Summer Fun with WOW, Words and Wonderful People

Posted on July 20, 2015 by viviankirkfield

I just got back from WOW — a Week of Writing retreat at a lovely lodge in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia.

An unbelievably intimate gathering of writers and mentors – editors, agents and authors who shared their expertise and time so generously. Thank you to Emily Feinberg, Ariel Richardson, Laura Whitaker, Heather Alexander, Jill Corcoran, Sally Apoketak, Kendra Marcus, Minju Chang, Jodell Sadler, Linda Skeers, Dianna Aston, Denise Fleming, Candace Fleming…my cup runneth over.
A life-changing opportunity to get feedback on manuscripts from people who know what they are talking about.
A chance to hug Facebook friends and critique partners who are part of this incredible kid lit community.
And no cooking or cleaning for a week!!!!!!!!!!

Kudos and thanks to Kristen Fulton who put this all together…and to her posse…Rusty Fulton, Jackie Wellington and many more quiet angels who made sure all went smoothly.

On the plane ride to Atlanta, my heart went out to several parents whose fussy little ones had trouble calming down. Traveling isn’t easy for anyone…but it is especially difficult when you have young children. For a couple of great tips on traveling with toddlers…and for some fun word games to play when you keep hearing, “Are we there yet?”, please hop over to Darlene Beck-Jacobson’s blog where I am guest-posting:

Traveling with Toddlers – Tips, Tools and Tactics to Keep Them Smiling…and Keep You Sane. By Vivian Kirkfield.

Also, today is the first day of KidLit Summer School…don’t miss out: http://nerdychickswrite.com/registration-2/

Hope everyone’s summer is going well! I’d like to put together a list of great places for families…if you and your kids have a favorite local spot, do tell.

Suzanne Williams – Will Write for Cookies

Posted on June 20, 2015 by viviankirkfield

WILL WRITE FOR COOKIES

INSIGHT – INFORMATION – INSPIRATION

FOR WRITERS

TODAY’S GUEST

SUZANNE WILLIAMS

FLASHBACK!

It’s 2009. My book is almost ready to go to the printer. I try to get in touch with the authors of the picture books I am recommending to see if they would like to read an advance copy and give me an endorsement. One of the books is Mommy Doesn’t Know My Name. The author is Suzanne Williams. She has an awesome website. I go there. I connect with her. She says…YES!

Fast forward to this year! I thought, wouldn’t it be great to shine the Will Write for Cookies spotlight on this wonderful author? So I contact Suzanne and she says…YES! That’s right…she’s a pretty special woman!

Suzanne Williams lives in Renton, WA and is the author of nearly 60 books for children, including the award-winning picture book Library Lil (illustrated by Steven Kellogg). Together, she and Joan Holub write the Goddess Girls, Heroes in Training, and Grimmtastic Girls series.

I’m so happy to have her here to share her thoughts with us.

Welcome, Suzanne!

ME: Who were your favorite authors/illustrators when you were a child?

Suzanne:

I was one of those children, as writers often are, who read constantly as a child. So picking a favorite is difficult. That said, I remember with special fondness, the I Can Read book, Little Bear by Elsa Minarik (illustrated by Maurice Sendak), a gift from my grandparents when I was seven years old. Later favorite reads included Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski, the Pippi Longstocking books by Astrid Lindgren. P.L. Travers’s Mary Poppins books, and series like Nancy Drew, The Bobbsey Twins, and Trixie Belden. I was definitely more of a fiction reader than a non-fiction reader, so it’s no surprise that’s what I’ve chosen to write. Continue reading →

#PPBF: Medusa the Rich

Posted on June 19, 2015 by viviankirkfield

It’s the beginning of a special weekend. Today is Perfect Picture Book Friday (although Susanna Hill is taking a summer hiatus, you can still access her incredible Perfect Picture Book resource list here.Tomorrow is Will Write for Cookies with my very special guest, author Suzanne Williams. And Sunday is Father’s Day AND the first day of summer. Woo-hoo!

Today is also the first day of Kristen Fulton’s NonFicPic Week…a challenge to get all you nonfiction picture book writers…writing! Can you do seven rough drafts in seven days? http://www.kristenfulton.org/nonficpic.html

I just mentioned that tomorrow’s WWFC’s guest is Suzanne Williams. She’s the author of over sixty books for kids. And today’s review (even though it is not a picture book) is of her latest book in the GODDESS GIRLS series.