir Mike to Eileen Robinson, formerly of Scholastic Library. So I love Jo for all kinds of reasons – including that she was willing to drop by and tell us about her new book, Rosa’s Bus (Calkins Creek/Boyds Mills Press), and a little more about herself.

Welcome, Jo!

How did you become a writer?


Some people know they are writers from a young age. Not me. Read More 
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Country Roads and the Big, Bad (?) Wolf

Betty King, VP for the WV Symphony Education and Operations, brought me to the Charleston area for several days in area schools (Nov. 2010). What great folks!
Gracious thanks to Betty King, the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and so many great folks in the Charleston area for a week of wolfy, writing fun in schools! The Symphony sponsors and ambitious arts in education program, and I got to be part of it this year.

School children from throughout the region will get to experience Grant Cooper's "Song of the Wolf" (a recasting of the Three Little Pigs, with The Wolf as an environmentalist) as part of the Young People's Concert Series later this month. In preparation, arts-in-education goddess Betty King and her staff have been working with local educators, offering ideas for projects limited only by the imagination.  Read More 
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VICKY ALVEAR SHECTER GIVES CLEOPATRA ROYAL TREATMENT

If you think ancient history is as stuffy as the inside of a tomb, think again. SCBWI Southern Breezer and talented author Vicky Alvear Shecter (ALEXANDER THE GREAT ROCKS THE WORLD) brings her “history with a twist” approach to one of the most fascinating characters the world has ever known, Cleopatra VII. In CLEOPATRA RULES! The Amazing Life of the Original Teen Queen (Boyds Mills, 2010), Vicky shows readers young and old why you shouldn’t believe everything you’ve seen or heard about Egypt’s last pharaoh.

Welcome, Vicky! In this beautifully designed and kid-friendly book, you dig way past the stereotype of Cleopatra as a femme fatale and reveal her fiercely loyal, politically-savvy side. When did you first become Cleopatra-crazy, and how long have you wanted to write a book about her? Read More 
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Catching up with editor Joëlle Dujardin of HIGHLIGHTS

This weekend I’m co-presenting two workshops (with writer/media specialist Sharon Wright Mitchell) at our SCBWI Southern Breeze fall conference in Birmingham. One is “The Front Door, The Back Door, The Trap Door… Breaking into Magazines.” I asked HIGHLIGHTS Associate Editor Joëlle Dujardin for some fresh tips for our attendees. Her responses were so generous, I then asked if I could share them with you here! Enjoy.

(Joëlle edits fiction, and I’m personally grateful for the keen eye and sensibilities she brought to my story currently scheduled to run this April.) :0)

Thank you, Joëlle, for taking time to share your thoughts with us! Are there any story types or genres you are most interested in? Read More 
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