As a kid, I hated books. Reading for me was literally a chore. I used to live in fear of the question, “Have you done your reading today?”

In first grade I was diagnosed as dyslexic. Luckily, I lived in a town with a school that specialized in teaching dyslexic kids, and I had parents who made sure I got the training I needed to read at my grade level. By high school I read enough to get by and soon discovered science fiction, which was the first type of book I enjoyed reading on my own. Still today, I think of myself more as a sci-fi writer than a children’s book author. It’s been said that the golden age for science giction is 12 years old, so here I am, and proud of it.

It was my agent who suggested I join SCBWI, and my relationship here has lasted longer than the one with that agent. When I was contacted about the opening for a PAL representative on the board for the LA region, I thought, “If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.” My book, Billy Bobble Makes A Magic Wand, was about six weeks out from being published, so I figured I should become that busy person and said yes.

All my life I’ve watched the digital revolution roll through different worlds. My dad worked for IBM in the ‘60s-‘80s. From his stories, I saw the revolution hit accounting and business systems. With my theatre degree, I watched it take over lighting and drafting. Working in the entertainment industry since the ‘80s, I’ve watched it hit music, film, and TV. Now, as the PAL board representative, I have a front row seat as the wave hits publishing.

This is a fascinating time to publish a book.

Our region’s PAL members are represented by more than just one member on the board. We have a committee that any PAL author or artist is welcome to join. We hope to become a lean, mean, promoting machine… Okay, not so mean, but definitely lean in terms of efficiency. We are looking for as many ways to help both brick and mortar and e-published authors as we can. Your ideas are as welcome as your labor, so please speak up.