Sydney Taylor Book Awards Blog Tour!

On February 18th, I'll have the pleasure of interviewing Carol Matas, author of Dear Canada: Pieces of the Past: The Holocaust Diary of Rose Rabinowitz, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1948, (published by Scholastic Canada), as part of the Sydney Taylor Book Awards Blog Tour.

I just finished this book, and if I were in the same room as the author, I'd give her a hug for writing such a beautiful and brave story.

You can see the full list of Sydney Taylor Award winners here:

SCBWI Miami Conference - 2014

On our first day in Miami, our RA gave to us:

Five acquiring editors,
Four writers speaking,
Three agents signing,
Two moderated panels,

And a clockwork costume ball!

All kidding aside, some great things happened at the conference. On Saturday, the Rising Kite Awards were announced. One of my picture book biographies won third place in the non-fiction category. Standing beside me in pink is my critique group mate, Joni Klein-Higger. Joni took second prize in the picture book category, and a third critique group mate, Eileen Goldenberg, received an honorable mention. 

I was excited to meet my agent, (Deborah Warren at East West Literary), face-to-face for the first time. While we've worked well via phone and email, it's nice to make a more personal connection.

The halls were buzzing in Miami with good news and potential good news. It was exciting to be a part of it!

The Best YA And MG Book Jackets of 2013

Booklist Online named THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL'S book jacket as one of their favorites for 2013!

The cover artist is Timothy Decker and the book was designed by Helen Robinson.