Nonfiction Monday: Laura Crawford's Year-In-Review

2011—LESSON LEARNED!
I learned many lessons in 2011…and the first was in January at a convent. Yes, a convent.
I live in Illinois, a state with a variety of SCBWI events each year. A week into the new year, I attended a weekend retreat at the Cenacle in Chicago. People asked why I paid good money to sit in a silent room in a silent building when I live alone. The answer was simple: I’m easily distracted. I needed to get away from the Kardashians, dumb TV movies, laundry and schoolwork. I was unbelievably focused and productive—I wrote 3.5 books in 3 days! Lesson learned: I need peace and quiet to get stuff done.
Lisa Wheeler’s Picture Book boot camp was in February. There is only way to describe this weekend: the single best thing I ever did to improve my writing. Picture book writers…find Lisa. Now. Hurry. Many, many lessons learned.
March and April were filled with book signings and school events. Fun! In May, I went temporarily insane and took part and signed up for the challenge of writing seven complete picture books in a week. Lesson learned: I can get a lot done when I set my mind to it!
In June, I did not write anything. Too much stress at work. Needed to relax. I was just not feeling it, and if I’m not feeling it, I can’t force it…so I went swimming instead. And then came….
July! Words By the Lake in Springfield was 3 days of solitude by the lake while writing. The peace and quiet was refreshing and calming. Lesson learned: nature makes me more creative.
August and September—I headed back to school. I had no time and no desire to write. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t making progress on my books. I thought about them every day…just because I was too busy to type does not mean I wasn’t getting closer to being done! And I decided to look for an agent.
And then came October…and 14 rejections. I hate looking for agents. (Sorry if you are an agent reading this…but picture book writers who don’t illustrate need love too!) I also set a goal: one week to finish the book I started at the convent. No Facebook. No TV. No cleaning the house. Much to my surprise, I finished it in 4 days and sent it off to my experts! Lesson learned: I always think it’s going to be harder than it is…
November…Prairie Writers Day (the Illinois SCBWI conference.) Busy, busy, busy. Luckily I walked away with a list of editors because I did not have a creative thought in weeks!!! I’m really not worried about it though, because it always returns.
Plus—I SOLD A BOOK!! Yay!! Benjamin Franklin From A to Z will be coming out with Pelican Publishing. It will be dedicated to the students and coworkers of Sleepy Hollow Elementary who support, encourage and inspire me every day.
And now it’s December…and I made it through the first round of the www.meegenius.com contest. Feel free to stop by and vote!
It’s been a great year: I’ve learned a lot. And I just signed up to go to the convent again!!! I hope 2012 is as productive as 2011.

This post is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up hosted this week by Practically Paradise blog.

Nonfiction Monday: Heidi Bee Roemer's Year-In-Review

HEIDI BEE ROEMER’S Year-in-Review
High fives to Kim and Laura, my talented blogger buddies, on all their accomplishments and reports of glad tidings and good cheer. They are a hard act to follow!

Writing news…
I now know the difference between a rhombus and a trapezoid—Yay! Laura Crawford and I co-authored a math-themed poetry book geared for third graders. We’re seeking a publisher for 2-D Poe-ometry! Poems about Flat Shapes. (If you know an editor who likes NF with a creative kick, please email me. We offer cash and/or first born child if your recommendation results in a sale.) Our companion book, 3-D Poe-ometry! Poems about Space Figures, is, you might say, shaping up nicely. I hope next year Laura and I can jubilantly report that our “math blaster” collections have been sold!

Editing news…
To someday be a children’s poetry editor has been at the top of my wish list for YEARS and Canadian-born Carol-Ann Hoyte made my dream come true. Carol-Ann and I are co-editors for her brainchild, a children’s poetry anthology about sports. The ebook is strategically due for release July, 2012, just in time for London’s summer Olympics. Our vision is to showcase emergent talent from around the world. So far, we’ve received submissions from Japan, the U.K., Canada, New Zealand, plus poems from U.S. writers, including uber-talented poetry geniuses, such as J. Patrick Lewis, Charles Ghigna, Jane Yolen, Charles Waters and W. Nikola-Lisa. Want to submit a poem for possible publication? Don’t dillydally! Take a sneak a peek at the guidelines: http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/tag/heidi-bee-roemer/

Author visit news…
School and library visits have been sluggish this year, but thanks to Carmela Martino and Monta Hernon, I am teaching poetry to 26 home school students, ages 4 to 10. They love to read, write, and recite poetry. It doesn’t get any better than that!

Teaching & Critiquing news…
I continue to offer my critiquing services and The ABC’s of Poetry workshop, a correspondence course for adults who want to write and publish children’s poetry. A Canadian writer whose manuscript I critiqued emailed me with good news—his book sold! Keep your eyes peeled for Pat Camozzi’s ALPHA BONES CANDY, due 2013.

Other news…
I’ve read more books than ever this year, particularly the nature, picture book and poetry varieties, my favorites. I’ve also been tinkering in the kitchen with new vegan recipes and maintaining a regular schedule at the gym. This year I added kickboxing and rock climbing to my routine. Next year, maybe fencing?

Thus ends my swashbuckling year-in-review. Thanks for blogging along with us and hope you’ll do more of the same in 2012. Touché!

Be sure to share your year-in-review. What books have you read that you really connected with? Any book launches? Contracts signed? Don't be shy. We want to celebrate your news, too!

This post is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up hosted this week by Geo Librarian blog.

Nonfiction Monday: Kimberly M. Hutmacher Year-in-Review

Normally, we use this space to celebrate books created by other authors, but once a year, we like to give our readers an update on what each of the Wild Writers has been up to. I'll begin our Year In Review this week, and Heidi Bee Roemer and Laura Crawford will follow up the next two weeks.

KIM’S YEAR IN REVIEW, 2011
This year brought the release of six new books. First up is a five-book series published by Capstone Press that encourages children to explore their communities with their senses. The titles are: Your Senses at the Beach, Your Senses at the Dentist's Office, Your Senses at the Fire Station, Your Senses at the Grocery Store and Your Senses at the Zoo. Also new this year is my latest book for Libraries Unlimited. Picture Book Parties does exactly what the title says--celebrates popular picture books with games, classroom center ideas and book specific snacks. The book even includes party invitations! Picture Book Parties is meant to be a helpful and fun guide for teachers, librarians and media specialists to plan everyday story times or larger school literacy events, such as the ever-growing family reading night.

In addition to celebrating recently-published books, I also wrote two new book series for Capstone Press. The “I Want a Pet” series explores the ins and outs and positives and negatives of owning different kinds of pets in order to help children make good decisions regarding what pets would be best for them. The four titles are: I Want a Dog, I Want a Cat, I Want a Hamster and I Want a Fish. The second Capstone Press series is about telling time and giving children an idea of how long segments of time are. The titles in this rhyming four-book series are: How Long is a Second? How Long is a Minute? and How Long is an Hour? In addition, I wrote a series of four earth science books for Rourke Publishing. Most of these books will probably be available in 2012. Yay! Lots of book birthdays to look forward to!

When I wasn't writing this year, I was fortunate enough to spend time in schools celebrating my books and my passion for writing with children. Some days were spent doing interactive story times with K-3 graders. Other days were spent doing poetry clinics with 4-6 graders. And still other days were spent sharing my journey from struggling reader to published author with middle grade students. Wherever I was, I can tell you that I was inspired and impressed by children who had a love for story as big as my own!

LET’S HEAR FROM YOU!
Please share your own year in review in our comments. What did you read this year? What did you write about? Any sales or publications? Fill us in. We want to hear from you! And don't forget to check back over the next two weeks to learn about what Wild Writers Laura Crawford and Heidi Bee Roemer have been up to.

P.S. Just an FYI for those interested: You can learn more about my school and library workshop offerings by clicking here. The Wild About Nature Writers are also available to speak as a a duo or a trio. Email us for more information.

Here's to 2012!

Kimberly Hutmacher

This post is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up hosted this week by Gathering Books blog.