pitches, pooches, and countdowns
Just a random brain dump as the day draws to an end:
- Had a great day off from work. Got caught up on lots of stuff, including editing our SCBWI regional newsletter. Came up with a story idea about a writer with a split personality. Disguised as a bulldog reporter who turns bad guys into Shredded Wheat with her retractable teeth sharper than a box of new No. 2 pencils, this writer is actually a pretty-in-pink princess following the fairy dust trail in hopes of reaching the Palace of Publication. Since Disney just bought Marvel Comics for a cool $4 billion, my animorphous royal beauty/angst-ridden superheroine could be just the character to tie the two conglomerates together. I could pitch my story as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde meet Dr. Suess and Anderson Cooper, but with less blood, more truffula trees, and fewer commercial breaks.
- Happy to report that changes may be imminent at our local animal shelter. Several concerned citizens showed up for the humane society’s board meeting today to let the director know that a 79 percent euthanization rate is unacceptable. They demanded better treatment for the critters. She’s agreed to allow volunteers and let the community become more involved in shelter operations.
- Today marks 25 days until our annual SCBWI-Midsouth conference in Nashville. I can hardly wait! Faculty includes associate editor Kaylan Adair of Candlewick Press; Henry Holt creative director Patrick Collins; Caroline B. Cooney; senior editor Cheryl Klein of Arthur A. Levine Books; and agent Chris Richman from the new Upstart Crow Literary agency. Best of all, I can’t wait to get together with my Midsouth buddies. Children’s writers and illustrators, whether we’re published or just getting started, are a friendly bunch and I do believe the SCBWI-Midsouth group is among the friendliest!