BEHOLD THE OCTOPUS! (Book Release + Giveaway)

My newest picture book, BEHOLD THE OCTOPUS! released 2 weeks ago from Peachtree Publishing. I’d love to take credit for coming up with the idea for a book about the clever, curious, and colorful octopus, but alas, I didn’t. Tom Gonzalez, the talented illustrator who I’d worked with on COUNTDOWN, …

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JUNE ALMEIDA, VIRUS DETECTIVE! The Woman Who Discovered the First Human Coronavirus (+GIVEAWAY)

One year ago, everything seemed to change overnight. Suddenly we were hunting down toilet paper, sewing masks, learning to Zoom, and doing “drive by” birthday parties — all because of a microscopic particle called coronavirus. The Covid-19 pandemic also shined a light on a brilliant scientist named June Almeida. Most …

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Writer Doubts & Inspiration

Last week I enjoyed Pat Zietlow Miller’s January 15 post celebrating her 22nd book sale. Congrats Pat! The feelings of fear she experienced while attending her first SCBWI conference really resonated with me. As an engineer who didn’t take a single writing class in college and who struggled with writing …

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SWISH! THE SLAM-DUNKING, ALLEY-OOPING, HIGH-FLYING HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS (+High-Flying Giveaway!)

Who doesn’t love the Harlem Globetrotters? With their precision shots and hilarious stunts, these phenomenal athletes are admired around the world. But there’s much more to this remarkable team than you might think. My new picture book SWISH! THE SLAM-DUNKING, ALLEY-OOPING, HIGH-FLYING HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS (illustrated by Don Tate), which releases …

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20 True PBs + NF Creator Tips + HUGE Giveaway!

Get Ready! There’s a LOT in this one little post.Whether you’re a book creator, teacher, librarian, or reader, you’ll find a gold mine of craft tips from authors and illustrators of inspiring 2020 nonfiction picture books who banded together to form a group called 20truePBs. Plus, we’re doing a huge …

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