First Sketches for Saint George

I have spent the last month trying to get my "Saint George and the Dragon" book mock-up finished. Here are a few of the pencil sketches from that manuscript:

Sage Advice from the SCBWI Conference

I just spent a wonderful weekend at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Conference in New York City. The lectures were incredibly educational, professional and fun. Even better, my attendance has provided me with several opportunities un-available otherwise. The best part of the conference was the advice and inspiration from the amazing speakers. Here is some of the sage advice I heard:

• "There is always something else to strive for. The only endgame is the love of the work." Sara Zarr
• "We need to stop half the things we are doing and do the other half well." Sara Zarr
• "The fundamental difference between kids and adults is that kids are shorter." Mo Willems
• "Don't believe in yourself....believe in the work." Linda Sue Park
• "Make one sentence worth reading 62 times" (The number of times a young fan had read one of her books.) Linda Sue Park
• For illustrators: "Advertise with the work you want to get." Dan Yaccarino
• "Use your Blog to showcase your work." Chad Beckerman

With that, I think I'll post another blog...

Idioms According to World of Warcraft

An avid gamer, I was playing World of Warcraft the other day when several idioms came to mind. Tongue in cheek (pun intended), I decided to change them accordingly. Here are I few I came up with:

1. A dungeon boss killed is an emblem earned.
2. Any portal in an enemy-won battleground.
3. Leave no brightly colored egg unopened.
4. Always on the wait list, never a raider.
5. A twink and his gold are soon parted.
6. A watched Murky never dances.
7. Longer than a month of raids.
8. Back to the starting zone.
9. At a turtle mount's pace.
10. From grays to purples.
11. As cool as the Lich King.
12. As mad as Illidan Stormrage.
13. A mana tide totem raises all intellect.
14. Recount speaks louder than Gearscore.
15. A screenshot is worth a thousand emotes.
16. A level 80 character is worth two in Outland.
17. Between the Lich King and the Frozen Throne.
18. Elwynn Forest is always greener on another server.
19. Almost only counts if the boss dies on the next attempt.
20. Beauty is in the eye of the one wearing Eyesight Enhancing Romance Goggles.

RWA 2010 Conference Musings

I've just returned home from the Romance Writers of America 2010 Conference in Orlando. It was an incredible experience! I met so many wonderful people and even geeked-out with quite a few of the SciFi/Fantasy lovers like me. I had a blast at the RWA Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal Writers' party and won first place in the Steampunk costume contest.

The guest speakers for the lucheons, Nora Roberts and Jayne Ann Krentz, were personable and entertaining. They both told hilarious and inspiring stories from more than three decades of writing. The best part of the conference, however, was simply getting to meet the other writers. Each and every RWA member, from the lowest newbie to the rich and famous, was sincerely welcoming. Even as a not-yet-published author, I felt validated and worthy. I will forever cherish the memories and friends I made.

Revision and Re-writing

I'm still hard at work on the storyboards for "Saint George and the Dragon." A week or so ago, I re-wrote the entire story in order to make the rhyme match the page spread. The re-write has definitely made the manuscript better but it sure was hard to toss out two years worth of revision.