First we made a stop in Galena to visit an old friend, Tow Mater. Phyllis really enjoyed catching up with him and hearing about the glamourous days he spent in Hollywood working on his latest movie.

Always the jokester, Pete surprised Phyllis by showing up unexpectedly. We gave him a hard time about wearing a winter sweater in 80 degree weather… but he didn’t seem to mind!

Next we traveled to the Tri-State Marker. Phyllis thought it was so funny that she could be in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri at the same time!

By then the heat was getting pretty intense… especially for Pete in that crazy sweater! I suggested we go check out Grand Falls, Missouri’s largest natural, continually flowing waterfall.

We were all surprised to find a crowd of people swimming and jumping from the cliffs nearby. Pete jumped right in with them! Phyllis wasn’t quite sure WHY it’s so warm for March… but none of us were complaining.

After drying off, we decided to go to Cunningham Park to run around.

Phyllis was sad when I told her that the tornado in Joplin had torn up the park last year… but she was happy that it is so beautiful now!!! Volunteers from all over the world have been here to help rebuild the city and they started there to give everyone a place to play.

Cunningham had always been my son Collin’s favorite park, but today was the first day we went back since the storm. Phyllis was just as excited as he was and they went down the slide together A BILLION times!!!

Finally, we ended our visit the best way we knew how… with CANDY! Phyllis LOVES candy and said that the chocolate at Richardson’s Candy House is ALMOST as good as the maple candy she makes with her family back home.

We were really sad to see Phyllis go, but she had to head out to California this evening. But before she left, she told us a REALLY funny story… I’ll be sure to tell all of you about it tomorrow!

I’ve been busy this week making final preparations for a VERY special visitor!

Our family was honored when Suzanna Leonard Hill told us the news… Punxsutawney Phyllis will be staying with us for a couple nights during her April Fool Phyllis World Tour!!!  We have a full day of sightseeing ahead, so hopefully she is getting plenty of rest on her ride up here from Texas!

Some of the places we’ll be visiting are new to me too. It will be so much fun to experience them with her for the first time. The forecast is calling for some cloudy days, but we won’t let that dampen any of our fun. The Ozarks are beautiful this time of year… rain OR shine!  I’ll make sure to take PLENTY of pictures!

Rumor also has it that Phyllis is a WONDERFUL storyteller. My son Collin is already hoping she will tell him his bedtime story while she is here. I’m sure they will be GREAT friends before she heads out to California to see more of the world!

In the meantime I have begun diving into the research. This book will be filled with costumes from around the world… can-can dresses, kimonos, harem pants and grass skirts. There’s going to be a lot of fabric, a lot of movement, a lot of embellishment… so fun! I hope to start working on the storyboard this weekend and will probably spend at least one day at Panera sketching this week… I’ll be the one in the back… jamming out to iTunes and covered in pencil smudges.

Note: Click on the picture to see the YouTube video of the Pedigree Commercial this was taken from. You won’t be disappointed… I PROMISE!

I had every intention of letting Susanna Leonard Hill’s Valentines Day Contest be the impetus I needed to finish this picture book manuscript. It has been bumping around in my head for some time. Her contest challenge was to write a story on “unlikely Valentines” in under 200 words. Well… it doesn’t get much more unlikely than this I would say…

Obviously my entry is incomplete, but I just had to share it for the sake of entertainment. Unfortunately, a work project got in the way this weekend and I was unable to give this story the time that it deserves. I will continue working on it over the next few months and will keep everyone updated on my progress though!

I just LOVE my IPad2 (which I won in an online contest last year). My son loves it as much as any other kid, but lately he’s been wanting to download more and more games and books for it. This can get pretty pricey. I try to negotiate with my son but it’s so difficult to tell him no when he starts handing me his pretend money and asking me to “Say Yes Mamma” with those big blue eyes.

Searching through some of the free apps today, I came across one called Crayola “Lights, Camera, Color!” … and I just HAD to share.

The app allows you to take a picture or select one from your gallery. It then “vacuums” out all the color from the image. Once in its “frame” you get to add “stickers” and color it using virtual Crayola crayons, pencils and markers. The free version was fun enough, but I quickly learned that you could purchase 90 additional “stickers” for $1.99 (Those app builders know how to hook you don’t they!?!). We were having so much fun that I made the splurge. Probably my biggest negative is that you can’t reopen the images and color them once you close them… at least I haven’t figured out a way to yet.

The two images above were collaborate works that I created with (and of) my two-year old son. We had a blast! I love the construction/race car driver/nerd duck the best… but unfortunately Collin wouldn’t let me finish coloring it in his excitement. Soooo much fun… and a great creativity starter for all ages!

29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE from TO-FU on Vimeo.

Thanks for sharing Gerald Kelley!

For the past week, I have been literally CHEWING on all the wonderful information that was thrown at me during the SCBWI conference in New York City. I was expecting a great event, but I had no idea how inspiring it would truly be.

Towards the end of the conference the common question among attendees was “What was your favorite part?” I would have to say that it is difficult to put into words. Mainly, I was amazed by how many of my peers were having lightbulb moments of inspiration. They happened during sessions, over dinner conversation, while taking breaks and late at night in the hotel bar. You could always tell when it happened… the person would stop, grab their pencil and feverishly begin taking notes or sketching. I personally worked through a problem I was having with a manuscript during one session. I came up with two new picture book ideas. Another friend wrote an entire picture book draft in the midst of a keynote.

I think one of the greatest gifts when attending an SCBWI conference is allowing yourself to forget your daily life and immerse yourself in your passion. The second gift is that you are able to do so surrounded by like-minded people. These people don’t bat an eyelash when you begin discussing treasure ships, talking chickens and “Robo-vampires set on destroying the earth” (Yes… for those who didn’t attend, this was an actual topic of discussion on one of the panels). They share in your enthusiasm when you talk about your new Wacom tablet, your trials and tribulations with XYZ printing company, and your frustrations about working while a toddler hangs off your arm begging for more apple juice. It’s just nice to know that we aren’t alone.

Overall, I feel envigorated, renewed and full of direction. MUCH more so than when I packed my bags and headed to the airport a week ago.

Obviously you can’t discount the experience of rubbing elbows and absorbing the advice of “the greats” in the business either. It amazed me how willingly people like Jane Yolen, Peter Brown, John Rocco, Cassandra Clare, Sophie Blackall, etc. were to share their knowledge and experience with those just getting started. They had a certain way of making you feel “invited to the party”… and party we did! The gala’s and socials were incredible and I met several people who I believe will be lifelong friends. Building a network is so important in this business (as many of the speakers agreed) and I feel great knowing that my own group of peers is growing with each new event.

Many of you are probably wondering about all the “secrets and insider tips” we learned at the conference. Those that will help us to soar above the rest and land those coveted contracts. Most of all I learned that even the “professionals” are still stumbling along trying to find their way with each change in the market. It’s reassuring to know that they don’t have all the answers either.

Despite this, many of them did have a lot of great advice. Many of their words of advice were simply reminders to keep pushing forward. Here are some of the thoughts that stood out to me:

Be visible. Blog once a week. Comment on other people’s blogs… generally they will return the favor. Join Facebook and try to be interesting. Show the publishing industry that you are relevant. Just put your work out there. Key word: Discoverability.

Do what you know and create what you love. If you are passionate about what you are doing it will shine through in your work.

Give freely. Be generous and open. More ideas will come. Be an idea factory.

Tell the truth in your character’s own language. The truth that you know is the one that will get you published. Look within, be honest and create from the heart.

Read. If you want to be a creator of stories you have to know a lot about the world… and how to ask the right questions.

Have style. Your own style has a relationship to your childhood and your own relationship with books. Don’t follow trends, do what comes naturally. Move from conscious creation to a more intuitive approach.

Know your characters. The story of your book is found in whatever they NEED!

Live a creative life. All the parts of your life inform one another. Even making cupcakes for your kids can feed your work.

Stay strong. Success is directly proportional to your ability to accept rejection.

Network. Connect with people who embrace your work.

There was a lot of other discussion about websites to check out, the current status of the industry, suggestions for submission, marketing recommendations and more. I can’t even begin to go into all of those things just yet, but in the end those things are probably the least important. It all begins and ends with doing good work. I truly believe that if you have a good story, if you tell it well, if you create it with passion, and if you pursue its publication with a strong belief in its success… it will find an audience. I have to believe that. This belief has lit a fire under me this week and I look forward to seeing where it takes me over the next few months.

Finally, I will leave you with the book trailer that John Rocco created for his book “Blackout”. Discussions on book trailers and marketing were a huge part of the conference and I was incredibly inspired by the passion behind this one. It doesn’t always have to be complicated. Sometimes simple can be wonderful.

I finished the digital illustration I’ve been working on. It took all night and I still have to go to the printer to drop off my files so I’m going to go catch a few Zs before Collin wakes up. In the meantime… enjoy!