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

02 Wednesday Nov 2022

Posted by Jessica Chrysler in Contests & Grants, Writers Days

Tags

authors, Laurie L. Young, middle grade, Nicholas Ponticello, Patricia Toht, picture book, Ronna Mandel, SCBWI events, Vincent X. Kirsch, young adult

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!

Continue reading →

3rd Annual #KTIllustrates Contest: Call for Entries

05 Wednesday Oct 2022

Posted by Jessica Chrysler in #KTIllustrates, Contests & Grants

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

book covers, contest, illustrators, interior art, KTIllustrates, middle grade, picture book, SCBWI members, spot illustration, young adult

Calling all Illustrators! Kite Tales invites you, 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 reading →

SCBWI CenCal Writers’ Contest Winners 2022!

12 Friday Aug 2022

Posted by Jessica Chrysler in Central Coast, Tri-Regional News, Writers Days

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Anita Perez Ferguson, CenCal Writer's Day, contest winners, Eloise Freeman, Judith Torres, middle grade, nonfiction picture book, picture book, Rachel Waterstone, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, young adult

By Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison

The SCBWI Central-Coastal Region held its Writers’ Day webinar, Perfect Your Pitch, on Sunday, July 10. Lynn Becker, author of Monsters in the Briny, and Lisa Kerr, author of Wake, Sleepy One: California Poppies and the Super Bloom, were our Spotlight Speakers, sharing their paths to publication. Agent Joyce Sweeney from Th e Seymour Agency offered advice on composing pitches and gave live feedback on a handful of pre-selected pitches.

A highlight of the event was the announcement of the winners of the writing contest.

Continue reading →

Lisa D. Kerr, Picture Book Author and Spotlight Speaker

03 Wednesday Aug 2022

Posted by Farrha Khan in Author's Perspective, Central Coast

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Lisa D. Kerr, nonfiction, nonfiction picture book, picture book, picture book author, Wake Sleepy One

by Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison

Lisa D. Kerr is the debut author of Wake, Sleepy One: California Poppies and the Super Bloom, illustrated by Lisa Powell Braun (West Margin Press, April 2022), a nonfiction picture book about the California poppy super bloom. The story includes details such as the life cycle and plant parts of poppies, the desert habitat and its food web, as well as some early California history.

Lisa was a Spotlight Speaker at SCBWI CenCal’s How to Pitch to an Agent event on July 10. She took a moment to answer some questions for Kite Tales.

Continue reading →

Toot Your Horn!

27 Wednesday Jul 2022

Posted by Farrha Khan in Toot Your Horn!

≈ Leave a comment

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!

Continue reading →

Toot Your Horn!

11 Wednesday May 2022

Posted by Farrha Khan in Toot Your Horn!

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

biography, middle grade, picture book, published, publishing, SCBWI community, SCBWI members, young adult

Continue reading →

Toot Your Horn!

02 Wednesday Mar 2022

Posted by Farrha Khan in Toot Your Horn!

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

biography, middle grade, picture book, published, publishing, SCBWI community, SCBWI members, young adult

Continue reading →

An Interview with Lynn Becker, Picture Book Author

02 Wednesday Feb 2022

Posted by Farrha Khan in Author's Perspective, Central Coast

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

author, CenCal Writer's Day contest, June Moon, Lynn Becker, Monsters in the Briny, picture book, picture books

By Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison

Lynn Becker is the author of Monsters in the Briny, illustrated by Scott Brundage (Sleeping Bear Press, April 2022). What do you do with a grumpy kraken, a sickly sea serpent, and a tearful gigantic tortoise? You sing them a tune! The verse in this debut picture book follows the sea shanty rhyme of “What Do You Do With . . . ,” as the ship’s crew face each creature’s demand for comfort or attention.

Lynn Becker, former resident and volunteer member of the SCBWI Central-California Region, now lives and writes in Colorado. She took a moment to answer some questions for Kite Tales.

ANN ROUSSEAU SMITH: Congratulations on your debut picture book Monsters in the Briny, illustrated by Scott Brundage (Sleeping Bear Press, April 2022). What was the inspiration for writing about sea creatures?

Continue reading →