15 Wednesday Sep 2021
Posted in Author's Perspective
Erin Dealey is the author of more than a dozen children’s picture books. Today, she shares information about how her journey has evolved over the years.
Continue reading08 Wednesday Sep 2021
Posted in Author's Perspective, Tips and Tools
By Colleen McAllister
Stuck at home, staring at the same walls, unable to figure out how get inspired without getting in debt? Here are five things you can do to feed your creativity but don’t require you to open your wallet to do it.
Virtual Visits
Continue reading01 Wednesday Sep 2021
Posted in Ask an Editor
“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI members submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.
Hi Christine — I’m just starting out and keep hearing I need to “build an author brand.” What does that mean and at what stage of my career should I start working on that? Thanks. —Starr, Los Angeles
Continue reading25 Wednesday Aug 2021
Posted in Great News!
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!
18 Wednesday Aug 2021
Posted in Author's Perspective, SCBWI Summer Conference
Tags
Aiden Thomas, Big50 Summer Conference, Dan Santat, inspiration, Malinda Lo, Nadia Salomon, SCBWI community, SCBWI events
by Rieko Mendez
Is your brain exploding after the SCBWI The Big Five-Oh Summer Conference? Mine is! The conference had over one hundred faculty — a diversity of voices, seasoned and new — and I am still combing through the volume of handouts available to hone our craft. True to the tone that Lin Oliver sets for SCBWI, I connected with the authenticity and generosity of all the faculty sharing their experiences and insights. While professional, their sessions felt like fireside chats in their homes. What hit me was that creativity takes a community and SCBWI is a tremendous force of community. I am grateful.
11 Wednesday Aug 2021
Posted in Contests & Grants, SAG, Writers Days
by Brenda Scott Royce, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator
We’re thrilled to announce this year’s Sue Alexander Grant winner—Christine Van Zandt—for her nonfiction picture book, Butterfly Dreams. The book’s inspiration came in May 2020, when Van Zandt and her daughter bought their first milkweed plant, “unaware that a mother monarch had sent us home with a surprise—actually 26 surprises,” she says. “Soon, our plant was covered in adorable caterpillars. We excitedly watched them grow, . . . until all perished.”
The sad turn of events led Van Zandt to research monarch declines, plant milkweed, and educate others by writing this lyrical story.
Here’s what our judges had to say about her manuscript:
Continue reading04 Wednesday Aug 2021
Posted in Toot Your Horn!
Tags
biography, middle grade, picture book, published, publishing, SCBWI community, SCBWI members, young adult
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!
28 Wednesday Jul 2021
Posted in #KTIllustrates
It’s that time of year again! Kite Tales invites all our illustrator members to participate in our annual KTIllustrates Contest: we give you a prompt and you show us your best take.
The illustration can be in any medium, for any age range, and any genre. It can be conceptual or literal, spot or spread, as long as it keeps the idea of the prompt as it would apply to children’s books. (If you’re inspired to create a cover illustration instead, go for it!) All are welcome, as long as the final entry follows the guidelines posted on the entry page.
Continue reading21 Wednesday Jul 2021
In SCBWI-L.A.’s latest Twitter Banner Contest, illustrators were asked to submit their most creative response to our prompt: NIGHT FLIGHT. The winning contestant’s artwork is featured on the Los Angeles Region SCBWI Twitter profile until the next contest, with a feature article published here on Kite Tales. Illustrator Hannah Shafiroff won this year’s contest!
Read on to learn more about Hannah, her tips and tools, and what has kept her inspired through the pandemic.
A recent graduate of Cal State Long Beach, Hannah Shafiroff lives in the South Bay and can often be seen with a sketchbook in tow. Her heartwarming and magical illustrations can be found at HannahShafiroff.com and on Instagram @ThatGalWhoDraws.
Continue reading14 Wednesday Jul 2021
Posted in Central Coast, Writers Days
Tags
Annelouise Mahoney, CenCal Writer's Day, critiques, Jamie Emaus, Kristen Nordstrom, SCBWI events, writing contest
By Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison
SCBWI Central-Coastal California has set a date for Writers’ Day 2021. Please mark your calendars for Saturday, October 30.
This year’s Writers’ Day will be in two parts. The first will be in-person at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks with spotlight speakers. A featured guest will also speak on this day. The writing contest recipients will be announced and critiques distributed at this half-day event.
Spotlight speakers include:
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