Rodney Letter

Wow! I received a wonderful letter in the mail on Friday. Some weeks ago I sent a copy of Rodney Robbins and the Rainy-day Pond to the folks who live in the real-life house mentioned in my book. It was my grandparents' very New England house on Colonial Avenue "with the perfect picket fence," a cherry tree in the front yard, and a cellar door. This was at the suggestion of my uncle, who remembered that a couple from the neighborhood had bought the house in the 80s and were still living there. Here are excerpts from the nice letter I received:

"I grew up [on Colonial Avenue] and as a child I remember what a big deal it was for the street to be paved. It was a summer project and I loved all the commotion!"

And this, "You may be interested to know that to this day when we have a big rainstorm a huge puddle still forms in front of our house until the storm drain can catch up. Sometimes it has even crept halfway up our driveway!"

Now if I could just find the newspaper article. . . .

Children's Book Writing Conference

I attended a writers' conference last Saturday. Great speakers, great topics, great location--a wonderful experience! One speaker, Pat Scales, was a former Newbery and Caldecott judge. I could have listened to her all day. Another was an editor for Highlights magazine and Calkins Creek books. She was knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. She was the kind of person that I just knew I would like, the kind that I could get into trouble with if we were ever seated together somewhere formal. Other speakers included a Caldecott-awarding winning illustrator, a well-published children's book author, and the author of the currently popular Pirate books. All were quite down-to-earth and eager to share their insights into the world of children's book publishing.

I've already contacted the lady from Highlights/Calkins Creek and asked about sending her something for publication. That's one of the major benefits of attending these conferences, I'm told: networking and opportunities for personal contact that can lead to publishing opportunities.