Before We Close the Book on 2017…

Carol shares the exciting experience of having her newest book launched in two languages. Here is an excerpt:
You see, Clavis Books, more commonly known as Clavis Uitgeverij, is an international publisher based in the Netherlands. All their books release first in Dutch. There have been a lot of unknowns, but it has been a wonderful and interesting adventure. 

This book review by Joyce is so wonderfully detailed, I became immersed in the richly imagined world of The Wonderling and couldn’t wait to read it. Here is an excerpt:
Imagine a world where “the line between animals and humans was not so clearly defined” and a protagonist who looks something like a child-sized fox, though upright on two legs, and having no tail and only one ear.

For 100 days, I eagerly awaited each new illustration by Sarah, and I hope you’ll join me in encouraging her to participate again in 2018. Whether you are an illustrator, writer-illustrator, or writer who enjoys illustrations, this post is for you. Here is an excerpt:
Last year, I found that the #the100dayproject really helped me get in daily drawing practice (see the post about it here!), so I decided to give it another go for a hundred more #100daysofdrawingonphotos. If you’d like, you can follow along @thereul on Instagram.

This post is Kim’s homage to the captivating wordless spreads in picture books and the talented artists who illustrate them. Here is an excerpt:
The art of the wordless spread is a thing of beauty. It leaves room for the reader to react to the story without being told how to feel or what to think. It gives the reader time to pause and reflect on the character’s emotions or the impact of a special moment in the story.

Traditionally a writer of picture books, Amy provides some tips and inspiration to help writers take the middle grade plunge. Here is an excerpt:
I’ve found a rhythm for writing longer stories that works for me, and I’d like to share some things I’ve learned over the past year that might help you make the leap into writing longer kidlit, or encourage you to keep at it.

Whether you are already among the millions of members, or have been itching to join, this post explains how to use Goodreads properly. Here is an excerpt:
First, it’s very easy to sign up for Goodreads, just type in your name (or a nickname if you’d like to remain private), add in your email (this will also be kept private), and lastly, make up a password. To start your book list, enter a title in the search field (see picture below).

Comma confusion is a common ailment (say that ten times fast!), but this post is the antidote. Examples from well-known books illustrate ten useful grammar rules, all written in easy-to-understand language. Here is an excerpt:
If a name or nickname follows an introductory word or phrase, insert a comma before the name. Consider the following: eat grandma or eat, grandma. Commas can spell the difference between life and death!

This post describes how two talented writers (Jen Malone and Kris Asselin) worked together to create this super-fun middle grade novel. Here is an excerpt:
We’re joining you today from the land of co-writing to (hooray!!) reveal the cover for our first joint venture! This book was so much fun to write, but also incredibly fun to plot, which is one of the places in the book writing process where having two brains in the mix can spark some incredible “what if’s”…

Marti’s post offers a thoughtful, well-researched, and beautifully written argument for adding depth to your stories. Here is an excerpt:
For all their substance, these tales lacked that draw beyond the great storyline–that pull that reaches a reader’s soul and binds them to the action.

This blog post is laugh-out-loud hysterical! If you don’t believe me, here is an excerpt to convince you:
Now, even though I have always thought of myself as a star, mainly because my mom told me so and no one argues with my mom, I wondered what I could truly offer another writer.

Josh shares his virtual globe-trotting experience as a participant in this amazing event. Here is an excerpt:
On Thursday, I visited 21 classrooms in 12 states, 6 time zones, 4 countries, and ALL the hemispheres. You see, Thursday, February 16th was World Read Aloud Day (#WRAD), presented by litworld.org, an organization whose goal is to cultivate a love of reading and fight illiteracy worldwide.