SCBWI 2012 Summer Conference

I attended my fifth Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference last week. This was my first as a published author. 

Me and Wendy Higgins

It was a lot of fun to participate in the PAL book sale, and once the crowds cleared a little I found out Wendy Higgins, author of Sweet Evil, wasn’t far from me. I’ve heard great things about her book and was excited to be able to purchase an autographed copy.

I attended many wonderful Keynotes and Breakout sessions. Some of my favorites included Tony Diterlizzi’s Never Abandon Imagination, Arthur Levine’s Timeless, Ari Lewin’s Writing Fantasy, Jay Asher’s No Bookmarks Allowed, and Gary Schmidt’s Layering a Character. I could go on and on. Every session I attended was informative and inspiring.

We danced Saturday night away at the Hippie Hop Gala. We would have fit right in in the 60's, don't you think?

Katie Sparks, Jenny Wagh, me, and Cynthea Liu

Jenny Wagh, me, and Meg Lentz Flemming

Me and Katie Sparks

I even got to walk the red carpet with the amazing Katie Sparks. 

Then we got up bright and early on Sunday so that we wouldn’t miss the morning Keynotes. The conference ended with an autograph session where I met a few of my favorite authors.

Dan Gutman

Jon Klassen

Tony Diterlizzi

If you’ve never gone to this conference, I highly recommend it. It always leaves me inspired, I walk away with priceless advice, new friends, and the sense of community is amazing.

Before I go, I'd like to share with you some of my notes... 

That's all for me today. Take care!