Back from Orbiting Florida

What a blast, that trip to Florida! And I’m not calling it a blast just because I got to see the take-off of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter launched aboard an Atlas V rocket (though that was AWESOME, even from 10 miles out, standing on top of my rental car!). The conference was a blast in its own right. The organizers had a ton of energy and good-will! The participants in the Graphic Novel workshop had the perfect combo of perspectives: agent (and former editor) Mark McVeigh provided professional insight and anecdotes from the editorial and business side, Jarrett Krosoczka, who previewed his first kids GN, Lunch Lady (very funny and action-packed!) broke-down his process and journey as an artist, and I demystified the big concepts of the medium. A big thank you goes to Linda Bernfeld, Gaby Triana, Janeen Mason, Christina Gonzalez, Pascale Mackey, and all the other volunteers who worked their hearts out to make this celebration of children’s books so fun and productive!

Graphic Novel Workshop in Sub-Tropical Florida

Want to learn about creating graphic novels for kids? Next week, I’ll pack up to join Jarrett Krosoczka and a long-time publishing pro in a day-long workshop on graphic novels in Orlando, FL, as part of the SCBWI Mid-Year Workshop. I don’t know that I’m at liberty to tell you who the mystery publishing pro is, but let’s just say he’s been editing for years at Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Random House, Scholastic, and that he’s now an agent looking for great material! This fun-packed conference includes a merry group of writers, editors, and agents such as funny-writer, Lin Oliver (who’s got a new website!), Bruce Coville, Bonnie, Bader, and Michael Stearns. My presentation colleague, Jarrett Krosoczka, creator of Punk Farm, will talk about his new graphic novel series, Lunch Lady! So come and join the fun!