Hello, Readers, It’s been a long day. I had to rush my precious poodle-bichon, Jimmy Lambchop, to the emergency animal hospital this morning after first taking him to his primary vet. Jimmy’s in a life-threatening situation with a clogged gallbladder and tumor on his spleen, so out those offending organs must come. Driving home, knowing…
Hello, Adult Readers, Standing in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, I’d like to introduce–or reintroduce–you to a female Ukrainian poet named Lyuba Yakimchuk. She was born in 1985 in Pervomaisk, Luhansk, in what was Ukraine’s industrial east. She and her family lost their home and fled as refugees in 2014 when Russian-backed militants occupied…
Hello, All Readers and Stargazers, This July marks thirty years since my trip to beautiful, ivy-covered Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. My then eleven-year-old daughter and I had the honor of attending a three-week science symposium there in the summer of 1992. I was part of the San Diego educators’ team. One of many…
Dear Teachers, Parents, and Readers, Recently, I shared to my personal Facebook page a friend’s thought-provoking post. It was from a public group on Facebook called “Compass Group,” which I have joined. It has 219K followers. In addition to some stunning nature photos from around the world, there was an article about the four types…
Dear Kids, Teachers, Librarians, and Parents, I have spent part of yesterday and today preparing for one of my favorite activities as a children’s author: a school author visit! Tomorrow, February 11, for forty-five glorious minutes, I will have the privilege of joining virtually fifty-two fifth graders and their two teachers in Pennsylvania. I’ve smiled…
Dear Kids, Educators, Families, and All Readers, Do you remember John Hancock? He was a wealthy Massachusetts businessman and one of the earliest and most outspoken American patriots calling for independence from Britain in the 1770s. He was public enemy number one to General Thomas Gage, commander of British forces in the colonies, so his life…
Hey, Kids, and All Readers of our Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries, “This is Moki, the funny, foodie detective. We’re on a new case. At least, we were. It seems our creator, the author, has gone missing!” “I’m Lexi, the arm-squeezing detective, and Moki’s right. We haven’t seen her in a couple weeks. Usually, she drops…
Hello, All Readers Who Celebrate Christmas, Elvis Presley wasn’t the only one singing about having a Blue Christmas. Unfortunately, millions of people experience depression, anxiety, hunger, loneliness, or unfulfilled expectations this time of year. This is in part due to the notion that everyone–except maybe ourselves–is having a perfect “Norman Rockwell” Christmas. You know: the…
Hello, All Readers, Tuesday, December 7, 2021, was the 80th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. You might be wondering why I, a children’s author, am blogging about this. Here’s part of the backstory: Since December 7th is also my birthday (but not the same year as the attack!), I was called “a Pearl Harbor…
Hello, All Readers, I have been invited to present at the San Diego Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ (SCBWI) chapter meeting on December 11. The topic is what I learned as a result of hybrid publishing with Acorn Publishing. Whew! Sooo much. I made of list of all the topics and tasks I was…
