Last weekend I was at the fall conference of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Wisconsin Chapter, held in beautiful Green Lake, Wisconsin. It was an absolutely gorgeous weekend. My picture doesn’t do justice to the vibrant fall colors and clear blue skies. The weather was amazing: sunny days that were cool and fresh without being cold. Wisconsin at its best!

I stayed at the historic Roger Williams Inn and ate at the Kraft Center. Between the two buildings is this delightful sculpture of children playing. A perfect piece of art for a group of children’s book writers and illustrators!

The faculty for the program were amazing and included nationally recognized editors, agents, authors and illustrators.

Author Varian Johnson critiqued the first ten pages of The Stepsisters, and had some helpful advice about my prologue. Johnson is the author of The Great Greene Heist middle grade series. (Purchased, signed and now in my TBR pile.)

OK, I know you all are wondering about my costume. I was going to be Mary Poppins and had cobbled together some pieces from the UWSP costume shop. However, the skirt and jacket were uncomfortable, the hat too small, and my umbrella recognizably modern. When a pre-conference email encouraged people to bring masks (MASKS!) and explained that we would have the chance to make masks (MAKE MASKS!) at the conference, I eagerly returned the costume. . .

having forgot that I wear glasses. Glasses and masks don’t work well together. Of course, necessity is the mother of invention (as someone once said.) So, I invented a comfortable, glasses-friendly mask. But what character from children’s literature was I? Sadly, I was without an identity– until a writer suggested that I could be the clock from The Invention of Hugo Cabret. So, here I am, the clock from Hugo Cabret:

It was a fun weekend, and now I am inspired and with a clear plan of attack for improving my manuscript. Just in time for NaNoWriMo!