Happy Holidays from Your SCBWI Regional Team!

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In October, we were inspired by our wonderful members who brought energy and enthusiasm to our first in-person event since 2019. Seeing faces, both new and familiar, chatting craft with faculty, answering questions for each other… this is SCBWI at its best. We hope that in this holiday season, you’re able to recharge your creativity by drawing close to your family and friends, and by celebrating all that is good and precious to you. Looking forward to seeing even more of you in 2023. Happy Holidays!

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Happy Holidays from SCBWI Cen-Cal!

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Image by Laura-Susan Thomas.

#KTIllustrates 3rd Annual Contest: And the winner is…

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Thank you to all who participated in our annual #KTIllustrates Contest! While the judges had a tough time choosing between the entries for the prompt, “When we begin to play,” the vote went to the image that captured the spirit of the prompt the best. The contest was open to any form (spot, spread or cover design) and in any medium, so long as it kept the interpretation of the prompt as it would apply to children’s books.

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Writers Day 2022 Back in Person: Craft, Community, and Book-ish Costumes

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By Natasha Khan Kazi

October 22, 2022, marked the return of Writers Day at the Skirball Cultural Center, hosted by SCBWI Los Angeles and CenCal. I was thrilled to be back in person with the SoCal kid lit community. With smiles, under our masks, we welcomed a day of craft, community, and book-ish costumes.

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Toot Your Horn!

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SCBWI members’ publishing news is something to celebrate here at Kite Tales! Check out whose book is coming to a platform near you or around the world. Horn-tooting and digital hi-fives welcome in the comments!

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Ask an Editor: All About NaNoWriMo

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“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.

Hi ChristineThis time of year it seems so many writers are participating in NaNoWriMo. What exactly is that and is it worthwhile for kid’s book writers? I’m writing a middle-grade novel.—Jo, Encino

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Great News!

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SCBWI loves celebrating our members’ successes and noteworthy news, and there are many! Read on to find out who’s got something to shout about. Digital high-fives welcome in the comments!

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SCBWI-L.A. Writers Day Contest: And the Winners Are…

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by Brenda Scott Royce, Contest Coordinator

A highlight of Writers Day every year is the announcement of the winners of the writing contest. It’s not only exciting for the lucky ones called to the stage—hearing what the judges had to say about the stand-out manuscripts can also be instructive and inspiring for the rest of us. While cheering on our fellow writers, we just may hear something that sparks an idea for a revision or a whole new story.

Please join us in celebrating the 2022 Writers Day Contest runners-up and winners, who were announced at the SCBWI-L.A./CenCal Writers Day event on Saturday, October 23. Excerpts from the judges’ comments are included in the list of honorees below. If you’d like to contact any of the winners to request their manuscript or discuss publication, please let us know!

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Calling All Illustrators: Be a Mentor in 2023! But First … a Word from This Year’s Mentor

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by Joseph Taylor

Editor’s Note: Mentorship proposals are now open to PAL Illustrator members of the Los Angeles Region for the 2023 Mentorship program! Read on to find out more about this rewarding experience and how you can help champion the next mentee!

A few months after starting a new job as editor of Muse magazine, I got the chance to focus on book writing with 2022 SCBWI-L.A. mentee Sarah Gottlieb. I was grateful to SCBWI-L.A. for offering a mentorship focusing on nonfiction for the first time and delighted to get the chance to work with Sarah.

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Finding Theme: The North Star for You and Your Story

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by Danielle Davis

The North Star has always been a beacon for travelers, all over the Northern Hemisphere. A barely drifting constant. A guide. 

I believe theme functions as that same kind of beacon for every story—and storyteller.  

I’m not a mariner by any stretch, and sea sickness prevents me from even wanting to be one, but here goes: 

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