Perfect Picture Book Friday: MISSING VIOLET Plus Giveaway

Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. I probably connected with the author of today’s featured book during one of the #50PreciousWords contests (which is coming up soon – March 3-5 – so please stay tuned for details). I don’t know if Kelly Swemba entered a form of MISSING VIOLET, but if she did, I’m sure it was a winner because it’s a wonderful story. The book launches on January 31 (Yup…just a few more days – but it’s available for PRE-ORDER at your local indie bookstores and Amazon). And the lovely Kelly is offering a giveaway – one lucky person is going to win a copy of MISSING VIOLET! Please make sure you leave a comment at the end of the post – and please share on your social media for extra tickets in the giveaway hat.

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Perfect Picture Book Friday: BENFORD DRAWS A BLANK Plus Critique Giveaway

Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends. I totally needed this book when I was a kid. I loved to draw…I had a big round cookie tin that was filled with broken crayons. I remember the day I got a new box of Crayola crayons…the big 64 color box with the SHARPENER…it was 1958 (that was the first year Crayola released the 64-crayon box with the sharpener) and I was 11 years old – and I felt like I had just gotten the best gift ever! But I didn’t have much confidence in my art – and most of the time, I colored in coloring books…allowing my creativity to be confined within the boundaries of the lines on the page. Danielle Dufayet’s newest book, BENFORD DRAWS A BLANK, is all about creativity and imagination and believing in oneself…and something many of us writers experience – not knowing where to begin! And before you begin reading this post, I want to let you know that the lovely Danielle is offering a fabulous giveaway: winner’s choice of either a signed copy of the book OR a Picture Book Critique! WOW!

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Happy Book Birthday: ANZU THE GREAT LISTENER Plus Giveaway

I’m definitely dancing today! It was just a year ago that I featured author/illustrator Benson Shum on Will Write and Illustrate for Cookies. We were celebrating the release of his picture book, ANZU THE GREAT KAIJU. And guess what? Today is the launch of the sequel: ANZU, THE GREAT LISTENER! Hold onto your hats, dear friends…Benson shares a bit about his path to publication for this book…and at the end of the post, you can leave a comment for a chance to win a signed copy of the new book, plus some book swag!!!

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