Hawk’s Bill Crag in the Ozark Mountains In the above photo, you see a view of Hawk’s Bill Crag, which is in the Ozark Mountains. It is 38 miles from my house. While this is not the Alps, the Ozarks is a hilly-to-mountainous region, and in places, the terrain is downright steep. While Hawk’s Bill…
Month: July 2020
I Nominate the Owl and the Pussy Cat and the Cow Who Jumped Over the Moon as Literature’s Greatest Heros
No doubt, the cow that jumped over the moon has inspired many a poet, artist, illustrator, and just plain visionary and/or liver-of-life. Because the words are very common, we might tend to overlook them as literature, but allow me to remind you how very, very good this poem is: Hey, diddle, diddle, BY MOTHER GOOSE…
How I Painted a Tree on My Ipad Pro with the App Procreate and Apple Pencil – Using the Bardot Brush Set Gouache Paintbox
A few years ago, I painted an illustration of a ladybug in watercolor–the traditional way. Ladybug Lou Hollers Yoo-Hoo! – Jacki Kellum Watercolor Illustration When I studied art in college, there was no such thing as an Ipad or a painting app like Procreate. Years later, I have decided to pursue getting some of my…
Register Today for the Linda Camacho & Dakotas SCBWI Webinar
Although she has held other positions in the publishing industry, Linda Camacho is currently an agent with Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency. Her Wish List is Published Here: “Linda Camacho, agent with Gallt & Zacker, graduated from Cornell with a B.S. in Communication and has held various positions at Penguin Random House, Dorchester, Simon and…
An August Calendar from Jacki Kellum for You to Print
The long, last blast of summer now, I hear an autumn call. Soft and quiet, like silver thread, Wings come whisper to my bed, And one sole star above my head, Goodnight, Goodbye, my sun. – Jacki Kellum – I know that I am not the only person who is happy to see the summer of…
Oklahoma SCBWI Annual Spring Conference for 2020 Is Rescheduled As Online in October – Includes Special Features for Illustrators
Because it was postponed due to the coronavirus, Oklahoma is having its annual spring conference in October. The dates are October 2 -October 3, and the events will be held online via Zoom. Click on the following link to register: Oklahoma Regional Fall Conference I attended Oklahoma’s Spring Retreat in 2019, and I had registered…
Frances Gilbert Tweets about the Rule of 3s
“In storytelling, authors often create triplets or structures in three parts.” Wikipedia For instance: Rumpelstiltskin spins thrice for the heroine and lets her guess his name thrice over a period of three days. Wikipedia In Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, Marley’s Ghost tells Ebenezer Scrooge he will receive visits from three spirits: The Ghost of Christmas Past, The Ghost of Christmas Present, and…
Co-Author with Your Elderly Parent: Do Yourself A Favor
“Maybe it’s true that life begins at fifty. But everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out.” ― Phyllis Diller My mother is 93 years old and she lives over 181 miles away from me. To make matters worse, the gap between the two of us is crooked, mountainous, and a slow-go, but…
All About Middle Grade Novels: What Are the Chances That My Middle Grade Novel Will Get Published?
What Is A Middle Grade Novel? “Middle-grade fiction refers to books written for readers between the ages of 8 and 12, while young adult fiction refers to books written for readers roughly between the ages of 12 and 18. It is important to understand that the terms do not refer to genre but instead are…
What Is A Chapter Book? How Is It Different Than a Middle Grade Novel?
Once a child graduates from picture books, there are several more steps before he is ready to read adult novels. I’ll talk about step readers and graphic novels in other posts, but today, I want to focus on both chapter books and middle grade novels. Chapter books are shorter than middle grade novels. Some of…