Your March 2020 SCBWI Houston Newsletter
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Upcoming Meeting: March 2, 2020 7-9 PM
Next Meeting: April 6 7-9 PM
Please join us on the first Monday of every month from 7-9 p.m. at the Tracy Gee Community Center, 3599 Westcenter, Houston.
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This month:
Mar. 2
–
The A-Zs of Writing Children’s Stories for TV & Picture Books
Jennifer Hamburg
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Next month:
April 6
–
Using the Uncanny: Creating Horror that
Packs a Punch
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Varsha Bajaj Continues to Build a Village
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Varsha Bajaj's picture book,
The Home Builders (2019, Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Books), illustrated by
Simona Mulazzani, has been selected to be on Dolly Parton's list.
More than 250,000 kids will receive a free copy!
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library puts books into the hands and hearts of children around the world. Imagination Library books are specially selected age-appropriate, high-quality titles. These books are delivered to registered children each month from birth to age five. Each one is personalized with the child’s name and mailed directly to the child’s home. This effort creates a gifting experience making books exciting and shows the child someone is thinking of them. The Blue Ribbon Book Selection Committee selects several bilingual English/Spanish titles each year.
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Ellen Leventhal Announces New Book Deal
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Ellen has signed with Worthy Kids/Hachette Book Group for her new book,
A Flood of Kindness. It is scheduled for release spring, 2021.
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Lynne Kelly's
Song for a Whale
Expands Its Fan Base
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Lynne Kelly’s
Song For a Whale
is on the state reading lists for Oklahoma, Virginia, and Georgia, and on Cy-Fair ISD’s Horned Toad Tales list. There will also be a large print edition and a
Turkish
translation published.
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Former Houston SCBWI member,
Daniela Weil
, is launching her new book,
The Diary of Asser Levy: First Jewish Citizen of New York
(Pelican Publishing), March 9. Daniela will be signing at
Blue Willow Bookshop April 11 at 3 pm
. From Daniela,
"
It's about the first Jews that arrived in America in 1654 from Brazil. It's a fictionalized account based on historical facts for middle school. It has many elements of non-fiction, side bars, photos, maps, documents, timeline, glossary, bibliography so a fusion fiction/nf type middle grade. Also printed in a font for dyslexia."
I'd LOVE to get some of the group out for the signing at Blue Willow! Also
I'm also available to give a presentation about this story any time the group is interested, sort of my journey retracing the steps of my character's journey across continents.
huge hug and miss all of y'all!
Daniela
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Turn The Page campaign by KHOU 11 is returning this year.
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“Story time is coming back here at KHOU 11! We had so many people interested in joining us for nightly stories, we wanted to bring this project back for our Turn the Page campaign this year. We’re trying to get a head start on it, so we’re putting the word out early to local authors. You were so kind to help us out last time, so I’m reaching back out to see if you’d spread the word among your colleagues. We are looking for age-appropriate stories for elementary school children that our anchors could read nightly during the campaign. The video would go out on Facebook live and also on our YouTube channel. We would give the authors a heads up when their stories were being read, and also send them a link afterwards.
And just like before, we’d need their permission to read it, in the form of a waiver. If you can share, or have another book you’d like to offer up yourself, we’d sure appreciate it! Anyone who is interested can just email me and I’ll arrange the pick up/waiver stuff from there.
Join us every weeknight (June 3-June 21) at 7:30 p.m. on the
KHOU 11 Facebook page
for a LIVE bedtime story!
Best,
Robyn Keeney
Marketing Director
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Erin Nelsen Parekh's
The Wild Waves Whist, a retelling of William Shakespeare's
The Tempest, has been honored to be placed on Kirkus Reviews
Best Indie 2019 December list. Illustrated by
Mehrdokht Amini.
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Did you know many of the webinars we list in our newsletter come to us from different chapters of SCBWI? Its often difficult to be aware of them all. But our friends in the Nevada chapter have made it their mission to stay on top of all this valuable information and these wonderful opportunities. You should bookmark their site and check there often, but we will also include it in each new issue for your reference.
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In the meantime, here are a few choice offerings available today.
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& Illustrators with Beth Haley Wernick
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Saturday March 14
, 10:30AM - 1PM central
Everyone has the power to be a poet. Illustrators, do you only think you can draw and paint but that you are not a writer? Think again. Everyone has the ability to write good poems that have a story in them that are suitable for children or young adults. Some poems can become picture book stories, including rhyming poems. You’ll see the connections between prose and poetry and how writing poems improves your overall writing skills. Beth will give an
overview of poetry forms and you’ll have workshop time to have fun writing
your own poems from prompts provided.
Members: $20, non-members: $30
Bonilla Hall, University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio
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March 19
, 7:30PM - 9PM central
Learn from
Frances Gilbert
, Editor-in-Chief of Doubleday Books for Young Readers, the many reasons why picture book manuscripts get rejected – some of which you can address in your writing and pitches, some of which are entirely out of your hands.
We all get rejected – now learn the reasons why!
$15.00 for SCBWI Members
$25.00 for Non-Members
Hosted by SCBWI Dakotas
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SCBWI La/Ms JambaLAya KidLit Conference 2020 in New Orleans ~ Editors’ Day
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So … you have a children’s story and want to get it published? Or, you want to learn how others got their stories and/or illustrations published? Or, you like gathering in the company of colleagues to share insights and wisdom into the fascinating world of children’s books?
Whatever made you click to get here, BIENVENUE!
Conference
March 20-22
, 2020 in New Orleans.
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March 26, 8:30-10 PM central
Tension. Though one of the most important elements in storytelling, authors often find it difficult to implement in their writing. This workshop defines tension in concrete terms, explains why it is so important to story, and demonstrates how to create it using plotting, structure, pacing, and tone. Appropriate for all genres from picture books to novels, this workshop is geared toward the advanced writer, but will also gain valuable craft knowledge.
SCBWI Member: $15.00
Non-Member: $25.00
Hosted by Arizona
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March 31, 7-8:30 PM central
Every writer learns in order to hook an agent your first ten pages really need to shine. In this webinar,
Savannah Brooks
of The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency will explain what elements in chapter one grab agents’ attention and makes them want to read more. Savannah is also offering a limited number of critiques on the first 10-pages of MG and YA manuscripts. Webinar participants will have the opportunity to
submit to Savannah for a 6 months following the event.
SCBWI Member: $15.00
Non-Member: $25.00
Limited Number of Critiques: $50.00
Hosted by SCBWI Kansas/Missouri
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April 16, 6:30-7:30 PM PST
Satisfying, gripping stories are driven by character choices, good and bad. This workshop will help you make sure protagonist decisions are pushing the plot, and give you tools and techniques to turn up the tension and keep readers turning the pages.
$15.00 for SCBWI Members
$30.00 for Non-Members
Hosted by SCBWI Inland Northwest
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How To Scaffold Believable Places for Your Readers
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April 23, 2020 7 pm – 8:30 pm Central Time
Solid world-building not only lends relatability and richness to your story, it makes the unbelievable believable—whether the story is grounded in a real location or in a fantasy world of your own making. How, then, do you go about creating a world that immerses readers and convinces them that this is a world that could really exist? Find out in this webinar with New York Times bestselling fantasy author
J.C Cervantes
.
J.C. will touch on the many categories to consider, with special focus on setting, magic systems, history, creatures, and myth. And she will discuss how those big-picture
world-building pieces and smaller details interact with and often provoke the characters in ways that will keep readers immersed for chapter after chapter of your book.
SCBWI Member: $15.00
Non-Member: $35.00
Hosted by Nebraska
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Build your craft and career at Austin SCBWI's 2020 Writers & Illustrators Working Conference! The faculty includes award-winning authors
Laurie Halse Anderson, Cynthia Leitich Smith
and
Liz Garton Scanlon
, author/illustrators
Ben Clanton
and
Don Tate
, editors from HarperCollins and Henry Holt, agents, art director and so much more. Get inspired with keynotes. Learn in four tracks of breakouts (picture books, novels, illustration and professional development), plus intensives. Get feedback, make connections, and more. Registration is open NOW.
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LYRICAL LANGUAGE LAB VIDEO ON METER AND RHYME
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Lyrical Language Lab with
Reneé La Tulippe
: 15-minute video on using varied meter and cumulative rhyme in picture books using
There Was An Old Dragon
as a mentor text.
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10 NEW PUBLISHING SCAMS TO WATCH OUT FOR IN 2020
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Don't Get SCAMMED!
Are you aware of Writer Beware? It's a good site to check on complaints about publishers. This 2019 roundup covers the year in review. If you're not familiar with how "vanity publishers" scam authors, be sure to study the links under SAVE YOUR CASH and ADVICE YOU CAN USE. It also touches on how awards can take advantage of authors.
Use the
SEARCH THIS BLOG
function to look up specific publisher and agent names.
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FREE On-demand webinars from SCBWI MD/DE/WV!
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Creating Your Portfolio with
Rebecca Evans
• Formatting Your Manuscript for Submission with
Kathy MacMillan
• A Conversation with Picture Book Authors 1 (Read Local Challenge webinar featuring
J.H. Diehl, Amy S. Hansen, and Rebecca Evans
)
• A Conversation with Picture Book Authors 2 (Read Local Challenge webinar featuring
Ann McCallum, Karen Leggett Abouraya, and Lezlie Evans
)
• Conversation with Picture Book Authors 3 (Read Local Challenge webinar featuring
Veronica Bartles, Sue Fliess, and Megan Wagner Lloyd
)
• A Conversation with Middle Grade Authors 1 (Read Local Challenge webinar featuring
Laura Shovan, Leah Henderson, and Barbara Carney-Coston
)
• A Conversation with Middle Grade Authors 2 (Read Local Challenge webinar featuring
R.D Henham and Deborah Kalb
)
• A Conversation with Young Adult Authors (Read Local Challenge webinar featuring
Kathy MacMillan, Linda Budzinski, Meg Eden, Pintip Dunn, and Christina June
)
We are pleased to offer these free webinar recordings, available anytime
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SCBWI Podcast Goes Public
In a bold expansion to new platforms, SCBWI has made the first season of its popular podcast,
SCBWI Conversations
, available to the public. Our library of in-depth, insightful episodes feature the best of editors, agents, authors, and illustrators in the children’s book industry. As of today, we have over nine thousand listeners on six continents who have joined us since our public launch in May. The most current season will remain exclusive content for SCBWI members only. It is available for streaming from our website
here
.
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An Ongoing and Updated List of Webinars
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The Nevada SCBWI chapter has a new feature listing and updating webinars of interest to our members. Be sure to bookmark this page to stay abreast of new opportunities...
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Austin's Cynthia Leitich Smith Is Compiling
an ever growing list of Texas children's-YA
authors and Illustrators.
Howdy! Texas is bursting with talented children’s-YA book creators.
Once again, my Cynterns and I are updating the ever-growing list of
Texas children’s-YA authors and illustrators at:
It’s a popular resource for event planners, gatekeepers and Texas book lovers.
listings or updates to existing listings.
Those who currently live in Texas or have previously lived in Texas are
eligible for inclusion.
Please reply with byline, official website URL, preferred titles to
highlight, and current city and/or state of residence.
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Monthly Meetings
When: Meetings are held on the first Monday night of each month (first Tuesday if first Monday is a holiday), 7-9 pm. Fiction, Nonfiction and Illustration critique groups meet from 6-7pm.
What: All regular monthly meetings are open to all at no cost or obligation. To suggest speakers or topics and/or to be added to our monthly meeting reminder e-mail list, contact Program Coordinator via our Contact Us page.
Where: The meetings are held at the Tracy Gee community center, located at 3599 Westcenter Dr, Houston, TX 77042
2020 schedule of meetings
April 6
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Using the Uncanny: Creating Horror that Packs a Punch
Kathleen Bagley writing under the pen name of Kate Pentecost – kathleenbagley7@gmail.com
May 4
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Back Matter Matters
Pat Miller - gpatmiller@gmail.com
June 1
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First Pages – Panel Review
Authors get informal critiques prior to the upcoming submission deadline for First Pages for Sept. conference
July 6
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Humor in Writing
Crystal Allen – assistant@crystalallenbooks.com
Aug 3
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Maximizing Your Marketability: Writing Various Genres & Formats
Dana Wright – dana19018@gmail.com
Sept. 8 (Tuesday)
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National SCBWI Conference Recap – Attendees’ Panel Discussion
Oct. 5
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The Illustrator’s Voice
Diandra Mae – email: Houston-ic@scbwi.org
Nov. 2
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How to Write the Best Dialogue
Lane Riosley – lane.riorsley@gmail.com
Dec. 7
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Holiday Celebration: Potluck, Literary Bingo & Book Sales
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Our Staff
Regional Advisor:
Asst. Regional Advisor:
Lynne Kelly
Illustrators Coordinator:
Monthly Program Chairs:
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Listserv Coordinator:
Twitter Coordinator:
Newsletter & Website
Art Credit
Header Design:
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Copyright © 2020 SCBWI-Houston, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
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