In spite of a snowstorm, I made it to Tulsa on Saturday for the Oklahoma SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Spring Conference. My friend Una Belle and I zipped up there late Friday afternoon and spent Friday and Saturday nights in a motel so that we didn’t have to fight the snow on the turnpike. It was a great conference, and I’ll do a separate post on it in a day or two. For now, though, I want to introduce you to some of my favorite children’s writers (in alphabetical order so that I won’t be accused of having favorites). I’m proud to call all of them my friends.

Brandi Barnett is a young lady I met a few years ago. She has a young adult book out called GLAMOUR. I bought a copy and will be reading it soon. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a photo of Brandi with her book, as she left the conference early. I’m guessing she wanted to get somewhere before the roads turned to ice. I’m looking forward to following her career as a writer. You can see her picture and learn more about GLAMOUR on her website,
http://www.brandibarnett.com/.

This is Darlene Bailey Beard. I’ve known Darlene since before she published her first book, THE PUMPKIN MAN OF PINEY CREEK. In fact, I’m proud to say that I actually critiqued that manuscript in its beginning stages. She went on to publish another picture book, TWISTER, and three novels, THE FLIMFLAM MAN, THE BABBS SWITCH STORY, and OPERATION CLEAN SWEEP. She has a new book coming out in the fall called ANNIE GLOVER IS NOT A TREE LOVER. Darlene’s website is
http://www.darlenebaileybeard.com/.

Kim Doner has been an illustrator of books for children for many years, but now she’s a writer as well. The first book she wrote and illustrated is BUFFALO DREAMS. Here she’s holding her latest book, ON A ROAD IN AFRICA, which she wrote and illustrated. (It’s wonderful!) Her website is
http://www.kimdoner.com/.

Gwendolyn Hooks is a special friend. We’ve been in a critique group together for over eight years, and I value her feedback on my manuscripts. Besides that, she is fun. Gwen has written a number of short and easy to read books, which are harder to write than it appears. CAN I HAVE A PET? was her first book, followed by THREE’S A CROWD, THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING PET, and NICE WHEELS! Last year she published three books about aquatic food webs. She’s awesome! Her website is
http://www.gwendolynhooks.com/.
Cynthea Liu has many friends and admirers in the world of children’s publishing. Although she now lives in Illinois, Cynthea is originally from Oklahoma, so she often attends the Oklahoma SCBWI Spring Conference. (It’s a good opportunity to combine business, friendship, and family. Also, she gets to see that beautiful red dirt.) Cynthea has written a how-to book for writers called WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS and two novels for kids, THE GREAT CALL OF CHINA and PARIS PAN TAKES THE DARE. Her website is
.
1 comment:
Now if this ain't name dropping I don't know what it is. So this is where you were all week end.
Post a Comment